Kermit Roosevelt III on Theodore Roosevelt and the Collapse of Honor (PT 1)
Jan 10, 2024
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Kermit Roosevelt III, American author, lawyer, and legal scholar, discusses the collapse of honor in politics, the psychological basis of in-group/out-group dynamics, and the interconnectedness of historical events. He also explores the need for system improvement in education and the importance of questioning authority for a fairer society.
The collapse of honor codes and professional ethics in society is a result of a shift towards self-interest rather than a sense of duty or principle.
The fragile nature of maintaining stability and democracy is highlighted, emphasizing historical moments where power was held by passionate minorities who disrupted the system for their own interests.
The failure of the education system to instill values and virtues, such as integrity and academic honesty, contributes to the erosion of trust in institutions.
Deep dives
The Collapse of Honor Codes
The collapse of honor codes and professional ethics in society is discussed, specifically in relation to the legal profession and politicians. The importance of personal codes of conduct and the erosion of trust in institutions is highlighted. The shift towards self-interest rather than a sense of duty or principle is examined as a factor contributing to this breakdown.
The Fragile Stability of Democracy
The fragile nature of maintaining stability and democracy is explored, emphasizing the historical moments in American history where power was held by passionate minorities who were willing to challenge and disrupt the system for their own interests. The challenges faced during Reconstruction and the civil rights movement are discussed as examples of this struggle.
The Failure of the Education System
The failure of the education system to instill values and virtues in students is examined, with a focus on the decline of academic honesty and cheating. The lack of emphasis on integrity and honor in education, as well as the erosion of trust in the system, is identified as contributing to this issue.
Rolling back the second Reconstruction
The podcast discusses the idea of rolling back the second Reconstruction, which aims to undo the progress made towards multiracial democracy. It highlights the importance of examining the values that are being promoted in the name of the founding, questioning whether they align with neo-Confederate ideals. Examples, such as Supreme Court decisions like Shelby County versus Holder, which weakened the Voting Rights Act, are mentioned as part of the redemption playbook that undoes the gains of Reconstruction.
The cyclical nature of American ideologies
The podcast explores the cyclical nature of American ideologies through cycles of equality and backlash. It mentions the cycles of the first Reconstruction, the second Redemption, and the possibility of a third Reconstruction. The civil rights movement is referred to as the second Reconstruction, while the period following 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan is described as the second Redemption, representing a rollback of civil rights gains. The podcast also acknowledges the current movements and protests, suggesting they may be the beginning of a third Reconstruction.
On this episode of the Daily Stoic Podcast, Ryan talks with American author, lawyer, and legal scholar Kermit Roosevelt III on Honoring and doing what is right, Why peoples values and sense of honor are collapsing, How many people know who Marcus Aurelius is because of Gladiator, and his book The Nation That Never Was.
Kermit is an American author, lawyer, and legal scholar. He is a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a great-great-grandson of United States President Theodore Roosevelt and a distant cousin of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt worked as a lawyer with Mayer Brown in Chicago from 2000 to 2002 before joining the Penn Law faculty in 2002. Roosevelt's areas of academic interest include conflicts of law and constitutional law. He has published in the Virginia Law Review, the Michigan Law Review, and the Columbia Law Review, among others, and his articles have been cited twice by the United States Supreme Court and numerous times by state and lower federal courts.