Peace, earth-life, and levity.
The Great Disarmament Part 11: Fallout & Flower Powers. As nuclear fire darkened the sky, a global peace movement took root. This episode explores the cultural birth of The Great Disarmament—from Hiroshima to Haight-Ashbury, from anti-war protests to international arms control treaties, from monks on fire to flowers in rifles. We mark the year 1963—the year of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty—as the beginning of The Great Disarmament. Not the beginning of bombs. But the beginning of refusal. This turning point in Cold War history reminds us that resistance is not the opposite of despair. It is the antidote. Featuring the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the voice of Kurt Vonnegut through Slaughterhouse-Five, we trace how conscience, courage, and creative protest began to build a counterweight to destruction—and a new peace culture began to rise. Download the Peace Resource Guide: AvisKalfsbeek.com/PeaceGuide Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com
The Great Disarmament: Gas & Conscience – When the World Said Never Again World War I ushered in the age of mechanized killing—from mustard gas to machine guns. But amid the devastation came something new: organized resistance, international treaties, and the first serious conversations about disarmament. In this episode, we mark the moment when the world's conscience awoke—and disarmament began. Download the Peace Resource Guide: AvisKalfsbeek.com/PeaceGuide Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com
The Great Disarmament: Powder & Principles – When Conscience First Spoke As gunpowder redefined the global balance of power, another force quietly emerged—conscience. This episode explores the 1600s to 1800s, when the rise of modern empires was met by the first organized refusals to fight. From the Quaker Peace Testimony and early abolitionist resistance to Enlightenment philosophers imagining peace as policy, we follow the voices who rejected war, empire, and extraction as the price of civilization. We trace the moral origins of nonviolence through: The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and their refusal to bear arms The philosophical foundations of Utopia and early social contract theory William Penn's peaceful treaties and anti-militarist governance The link between war, slavery, and the moral awakening that would influence Tolstoy, Gandhi, and King Through these stories, we ask: When did peace stop being passive? And how did disobedience become a sacred act? This episode is part of The Great Disarmament – The Great Disfarmament, a 14-part podcast series on the deep history of war, agriculture, and the movements to end them.
Spears & Surrender – When Peace Was Older Than Progress Before nations, before bombs, before “progress,” there was another kind of peace—one rooted in ritual, kinship, and restraint. In this episode, we trace the earliest forms of disarmament: warriors who buried weapons before councils, spiritual leaders who practiced nonviolence, and poetic traditions that chose mercy over might. With voices from The Bhagavad Gita, the Rig Veda, and Zulu proverbs, we rediscover surrender as sacred wisdom.
This episode marks the turning point between The Great Disfarmament (Parts 1 - 6) and The Great Disarmament (Parts 8 - 13). We look back across centuries of agricultural violence—fertilizer bombs, chemical dependency, and genetic control—and begin to see a new story taking root. We recap key voices: the ecological grief of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the defiant poetry of William Blake, the wartime witness of Erich Maria Remarque, the prophetic science of Rachel Carson, the double-edged legacy of Norman Borlaug, and the braided wisdom of Robin Wall Kimmerer. The Great Disarmament didn't begin with a summit or a ceasefire. It began when people said no. When they composted control. When they made peace in the soil. Next episode, we follow that thread—into Spears & Surrender.
In this episode, Avis Kalfsbeek marks the final chapter of The Great Disfarmament—and the quiet rise of a different kind of power. As war tactics evolved from Cold War standoffs to post-9/11 surveillance and global contracting, the logic of control continued to infiltrate the land. Seeds were genetically modified, patented, and, in some cases, designed never to reproduce. Farmers were no longer growers but users—dependent on licensing, chemicals, and contracts. The soil was stripped. Sovereignty was sold. And the disfarmament, it seemed, was complete. Yet even as these systems tightened their grip, something ancient stirred beneath the surface. This episode honors the seed savers, the land listeners, and the quiet movements that began to push back. We meet Indigenous leader Winona LaDuke, whose work on food sovereignty and cultural memory reminds us that “food is medicine—not only for the body, but for the soul.” We also reflect through the lens of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, who teaches that reciprocity, not ownership, defines our relationship with the earth. In a time of mechanized control, these voices call us to remember the seed not as a product, but as a promise. This is the story of regeneration and resistance— Of choosing ceremony over commodity, memory over monopoly, and kinship over control. Next, we begin Part II: The Great Disarmament.
