{"podcast":{"title":"The Wes Cecil Podcast","slug":"the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191","podcast_index_feed_id":7118191,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/wes-cecil","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd/1732904692261-a1850073-9f1c-48a4-b2d5-8cb824de87f5.jpeg","author":"Wes Cecil","episode_count":235,"summary":"My lectures are dedicated to making Philosophy in particular and the world of ideas in general available to everyone. My exploration of topics and thinkers is designed to provide a foundation for listeners to engage in further reading and thought and develop their own conceptions of the topics I introduce. I have PhD in Literature and Philosophy and was a college professor for over 20 years. I am working to remove the barriers that prevent many from experiencing and understanding the lives and thoughts of some of the world's greatest thinkers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-31T20:19:35.855779+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191"},"episode":{"title":"Is the US a Democracy?","slug":"is-the-us-a-democracy","published_at":"2026-04-10T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191/is-the-us-a-democracy","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191","url":"https://shows.acast.com/wes-cecil/episodes/is-the-us-a-democracy","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/66fb968b13b87f41275ee4bd/e/69d56082e257f11e03189b1c/media.mp3","summary":"Not a rhetorical ploy, but an actual question. The strange form of American ‘Democracy’ today raises the very real idea that at some point a lack of competition in elections, the duopoly of the hold on power and the control exerted over the process of elections by un-elected officials produces a system that is functionally no longer really a democracy. Further, and I forgot to mention this in the lecture, the current structure ensures that the most senior and powerful members of both parties are not, functionally, forced to face an actual election. Sign-up for Wes’s PATREON community  to get your questions answered by Wes! (Yes, Wes is very active on Patreon) Plus, gain access to bonus lectures, peer discussions, additional course materials, and audio diaries from France. Only $2 / month.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Not a rhetorical ploy, but an actual question. The strange form of American ‘Democracy’ today raises the very real idea that at some point a lack of compe…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2854,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191/episodes/is-the-us-a-democracy/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-wes-cecil-podcast-7118191/is-the-us-a-democracy.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}