Paved with Good Intentions
The Dangers of Hyper-Moralistic Politics
Politics always entails conceptions of what is good and right, but recently Americans have become more moralistic. We are sure of the morality of our causes and the immorality of our opponents', and eager to condemn anyone who questions us. But, as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions: in our quest for justice, we can quickly find ourselves making our society more unjust or alienating those we are trying to help. This reading group looks at two critics of dominant American thought, both from Columbia: Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1930s and Musa al-Gharbi writing today. It explores the potential conflict between individual morality and social morality, as well as the ways in which our pursuit of justice can be self-defeating.
This series of dinner seminars will be led by Professors Richard John and Casey Blake (Columbia). Please RSVP using the links below.
Schedule
Tuesday, October 29 at 6 PM | Session One
Reading: Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr
Introduction
Ch. 1: Man and Society: The Art of Living Together
Ch. 2: The Rational Responses of the Individual for Social Living
Ch. 3: The Religious Resources of the Individual for Social Living.
Tuesday, November 12 at 6 PM | Session Two (RSVP)
Reading: Moral Man and Immoral Society by Reinhold Niebuhr
Ch. 9: The Preservation of Moral Values in Politics
Ch. 10: The Conflict Between Individual and Social Morality
Tuesday, November 19 at 6 PM | Session Three
Reading: We Have Never Been Woke by Musa al-Gharbi
Ch. 1: On Wokeness
Tuesday, December 3 at 6 PM | Session Four
Reading: We Have Never Been Woke by Musa al-Gharbi
Ch. 6: Mystification of Social Processes
Conclusion