In this episode, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines the Cold War's eerie balance between restraint and escalation. While world powers held their fire through Mutually Assured Destruction, another kind of battle intensified in the fields. The Green Revolution promised to end hunger, but often delivered dependency. With hybrid seeds, fossil-fuel fertilizers, and pesticides drawn from wartime chemistry, agriculture became a new theater of control. Countries in the Global South were offered technological salvation—at the cost of local knowledge, biodiversity, and sovereignty. Our featured voice is Rachel Carson, whose 1962 book Silent Spring revealed the hidden cost of domination disguised as innovation. Her quiet courage helped spark a global movement for environmental awareness and restraint. We also reflect on Norman Borlaug's legacy through The Man Who Fed the World—a reminder that even well-intentioned interventions can carry unintended consequences. Control, scale, and speed defined the era. But memory, humility, and care may yet define the future.
What happens when chemical warfare doesn't end at the battlefield—but follows us home? In this episode of The Great Disfarmament – The Great Disarmament, we travel from the trenches of World War I to the poisoned fields of mid-century agriculture. We explore how the same compounds used for mustard gas and explosives were rebranded as fertilizers and pesticides—and how the Green Revolution masked a deeper ecological unraveling. We meet Sir Albert Howard, a botanist who saw soil not as a battleground but as a living system, and we revisit the literary trauma of All Quiet on the Western Front, where war clings to lungs and lingers in the land. If disfarmament began with conquest, this is the moment it became chemical. Listen in as we unearth the roots of modern agriculture—and how healing may begin by remembering what we've tried to forget.
What happens when the hunger for yield becomes an imperial mission? In this episode, we travel to the 18th and 19th centuries to explore two seemingly unrelated substances—gunpowder and guano. One shaped the battlefield. The other reshaped the farm. But both emerged from a growing belief that nature could be extracted, measured, and conquered. We trace the rise of nitrogen obsession, colonial fertilizer wars, and the passing of the Guano Islands Act—all moments that reveal how food systems were drafted into the logic of empire. Poet William Blake reminds us that even rivers and soil were being claimed, chartered, and commodified. His words—drawn from The Chimney Sweeper and London—anchor this episode in the moral undercurrent of ecological-industrial harm. This isn't just a history of weapons or fertilizer. It's a warning about what we begin to forget when we turn living systems into engines—and when we trade birdshit for blood.
What if we remembered the wisdom buried in the soil? In this second episode of The Great Disfarmament – The Great Disarmament, we go back—before fertilizers, before bullets, before the conquest of land and people. We trace the quiet origins of farming and war, when both were bound by ritual, proximity, and care. We explore ancient practices of composting, communal stewardship, and restraint—methods rooted in renewal, not extraction. We meet a voice from the Sumerian world—Shuruppak—whose 4,000-year-old instructions remind us that farming was once a moral act. And we revisit The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest ecological warnings in literature. Together, these ancient texts ask: What if agriculture had never become a tool of conquest? This is a story of what we knew before we knew what we'd lose. A mirror held up to the beginnings of disarmament—not in politics, but in the ground itself.
What if I told you The Great Disarmament has already begun? Not as a headline, or a treaty, or a dream—but as something quiet. Ongoing. Something you might not have noticed. In this opening episode, we trace the overlapping histories of agriculture and war—and ask what it means to disarm a system built to dominate. We start with a simple truth: for most of human history, farming and war were opposites. One fed. One destroyed. But in the last century, their paths began to merge—military chemicals were recast as fertilizers and pesticides, and the language of conquest entered our relationship with land. We end with the voice of Rachel Carson, whose 1962 book Silent Spring challenged the chemical mindset reshaping our world, and offered, instead, a way of seeing nature as something we belong to, not something we conquer. This is not a series about easy answers. It's a listening project. A way of seeing what was built—and what is being unbuilt. —
Welcome to The Great Disarmament – The Great Disfarmament. Host Avis Kalfsbeek, peace storyteller, ecofiction author, leads us in this 14-part nonfiction podcast tracing how violence became embedded in agriculture, policy, and culture—and how people across history have resisted it. From soil to soul, this series blends history, science, activism, and hope.
