Podcast Summary: "Leon Trotsky’s Revolution Against God and Christ"

Podcast: New Thinking Allowed Audio Podcast
Host: Jeffrey Mishlove
Guest: James Tunney
Date: March 18, 2026
Duration: ~70 minutes

Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between Jeffrey Mishlove and author, artist, and barrister James Tunney on the enduring influence of Leon Trotsky. The discussion weaves Trotsky's atheism, revolutionary strategies, and materialist worldview with comparisons to Jesus Christ’s role as a spiritual revolutionary, ultimately examining the civilizational impacts of materialism, technocracy, and the necessity of reconnecting with spiritual and religious traditions—particularly Catholicism—as an antidote to posthuman impulses in the modern world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who Was Trotsky and Why Does He Matter?

• Trotsky’s Importance: Despite being overshadowed by Stalin and purportedly representing a "lost cause," Trotsky's ideas and revolutionary techniques ("subterfuge," infiltration) influence both left and right-wing politics today.
• His Global Impact: Anti-war, anti-fascist, and anti-racism movements, as well as neoconservative politics, bear the mark of Trotsky’s doctrine (04:17–10:03).
  • Quote (James Tunney, 04:17):
    "I argue that Trotsky has been one of the most influential political figures. He keeps coming up again and again in unexpected places."

2. Trotsky’s Ruthless Methods and Atheism

• Myth vs. Reality: Trotsky is often seen as Stalin’s progressive foil, but his own leadership was marked by harsh measures and the implementation of violence and concentration camps, paralleling those he opposed (07:15–10:03).
• Militant Atheism: Trotsky was defined by his rejection of religion, seeing spirituality as an economic tool and fraud. His stance is presented as both alpha and omega—central to his philosophical core (10:03–15:48).
  • Quote (Tunney, 15:12):
    "The last thing that he is saying about himself is his atheism... it's the alpha and the omega."

3. Trotsky's Brilliance as Revolutionary and Tactician

• Outthinking Enemies: Despite no military background, Trotsky led the Red Army to victory, understanding the power of propaganda, mass media, and "network theory" in revolutionary contexts (15:48–23:07).
  • Quote (Tunney, 16:25):
    "He understood very early on the power of things like the printing press and the power of the pen and the power of propaganda."
• Permanent Revolution: Trotsky’s doctrine demanded continual upheaval until global socialism, generating instability and inviting strong reactions ("anti-homeostatic") (23:07–31:51).

4. Techniques: Infiltration & Permanent Revolution

• Infiltration (“French Turn”): Trotskyism pioneered entryism or infiltrating other movements/parties, later mirrored by both left and right-wing groups (23:32–29:02).
• Contrast to Stalin/Mao: Trotsky’s internationalism differed from "socialism in one country," making his vision explicitly global—and, Tunney argues, foundational for modern globalization dynamics (29:04–31:51).

5. Trotsky vs. Jesus: Material vs. Spiritual Revolutions

• Not a Political Revolutionary: Jesus’s revolution was spiritual ("a revolution of the spirit"), not one fitting modern definitions of political revolution.
• Deeper Dialectic: Tunney sees the historical "revolution against God" as the core of materialist revolutions (French, American, Bolshevik), positioning Jesus as a counter-revolutionary figure responding spiritually rather than violently (31:51–36:16).
  • Quote (Tunney, 32:17):
    "What he can be described as is a spiritual revolutionary, that he was calling for a spiritual revolution."

6. Technocracy, Transhumanism, and Modernity

• Materialism’s Endgame: Tunney asserts that both capitalist and communist modernities, lacking spiritual anthropology, culminate in technocracy, posthumanism, and a "Blackrock Bolshevism"—corporate, technocratic control (36:16–42:53).
• AI & Religion: Silicon Valley’s worldview is likened to Marxist materialism. Revolutionary logic leads to dismissal of God and the specialness of humans—echoed in AI narratives (36:52–42:53).

