The Social Contract Research Podcast

In this seminar Christopher Kelly (Professor in the Political Science Faculty at Boston College) addresses Rousseau's complex account of the state of nature in his Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men (1755). He discusses the relationship between the different states of nature in Rousseau's Second Discourse and his notions of perfectibility and natural goodness, arguing that the notions are very closely related. The talk is followed by Q&A which touches on questions of the coherence of Rousseau's state of nature idea in the Second Discourse, the importance of much state of nature material being located in the Discourse's paratextual material, Rousseau's Aristotelianism and the extent to which Rousseau had read the writers to whom he alludes in his discussion of the state of nature, including Buffon. A video version of the seminar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnbGiWXCT0k&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork The seminar took place over Zoom on 26 October 2022, and was hosted by Christopher Watkin (Monash University), as part of the Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism". This seminar is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network To be notified when future seminars, conversations and interviews are uploaded, you can subscribe to te SCRN YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw?sub_confirmation=1

In this seminar Sarah Winter (Professor of English and Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of Connecticut, and Co-Director of the Research Program on Humanitarianism at the UConn Human Rights Institute) addresses the use of the state of nature motif by opponents of slavery and the slave trade including Ottobah Cugoano, Olaudah Equiano and Thomas Clarkson. The talk provides a crucial corrective to the common assumption that the state of nature motif is an overwhelmingly conservative and imperial tool, serving only to justify colonisation and slavery. The talk is followed by Q&A which touches on questions of the emancipatory potential of the state of nature motif, the contribution of female authors to the state of nature literature, animality as a locus of freedom and equality, and Professor Winter's current and future work in the area of state of nature theories. A video version of the seminar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jdM3i3kHCs&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork The seminar took place over Zoom on 13 September 2022, and was hosted by Christopher Watkin (Monash University), as part of the Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism". This seminar is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network To be notified when future seminars, conversations and interviews are uploaded, you can subscribe to te SCRN YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw?sub_confirmation=1

In this seminar Mark Somos (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellow and Senior Research Affiliate at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, @msomos) assesses the status of the state of nature idea, arguing that it is neither straightforwardly historical nor merely hypothetical, but a legal fiction. The talk engages both his monograph American States of Nature: The Origins of Independence, 1761–1775 (Oxford, 2019) and the volume, co-edited with Anne Peters, The State of Nature: Histories of an Idea (Brill, 2021). The talk is followed by Q&A which ranges over issues including the ideological uses of the state of nature and its rhetorical power. A video version of the seminar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJJkakNU4JQ&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork The seminar took place over Zoom on 26 July 2022, and was hosted by Christopher Watkin (Monash University), as part of the Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism". This seminar is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network To be notified when future seminars, conversations and interviews are uploaded, you can subscribe to te SCRN YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw?sub_confirmation=1

In this seminar Doctor Alan Levinovitz (Associate Professor of Religion at James Madison University, @AlanLevinovitz) explores how nature has taken over from God as the foundation and justification of ethical commitments in our thinking, and how an unthinking commitment to the goodness of the "natural" can lead to very problematic conclusions. The talk is followed by Q&A which ranges over the place of theology in early modern thought, the "naturalness" of the COVID-19 pandemic, absolutism as a natural phenomenon and the platforms of both the Republican and Democrat parties in the 2016 U.S. election. A video version of the seminar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAK-o7Htvkc&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork The seminar took place over Zoom on 13 July 2022, and was hosted by Christopher Watkin (Monash University), as part of the Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism". This seminar is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network To be notified when future seminars, conversations and interviews are uploaded, you can subscribe to this YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw?sub_confirmation=1

In this seminar Professor Peter Gratton (History and Political Science, Southeastern Louisiana University) explores the uses and abuses of the social contract idea, reflecting in particular on the ways in which the social contract can be considered a con. The talk is followed by Q&A. A video version of the seminar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qilCZ99h0z0&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork The seminar took place over Zoom on 22 March 2022, and was hosted by Christopher Watkin (Monash University), as part of the Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism". This seminar is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network To be notified when future seminars, conversations and interviews are uploaded, you can subscribe to this YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw?sub_confirmation=1