On her 63rd birthday, author and peace storyteller Avis Kalfsbeek takes a break between creative seasons to reflect on what peace really means—on Earth, in words, and in action. In this intimate episode, she reads Mark Twain's The War Prayer, a searing and ironic satire written during America's imperial turn but withheld during Twain's lifetime for fear it would be “not publishable.” Twain was Vice President of the Anti-Imperialist League (1901), opposing U.S. intervention in the Philippines. His peace work was fierce, critical, and clear-eyed. “O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells… help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire… We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him who is the source of Love…” Excerpt from Mark Twain's The War Prayer Alongside the reading, Avis shares a personal “knowing” about peace, a birthday poem, and a call to stop the killing of just about everything for profit. If you've ever wrestled with whether peace is possible—or wondered how satire can hold a spiritual truth—this is a quiet, powerful episode to return to. Musical credits: “Una Mañana” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez (full track featured at the end) Links to Peke's music are in the show notes. The Great Disarmament is coming soon. Until then—peace is already here.
What happens when your granola comes with spin instead of oats? In this bonus satire bulletin from Peace Is Here, Kitty O'Compost reports on Syndown Industries' latest inventions: Gaslit Granola™ and Syndown Syrup™. With ads promising “freedom from inconvenient nutrition” and products boasting “pre-canceled fiber,” watchdogs warn breakfast may now contain 85% less reality than advertised. Each box comes with free Feel-Good Glasses™, rose tint only. Because in the world of Syndown, ignorance really is bliss. But after laughs (hopefully!), author Avis Kalfsbeek takes a moment to step away from the satire and share unscripted gratitude for the end of Mono Mutante's launch week. Why did this series begin? Why does it continue? In a heartfelt reflection, Avis speaks about her father and brother—third- and fourth-generation farmers to whom Mono Mutante is dedicated—about her AA sponsor and the daily practice of recovery, and about the spiritual heart of this work: If we see the God in a tomato, or in the eyes of a beautiful cow, and realize those eyes are no different from our dog's, then peace becomes possible. This bonus episode is both a wink and a bow: a thank-you to readers, listeners, and fellow travelers in the messy, hopeful pursuit of food justice, compassion, and joy.
When was the last time you heard joy described as a public health threat? In today's satirical bulletin, the Centers for Control of Happiness warn of dangerous “joy clusters” linked to Mono Mutante readings—and propose emergency bans on shared laughter in community gardens. Then, in our excerpt from Mono Mutante, we meet Lova Saskatoon, a Canadian farmer whose battle against a GMO giant became a legal precedent for seed sovereignty. Her story—rooted in courage, resilience, and loss—is a reminder that controlling the seed supply is just another form of controlling people. From absurd headlines to hard truths, this episode mixes comedy, conscience, and a deep respect for those who fight to keep our food free.
In today's War of the Worlds–style satire, the Department of Culinary Compliance issues a national security alert after “unpermitted lettuce” is detected in public school lunchrooms. We go live to the scene of a kale salad confiscation, before it can “radicalize the spinach.” Then, it's an excerpt from Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered, laugh-out-loud eco-satire about food, farming, and the fight for diversity. In this scene from Chapter 20, children take the stage at a farm conference to share staggering facts about monocropping… along with plant names so vivid they could start their own rock band. Expect both groans and giggles, with a few pesticide-free punchlines for good measure.
What happens when your novel gets outed for “tucking impossible optimism into every chapter”? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we bring you a breaking bulletin from the Bureau for Imaginative Compliance. A compostable thumb drive has been unearthed at the Decorum seed swap, carrying a handwritten confession: the author admits she wrote the book as a Trojan Horse of hope. Officials warn the manuscript could spark “direct action, vegetable planting, or worse—community.” Then, we turn to Mono Mutante itself. In today's excerpt, corporate lobbyists Bruno and Red square off at a plant-based restaurant in St. Louis, where jackfruit masquerades as pork and pesticide-free futures are debated like high-stakes poker. Between the bites of faux barbecue, questions rise: Who really controls our food? Can slow food and land-back movements rewrite the rules? From satirical seeds to serious struggles over pesticides, power, and land, this episode blends comedy, conscience, and the messy taste of resistance.
What happens when meat leaves the dinner table and enters the stock exchange? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we cut to a breaking bulletin from the Council on Consumable Compliance. The charge? Corporations have launched BeefCoin™—the world's first meat-backed cryptocurrency—and are marketing Freedom Cuts™, beef you can finance like a new pickup. A whistleblower even warns of “synthetic nostalgia,” bottled to make your backyard smell like burgers, long after the cows are gone. From absurd speculation to the politics of appetite, this episode skewers the future of food with wit, worry, and a side of satire. Then, we dive into Chapter 13 of Mono Mutante, where Tilly and Camas share a glass of starlight, a conversation about meat bans, and a strangely tender thought experiment about the last steak on Earth.
What happens when your novel gets dragged before the Council on Narrative Morality for “uplifting satire in zones of regulated despair”? In this launch-week special for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we interrupt our regularly scheduled program for a War of the Worlds–style bulletin on the dangers of “dangerous inspiration.” First up: a breaking news alert about fiction accused of reducing productivity by making people… hopeful. Then, an excerpt from Mono Mutante's Chapter 11, where Camas and Tilly return to Camas's childhood home—and discover the pink envelope containing a letter from her mom, later included in the book as a short story. From satirical headlines to intimate moments of grief and memory, this episode mixes comedy with conscience—and maybe inspires a little “dangerous” hope of your own.
What happens when your dog gets accused of “carrying genetic traces of historical dissenters”? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we break in with a bulletin from the Baesamen Institute for Genetic Purity, demanding a DNA test on Pedro. The charge? He's allegedly “up to 12% revolutionary.” The evidence? Tail wags at peace rallies and suspicious eye contact with farmworkers. Then, we dive into Chapter 10, where Camas and Tilly's mountain biking break leads to a wild idea: turning survivalist preppers into allies of the slow food movement. From MAGA victory gardens to “community sufficiency,” it's satire, strategy, and unlikely alliances—served cold with a side of peaches.
What happens when your imagination gets flagged for “unsanctioned acts of hope”? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we break in with a Bureau for Imaginative Compliance bulletin, charging the author with “uplifting satire in zones of regulated despair” and “inciting optimism without a license.” Then, we dive into an excerpt from Mono Mutante, where Camas tests out her festival jokes, Tilly counters with a pesticide-poisoning story, and the line between humor and heartbreak gets deliciously blurry. From absurd regulations to the politics of who gets to tell hopeful stories, this episode blends comedy, conscience, and just the right amount of mischief.
Potatoes, Pedals, and the Great Grocery Crackdown (Books Banned Due to Excessive Potato Worship and Unauthorized Bike Conversions) – Mono Mutante Excerpt CH 1 What happens when your novel gets accused of promoting “an unlicensed faith in root vegetables and other soil-based ideologies”? In this launch-week kickoff for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we interrupt our regularly scheduled program for a War of the Worlds-style bulletin you won't forget. First up: a breaking news alert about books banned for “excessive potato worship” and suspiciously wholesome eating habits. Then, an excerpt from Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered, laugh-out-loud road trip through the monoculture Midwest, where Camas and Tilly debate beer, steak, and the politics of food deserts… or as they decide to call them, “food f----d.” From absurd headlines to serious questions about who controls our food supply, this episode serves up equal parts comedy, conscience, and crunchy resistance.
Final episode of the Wolff Peace Series (Episodes 45–77): A tribute to Robert Paul Wolff (1933–2025). In this closing episode, Avis reflects on the life and legacy of Robert Paul Wolff, whose 1966 anthology Political Man and Social Man framed a rich, 33-episode journey through thinkers, peace warriors, and the struggle to live a life of principle. We explore what Wolff might have been seeing and feeling when he published the book in a time of protest and upheaval—and what he continued to offer as a teacher, blogger, and lifelong radical thinker. If you're new to the Wolff Peace series, we invite you to begin with Episode 45.
In this final recap before our closing tribute, we explore Section VI of Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man, where the focus shifts to conscience, control, and the institutions that shape us. From workplace studies to prison systems, moral philosophy to haunting parable, this section asks: How do we remain fully human within structures built to constrain us? Featuring reflections on George Homans, Erving Goffman, John Stuart Mill, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky—alongside peace pairings with Sophie Delaunay, Eleanor Rathbone, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela—this episode honors those who dared to defend dignity from the inside out. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
Is freedom too heavy for the human heart—or the only path to peace? In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek pairs Dostoevsky's philosophical parable The Grand Inquisitor with the life of Nelson Mandela, whose forgiveness and leadership transformed a nation. Dostoevsky doubted humanity's ability to handle freedom. Mandela embodied what it looks like when we rise to the challenge. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
Why does society so often punish difference—and how can we defend conscience in the face of pressure? In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores John Stuart Mill's classic argument against social conformity and Eleanor Roosevelt's life of compassion-driven defiance. She stood for human dignity, no matter how unpopular; he wrote that liberty demands protection from popular tyranny. Together, they remind us that peace is not only the absence of war, but the assurance that every individual may live—and dissent—with integrity. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
What happens when institutions replace identity with obedience? Sociologist Erving Goffman explores how total institutions—like prisons or asylums—reshape human behavior. British MP Eleanor Rathbone responds with a lifetime of advocacy for human dignity, social reform, and women's autonomy. Together, they ask: can peace survive bureaucracy? Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
When do people stand up—and when do they go along? In this episode of Peace Is Here, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the insights of sociologist George Homans and humanitarian leader Sophie Delaunay. From factory floors to war zones, we examine how human behavior is shaped by groups—and how peacebuilders can model new forms of belonging. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this special recap episode of the Wolff Peace Series, we explore Section V of Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man—a powerful turn from systems to souls. What kind of people make a society? And what kind of society shapes a person? We revisit four key thinkers—Plato, Durkheim, Riesman, and Erikson—who each reveal how politics lives inside us, not just around us. Paired with peace warriors like bell hooks, Jean Vanier, Etty Hillesum, and Nimco Ali, this episode invites us to reflect on what it means to build peace not only through policy, but through personality, presence, and care. The political is personal—and that might be where transformation begins. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the psychological terrain of identity and violence. Through Erik Erikson's The Legend of Hitler's Youth, we confront how early emotional wounds, when left unaddressed, can become the foundation for radical, destructive movements. Paired with the activism of Nimko Ali—a survivor, feminist, and political changemaker—we see how reclaiming identity can become an act of peace. Her fight to end FGM and empower girls challenges systems of control at their core. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
What happens when we lose our inner compass? In this episode, host Avis Kalfsbeek pairs the sociological insight of David Riesman with the spiritual brilliance of Etty Hillesum. While Riesman outlines the emergence of the “other-directed” self—shaped by peers and media—Hillesum offers a luminous example of peace found in the quiet center of the soul, even in the darkest of times. Together, they ask what it means to be fully human in an age of distraction and despair. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please:Follow here Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
Host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Émile Durkheim's groundbreaking essay Three Types of Suicide—a sociological diagnosis of disconnection—and pairs it with the gentle, revolutionary work of Jean Vanier, who created inclusive communities of belonging for the intellectually disabled. Together, they reveal the profound relationship between society, suffering, and the peace that comes from being held. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please:Follow here Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek contrasts Plato's vision of a collapsing ideal state with bell hooks' call for love as a revolutionary ethic. Together, they invite us to rebuild public life with care, justice, and soul. In this episode: Plato's “The Fall of the Ideal State” bell hooks' philosophy of love as a practice of freedom Reflection questions on inner order and public peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please:aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this recap episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Part Two of Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man—The Individual and Society: Classical Images of Man. Through thinkers like Aristotle, Hobbes, Bentham, and Marx, we explore philosophical portraits of human nature that undergird political theory. Paired with peace warriors like Malala Yousafzai, Satish Kumar, Leymah Gbowee, and Arundhati Roy, we reflect on how our assumptions about “what people are like” shape everything from law to revolution. