Claim OwnershipEthics-Talk: The Greatest Good of Man is Daily to Converse About Virtue
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Socrates said that talking about virtue and the good life is one of the most important things a human being can do. That's where "Ethics-Talk" fits in. Born in 2009 in the Department of Philosophy Religion at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan), on May 18, 2020, Ethics-Talk was re-branded and re-launched under the auspices of the Cora di Brazzà Foundation as "Virtues of Peace." To learn more, visit us at http://www.virtuesofpeace.com and http://www.coradibrazza.com.
182 Episodes
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Bertha von Suttner's Lay Down Your Arms (Part 4). In our last show of 5/18/22, we began and ended with the final sentence of Chapter 6, pg. 140: "What a foolish world -- still in leading strings -- cruel, unthinking! This was the result of my historical studies." In this show, we focus on Chapters 7 & 8 (pages 141-186). In these chapters, Martha endures the departure of Frederick for war with Denmark. This is the second time she has suffered the departure of husband for war and it takes its toll. The couple is reunited after much grief. We discuss some of the philosophical and political aspects of various passages. This English translation of LDYA has 19 chapters and is 410 pages long. We are about 1/2 into the text. Follow along with the text which you can download at http://www.berthavonsuttner.com/ldya.pdf.
This show continues our discussion from 10/7/21 of Bertha von Suttner's most famous and well-known work, Lay Down your Arms! (LDYA). Since our last installment, 7 months ago, Russia has invaded Ukraine, and this conflict has endured for almost 3 months. On this Peace Day, and the 2 year anniversary of this show, Bertha's book is all the more relevant. Today we focus on chapter 6 (116-140), which we interpret as an account that foreshadows Hannah Arendt's philosophy on the relationship between thoughtlessness and evil ("the banality of evil"). In Chapter 6, Bertha stresses the link between armed conflict and thoughtlessness, both of the individual and the masses, as we discuss. This English translation of LDYA has 19 chapters and is 410 pages long. We are about 1/3 into the text.
This show continues our discussion from 9/16/21 of Bertha von Suttner's most famous and well-known work, Lay Down your Arms!. In this episode, we focus on Chapters 4-5 (about 60 pages) Martha Dotzky’s (nèe Althaus) and Baron Friedrich von Tilling's relationship intensifies and we witness the beginning of heightening and developing of both consciences through their encounter. Through intellectual discussion and a shared "humane viewpoint" Martha, who originally swore off Freidrich von Tilling as a suitor because he is a soldier, begins to realize that he is different. A conversation about Darwin's The Origin of Species is identified as the moment in which Martha begins to fall in love with Friedrich. In this show, we discuss the philosophical implications of the encounter between Martha Dotzky and Friedrich von Tilling and other interesting episodes in Chapters 4-5.
This show focuses Bertha von Suttner's (1843-1914) most famous and well known work, "Lay Down your Arms !". Originally published in the German language in 1889 with the title Die Waffen Nieder!, the first English translation appeared in 1892. Suttner would become the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1905). This show introduces Suttner's book, a fictional autobiography, of 19 chapters. In this show, with Dr. Hope Elizabeth May who founded The Bertha von Suttner Project in 2013 (berthavonsuttner.com), we discuss some of the features of the book, with a focus on the contents of the first 3 chapters.
This show marks the 30th anniversary of Korean Kim Hak Sun's (김학순) (1924-1997) decision to break the silence about Japan's military sexual slavery during World War II. On August 14, 1991, Ms. Kim, a Korean, decided to make public her horrifying ordeal that began when she was 17 years old. This decision began a process of testimony, education and reconciliation that continues to this day. In this show, we focus on the issue of sexual slavery as it has affected Korea. We begin by discussing some passages from the historical novel One Left by Kim Soom (translated into English by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton). The novel's fictitious protagonist, P'unggil, is impacted by Hak Sun's testimony, and the novel incorporates the experiences of numerous other actual victims in its narrative, such as Kim Bok Dong (김복동) and Gil Won Ok (길원옥). Kim Hak Sun's testimony not only empowered other women to come forward, it launched a wave of court cases, beginning with her own in 1991 against Japan. These cases raise important legal and ethical questions, among them: the tension between sovereign immunity proper redress for human rights violations, and the scope of a state's duty regarding its citizens. Our hope is that the listener becomes more conscious of this under-told story of tragedy and the role of law in establishing peace and justice for victims of state sanctioned violence.
