The domestication of plants and animals represents one of the most profound transformations in our species' history—yet few of us understand how dramatically it has reshaped not just the organisms involved, but our entire planet's ecology. In this fascinating conversation with Joy of Zoognosis and Mimbres School, we unpack the complex biological and social dimensions of domestication that have created the world we inhabit today.

Did you know that domesticated livestock and humans together comprise 97% of all mammalian biomass on Earth, leaving just 3% for all wild mammals combined? Beyond these staggering numbers lies an even more surprising revelation: many of our assumptions about why humans began domesticating animals are likely incorrect. Archaeological evidence suggests dogs weren't initially tamed to help with hunting but were incorporated into human social groups for emotional and ritualistic purposes long before agriculture developed.

We explore the "domestication syndrome"—the collection of physical and behavioral changes that appear across domesticated species, from floppy ears in dogs to white patches in cows—and how these changes occur through selection for tameness and juvenile characteristics. Most provocatively, we examine the evidence that humans ourselves show many markers of domestication, potentially having "self-domesticated" by selecting against extreme aggression in our own species.

The conversation takes unexpected turns through the political dimensions of domestication and wildness, examining how both far-right and primitivist ideologies fetishize a return to wilderness based on misunderstandings of ecological history. We conclude by confronting the harsh realities of our industrial food system and considering how we might reimagine our relationship with domesticated species for a more sustainable future.

Whether you're fascinated by evolutionary biology, concerned about our food systems, or simply curious about why your cat behaves the way it does, this deep dive into the science and philosophy of domestication will transform how you see your place in the living world.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

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Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon

Professor Matthew McManus joins us to explore liberal socialism, the right's evolution, and the shifting global political landscape.

• Carlo Rossellini's work articulates a socialism that confronts both Marxist determinism and fascism
• Rossellini criticized Italian leftists for failing to understand fascism's emotional appeal
• Liberal socialism aims to make the promise of freedom true for everyone, especially the working poor
• Mouffe and Laclau's influential work acknowledges the importance of recognizing political enemies
• Axel Honneth introduces "social freedom" as a third dimension beyond negative and positive liberty
• Trump's presidency reveals the collapse of centrist neoliberalism and democrats' failure to offer alternatives
• European powers and Canada now defying American leadership shows declining US global dominance
• The left needs to focus on building coalitions rather than demanding ideological purity

Find Matthew's writing in Jacobin, Christian Socialism, Current Affairs, and Commonwealth, or reach him directly at mattmcmanusprof@gmail.com.

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Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon

Capitalism's crisis theories reveal more about leftist political failures than economic reality, as deterministic approaches miss the cultural dimensions of decay while simultaneously failing to deliver the promised revolutionary outcomes.

• Examining Aufheben's' "Decadence, the Theory of Decline or Decline of Theory" as a framework for understanding how leftists conceptualize capitalism's decay
• Crisis theories traditionally mark WWI as capitalism's turning point toward decline, though interpretations vary widely among Marxist traditions
• Neoliberalism is fundamentally misunderstood by leftists who equate it with laissez-faire policies rather than recognizing its public-private partnership model
• Conservative decadence theories correctly identify cultural symptoms but propose solutions that accelerate the problems they diagnose
• Contemporary manifestations of decadence include declining literacy, rising obesity, and political systems that increasingly cannot function according to their own principles
• The business cycle's reassertion after periods of apparent stability challenges deterministic theories of capitalism's inevitable collapse
• Multipolarity's emergence in global politics creates new instabilities but also potential openings for change

Send us a text

Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon