I’ve made this book free or nearly free for awhile now. You can get it on Kindle for 1.99, or download it from ResearchGate for free. I realized I had never just posted it on my blog, so here it is. It takes the reader through some of the classics of political thought via the … More Free Text: Political Thought: A Guide to the Classics
I recommend this lecture by John Mearsheimer to understand the historical context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. https://youtu.be/JrMiSQAGOS4
I’m going to change it up a little in the New Year. More to come on what to expect from Spencer Hess, an interviewee and a new contributor to this channel! https://pmaurin.org
On this video: Hauerwas writes about the state of universities and liberal arts colleges, particularly but not exclusively religious colleges. Many of the problems he sees and the aspirations he holds dear can be applied to any modern university or college. I trace key elements of Hauerwas’s argument and sift them through my own perspective as an educator. Universities are not in good shape and do not seem to be poised for a positive turn. What is the point of higher education ideally and really? … More The State of University Address
If you missed the Summer 2021 Seminar on the economic philosophy of Distributism, but you want to view the videos of the five sessions, you can get the series here for $25 and gain access to all five (as well as a link to the recommended readings) for a year: https://mortckc.square.site/product/Distributism-Seminar/77?cs=true&cst=custom For more information and … More Distributism Summer Seminar Recordings Available
A list of resources is below. After reading Walter Brueggemann’s Out of Babylon, it’s only logical to ask “so where would I go to get this type of Christianity?” I’ve put together my own personal shortlist of resources to help anyone who wants to “dip their toe into these waters” as to where to turn … More Dissenting Christianity–Here’s Where to Start
the second chapter of Walter Brueggemann’s book Out of Babylon, the “local tradition” of the United States, as the “shining city on a hill,” is explored in the context of prophetic calls for examination and repentance both in the Old Testament and in Walter Brueggemann’s theology. People always design narratives to explain their situation and role in the world, and Brueggemann teaches that this is not only inevitable but good–or it can be, if the story we tell is not simply delusion but pushes us to act in according to the values we say we embrace. In this case, he’s talking about Biblical Christian values and he is asking American Christians what (or who) they really stand for. I think this is a very worthy question, so this session is devoted to it. … More The Price of Hypocrisy (Out of Babylon: Brueggemann 2) ft. Nietzsche
nterview with Jeremy Cowan, an expert in organic and permaculture agriculture, we discuss our society’s prejudice against home, physical work, and native-grown food. We then discuss growing food nearby as a national security issue. … More Permaculture and National Security (Jeremy Cowan Pt. 2)
I’ll be live at 2 p.m. US Central time this afternoon (June 10, 2021) to talk about why Machiavelli liked the example set by Cesare Borgia so much. You can find me and sign up for it here! https://www.heygo.com/tours/machiavellis-borgia
This episode deals with some of the ideas from the concluding chapters of Guy Standing’s book The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class–A Politics of Inferno and A Politics of Paradise. He warns that without major changes we will be facing more and more interest in what he calls neofascism, or the populist and nationalist right. In the last chapter he outlines some solutions, the most discussed being a universal basic income. I spend time on that, but also on the guilt trip societies put on precariat workers, as though it is all their fault. A huge government apparatus exists to encourage the existence of a lot of precarious workers to provide cheap just in time labor, and a huge apparatus exists that employs thousands, if not millions, in administering paternalistic and judgmental programs to the “poor.” When you think about it, that’s sick, and a basic income sounds rational by comparison. … More Basic Income vs. Gaslighting the Precariat (Podcast)
Political Philosophy 