7. The Catholic Church: Tradition vs. Modernism

• Recovering Tradition: Tunney urges reconsideration of the Catholic Church’s intellectual, legal, and civilizational legacy, arguing it provided the anthropological and ethical underpinnings for Western civilization, and is uniquely equipped to counter posthumanist threats (42:53–54:07).
  • Quote (Tunney, 43:46):
    "Most of the things that people see at the base of Western society go back to the Catholic Church...the modern legal system...the Magna Carta...all of the countries that did well on women's rights were historically Christian, Catholic, and then Christian countries."
• Comparing Traditions: Catholicism’s emphasis on incarnation and human dignity is positioned as uniquely robust compared to Protestantism, Islam, or Buddhism in resisting posthuman tendencies (54:42–64:17).

8. The Magisterium Explained

• Magisterium = Authoritative Interpretation: The magisterium is the Church’s collective authority to interpret Scripture and tradition, ensuring coherent development and application of doctrine (64:17–67:20).

Notable Quotes

• On the Real Trotsky:
  "He was ruthless in pursuit of his aim. So the idea of this nice avuncular theorist writing books fails to consider that he was a revolutionary."
  — James Tunney (07:15)

• On Revolutionary Materialism:
  "The only result can be technocracy. The only result can be a post humanist empire of scientism."
  — James Tunney (15:45)

• On Trotsky’s Ongoing Importance:
  "He keeps on coming up as a figure who represents this revolution, but he did really have such incredible ambition that he’s one of the few people that could believe they could literally take over the world."
  — James Tunney (29:22)

• On Distinguishing Material and Spiritual Revolution:
  "There is a revolutionary tradition which is against this idea of being controlled by a superior force that underpins a lot of revolutionary ideas. And in that sense, Jesus is the epitome of the counter revolution."
  — James Tunney (33:30)

• On Capitalism and Communism Converging:
  "Whether you’re on Elon Musk’s team or Leon Trotsky’s team, it comes to the same result once you have a lack of theology, an anti-theology such as Trotsky had, and you have no anthropology of the human."
  — James Tunney (41:59)

• On Catholicism’s Unique Role:
  "The one that has the best antidote to AI, posthumanism, and transhumanism is the Catholic trajectory, because it focuses on a continuous connection back to Christ, which emphasizes the Incarnation, the dignity of the human, and that God became man."
  — James Tunney (54:56)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Trotsky’s global relevance and mythologizing — 04:17–10:03
• Trotsky’s militant atheism and materialist legacy — 10:03–15:48
• Trotsky’s revolutionary strategy & rise of technocracy — 15:48–23:07
• Permanent revolution, infiltration, and globalism — 23:32–31:51
• Trotsky vs. Jesus — political vs. spiritual revolution — 31:51–36:16
• Materialism, technocracy, and posthuman themes — 36:16–42:53
• Catholicism, civilization, and anti-modernist argument — 42:53–54:07
• Comparisons to other religions & posthuman resistance — 54:42–64:17
• Explanation of the magisterium — 64:17–67:20

Memorable Moments

• Humorous Example: Tunney referencing a Swedish children’s book labeling Jesus as a "failed revolutionary" because he didn't use violence—underscoring how misreadings of spiritual figures become fodder for ideological narratives (32:17).
• Jeffrey Mishlove’s Reflection: Mishlove observes that Tunney is not simply defending Catholicism but advocating for a thoughtful engagement with ancient religious traditions to provide continuity and meaning in the face of technocratic modernity (54:07).

Tone & Style

• The tone is analytical, philosophical, and often critical of materialism, but conversational and respectful. Tunney combines scholarly nuance with polemic urgency, particularly regarding civilizational threats from technocracy, while Mishlove offers a steady, reflective counterpoint.

Concluding Thoughts

Through a wide-ranging, intellectually rich conversation, this episode bridges the “battle” between revolutionary materialism (in Trotsky's legacy) and the countervailing spiritual tradition embodied by Jesus and, for Tunney, best preserved in Catholicism. The discussion challenges prevailing historical narratives, critiques both left and right materialist politics, and calls for a reclamation of religious tradition as a bulwark against the emerging world governed by technology and posthumanist ideology.

For a deeper dive, visit James Tunney’s Substack or purchase his latest book, "Trotsky vs Battle of the AI Millennium."