This show is the second installment of a discussion of Evelyn Grubb's petition to the United Nations. Last week, on June 7, 2021, we commemorated the 50th anniversary of Evelyn Grubb's petition to the United Nations on behalf of all the families of POW/MIA. A groundbreaking and prescient argument rooted in principles of humanitarian and human rights law, the "class action" petition appeals to two different instruments of public international law: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 3rd Geneva Convention. In Part One of this discussion (recorded on June 8, 2021), we focused on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this show, we continue this discussion on the systemic gender discrimination faced by the wives of POW/MIA. We also discuss how the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions are relevant to the argument in the petition.
50 years ago, on June 7, 1971, in her capacity as the National Coordinator for the National League of POW/MIA Families, Evelyn Grubb (1931-2005) petitioned the United Nations to pressure North Vietnam to disclose information truthful information about the status of all POW/MIA. Evelyn's historic petition made reference to two instruments of international law: The 3d Geneva Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In this show, we provide a introductory background of these instruments and discuss how Evelyn Grubb used them in her petition.
This show is second in a series in which we discuss the encounter between theologian and philosopher Howard Thurman (1899-1981) and pacifist-feminist author Olive Schreiner (1855-1920). Thurman first encountered Schreiner five years after Schreiner's death when Schreiner's allegory of "The Hunter" was read aloud at a conference which Thurman was attending as a 25 year old divinity student at Rochester Theological Seminary. After that encounter, Thurman read everything of Schreiner's that he could find. In the early 1940s, Thurman worked hard to publish an anthology of Schreiner's writings, a dream that would finally be realized in 1973 when he published "A Track to the Water's Edge". We discuss more of this encounter as well as their views on the moral psychology - the specific beliefs, desires and cultivated habits - that undergird the "non-violent way of life" endorsed by both Schreiner and Thurman.
On this one year anniversary of the Virtues of Peace podcast, and the 120th anniversary of the observation of Peace Day (also known as "Hague Day") in the United States, we discuss a powerful trans-generational, trans-racial, trans-national and trans-gender encounter between feminist pacifist writer Olive Schreiner (1855-1920) and philosopher and theologian Howard Thurman (1899-1981). Thurman, who provided the philosophical framework for the non-violent wing of the Civil Rights Movement, first encountered Schreiner's ideas in 1925. He thereafter devoured everything he could by Schreiner, even naming his first daughter "Olive" (who later became Olive Wong). In 1973, Thurman published "A Track to the Water's Edge: An Olive Schreiner Reader". In this show, we discuss the encounter between Thurman and Schreiner, an important point of contact that highlights the intersection between the Peace through Law Movement, the Women's Movement and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
This episode continues our conversation about the Adelaide Johnson’s Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In this show we discuss how the statue helps to unearth the linkages between the Suffrage Movement and the Peace through Law Movement. We focus on a project initiated by Dr. Hope Elizabeth May, who is the founder and President of the Cora di Brazzà Foundation. One of the initiatives of the Foundation titled "Forward Into Light" aims to uncover the linkages between the women's suffrage movement and the Peace through Law Movement. As a means to that end, Dr. May oversaw a project to create a replica of Johnson's statue with the 238 word inscription that was erased in 1921 and has not yet been restored. The statue was completed in 2021, marking the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of the statue in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. In this show, we discuss this project and Dr. May's journey to replicate the statue.
