Conscious Caracal

Ep. 93 - Finding meaning in the chaos & ruin | Existential Delight

I have a conversation with Existential Delight, a South African Youtuber which described his channel as the opposite of an existential crisis. We discuss the pursuit of meaning in troubling, chaotic times, Christianity, G.K. Chesterton, existentialism, and more.

Ep. 92 - Inflationary pressures & South African agriculture | Herman Roos

I chat with South African tobacco farmer Herman Roos about the inflationary pressures currently bubbling under the surface of the South African agricultural industry, and what this means for farmers, general inflation, and specifically food prices. We also discuss the fertilizer industry, composting, growing your own food, and more.

Ep. 91 - Creating art in ugly times | Gio Pennacchietti

I have a conversation with Gio Pennacchietti (Gio's Content Corner), a social impressionist artist, writer, podcaster (Break The Rules podcast), Gonzo Philosopher, Postmodern Right, and Jungian Futurist. We discuss the necessity and value of creating art in times where the modern zeitgeist encourages the creation of things that are ugly, formless and without meaning.

Ep. 90 - Language & Institutions: Afrikaans at Stellenbosch University | Leon Schreiber

I have a conversation with Dr Leon Schreiber, Member of the South African Parliament, Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow Minister of Public Service and Administration, and fighter for Afrikaans at tertiary education institutions like Stellenbosch University. We discuss the concerted onslaught against Afrikaans as medium of education at Stellenbosch University, how the institution set about abolishing Afrikaans as language of instruction, the impact of these attacks against Afrikaans, and more.

Ep. 89 - Build. Plant. Create. | Discussion Stream

I discuss the noble and enriching endeavours of building, planting and creating in a time where the zeitgeist is saturated with nihilism and calls to break down, destroy and deface.

Ep. 88 - An Introduction to Civil Disobedience | Robert Duigan

AfriForum and its affiliated think tank Opinor released a discussion paper that aims to provide a legible framework, both theoretical and practical, for the engagement of a civil disobedience campaign. The paper draws on international experts, and is written specific to the South African political context. It addresses the institutional knowledge of the prevailing players and the historical narratives available. The paper furthermore elaborates on various strategies that could be followed with regard to civil disobedience campaigns.

Ep. 87 - Time to dig trenches | Russell Lamberti

I speak to Russell Lamberti, Chief Economist at Sakeliga, about his observation that there's a time to move and a time to dig a trench, and how it applies to South Africa and the West.

Ep. 86 - How do ActionSA plan to fix South Africa? | Herman Mashaba

Me and Odin Moja (WotanZA) chat to Herman Mashaba, President of the new South African prolitical party ActionSA, former Mayor of Johannesburg, businessman and entrepreneur, self-described family man and patriot. We discuss how his party plan to fix South Africa, what makes #ActionSA different from other opposition parties, #PutSouthAfricaFirst, border control, illegal immigration, how his party have been challenged by the IEC, and more.

Ep. 85 - Redistributive Populism vs Property Rights: Comparing Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Uruguay & Botswana

In South Africa, and the Western world in general, the liberal democratic paradigm is progressively coming under scrutiny. Many of these challenges originated in a new wave of populism, of both the left and right-wing variety, gaining momentum in the West and the global South. I therefore did my Master’s thesis on the topic of redistributive populism, a strand of left-wing populism, as well as private property rights. In this discussion I provide a brief overview of my findings.
My thesis addressed the following question: Is redistributive populism a sustainable long-term policy path for economic growth, poverty and inequality reduction, and for democratic consolidation, or is protecting and enforcing property rights a better alternative to achieve these aims? In order to find an answer, I compared four case studies: Venezuela and Zimbabwe, as examples of redistributive populist regimes under which property rights were substantially eroded; and Uruguay and Botswana, as examples where property rights were protected and enforced.

Ep. 84 - Why nation building projects fail | Chris Waldburger

I chat to Chris Waldburger, a former journalist that claims to have been challenging modern nihilism since 1986. We discuss nation building projects, liberal imperialism, Afghanistan, South Africa, anarcho-tyranny, empires, and more.