Esther defeats the idolatrous god-king through the strange power of weakness. Join Marc and Maria’s discussion of monolithic and idolatrous power structures and their vulnerability to the particular vocation of women. Catch up with Episode 1: youtu.be/Glj3ojZERvw?si=G1CfeS7pD2cf9TxdYou can follow along with the Esther Rabah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on Esther from the 6th and 11th centuries: https://www.sefaria.org/Esther_Rabbah Come meet Maria and Marc at New Polity's 2026 conference "Man, Woman, Tyrant, Slave"! Learn more and register at https://newpolity.com/2026If you’re fascinated by the topic of sexual difference, take a deep dive with New Polity Issue 7.1/2: articles from Slavoj Zizek, D.C. Schindler, Rocco Buttiglione and more: https://newpolity.com/single-issues/7-1/2 Get offline: subscribe to New Polity Magazine. https://newpolity.com/magazineRead our essays: https://newpolity.com/essaysPlease consider donating to help us make more: https://newpolity.com/donate

What is the metaphysical difference between man and woman? Philosophy has long had a problem explaining the difference between men and women, even though it is a basic and fundamental reality. Are men and women different essentially? Is there a particularly "female soul" and a "male soul?" Is the brute fact of the sexually differentiated body the basis for sexual difference, or does that presuppose the problem? In man and woman are we dealing with an opposition or a contrariety? In this new podcast series, Marc Barnes and D. C. Schindler discuss the metaphysics of sexual difference, arguing for a new approach to the question. The New Polity Conference on Man and Woman is two months away! Learn more and register at https://newpolity.com/2026Subscribe to New Polity Magazine: https://newpolity.com/magazineRead our essays: https://newpolity.com/essaysHelp us make more: visit https://www.newpolity.com/donate

What do the matriarchs of the Old Testament teach us regarding the roles of men and women? In this podcast, Marc Barnes and Maria Brandell discuss the biblical story of Esther and how it reveals the specific vocation of women. We are two months away from New Polity's 2026 conference "Man, Woman, Tyrant, Slave"! Learn more and register at https://newpolity.com/2026Subscribe to New Polity Magazine! https://newpolity.com/magazineRead our essays: https://newpolity.com/essaysPlease consider donating to help us make more: https://newpolity.com/donate