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek pairs Marx and Engels' theory of human production with Arundhati Roy's lived resistance. Together, they challenge us to see peace not just as the absence of war—but the presence of dignity in how we live, work, and create. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Karl Marx's concept of alienated labor and pairs it with the real-life work of Ella Baker, civil rights organizer and community-based changemaker. Together, they help us understand the importance of meaningful work, grassroots power, and reclaiming our full humanity in the face of dehumanizing systems. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek contrasts Jeremy Bentham's philosophy of “the greatest good” with Leymah Gbowee's people-powered fight for peace in Liberia. From theoretical utility to street-level courage, this episode asks us to rethink what really sustains peace—and whose happiness we're measuring. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the tension between Thomas Hobbes's vision of human nature and Satish Kumar's path of spiritual ecology. Hobbes believed that peace required submission to state power. Kumar believes it arises from harmony with one another—and the Earth. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek revisits Aristotle's enduring vision of the political life: one rooted in virtue, participation, and civic education. But with that vision came exclusion—women, slaves, and foreigners were barred from the polis. Enter Malala Yousafzai, who defied a Taliban bullet to fight for girls' education and global citizenship. Through her story, we explore how access to learning becomes a form of political empowerment—and why it's essential to building peaceful societies. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)
In this special recap episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek reflects on seven thinkers and seven peace warriors who challenge our assumptions about political loyalty. From Socrates to Thoreau, from Sophie Scholl to Desmond Tutu, we explore the personal, political, and moral tensions of obedience in a world that often demands conformity. In this episode: A guided overview of Wolff's “Limits of Political Authority” section Peace Pairings who refused to obey unjust power Thought-provoking questions for your inner world Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp | Spotify Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Robert Paul Wolff's personal contribution to his 1966 anthology with the essay An Analysis of the Concept of Political Loyalty. Rather than obedience, Wolff suggests that loyalty is a kind of identification with the state—one that might even lead to principled resistance. Paired with Wolff is Pauli Murray—civil rights lawyer, poet, priest, and powerful legal mind behind some of the greatest progress in racial and gender equality. Murray's life exemplified a kind of loyalty that held America to its best ideals. In this episode: The difference between obedience and loyalty Pauli Murray's legacy in civil rights and gender equity law Two reflection questions to consider your own loyalties Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp | Spotify Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the story of Paul Le Meur, a French teacher who faced an impossible moral decision during Nazi occupation—and chose not to comply. His story is paired with the extraordinary resistance of the villagers of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, who sheltered thousands of Jews during the Holocaust without fanfare or credit. Both remind us that peace often lives in quiet places—and in the brave hearts of ordinary people. In this episode: A reading of Le Meur's wartime decision The remarkable resistance of Le Chambon Two peace questions to guide your week Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp | Spotify Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
From the U.S. Supreme Court to the streets of Cape Town: this episode of Wolff Peace examines what it means to protect conscience in law and in life. Host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Robert H. Jackson's stirring opinion in Barnette, which rejected forced patriotism in favor of moral independence, and pairs it with the radical compassion of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who led a nation toward justice without vengeance. In this episode: The reversal of Gobitis in Barnette Desmond Tutu's legacy of truth, justice, and reconciliation Two reflection questions to guide your personal and civic values Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp | Spotify Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines the tension between obedience and conscience by pairing Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter with Palestinian philosopher and peacebuilder Sari Nusseibeh. Frankfurter's ruling in Minersville v. Gobitis prioritized national unity over religious freedom, sparking backlash and violence. In contrast, Nusseibeh's life work offers a model of nonviolent dignity and resistance under the weight of systemic oppression. Together, their voices challenge us to rethink how peace interacts with the right to dissent. In this episode: The logic and consequences of Minersville v. Gobitis The lived peace philosophy of Sari Nusseibeh Two reflection questions for your head and heart Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp | Spotify Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
When loyalty becomes betrayal—and betrayal becomes peace. In this episode of Wolff Peace, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines the quiet power of disobedience. Political theorist Richard Schaar challenges the psychology of loyalty—and Sophie Scholl, executed at 21 for resisting Hitler, shows what it means to shift allegiance from nation to conscience. In this episode: What makes us loyal—and what breaks the spell Sophie Scholl and the White Rose resistance Two reflection questions for your internal compass Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
