In episode 7 of The Burning Archive podcast, Jeff Rich discusses a possible antidote to political decay; building a strong culture rooted in the ordinary virtues of governing well. Based on traditions of virtue ethics scattered from Confucius (孔夫子;Kǒng Fūzǐ) and Aristotle, to Alasdair McIntyre and Michael Ignatieff these virtues can help us all curb political decay. And we ask, is culture - and simple virtues like humility, talking to strangers and the life of the mind - the best defence against republics in distress?
Credits:
* The wonderful Kimiko Ishizaka and the Open Goldberg project, for the public domain recording of the Aria from J.S.Bach's Goldberg Variations https://opengoldbergvariations.org/
* Vladimir Putin, remarks at St Petersburg International Economic Forum, June 2021 from Russia Today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMAP9Ccg2-0&list=WL&index=3
* Michael Ignatieff, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7dm2ER7TpU&list=WL&index=1
Read more of my writing at www.theburningarchive.com or buy my new book - Gathering Flowers of the Mind: Collected Poems 1996-2020 in print and e-book editions at major online retailers.
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7. The ordinary virtues of governing well