Person
Every book Carl Benjamin recommended on podcasts
Across 3 podcasts. Every show Carl Benjamin appears on, in one place — not just one.
Carl Benjamin’s most recommended books
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
- The Odyssey by Homer
- The origins of English individualism by Alan Macfarlane
- Critical race theory by Kimberle Crenshaw
- Dialectic of Enlightenment by Max Horkheimer
- Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
- The fourth turning by William Strauss
- The Road to Serfdom by F. A. Hayek
Carl Charles Benjamin, also known by his online pseudonym Sargon of Akkad, is a British right-wing YouTuber and political commentator. A former member of the Eurosceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP), he was one of its unsuccessful candidates for the South West England constituency at the 2019 European Parliament election. Appearing on various podcasts, Benjamin discussed and recommended several influential texts. He recommended Alan Macfarlane's The Origins of English Individualism to explain the historical roots of property markets and individualism in England dating back to the thirteenth century. He also cited Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power to illustrate political principles and leadership dynamics. Discussing generational cycles, he referenced William Strauss and Neil Howe's The Fourth Turning. Furthermore, he mentioned Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno's Dialectic of Enlightenment to trace the origins of critical theory and the Frankfurt School, referenced Kimberlé Crenshaw's edited collection Critical Race Theory for legal strategy essays, and discussed Homer's The Odyssey to explain the literary origins of the name of his podcast, The Lotus Eaters.
Books recommended by Carl Benjamin
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The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers is a provocative guide examining the historical mechanics of influence, strategy, and social dynamics.
Discussed“And that's, the first one is from like Robert Green's books, 'The 48 Laws of Power', which is never outshine the master, right? Trump is a more veteran statesman than him by virtue of being A, the president and being older, right?”
Where to get it
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The Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels is a foundational 1848 political pamphlet that outlines the core tenets of Marxism, class struggle, and the eventual overthrow of the capitalist system.
Discussed“If you read the Communist Manifesto, you understand modern feminism. You know, you are talking about the male bourgeoisie and the female proletariat.”
Where to get it
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The Odyssey
The Odyssey by Homer is an epic ancient Greek poem that follows the arduous ten-year journey of Odysseus as he attempts to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, encountering mythical creatures, divine wrath, and numerous trials along the way.
Discussed“the name is from the odyssey uh the the island of the lotus eaters is the first island that odysseus and his crew arrive at”
Where to get it
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The origins of English individualism
The Origins of English Individualism is a historical study by Professor Alan Macfarlane that investigates the deep-rooted cultural and economic foundations of English society.
Recommended“so I mean there there's a there's a great book on uh called the origins of English and individualism by uh Professor called Alan mcfar and he goes through the historical records and finds that actually going back to like 1200 in England there's a a thve saving property market right now”
Where to get it
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Critical race theory
Critical race theory by Kimberle Crenshaw, Neil Gotanda, and Garry Peller is an influential foundational text that collects essential legal writings shaping the academic movement.
Discussed“it's just called critical race theory the key writings of former movement it was edited and curated by kimberly crenshaw”
Where to get it
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Dialectic of Enlightenment
Dialectic of Enlightenment by Max Horkheimer, Theodor W.
Discussed“this is dialectic enlightenment where they're literally trying to figure out what's gone wrong why haven't we achieved communism”
Where to get it
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Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers by Robert A.
Discussed“so i did a video on starship troopers a while ago and i had to read a lot about fascism because the accusation on the book and the movie is that it's a fascist book a movie”
Where to get it
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The fourth turning
The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe is a popular historical and sociological work that presents a cyclical theory of history based on recurring generational archetypes and eras lasting roughly eighty to one hundred years.
Discussed“have you read the first the fourth turning so uh this is exactly what it's talking about it's talking about our generation of like you know the sort of gen xers who grew up uh kind of nomadic with our parents just having no idea where we are with literal advertisements coming on at 10 pm saying”
Where to get it
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The Road to Serfdom
The Road to Serfdom by F.
Discussed“I've got um I've got my copy of the road surf them here and I'm looking for to the Libertarians explaining to me page 124 and 125 which I happen to have bookmarked not specifically for this interview but just because I've had this argument a few times where hey he literally says well there's nothing wrong with having a”
Where to get it
Appearances
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“The parasitic Mind was one of his books.”