Deeper Dive - DSU's podcast

In our Fourth, Special DSU Event, we share with you the audio from a DSU Live Event, recorded on October 21, 2017. In this episode, we examine the renewed attempt by powerful groups within American Society and Democracy to ACQUIRE AND EXERCISE POLITICAL POWER FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSERTING A SPECIFIC CLAIM TO THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF LIFE. This is extraordinarily dangerous. If a particular group ever "WINS" the Culture Wars, if means the END of Liberal Democracy as we know it. No one "WINS" a Culture War.

In the wake of yet another mass shooting that left 17 young people dead at a high school in Parkland, Florida, the nation is once again torn apart by suffering and vicious ideological debate about gun ownership in America. In this episode, "The State of Nature, Social Contract, and Guns," Professor Dungey and Walker approach the issue of guns from the deeper historical and philosophical ideas that animate early Modern political theory, and especially the emergence of Liberal Political Philosophy.

We approach the issue of guns from the perspective of Hobbes's State of Nature, his notion of Radical Equality, his penetrating account of Human Vanity, and the role these ideas play in the escape from the State of Nature through the Social Contract. Despite the presence of legal and political institutions, is contemporary America coming to resemble, more and more, Hobbes's terrifying and violent State of Nature?

Recently, Donald Trump said he "likes governing by chaos." And, there are many who would say that his administration is chaotic. In this episode, Professor Dungey investigates the philosophical origins and meanings of the idea of Chaos as it emerges in Early Modern Political Theory. What role did the idea of "chaos" play in the early development of Modern Political Philosophy? And, what does it mean to govern "chaotically." Much of Modern Political Philosophy is specifically designed to contain and escape chaos. Can Liberal, Democratic Institutions and Processes survive Chaos? Enjoy

For two years we have been told that the informational, social, and political crisis now unfolding has been set in motion by the emergence of the Post-Truth Language and Thoughts of Trump. Indeed, last year, Chuck Todd declared, "Welcome to the Post-Truth Presidency." In this counter-intuitive episode, Walker and Professor Dungey discuss how this Narrative is actually wrong, and more importantly, Dangerous. Enjoy.

In a recent interview, Stephen Bannon, the Chief Advisor and Intellectual Strategist of the Trump Administration, said that the Primary Goal of the Trump Administration is the "Deconstruction of the Administrative State." In our most recent episode, titled, "The Mythology of the 'Deconstruction of Administrative State,'" we examine Bannon's provocative assertion. Placing Bannon's assertion in the deeper historical and philosophical context of the Enlightenment, we demonstrate how Bannon is not only misinformed about the nature of the "Administrative State," but more importantly, how the strategies and policies of the Trump Administration are actually doing the very opposite of what they claim: They are deepening and almost perfecting the "Administrative State." Enjoy.

Recently, Donald Trump stated: "The Past 'Phony' Jobs Numbers are now 'Very Real.'" In our last episode, "A Very (Brief) History of Truth," we investigated the philosophical meaning of the "Truth" and traced its historical transformation across different philosophical epochs. In our follow-up episode, "The Crisis of Legitimacy of Meaning and the Emergence of Informational Tribalism," we explore the crisis of meaning that threatens to destroy the very foundation of our social and political space. The emergence of "Fake News," "Alternative Facts," and the collapse of the "Fact/Value" Distinction has brought us to an unprecedented moment of Informational Tribalism where "Meaning" and "Reality" serve the Whims of those in power, or those who are willing to exercise power to impose their "Reality." Contrary to what many believe, Donald Trump is not the cause of this, but rather a symptom of a crisis in meaning and information that has now reaching its perfection.

The headlines declare: We live in a Post-Truth world, characterized by Alternative Facts and Fake News. What the hell is going on? In our most recent episode, "A (Very) Brief History of Truth," we discuss the historical origin and philosophical meanings of the idea Truth. In order to try to disentangle what is meant by Post-Truth and alternative facts, we have to establish the philosophical assertions about Truth, trace the the transformation of the idea of Truth across historical epochs, and identify the boundaries and implications surrounding the debates about Truth. Only then can we investigate what Post-Truth and Alternative Facts really mean. Enjoy!

While Hobbes and Locke are two of the most important thinkers of Modern, Liberal Political Philosophy, they had radically different views about the best sort of regime human beings could create through the Social Contract. According to Hobbes's pessimistic view of human nature, he believed individuals were too vainglorious and ambitious to create, and participate in, a representative democracy. Only an all-powerful authoritarian ruler would be able to keep the citizens in line and the state stable and secure. Locke took a different approach. Individually and passionately opposed to any form of monarchy or centralized power, Locke argued that individuals were more reasonable than Hobbes thought, and the civil institutions of society more deeply grounded. Human beings could, Locke argued, create a democratic form of government with limited power, and sustain the enterprise over time. As we know, Locke seems to have one the debate, but recent socio-cultural and political events may prove Hobbes right.