Researching Peace - en podd från Uppsala universitet

Philosophy Tea - Ibn Khaldun

‘Government is an institution which prevents injustice other than such as it commits itself.’
Ibn Khaldun, al-Muqaddima (Prolegomena).
Ibn Khaldun was an early path-breaking Arab historian and sociologist. He lived 1332-1406 (732-808 according to the Muslim calendar) and his major work An Introduction to World History (al-Muqaddima or Prolegomena) from the late 1300s has a number of systematic ideas on civilizations, the rise and fall of dynasties and the uses of power; as well as unique historical records. He was born in Tunisia into an Arab family with an Andalusian background and Berber roots. He lived a dramatic life in the Arab world of the time from Morocco to Mecca, both as a scholar and as a policy maker. For instance, he negotiated with the Mongol conqueror Timur Lenk/Tamerlane during the siege of Damascus in 1401. In episode Peter Wallensteen and Daniel Ogden discuss Ibn Khaldun’s thinking on peace, war, power and change, as well as his relevance today.

The episode was recorded and edited at Reginateatern, which also served as the host venue for the event on 12 December 2017.

Producer: Paul Kessel

The Philosophy Tea talks were held regularly at the Regina Theatre in Uppsala from 2014 to 2021. During these well attended events – where tea, scones and jam were served – Professor Peter Wallensteen and Guest Lecturer Daniel Ogden, both of Uppsala University, discussed thinkers who have contributed to our understanding of peace and justice. In all, 40 sessions were held, of which 31 are recorded. The session were also supported by Uppsala University as part of its outreach activities.

Philosophy Tea - Charlotte Perkins Gilman

American writer and activist Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1934) was the topic of the Philosophy Tea session on October 17, 2017 (produced by Paul Kessel) with Peter Wallensteen and Daniel Ogden. Central in their discussion is Gilman’s book on the utopia of Herland (suggested by Angela Muvumba Sellström, in Swedish Jungfrulandet) from 1915. It is about a country of only women but where three curious men suddenly enter. The two speakers note that these explorers find a society that is highly cooperative, well-functioning, and weapons-free. In this way Gilman can provide a satirical mirror of European societies at the time, for instance, on security matters (the women use a “pentagonal” defence strategy versus the First World War going on in Europe) and on educational systems (in line with the practice of Maria Montessori rather the traditional authoritarian schools). They mention that this work was rediscovered in the 1970s and became important in the new feminist movements, not least for its focus on motherhood. The questions from the audience cover issues of how conflicts were solved in Herland and what Gilman would have written today.

This episode was recorded and edited at Reginateatern, which also served as the host venue for the event on 17 October 2017.

Producer: Paul Kessel

The Philosophy Tea talks were held regularly at the Regina Theatre in Uppsala from 2014 to 2021. During these well attended events – where tea, scones and jam were served – Professor Peter Wallensteen and Guest Lecturer Daniel Ogden, both of Uppsala University, discussed thinkers who have contributed to our understanding of peace and justice. In all, 40 sessions were held, of which 31 are recorded. The session were also supported by Uppsala University as part of its outreach activities.

 

 

Philosophy Tea - Dag Hammarskjöld

The episode focuses on diplomat and economist Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961), a practitioner with a philosophy as seen through his actions as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

This was recorded and edited at Reginateatern, which also served as the host venue for the event on 19 September 2017.

Producer: Paul Kessel

The Philosophy Tea talks were held regularly at the Regina Theatre in Uppsala from 2014 to 2021. During these well attended events – where tea, scones and jam were served – Professor Peter Wallensteen and Guest Lecturer Daniel Ogden, both of Uppsala University, discussed thinkers who have contributed to our understanding of peace and justice. In all, 40 sessions were held, of which 31 are recorded. The session were also supported by Uppsala University as part of its outreach activities.

Philosophy Tea - Bertha von Suttner

A central person in the history of European peace movements is Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914), and she was the topic of the Philosophy Tea discussions between Professor Peter Wallensteen and Lecturer Daniel Ogden (producer: Paul Kessel) at the Regina Theatre on February 8, 2017. Their discussion highlights her promotion of peace work throughout Western Europe, but focuses on her book Down with Weapons! (1889) which became a best seller and included challenges to the typical arguments for why war was needed. The talk also goes into her connections to Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) and the creation of the Peace Prize. It notes that von Suttner did not receive the prize until 1905. Towards the end of this session, there are also several questions from the audience, enlarging the understanding of Bertha von Suttner.

