EP290: Leopold and Loeb - Nein Übermenschen (p1 of 2)

Crimes and Consequences

True Crime, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.6 • 869 Ratings

🗓️ 28 February 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1924, two wealthy, brilliant University of Chicago students set out to commit what they believed would be the perfect crime.Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb believed themselves intellectually superior and beyond ordinary moral restraint. Inspired (and deeply misreading) the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, they convinced themselves that rules applied to other people.It became the first true Trial of the Century. A national referendum on free will, punishment, privilege, youth, psychology, and whether the state should answer killing with killing.Were Leopold and Loeb supermen?Or were they privileged, deluded young men who mistook intelligence for immunity? Join us as we dismantle the myth.Because intelligence without empathy is not superiority. It’s danger.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode may contain content of a graphic nature, including descriptions of physical and sexual violence against adults, children, and animals.
0:21.4	Listener discretion is advised.
0:33.7	Hi, I'm Shannon.
0:35.9	Hi, I'm Tanya.
0:37.0	And we are Crimes and Consequences, a hardcore true crime podcast.
0:43.2	Hey, Shannon.
0:44.8	Hey, Tanya.
0:45.8	How you doing?
0:46.7	I am doing well.
0:48.3	It is Friday, so I got the weekend.
0:51.3	Yes.
0:52.5	Oh, my gosh.
0:53.6	Grandma gets to have the weekend off.
0:56.5	Ooh.
0:57.5	And I stole away down here in my basement apartment.
1:03.0	While my daughter and grandson rule the top floor.
1:06.5	Yeah.
1:06.9	That's by choice.
1:08.5	By choice.
1:09.7	Yes.
1:10.3	I chose this. It all works out good. But yeah, I am really looking forward to By choice. Yes. I chose this.
1:29.5	It all works out good. But yeah, I am really looking forward to the weekend. Do you got any plans? Are you going to do anything in this cold Arctic? No. I am hopefully going to stay home. But, you know, my husband always likes to run like 10,000 errands on the weekend. He does. It's really antsy, like ants in his pants when he doesn't leave the house. I work from home three days a week. And I work from home Monday,
	...

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