For more information about this book and where to buy it, as well as information about a series of talks I’ll give on themes from the book, check out: https://pmaurin.org/2024/11/02/the-gap-in-gods-country-themes-discussion-with-laurie-johnson-coming-up/ … More Starting Monday Nov. 18: Gap in God’s Country Sessions–Sign up on Eventbrite or Patreon
Recently Clark Massey interviewed me about my upcoming book, The Gap in God’s Country: A Longer View on Our Culture Wars, Wipf & Stock, Cascade. The book should be out in November. … More A New Simpleton Podcast Interview About My Upcoming Book, The Gap in God’s Country
Laurie wraps up her discussion of VS Naipaul’s short story One Out of Many, from In a Free State. The discussion centers around the various forms and impacts of liberal modernity and the dislocations it causes. Hillbilly Elegy bookclub is also briefly mentioned. … More The Fragmented Self in Modern Liberalism (V.S. Naipaul, One Out of Many, 3) & Future Plans
This is a short selection from Laurie’s monthly political philosophy talk. This one was a reprise of a keynote talk she recently gave in Germany. In this section, the topic is the modern university and how faculty and students are impacted by neoliberal trends and management in higher education. If you like this, consider getting the entire talk, and a whole lot more, by becoming a patron of The Maurin Academy:
Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/maurinacademy … More Higher Education at a Crossroads (From Monthly Political Philosophy Talk)
Laurie is working on another book, following up on Ideological Possession and the Rise of the New Right with a book that more explicitly explains the religious dimensions of the current ideological divisions. This selection of the draft deals with, among other things, the difference between genuine conservatism and the radical liberalism of Milton Friedman. … More Ideological Strong-Arming: Milton Friedman’s “Free to Choose.” (A reading from my draft manuscript)
As we head into the weekend, contemplating the meaning of Good Friday and Easter event, Spencer and Laurie discuss the need for leadership from Christian pastors and others on the care for our common home and the building of fruitful community. Why do almost all of them not talk about it, or if anything at all, pass the buck to non-church leaders and organizations to try the liberal move of lobbying? What would solid, integral leadership on this issue really be like?
Please fill out this form to be put on the email list for our free newsletter, which lists future Maurin Academy seminars, short series and other events. https://pmaurin.org/newsletter/ … More Special Dustbowl Diatribes: Lenten Murmurings on Capability and Culpability
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. … More The Realist View of Ukraine/Russia: John Mearsheimer on the “Thucydides View”
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. … More The Realist View of Ukraine/Russia: John Mearsheimer on the “Thucydides View”
In this concluding segment from the 2021 Summer Seminar on Distributism, I discuss why it is so hard to imagine actually changing the economy in any meaningful way. Our capacity for collective action has been hollowed out and replaced by an expressive identity politics that cannot satisfy but works wonders to keep us all working and buying. It very effectively stops any real change from happening. The seemingly radical idea that contemporary protests are largely ineffectual and should be replaced by direct action is introduced. … More Culture War Futility, Why Self Expression Beats Action (Distributism 5-Audio)
In this concluding segment from the 2021 Summer Seminar on Distributism, I discuss why it is so hard to imagine actually changing the economy in any meaningful way. Our capacity for collective action has been hollowed out and replaced by an expressive identity politics that cannot satisfy but works wonders to keep us all working and buying. It very effectively stops any real change from happening. The seemingly radical idea that contemporary protests are largely ineffectual and should be replaced by direct action is introduced. … More Culture War Futility: Why Self Expression Beats Action (Distributism 5-Video)
Political Philosophy 