Wang Yangming

Wang Yangming

Author: Political Theory 101 May 13, 2023 Duration: 1:04:26
Alex and Benjamin discuss the state of Confucianism during the Ming Dynasty. Should "li" be understood as "principle" or "pattern"? What is the relationship between li and chi? While some theorists, like Zhu Xi, hold that studying the classics can help clear up your chi, Wang Yangming argues that the virtues are much easier to acquire, because for him li always already exists in the mind. He suggests there is a "unity of acting and knowing," so if a person acts in a virtuous way, that implies they have knowledge. This means that knowledge of the li can be found in the simple benevolent acts of ordinary people. While civil servants can quote classical texts, they may not act with the same benevolence, and if they act poorly they can't have the knowledge they purport to have. We therefore get a critique of civic education that comes from within Confucianism, without appeal to the legalist framework of someone like Lord Shang.

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Author: Language: English Episodes: 96

Political Theory 101
Podcast Episodes
Bartolus and Roman Law in the Middle Ages [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:42
Alex and Benjamin discuss Bartolus, a 14th century Italian jurist who used 6th century Roman law to legitimate the Italian city-states. Along the way, he develops the concept of "the city" as an abstraction, arguing that…
The Arthashastra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:35
Alex and Benjamin look at an ancient Indian political treatise, focusing especially on the interdependent relationship between householders and ascetics.
John Maynard Keynes as a Political Theorist [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:42
Alex and Benjamin discuss John Maynard Keynes through a political theory lens. They hone in on Keynes' strategy for saving capitalism, his impact on interwar Marxism, his use of J.A. Hobson's theory of imperialism, and m…
Nizam al-Mulk and Persian Political Thought [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:20
Alex and Benjamin discuss Persian political theorist and Seljuk Vizier Nizam al-Mulk, a talented administrator who nonetheless left behind quite a mess. We compare him to Michael Psellos (his contemporary). We discuss th…
Confucius and the Role of Ritual in Chinese Political Thought [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:07
Alex and Benjamin discuss the political thought of Confucius, moving past stale stereotypes and into a deeper discussion of the role of the gentleman and the sage in creating and sustaining an ideal customary community.
Žižek and the Politics of Ideology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:09
Alex and Benjamin discuss Slavoj Žižek's concept of ideology, his version of materialism, and the role ritual plays in his thought.
Michael Psellos and Byzantine Political Thought [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:32
Alex and Benjamin talk about Michael Psellos, an 11th century Greek thinker who advised a series of Byzantine emperors. We compare Psellos with earlier Platonists and discuss some of the problems the Byzantine Empire fac…
Pyrrho and the Politics of Skepticism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:56
Alex and Benjamin discuss Pyrrho and the Pyrrhonists, the conflict between the skeptics and the stoics, and the influence of ancient skepticism on modern empiricists, positivists, and pragmatists, particularly David Hume…
John Locke & Piracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:32
We discuss John Locke's views on nature and the way they influence his theory of property and his approach to trade. We also discuss the role he played on the Board of Trade, and his "tough on crime" approach to pirates.
Aquinas and De Regno [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:27
Alex and Benjamin read Thomas Aquinas' De Regno, focusing on what Aquinas does with Aristotle's regime typology.