In this seminar Associate Professor Jessica Whyte (Scientia Fellow in the School of Humanities and Languages (Philosophy) and the School of Law, University of New South Wales) explores neoliberal ideas of freedom in relation to the notion of sovereignty: the sovereignty of consumers and the sovereignty of the market. The talk is followed by Q&A. A video version of the seminar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxg0IRj3qIc&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork The seminar took place over Zoom on 17 March 2022, and was hosted by Christopher Watkin (Monash University), as part of the Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism". This seminar is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network To be notified when future seminars, conversations and interviews are uploaded, you can subscribe to this YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw?sub_confirmation=1

In this seminar Professor Gerald Moore (Acting Director, Centre for Culture and Ecology, Durham University, UK; Chair, Collège scientifique et industriel, Institut de Recherche et d'Innovation) explores the role of addiction and intoxication in the founding and maintenance of human societies. The talk is followed by Q&A. A video version of the seminar is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iEm6DwTw9w&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork The seminar took place over Zoom on 8 March 2022, and was hosted by Christopher Watkin (Monash University), as part of the Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism". This seminar is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network    To be notified when future seminars, conversations and interviews are uploaded, you can subscribe to this YouTube channel by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw?sub_confirmation=1 

In this episode Chris is joined by Andrew Lacenere, Founder and CEO of Albatross Designs and the brains behind a new website naturalcontract.com, the aim of which is to create "a more fair and just society by acknowledging the meaning and power of the world’s natural assets, and specifically identifying the minimum level of respect and protection these assets deserve". Chris and Andrew talk about Andrew's personal journey and the vision of naturalcontract.com, the natural contract and capitalism, the zero waste movement, civil disobedience and the prescience of Michel Serres. A video version of this conversation is available at Full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uixRkqM2D_g&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork https://www.naturalcontract.com/ - "Negotiating a lasting agreement between Society & Nature" Albatross Designs    Homepage: https://albatrossdesigns.it/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlbatrossSailing/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/albatross_sailing/?hl=en The Social Contract Research Observatory:  multilingual desktop version: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vTQQmn-VCUJAZIga4yJMKKhMa2Qgmq_3e5dOraX_AdeMQH_ywbRHZuOns-xgRDqStvE_8maXHYumN29/pubhtml?gid=375695677&single=true mobile version (English only): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vTodRjiCvel0XwgV2A8sg_RpgNUIA8HLfZur54-MAVP5ttnZTLqFH4zgSzCKou4ACN7Wh6lwzjK35EK/pubhtml?gid=375695677&single=true

A conversation with Wayne Swan, former Treasurer of Australia (2007-2013), Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (2010-2013), and currently National President of the Australian Labor Party.  In this interview Wayne Swan draws together his reflections on the social contract over the years, from his 2012 article "The 0.01 Per Cent: The Rising Influence of Vested Interests in Australia" (https://www.themonthly.com.au/rising-influence-vested-interests-australia-001-wayne-swan-4670#mtr) and his book "The Good Fight" (https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/current-affairs-politics/The-Good-Fight-Wayne-Swan-9781743319352) to his latest concerns about Australia's post-COVID recovery.    Topics of conversation include: What is Australia's social contract? The social contract, vested interests and big money. The Americanization of Australian politics. News Limited and media vested interests in Australia. Trust, civility and the social contract. A social contract that transcends party politics? Capitalism and the social contract. COVID and the social contract What's at stake for the social contract at the next election?   The conversation took place on 4 November, 2021, as part of the Social Contract Research Network's "Rewriting the Social Contract" project.  To find out more about the Social Contract Research Network, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network A video version of the conversation is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om_51Pbli7Q&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork SCRN YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw 

What is Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison's idea of the "social contract"? This episode compares his use of the term in publically available speeches (https://www.pm.gov.au/media) to an answer he gave to a question about the social contract asked by SCRN chief investigator A/Prof Christopher Watkin in February 2021. The episode offers an analysis of the dominant metaphors and assumptions in the PM's concept of the social contract. A video version of the episode is available on the social contract research network YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8t-O46DMn0&ab_channel=SocialContractResearchNetwork). The Social Contract Research Podcast is an initiative of the Social Contract Research Network. To find out more about the SCRN, and to subscribe to email updates, please visit https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/social-contract-research-network SCRN YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq7geWYdmGE3kIcJrw8Ebsw This video essay is part of an Australian Research Council funded Future Fellowship project "Rewriting the Social Contract: Technology, Ecology, Extremism".