Political Philosophy

In this segment from the third session in the ongoing Summer Seminar, I discuss the Just War reasoning that argues against the pacifism held by most Christian Anarchists. Info on Christian Anarchism class (2022) and upcoming events: https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ For more from us: https://pmaurin.org https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ Political Philosophy iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784

The second session of the Summer 2022 Christian Anarchism seminar went deeper into major themes in Christian Anarchism, including the importance of the Sermon on the Mount. The Jesus that emerges in that sermon is a revolutionary, but not the typical type. The ideas in the sermon and elsewhere in Jesus’ teaching reveal a God who wishes to help people push back against the encroachment of governments into God’s sovereignty. As such, this Jesus is a warning to all those who politicize their religion. Info on Christian Anarchism class (2022) https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ For more from us: https://pmaurin.org https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ Political Philosophy iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784

This is a section of my ongoing seminar on Christian Anarchism, Summer 2022. Why is it so hard for people to break free of the liberal world view and actually see and take up the challenge, and the life and action-altering depth of a religious commitment? With their insistence that Christianity and government are not friends but foes, Christian anarchists may help us recognize our own blockages and accept (at least a little) the challenge. Info on Christian Anarchism class (2022) Courses For more from us: https://pmaurin.org Dustbowl Diatribes iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dustbowl-diatribes/id1613542273 Political Philosophy iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/

A lot of pain and dehumanizing damage in the world takes place due to “technical rationality,” which Hannah Arendt referred to as the “banality of evil.” Here I discuss the baby formula shortage as an example of how “wicked problems” are caused by layers and layers of failures that can be traced back to a lack of fundamental responsibility. In our world, no one is responsible except for the discrete part they play in the overall machine whose inhuman, abstract, and often “CYA” formulations govern their responses and behavior. The evil of non-being comes through in the inertia of organizations and the inaction and conformity of lots of people over long periods of time. Info on Christian Anarchism class (2022) https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ Unmasking Administrative Evil: https://www.routledge.com/Unmasking-Administrative-Evil/Balfour-Adams-Nickels/p/book/9781138362093 For more from us: https://pmaurin.org https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ Political Philosophy iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 Our podcast is also available on Google Podcasts and Audible. Spotify thinks we are music promoters and won’t let us join their exclusive club.

In the wake of the most recent pandemic, it’s important to realize that the political effects of plague have been known and discussed for a long time. Thucydides has something to say about the political effects of the fear and suffering that come from disease. This episode in the history of the Peloponnesian War gives us plenty to think about regarding the destabilizing effects of pandemics, the pressures on and opportunities for politicians, and the fickle nature of the people–they’ll bounce right back even from plague and recommit themselves to imperial domination and mayhem. Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thucydides-Hobbes-Interpretations-Realism-Interpretation/dp/1501747800/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1649037330&sr=8-1 For more from us: Home https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 To sign up for Dr. Johnson’s Summer 2022 Seminar on Christian Anarchism, start at https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ Please fill out this form to be put on the email list for reminders and invitations to this and future summer seminars, as well as other events: https://forms.gle/WxikMpNx1M64GeTEA

At the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, Athenian leader Pericles took the helm as first general and leader. His first two speeches exhort the Athenians to stay strong in war and praise Athens in the context of a funeral for the first to die. In his funeral speech, Pericles almost forgets the dead soldiers in his love panegyric to Athenian glory. The implications are discussed from the point of view of the general problem of state worship. Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thucydides-Hobbes-Interpretations-Realism-Interpretation/dp/1501747800/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1649037330&sr=8-1 For more from us: Home https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 To sign up for Dr. Johnson’s Summer 2022 Seminar on Christian Anarchism, start at https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ Please fill out this form to be put on the email list for reminders and invitations to this and future summer seminars, as well as other events: https://forms.gle/WxikMpNx1M64GeTEA

This is always a hotly contested question, no matter the war. Thucydides teaches that the real cause was not the declaration of war by Sparta that officially started the Peloponnesian War, but the imbalance of power created by Athenian aggression over time relative to the Spartan reticence to act. Thucydides is teaching that wars are determined years in advance. It is the creation of the conditions of war that we need to look at to explain any given war. Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thucydides-Hobbes-Interpretations-Realism-Interpretation/dp/1501747800/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1649037330&sr=8-1 For more from us: Home https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 To sign up for Dr. Johnson’s Summer 2022 Seminar on Christian Anarchism, start at https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ Please fill out this form to be put on the email list for reminders and invitations to this and future summer seminars, as well as other events: https://forms.gle/WxikMpNx1M64GeTEA

This is the first in a series on the Ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, with an emphasis on using Thucydidean realism to understand events in International relations. Thucydides begins his work with an “archeology,” a history of ancient times. Through it, we begin to see his take on human nature and the dynamics of power. I begin with a brief discussion of Hans Morgenthau’s “old fashioned realism.” Spencer’s Radical Liberalism series playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsLkfggTCOx-6V6G4k_Ipoyy1NVBG5bpR Book: https://www.amazon.com/Thucydides-Hobbes-Interpretations-Realism-Interpretation/dp/1501747800/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1649037330&sr=8-1 For more from us: https://pmaurin.org https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 To sign up for Dr. Johnson’s Summer 2022 Seminar on Christian Anarchism, start at https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ Please fill out this form to be put on the email list for reminders and invitations to this and future summer seminars, as well as other events: https://forms.gle/WxikMpNx1M64GeTEA

Contributor Spencer Hess ends his series on Kaitlin B. Curtice’s Native, critiquing PMC smugness and inconsistency, concluding with a brief Marxian & Christian-Anarchist critique. Works Cited: Can the PMC Control Capitalism? (ft Catherine Liu (Diet Soap): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAQ1INh9MQw Klein Vs. Klein (The New Inquiry): https://thenewinquiry.com/klein-vs-klein/ Too Many Karens! (Matt Christman): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJBV9eTFsIs — For more from us: https://pmaurin.org https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 To sign up for Dr. Johnson’s Summer 2022 Seminar on Christian Anarchism, start at https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ Please fill out this form to be put on the email list for reminders and invitations to this and future summer seminars, as well as other events: https://forms.gle/WxikMpNx1M64GeTEA

Video here. How do we respond to the Russia-Ukraine war? Do we use it as yet another opportunity to signal our feelings and positions, but without any real commitment other than to our own narcissism? If we aren’t in the conflict, we have a certain luxury (or we think we have) to do so. But the existence of nuclear weapons should be a sobering factor that guides us as we try to find a resolution. In the shadow of the consecration of the world , and particularly Russia and Ukraine, to our Holy Mother Mary, Theotokos, Spencer and I dare to contemplate some enduring obstacles to peace-making. Consecration of Russia, Ukraine and the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (text): https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/prayers/documents/20220325-atto-consacrazione-cuoredimaria.html For more from us: https://pmaurin.org https://lauriemjohnson.com/ https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/ iTunes podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-philosophy-dr-laurie-m-johnson/id1473457784 To sign up for Dr. Johnson’s Summer 2022 Seminar on Christian Anarchism, start at https://pmaurin.org/classes-and-events/ Please fill out this form to be put on the email list for reminders and invitations to this and future summer seminars, as well as other events: https://forms.gle/WxikMpNx1M64GeTEA