This episode was recorded on 8 February 2017.

Producer: Paul Kessel

The Philosophy Tea talks were held regularly at the Regina Theatre in Uppsala from 2014 to 2021. During these well attended events – where tea, scones and jam were served – Professor Peter Wallensteen and Guest Lecturer Daniel Ogden, both of Uppsala University, discussed thinkers who have contributed to our understanding of peace and justice. In all, 40 sessions were held, of which 31 are recorded. The session were also supported by Uppsala University as part of its outreach activities.

Philosophy Tea - Spinoza

Welcome to Philosophy Tea at Regina Theatre. Scones, tea and interesting discussions led by Professor Peter Wallensteen and Foreign Lecturer Daniel Ogden.

"For peace is not mere absence of war, but is a virtue that springs from force of character”

Spinoza, Theological-Political Treatise, 1670

Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677) was a very controversial Dutch philosopher. As a young man, he was expelled from the Jewish congregation of Amsterdam for his unconventional ideas on God and religion; views that he would later put forth in his Ethics, published only after his death in 1677. When his Theological-Political Treatise was published in 1670, critics called it, “a book forged in hell”. Our talk will examine Spinoza’s ideas on God, humanity and the world; and his radical proposals for a society based on peace; not war.

Philosophy Tea is supported by Uppsala University.

Audio technician: Mattias Hammarsten

Producer: Paul Kessel

This episode was recorded and edited at Reginateatern, which also served as the host venue for the event on 18 January 2017.

The Philosophy Tea talks were held regularly at the Regina Theatre in Uppsala from 2014 to 2021. During these well attended events – where tea, scones and jam were served – Professor Peter Wallensteen and Guest Lecturer Daniel Ogden, both of Uppsala University, discussed thinkers who have contributed to our understanding of peace and justice. In all, 40 sessions were held, of which 31 are recorded. The session were also supported by Uppsala University as part of its outreach activities.

Philosophy Tea - Hannah Arendt

Philosopher Hannah Arendt’s work on totalitarianism was the topic at the Philosophy Tea at Regina Theater (produced by Paul Kessel) on December 14, 2016, shortly after Donald Trump won the US Presidency. Arendt was born in 1906 in Germany, left the country and died in the USA in 1975. The discussion between Peter Wallensteen and Daniel Ogden focuses on her seminal work The Origins of Totalitarianism (published in 1951), dealing with Nazism and Stalinism. This book became a best seller and made Hannah Arendt a well-known thinker. In the Philosophy Tea session it is noted that these two regimes were not only authoritarian, but according to Arendt also wanted to change people’s mind from within. This is what Arendt means with totalitarianism. She argues, that the ambition of such regimes is to create a new type of citizens, not only rule them for the benefit of rulers. The session also discusses her frequently cited formulation “the banality of evil”, noting that it stems from her writings on the trial against Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann in 1962. The two speakers mention that this conception became controversial, but could better be understood against the background of her previous work. At the end of the session the panelists respond to questions from the audience.

This episode was recorded and edited at Reginateatern, which also served as the host venue for the event on 14 December 2016.

Producer: Paul Kessel

The Philosophy Tea talks were held regularly at the Regina Theatre in Uppsala from 2014 to 2021. During these well attended events – where tea, scones and jam were served – Professor Peter Wallensteen and Guest Lecturer Daniel Ogden, both of Uppsala University, discussed thinkers who have contributed to our understanding of peace and justice. In all, 40 sessions were held, of which 31 are recorded. The session were also supported by Uppsala University as part of its outreach activities.

Philosophy Tea - Voltaire

This episode of the Philosophy Tea, focusing on Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire (1694-1778), was recorded and edited at Reginateatern, which also served as the host venue for the event on 19 October 2016.

Podcast producer: Per Torsner pertorsner.podbean.com

The Philosophy Tea talks were held regularly at the Regina Theatre in Uppsala from 2014 to 2021. During these well attended events – where tea, scones and jam were served – Professor Peter Wallensteen and Guest Lecturer Daniel Ogden, both of Uppsala University, discussed thinkers who have contributed to our understanding of peace and justice. In all, 40 sessions were held, of which 31 are recorded. The session were also supported by Uppsala University as part of its outreach activities.