Podcast
Give Them An Argument
Hosted by Ben Burgis · EN
Give Them An Argument is a YouTube show and podcast dedicated to building a smarter, funnier and more strategic Left. New episodes are live on YouTube on Monday nights with an exclusive postgame for GTAA patrons after the main show. (To become a patron, go to patreon.com/benburgis and sign up for the monthly cost of a milkshake at a 50s nostalgia diner in 1994.) Past guests have included Slavoj Žižek, Richard Wolff, David Pizarro, Gregory Sadler, Glenn Greenwald, Krystal Ball, Bhaskar Sunkara, Sam Seder, Ana Kasparian, Emma Vigeland, Matt Christman, and Amber Frost. The show has also featured debates between host Ben Burgis and opponents ranging from Walter Block to Charlie Kirk.Ben is a philosophy professor, Jacobin columnist, and frequent debater. He did a regular "Debunk" segment on the Michael Brooks Show until 2020. He's appeared on the Debate Night with Charlie Kirk, System Update with Glenn Greenwald, Rising, Krystal, Kyle & Friends, the Majority Report w/Sam Seder & the Joe Rogan Experience.benburgis.compatreon.com/benburgis
37episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Socialism and Human Nature (ft. Matt McManus)
6d ago01:12:15Tap to summarizeMatt McManus joins Ben Burgis to talk about Matt’s new article “Socialists Aren’t Naive About Human Nature,” and more generally about why attempts to base anti-socialist arguments on human imperfection miss the point.Read Matt’s article:https://jacobin.com/2026/07/socialism-human-nature-moralityFollow Matt on Twitter: @MattPolProfFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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A Socialist's Dialogue with Liberalism (ft. Matt McManus)
2w ago01:40:58Tap to summarizeMatt McManus joins Ben to talk about Matt's new article on Marxist philosopher G.A. Cohen's "engagement with the best of the liberal tradition," and to wrap up Matt and Ben's conversation about Cohen from the last time Matt was on the show.Read Matt's article:https://www.liberalcurrents.com/a-socialists-dialogue-with-liberalism/?ref=articles-and-essays-newslettertRead Ben's essay "Justice and Virtue":https://benburgis.substack.com/p/justice-and-virtueLink you can give your library to order Matt and Ben's new book on Cohen:https://www.amazon.com/Analytical-Marxism-Democratic-Socialism-Century/dp/3032028930/Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattPolProfFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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The Iran War’s Most Embarrassingly Wrong Pundits (ft. Branko Marcetic)
3w ago01:10:52Tap to summarizeBranko Marcetic and Ben Burgis count down the commentators who were most embarrassingly wrong about Iran.Read Branko's article:https://jacobin.com/2026/07/iran-war-pundits-fox-trumpFollow Branko on Twitter: @BMarchetichFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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Meet Socialist Congressional Candidate Oliver Larkin
3w ago00:56:56Tap to summarizeOliver Larkin is a DSA-endorsed candidate running for Congress in FL-25.Check out his campaign website:https://www.oliverforcongress.com/issuesFollow him on Twitter: @OliverALarkinFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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The Myth of Red Texas (ft. David Griscom)
4w ago01:23:14Tap to summarizeDavid Griscom joins us to talk about his excellent new book "The Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South." Also, happy birthday to our Texan graphic designer J. Andrew World!Order the book:https://redemmas.org/titles/47536-the-myth-of-red-texas-cowboys-populism-and-class-war-in-the-radical-south/Follow David on Twitter: @DavidGriscomFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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Debate Breakdown: Batya Ungar-Sargon vs. Brad Lander (ft. Cynthia Cook)
Jul 1002:05:41Tap to summarizePro-Trump pundit Batya Ungar-Sargon sat down with left-wing Congressional candidate Brad Lander to berate him about Israel and other subjects. Ben Burgis and Cynthia Cook give it a watch.Read Ben's article "DSA’s Critics Are Missing the Point About the Working Class" in Jacobin:https://jacobin.com/2026/07/class-politics-dsa-media-criticismRead the Michael Lange breakdown of the exit polling data Cynthia mentioned ("When Narratives Meet Facts"):https://www.michaellange.nyc/p/when-narratives-meet-factsFollow Cynthia on Twitter: @c_cook1988Follow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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Matt McManus and Ben Burgis Have a New Book on G.A. Cohen, Out Today!
Jul 202:16:23Tap to summarizeBen Burgis chats with Matt McManus about Matt's Jacobin article "Gad Saad Is Very Mad That His Books Are Bad and Sad."Read the article:https://jacobin.com/2026/05/saad-empa...Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattPolProfFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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Gad Saad Is Very Mad That His Books Are Bad and Sad (ft. Matt McManus)
Jun 2501:13:47Tap to summarizeBen Burgis chats with Matt McManus about Matt's Jacobin article "Gad Saad Is Very Mad That His Books Are Bad and Sad."Read the article:https://jacobin.com/2026/05/saad-empathy-conservatism-book-reviewFollow Matt on Twitter: @MattPolProfFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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Debate Breakdown: Medhi Hasan vs. PBD
Jun 2202:13:44Tap to summarizeVictor Bruzzone joins Ben Burgis to break down Medhi Hasan's recent conversation with Patrick Bet-David about Israel, free speech, imperial expansionism, and more.Follow Victor on Twitter: @victorbruzzoneFollow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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Well, That Went Well: Talking Iran with Mean Djene Bajalan
Jun 1801:03:59Tap to summarizeWhen Trump announced the war at the end of February, he said the goal was to bring "freedom" the people of Iran. Over and over again in the weeks of fighting, he said he'd settle for nothing less than "unconditional surrender." At one point, he said that if Iran didn't bend the knee he would "destroy" their "civilization."So...what happened? And what's going to happen now?Djene Bajalan joins us to break it all down.Follow Ben on Twitter @JacobinBen [NOTE: The previous account was hacked!]Follow GTAA on Twitter: @Gtaa_ShowBecome a GTAA Patron and receive numerous benefits ranging from occasional patron-exclusive content to access to the GTAA Discord to our undying love and gratitude for helping us keep this thing going:patreon.com/benburgisRead the weekly philosophy Substack:benburgis.substack.com
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