Capitalism vs Socialism Is the Wrong Frame—Bring Back "The Republic" | Enrico Mayor Podcast #29

Ulrike Guérot — European political scientist — Why “left vs. right” is the wrong map for today’s conflict: the real split is up vs. down, analogue vs. digital—and it’s pushing the West toward civil-war dynamics.In this uncut conversation we discuss:• Why polarization in the West isn’t ideological anymore—it’s urban vs. rural, young vs. old, migrants vs. natives• How identity politics can erode humanism (equal dignity & rights) by turning difference into special rights• The “bourgeois block”: how upper-left and upper-right merged while the lower strata get abandoned• How the digital world rewires society—loss of real-life (analogue) skills, judgment, and dialogue• Republic, commonwealth, and a practical middle path between capitalism and socialism (without nostalgia)00:00 - “Civil war criteria” in Western countries?01:01 - Why left vs. right no longer explains polarization04:47 - The real fractures: urban/rural, young/old, migrants/natives06:49 - The “bourgeois block” and the shift from left/right to up/down10:28 - When the left dropped class politics for identity politics14:02 - Humanism vs. identity: equal dignity & rights vs. special rights21:13 - Cancel culture, legislation, and the collapse of free speech norms27:01 - Digital vs. analogue worlds: how the internet breaks human interaction33:06 - Haptics, handwriting, and why the internet weakens memory & learning36:25 - Should we “shut down” the internet—or radically regulate how we use it?54:45 - Digital money, control, and what happens when power can “switch you off”1:15:23 - Religion, community, and why societies don’t function without belief systems1:24:11 - Republic & commonwealth: a system where capital can’t buy legislation📍 Follow Enrico:Instagram – @enricomayorTikTok – @enricomayor🎧 Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.💬 Drop your takeaway in the comments & don't forget to Like & Subscribe.