Телеграм канал «Политическая теория и философия (Political theory and philosophy)»

George Klosko - History of Political Theory: An Introduction: Volume II: Modern History of Political Theory: An Introduction not only explores the great works of Western political theory but demonstrates their continuing relevance. Volume II traces the origin and development of liberal political theory, and so the foundations for contemporary views. The work provides a readable, scholarly introduction to the great figures in Western political theory from Hobbes to Marx. Major theorists examined include Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Burke, Mill, and Marx, not only major figures in the liberal tradition but liberal political theory's most important critics. Theorists are examined in their historical contexts, with extensive quotations allowing them to speak for themselves. Central concepts employed in their works are carefully examined, with special attention to both how they fit together to form coherent theories and how they bear on issues of contemporary concern.

Ronald Purser - McMindfulness A lively and razor-sharp critique of mindfulness as it has been enthusiastically co-opted by corporations, public schools, and the US military. Mindfulness is now all the rage. From celebrity endorsements to monks, neuroscientists and meditation coaches rubbing shoulders with CEOs at the World Economic Forum in Davos, it is clear that mindfulness has gone mainstream. Some have even called it a revolution. But what if, instead of changing the world, mindfulness has become a banal form of capitalist spirituality that mindlessly avoids social and political transformation, reinforcing the neoliberal status quo? In McMindfulness, Ronald Purser debunks the so-called "mindfulness revolution," exposinghow corporations, schools, governments and the military have coopted it as technique for social control and self-pacification. A lively and razor-sharp critique, Purser busts the myths its salesmen rely on, challenging the narrative that stress is self-imposed and mindfulness is the cure-all. If we are to harness the truly revolutionary potential of mindfulness, wehave to cast off its neoliberal shackles, liberating mindfulness for a collective awakening.

G. Klosko - History of Political Theory: An Introduction, Volume 1: Ancient and Medieval History of Political Theory: An Introduction is an engaging introduction to the main figures in the history of Western Political Theory and their most important works. Volume I traces the development of political theory from the beginning in ancient Greece through the Reformation. Main subjects examined include the Classical political theory of the Greek polis, the Hellenistic period, the rise of Christian political theory, political theory of the middle ages, and the Reformation. Major figures examined include Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas, Marsilius of Padua, M. Luther. Throughout, the great theorists are closely examined in their historical contexts, with quotations allowing them to speak for themselves. The works of the great theorists are further considered in regard to how they bear on issues of contemporary concern, such as constitutionalism, natural law, and resistance to unjust authority.

Talking with Adam Tooze Adam Tooze is a distinguished, prolific historian I think I was introduced to him by "The Wages of Destruction," about the German economy during World War II who has also been a leader in the newsletter/Substack revolution. His "Chartbook" is essential reading. Given some of his recent writing about Germany, plus Trump’s declaration that Europe is effectively our enemy, I thought it would be interesting to talk. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction to Adam Tooze 01:35 - Reaction to the NSS 06:33 - How migration has changed European population 14:25 - Is Europe falling behind? 32:37 - How is France doing? 35:55 - Why is the hard right gaining in Europe? 49:29 - Can Europe get back in the game? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UYACWL692eM

Е. Болтунова - «Прошу считать меня членом общества»: советские добровольные общества охраны памятников и рефлексия об историческом прошлом в 1960-е —1980-е гг. Как известно, 1960-е годы, особенно вторая половина десятилетия, стали временем активного обращения в СССР к категории «наследие». Общества охраны памятников появились в Грузии и Латвии (1959 г.), Азербайджане (1962 г.) и Армении (1964 г.), Литве (1965 г.), Таджикистане и Туркмении (1965 г.), а затем в Киргизии, Молдавии, Белоруссии, Украине, России (1966 г.) и Узбекистане (1967 г.). Создание добровольных обществ сопровождалось выработкой уставов (на национальных языках), формированием повестки в связи с реставрацией и восстановлением, появлением новых туристических маршрутов (именно, так в РСФСР появилось «Золотое кольцо») и публикацией сборников и бюллетеней (грузинский «Друзья памятников культуры», вестник «Памятники Туркменистана», латвийский «Календарь природы и истории», информационно-методические бюллетени «Памятники Украины», «Памятники Киргизстана», «Памятники истории и культуры Белоруссии» и «Памятники Отечества», издававшийся в РСФСР). В 1967 г. СССР включился в продвижение года международного туризма, а Президиум Академии наук и Министерство культуры СССР приняли постановление о подготовке колоссального по замыслу «Свода памятников истории и культуры СССР». Какое влияние оказали эти процессы на общественную ситуацию в Советском союзе, изменилось ли что-либо в отношении (само)восприятия и видения своей истории и культуры в разных регионах страны? В докладе ответы на эти вопросы будут представлены на основе анализа, проведенного, главным образом, на материалах центральных и региональных отделений советских добровольных обществ, действовавших на территории РСФСР и БССР (Всероссийское общество охраны памятников истории и культуры (ВООПИиК) и Белорусское добровольное общество охраны памятников истории и культуры (БДООПИиК)). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP84ruvksIU

John Dunn - Setting the People Free: The Story of Democracy, Second Edition Why does democracy as a word and as an idea loom so large in the political imagination, though it has so often been misused and misunderstood? Setting the People Free starts by tracing the roots of democracy from an improvised remedy for a local Greek difficulty 2,500 years ago, through its near extinction, to its rebirth amid the struggles of the French Revolution. Celebrated political theorist John Dunn then charts the slow but insistent metamorphosis of democracy over the next 150 years and its apparently overwhelming triumph since 1945. He examines the differences and the extraordinary continuities that modern democratic states share with their Greek antecedents and explains why democracy evokes intellectual and moral scorn for some, and vital allegiance from others.