Two centuries. Two refusals. One call to conscience. In this episode of Wolff Peace, host Avis Kalfsbeek reflects on the power of peaceful disobedience—from Thoreau's refusal to fund slavery and war, to Greta Thunberg's school strike for the climate. When systems harm the vulnerable, is breaking the law the most peaceful choice? In this episode: Thoreau's legacy of moral refusal Greta's unapologetic activism for the planet Two reflection questions for your everyday courage Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
Obedience. Resistance. The inner cost of doing what's right. In this episode of Wolff Peace, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the tension between obeying unjust laws and standing for justice. From Plato's Crito, where Socrates chooses death over escape, to the early years of Aung San Suu Kyi's nonviolent struggle in Myanmar, we reflect on what it means to remain true to your conscience—even when the consequences are great. In this episode: Plato's argument for lawful obedience and moral integrity Aung San Suu Kyi's long house arrest and evolving legacy Two reflection questions for your inner and outer peace practice Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series. Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link
Missed an episode? This special recap journeys from John Locke to Friedrich Engels, linking each classic thinker to a peace warrior of our time. Perfect for catching up or diving in. We take a reflective pause in our Wolff Peace series to look back on Part One of Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man: “The Individual and the State.” Host Avis Kalfsbeek revisits the questions of political legitimacy, power, and moral resistance—and considers how the teachings of Hooker, Austin, Weber, Lenin, Locke, Hume, and Engels meet our present moment. We also revisit the peace warriors who offered alternate models of strength—from Dorothy Day to Bayard Rustin—and ask what authority looks like when love leads. In this episode: Reflections on seven core thinkers of Part One Peace Pairing highlights and their unique forms of moral authority Two big questions to carry into your own practice of peace Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series. · Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike and The Red Kite by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. · Bandcamp | Spotify · Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man on Amazon
What if class struggle met nonviolence? In this bold pairing, Friedrich Engels goes head-to-head with civil rights strategist Bayard Rustin to ask: Can we build a just world without bloodshed? What is the origin of the state, and can it be peaceful? In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines Friedrich Engels' theory that the state was born from class antagonism and is inherently a tool of oppression. Paired with Engels is the visionary civil rights strategist Bayard Rustin, who dedicated his life to building a nonviolent, inclusive movement for justice in America. Together, their voices raise deep questions about the foundations of peace—whether it can be forged through revolutionary upheaval, or by building alliances within broken systems. In this episode: Engels' theory of the state as a tool of inequality Bayard Rustin's model of principled nonviolence and intersectional activism Two reflection questions for your personal and political life Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series. Music: Dalai Lama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez Listen to more on Bandcamp or Spotify Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man on Amazo
Can philosophy plant a forest? This episode pairs Scottish skeptic David Hume with Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai to explore reason, action, and environmental peace. Can we question the stories governments tell—and plant better ones ourselves? David Hume challenged the myth of the social contract and Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai's reforestation movement helped grow peace from the ground up. Together, they invite us to rethink power, legitimacy, and how we tend the world we inherit. In this episode: Hume's critique of inherited government and imagined consent Maathai's Green Belt Movement and environmental peacebuilding Two reflection questions for political thought and daily practice Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series. Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp | Spotify Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man on Amazon
What happens when Western property theory meets Indigenous eco-wisdom? This Wolff Peace episode pairs John Locke with Vandana Shiva in a radical rethink of ownership, land, and peace. In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek contrasts the legacy of John Locke—whose ideas about liberty and property helped justify land enclosures and colonial expansion—with the work of Vandana Shiva, a scientist and activist who defends seeds, soil, and the commons. Through the lens of Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man, we trace the roots of modern liberalism and its uneasy relationship with power and place. What might Locke and Shiva teach us about freedom, consent, and the responsibilities of being human? In this episode: A look at Locke's essay The Origins and Purposes of Political Societies Vandana Shiva's challenge to seed patents and resource privatization Two questions to spark reflection in your world Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series. Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp | Spotify Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man on Amazon
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