This show continues our conversation with Dr. Caroline Sparks who, after encountering Adelaide Johnson's Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the Crypt of the U.S. Capitol in 1978, resolved to return it to its more elevated position in the Rotunda, a space for which it was designed. As we discussed last time, Caroline's goal was to raise the statue in 1995, to mark the 75th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. While 1995 was an important year for the statue due to the fact that the U.S. Congress became involved in moving the statue, a number of obstacles prevented the statue from returning to the Rotunda in 1995. It was not until Mother's Day in 1997 that the Suffragist statue was finally moved. In this show, we discuss Caroline Sparks' involvement in the events from 1995-1997 which culminated in the statue returning to the Rotunda.
In 1978, Caroline Sparks stumbled upon Adelaide Johnson's suffragist statue known as The Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. That chance encounter in the Crypt of the U.S. Capitol awakened a resolve in Sparks to move the Statue from the obscurity of the Crypt and into the light of the U.S. Rotunda, the original and more visible of Johnson's statue. Almost 20 years later after Sparks' initial "Crypt encounter," and 76 years after being lowered to the Crypt from the Rotunda, Johnson's statue finally returned to the Rotunda in 1997. Join us on this special show as Caroline Sparks describes her role in helping to raise Adelaide Johnson's statue from the Crypt to the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, thereby symbolizing the placement of women in the heart of the American political process. Also joining us is Sandra Weber, author of The Woman Suffrage Statue: A History of Adelaide Johnson's Portrait Monument at the United States Capitol.
Philosopher, poet, advocate of non-violence and advocate for democracy, Ham Sok Hon (1901-1989) was one of the most important figures in South Korea's peace and democracy movement. In this show, we are honored to be joined by Dr. Song Chong Lee, who recently published "Ham Sok Hon's Ssial Cosmopolitan Vision" (Lexington Books 2020) in which he argues that the philosophy of Ham Sok Hon can inform contemporary discussions of cosmopolitanism. Dr. Lee's book is a most welcome contribution as it is one of the few books on Ham Sok Hon written in English and the very first book to place Ham's philosophy within the deeper context of Western philosophy - including not only Ancient Greek philosophy but also the philosophy of Hobbes, Locke, Kant. Join us as we introduce you to some of the essential elements of Ham's life and brilliant "Ssial" philosophy.
March 1st is a sacred day in Korea as it marks the moment when, in 1919, citizens throughout the peninsula organized a widespread non-violent and democratic uprising against their colonizers, imperial Japan. Long before the division of the country into "North" and "South," citizens from Pyonyang to Seoul to Cheonan, participated in the March 1st Movement. In this show, which marks the 102nd anniversary of the March 1st Movement, we examine the Movement through a narrative that transcends the typical interpretation of the Movement as a nationalist, anti-Japanese Movement for Korean Independence. Moving beyond the description of the Movement as one for "independence" and "self-determination," we discuss the March 1st Movement within the deeper context of the international Peace through Law Movement. Viewed as a moment in the larger "Red Thread" of Peace-through-Law, we discuss how the Movement was timed with the "organization of the world" and the development of international justice in the aftermath of World War 1, and focus on some of the key ideas - such as reconciliation - expressed in the March 1st 1919 Declaration. We also discuss some of the morally energetic individuals involved in the 3.1 Movement.
One hundred years ago today, an important monument to the women's equality movement was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol. On February 15, 1921, Susan B. Anthony's 101st birthday, the suffrage statue titled "Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton" was unveiled in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in a ceremony of great beauty and dignity. 100 years later, on the centenary of this event, we are once again honored to be joined by special guest Sandra Weber, the foremost expert on the Portrait Monument, and author of The Woman Suffrage Statue: A History of Adelaide Johnson's Portrait Monument at the United States Capitol (2016 McFarland). This conversation is Part 2 of a two part series with Weber devoted to unlocking the stories surrounding the Portrait Monument. In this installment, Weber shares the incredible story of the statue - from its connection to earlier statues sculpted by Adelaide Johnson in the late 1800s, to the many obstacles faced by Johnson in realizing her vision. Learn about the meaning and significance of Johnson's beautiful and mysterious work of art and the treasure-trove of stories to which it is connected.
