Political Philosophy

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

Contributor Spencer Hess showcases extensive excerpts from T.J. Jackson Lears’ No Place of Grace, futher characterizing Therapeutic “culture.” 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

Resonating with my earlier series on John Maynard Keynes’s view of the aftermath of WWI and the failure of the Treaty of Versailles to create a lasting peace, the remarks of political scientist John Mearsheimer give a perspective on the Russia/Ukraine conflict that you won’t hear on the news. Vids from The Committee for the Republic: Mearsheimer’s website: https://www.mearsheimer.com Laurie’s John Maynard Keynes on WWI and Interwar playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsLkfggTCOx8nQjKWIdyRMpSp18lgI_W4 Political Philosophy Discord: https://discord.gg/tWcKFh87Cp 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 discusses excerpts from Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism characterizing Therapeutic “culture.” 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

I’m having trouble with posting this show to iTunes so that it gets into subscribers’ feeds. It posts separately on iTunes last time but didn’t pop into my podcast. So I’m trying again to post my latest conversation with Spencer Hess, to see what happens! Sorry if this is a duplicate notice for some of you!