Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2026-09-05
Books mentioned on It Could Happen Here Weekly 248
All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.
Andrew Sage discussed Kropotkin, Read, and the Intellectual History of British Anarchism by M. Adams, The First World War by Adam Matthew Publications, Peter Kropotkin by George Woodcock, Against the Grain by James C. Scott, Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan, Wild Thought by Claude Lévi-Strauss, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, and The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
Kropotkin, Read, and the Intellectual History of British Anarchism
Discussed“As documented by historian Matthew S. Adam in Anarchism in the First World War, Kropotkin wrote, "I consider that the duty of everyone who cherishes the idea of human progress is to crush the invasion of the Germans into Western Europe."”
Where to get it
-
The First World War
Discussed“As documented by historian Matthew S. Adam in Anarchism in the First World War, Kropotkin wrote, "I consider that the duty of everyone who cherishes the idea of human progress is to crush the invasion of the Germans into Western Europe."”
Where to get it
-
Peter Kropotkin
Discussed“However, as noted by historian George Woodcock in Pizza Kropotkin from Prince Terrebel, quote, "anti-German sentiment was probably an influence on Kropotkin long before this point..."”
Where to get it
-
Against the Grain
Why people recommend it: Challenging traditional assumptions about the rise of human civilization and the origins of state control, Against the Grain by James C.
Discussed“But one thing is really stuck with me in reading, for instance, Jamesy Scott, which talks about this and against the green, it's just whole fragile and not inevitable.”
Where to get it
-
Civilized to Death
Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan is a critical examination of modern human progress that argues civilization has left people sicker, lonelier, and more anxious than their hunter-gatherer ancestors.
Discussed“I think it's curious because when I look at, for instance, this book, Civilized Death by Christopher Ryan, and he uses this concept of human domestication.”
Where to get it
-
Wild Thought
Discussed“In his book, Wild Thoughts, Claude Levy-Strauss had made the point that many of humanity's greatest technological breakthroughs in agriculture, weaving, pottery, animal domestication, they were developed long before we conventionally think of as civilization.”
Where to get it
-
Ishmael
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn is a philosophical novel that uses a telepathic gorilla to explore human civilization, environmental impact, and the societal divide between givers and takers.
Discussed“The author Daniel Quinn in his book Ishmael had made a point that tribes can be defined not by Hunter and Catherine or ethnicity, but as a social organization that allows people to make a living together.”
Where to get it
-
The Botany of Desire
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan is a fascinating exploration of the co-evolutionary relationships between humans and four specific plants, demonstrating how domesticated species like apples, tulips, cannabis, and potatoes have successfully fulfilled human desires while securing their own survival and global spread.
Discussed“I think there's a I forget the name of the book. It said bought any of desire. Yeah, I haven't read that. I've been recommended that book before. Yeah, I've read that a couple years ago.”
Where to get it
