Political Philosophy

This is first in a series of videos on McKenzie Wark’s book Capital is Dead: Is This Something Worse? I introduce Wark and some of the main ideas in the introduction, setting the stage for the rest of the book. Wark argues that we should break free from our love affair with capitalism, carried on by both the right and left, that thinks of capital as eternal. Further we should break free of old narratives such as a worshipful loyalty to political theories of the past. We learn a little about how we are both consumer and product, and how the ruling class, in Wark’s view, is no longer land-owning or even factory owning, but information owning. And how is information successfully owned and wielded in a world in which it is so prevalent and seemingly hard to control? Wark promises to show us how.For more from me:https://lauriemjohnson.com/https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/

The cat makes an appearance in this last video on Walter Brueggeman’s The Prophetic Imagination. I speculate on what a church would look like, and what it could do,if it re-imagined what it was for. I argue that churches and other religious institutions could be half-way houses between liberalism/capitalism and the dreaded and outdated hippie commune.I’ll be moving on to McKenzie Wark’s book https://www.versobooks.com/books/3056-capital-is-deadin the next video.For more from me:https://lauriemjohnson.com/https://politicalphilosophy.video.blog/

In this penultimate video on Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination, I talk about Brueggemann’s view of death as the reality the “royal consciousness” does not want us to notice so that we can live comfortably in the imagination of the powerful. Consumerism and spectacle numb us to the reality of the precariousness and limited nature of our lives. The prophet has a hard time cutting through our dreams to remind us of this. Brueggemann’s view of Jesus is of one who was born an opponent of power and continued to oppose it at every turn throughout his life. In his life and death he shows solidarity with the poor, the low in status, the unpopular and the powerless. Here’s links to things discussed in this video: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/strange-gods https://www.versobooks.com/books/3056-capital-is-dead For more from me: lauriemjohnson.com politicalphilosophy.video.blog

In chapters 3 and 4 of Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination, we are cautioned to not place faith in the false eternity of the royal imagination. Those in power will say all is well and will seek the backing of religious leaders to do so. In this episode, I examine the tendency of Americans to worship political parties and presidents from Brueggemann’s point of view, but I also offer a word of caution about Brueggemann’s approach. Is it possible to make God a public actor without what Brueggemann most fears–making God the right hand of earthly power rather than the other way around. I’ll have more to say about what’s in both chapters next week. Here’s a link to the full event on Jan. 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44AiTIFRgfw For more from me visit lauriemjohnson.com, politicalphilosophy.video.blog

In this second part of a discussion of Walter Brueggemann’s The Prophetic Imagination, I discuss how left and right-wing churches alike are likely to be sucked into “royal consciousness,” and that is equivalent to the sin of idolatry. Brueggemann’s alternative, inspired by the story of Moses and the escape from the Egyptians, is to claim a foothold in the freedom on God, literally an other-worldly vantage point from which to gain perspective on the world and strength to oppose the Pharoahs of the world. Brueggemann thus begins his provocative critique of the contemporary Christian church within the framework of a studied reading of Old Testament scripture. He argues that then, and now, the satiation and subsequent numbness of the haves in society makes way for treating the lower ranks as things to be used, bought and sold. Community is broken by this disregard for others within it Note: There’s a part that is cut out that transitions between the discussion of Solomon’s reign and again discussing the founding of Israel in Moses’ cooperation with God. Solomon comes well after Moses and represents the decay of the Mosaic vision. For more from me visit lauriemjohnson.com politicalphilosophy.video.blog

I introduce some of theologian Walter Brueggemann’s themes in his classic “The Prophetic Imagination,” discussing some of the ways we can avail ourselves of a common narrative to try to gain some freedom against oppression, whether of the old-style Pharoah or the new version of less visible but very powerful economic and political forces that keep people working for an agenda they wouldn’t naturally choose. Through Brueggemann’s eyes, we are living in the imagination of “Royal consciousness” but we could be living in the imagination of God. What does this mean, not just for Christians, but generally for people who are trying to find some way to push back and gain some freedom?

This is a segment of a longer article I wrote for Harbinger: Journal of Social Ecology that was published in October 2019. It’s entitled “Jordan Peterson, Carl Jung, and the Challenge for Social Ecology.” The first part of the article is a critique of the limitations of Peterson’s political stands, which will take about 10 minutes to read, but much of the article explores a comparison of the ideas of Social Ecology founder Murray Bookchin and psychologist Carl Jung. This segment is on Jung’s political ideas with a little help from some of Charles Taylor’s concepts. Reflecting on Peterson’s take on politics, we find that Carl Jung’s ideas on what causes ideological extremism is quite a bit more penetrating as he goes back to the Enlightenment and trends like industrialization and urbanization as the underlying causes of dangerous ideological movements, dehumanizing economics and overbearing governments. Here’s the link to the article. https://harbinger-journal.com/issue-1/jordan-peterson-carl-jung-and-the-challenge-for-social-ecology/ I’ve written a book on Carl Jung’s political thought: Ideological Possession and the Rise of the New Right, published by Routledge this year. Here’s a link to the book: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ideological-possession-and-the-rise-of-the-new-right-laurie-johnson/1130304013;jsessionid=304D1663654FB1CC42CB9D69B17719D8.prodny_store02-atgap10

In this conclusion to the series on Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue I think about the significance of MacIntyr’e’s views on modern liberalism/capitalism (neoliberalism) and his ideas for the elements of stronger community. MacIntyre argues that we have entered a new Dark Ages without recognizing it, and that we need new, and probably very different, St. Benedicts to create ways of life to rebuild and preserve community in difficult times. The new Dark Age, as MacIntyre sees it, is a product of the amoral hyper-bureaucratization, technical rationality and fragmented responsibility characteristic of our times. After Virtue does not have all the answers about how to get past these problems, but his views on the elements involved in stronger community are definitely a start. I am Professor of Political Science/Political Philosophy at Kansas State University, and the author of seven books, including the latest, Ideological Possession and the Rise of the New Right: The Political Thought of Carl Jung (2019). Much of my work has revolved around a critique of neoliberalism as corrosive to community, honor and moral obligation, humane economics and environmental health. The task, as I see it, is to re-invent community in the modern context to withstand the challenges we are facing now and in the future. Books: http://www.lauriemjohnson.com Blog: http://www.politicalphilosophy.video.blog

I’m setting aside After Virtue for this week to deal with the problem of “fake news.” It appears to be a real threat to democracy. Is fake news the threat we should focus on, or is fake news the result of a larger problem–our excessive gullibility. And, what causes the excessive gullibility of ideological ciphers, fan-boys, shills, tools and zealots? Books: http://www.lauriemjohnson.com Blog: http://www.politicalphilosophy.video.blog

In chapters 13-15 of Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue, we get to contemplate the idea that we are much more affected by our personal story and and our history than we want to admit. Are we capable of making ourselves into just anything we want to be, regardless of the cards we were dealt? Are we free of responsibility for what we’ve done in our personal past or what our ancestors have done? MacIntyre’s answer is that the existential self, capable of being radically chosen at any given point, is a fantasy which, rather than freeing us, can leave us aimless and depressed. What, then, is the benefit of seeing ourselves as MacIntyre wants us to–benefited but also burdened by the context into which we are born? And how do the virtues fit into all of this? Books: http://www.lauriemjohnson.com Blog: http://www.politicalphilosophy.video.blog