8. Materialism vs. Idealism: How Social Change Happens, What is Politics

WHAT IS POLITICS Episode 8: Social Change, Consciousness and Material Conditions Human beings have free will, but our actions are constrained by material realities. Understanding how material and practical conditions shape human behaviour and consciousness can make all the difference between success and catastrophic failure when it comes to the whole spectrum of political action, from private sector negotiation, to crafting legislation, to making a revolution. In this episode we look at: 0:00 How a materialist understanding of human behaviour is key for people who want political change 3:42 How we can synthesize the seemingly contradictory ideas that people have free will with the idea that social structures are the result of material conditions, by looking at the relationship between economic activity and the high status of women in traditional Haudenosaunee, Iroquois society 14:14 How World War I helped women win the right to vote in Europe and North America