This conversation is Part I of a two part series devoted to unlocking the stories surrounding a statue that was unveiled on February 15, 1921 - the 101st birthday of Susan. B. Anthony. Years in the making, the Portrait Monument was a labor of love for the "sculptress of the suffrage movement," Adelaide Johnson (1859-1955). Special guest Sandra Weber, author of The Woman Suffrage Statue: A History of Adelaide Johnson's Portrait Monument at the United States Capitol (2016 McFarland) and the foremost expert on the statue, joins us for this special mini series. In 2012 Weber was awarded a Capitol Historical Society Fellowship to study the Portrait Monument. She consulted numerous archives - not only Adelaide Johnson's papers, but also the archives of the Architect of the Capitol - who oversaw the placement of the statue in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol - and then subsequently to the crypt. Join us to learn about Weber's journey in unearthing numerous treasure-stories connected to the statue and to women's history on the 100th anniversary of the statue's unveiling. We also focus on Susan B Anthony (1820-1906) who as we will learn, played an invaluable role in the creation of the Portrait Monument that was unveiled 15 years after her death, and on her 101st birthday.
Frederik Heffermehl is an international lawyer, peace activist and author of “The Nobel Peace Prize: What Nobel Really Wanted” (2010 Praeger). Former Vice President of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), Heffermehl joins us as we continue to reflect on the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force on 1/22/2021. We also discuss Heffermehl’s work on the Nobel Peace Prize including his website nobelwill.org. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Heffermehl reflects on this award and, more generally, discusses Nobel’s intent in his will of 1895– by which 5 different “Nobel Prizes” were established (Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace). Respecting Nobel’s intent is a legal duty incumbent upon the Norwegian Nobel Committee (NNC). However, Heffermehl argues that with regard to the “Prize for the Champions of Peace” as Nobel called it, The NNC has shirked this duty, in part by ignoring the connection between Nobel and Bertha von Suttner, who inspired him to create the prize.
January 22, 2021 marks the day when the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) enters into force. To help usher in this historic moment, we are joined by Anti-nuclear activist Vanda Prošková of the Czech Republic, co-convener of Youth Fusion, a global network that engages and educates young people regarding the nuclear threat. In this show, we discuss not only the spirit and purpose of the Treaty found in its preamble, but also some of the duties that signatories of the TPNW must undertake such as absolute prohibition of these weapons and assistance to both victims and the environment that have been harmed through nuclear testing.
January 22, 2021 marks the day when the historic Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons enters into force. To help usher in this historic moment, we are joined by Anti-nuclear youth activist Vanda Prošková of the Czech Republic, and co-convener of Youth Fusion - a global anti-nuclear network that engages and educates youth about the nuclear threat. Learn how young people are organizing around the nuclear issue through networks such as Youth Fusion and Move the Nuclear Weapons Money.
We begin our 2021 series with special guest Ms. Vanda Proskova – a member of global civil society and Vice chair of the Prague based NGO The Prague Vision Institute for Sustainable Security which advocates for policies that foster international peace and human security. Ms. Proskova and PragueVision have been hard at work in moving us closer to the more humane world that Bertha von Suttner envisioned. This task involves an appreciation of history – and of the project on which Suttner so passionately worked. But as we have repeatedly bemoaned, there is much ignorance about this history and sadly, this is no less true in Prague, where Suttner was born in 1843. Accordingly, in 2019, Ms. Proskova and her NGO set out to publish a new Czech translation of Bertha’s groundbreaking novel of 1889, Die Waffen Nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms). Ms.Proskova was also the primary organizer of an international conference in Prague not only to launch this new translation, but also to highlight Bertha’s connection to contemporary issues of international security such as nuclear disarmament. Join us for an inspiring conversation with Ms. Proskova which demonstrates the power of Bertha’s moral energy to inspire and move people today to continue working towards her vision of ‘humanity.’
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