Exploring the Life of a Scholar and the Aftermath of Wars

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A Polish Jewish scholar, Raphael Lunt Goodman, faced anti-Semitism in Poland during World War II, prompting him to flee to Duke University in North Carolina. He contributed as a minor advisor during the Neurumburg trials, which took place after World War II, aiming to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. Discussions on prosecuting German war criminals began during the war to avoid the mistakes made after World War I, where international laws such as the Hague Conventions were violated. The aftermath of World War I saw the use of chemical weapons and the Armenian Genocide, prompting a need for international accountability for war crimes.

The world is confusing, but there are experts in everything. In our least funny episode ever, we thankfully convinced a global expert, professor, researcher, author, and Genocidologist (it’s a real word) Dr. Dirk Moses to answer the questions that we may secretly have: What exactly is genocide? How long has it been happening? Is it a war crime? Is it a crime of atrocity? Who makes up humanitarian law? What's self-defense — and what's offense? How is it litigated? Whose business is it? Why do we do this to each other? What can be done? It’s a dense, long episode with lots of asides for history and context, but it might be just what you need to give you perspective on the conditions — and cycles of trauma — that can lead to crimes of atrocities.

Follow Dr. Dirk Moses on X

Read his book, “The Problems of Genocide: Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression”

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