30 episodes
Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs Jeffrey Sachs
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- Society & Culture
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4.8 • 61 Ratings
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Join world-renowned economist and Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs for lively conversations with the authors of scintillating, inspiring and remarkably important books about history, social justice, and the challenges of building a decent world. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org. The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, an initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Produced by Karena Joslin. Audio editing by Matt Rocker, theme song composed by Matt Rocker, performed by Dave Eggar. A kontentreal production.
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Season 3, Episode 6: Richard E. Rubenstein, Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages
Join Professors Jeffrey Sachs and an expert on religious conflict, Richard E. Rubenstein as they discuss Rubenstein’s book, Aristotle's Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages. Rubenstein skillfully guides us through the vivid controversies of the Middle Ages, making the philosophical debates of yesteryear both lively and accessible
Together, they discuss the riveting events that unfolded - sparking riots, initiating heresy trials, and causing seismic shifts within the Catholic Church.Throughout their discussion, you’ll uncover the origins of the age-old tension between reason and religion, a divide that continues to shape contemporary discourse. Listen in to gain insights into the foundational ideas that underpin modern thought, as we traverse the historical landscape where the clash of ancient wisdom and medieval upheaval set the stage for intellectual revolutions yet to come.
The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.
Footnotes:
PhilosophyAristotleWhen Jesus Became GodDark AgesAlexander the GreatThe Rise of ChristianityAncient Greek PhilosophyTheologiansPaganismThe Golden AgeToledo School of TranslatorsAristotelianismPlatoThe Double TruthPeter AbelardSaint Augustine St. Thomas AquinasAlbertus MagnusBig Bang⭐️ Thank you for listening!
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Season 3, Episode 5: Norman Solomon, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and political and media analyst Norman Solomon as they discuss Solomon’s important new book, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.
Listen in as Solomon and Sachs explore the intricate interplay between the mainstream media and powerful political forces that promote America’s disastrous “wars of choice” – including the US-led wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and currently the US-Russia proxy war in Ukraine and the US backing of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Solomon’s book explores how American foreign policy has become one of perpetual war, and how the media systematically hide the tragic human and political consequences of these wars, thereby enabling the US Government to perpetuate these conflicts.
Footnotes:
Ukraine War2023 Israel-Hamas WarVietnam WarMLK - madness of militarismPseudo-democracyPropagandaOrwellianPolitical Geology of 1984Rules-based Order NATOMilitary-industrial ComplexEthnic CleansingNATO Bombing of YugoslaviaGenocideRashida TlaibSouth Africa’s Genocide Case Against Israel at the ICJCommon DreamsWar in YemenPentagon PapersWar ProfiteeringInformation Warfare - CensorshipPentagon Woos Silicon Valley to Join Ranks of Arms Makers⭐️ Thank you for listening!
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Season 3, Episode 4: Dr. David Daokui Li, China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and economist David Daokui Li as they discuss Professor Li’s brilliant new book, China's World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict. Listen in as Professor Li explains the deep nature of Chinese politics and economics – based on China’s long history, Confucian culture, and meritocratic political system.
Together, they delve into a wide-ranging discussion of politics, education, philosophy, culture, and international relations. Professor Li helps us to understand the similarities and differences in the Chinese and US approaches to politics and economics, and explains how US-Chinese relations can be peaceful, constructive, and beneficial for both countries and the world.
The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.
Footnotes:
History of the People’s Republic of ChinaCultural RevolutionMao ZedongCivil Service of the People's Republic of ChinaMeritocracySocial Structure in ChinaAncestor VenerationLincoln Portrait, “Fellow Citizens, We Cannot Escape History..”Checks and Balances in ChinaCentral Party School of the Chinese Communist PartyCentury of Humiliation ConfucianismOpium WarsMeiji Restoration China-Russia BorderAncient Chinese HistoryEzra Vogel Japan-China Relations⭐️ Thank you for listening!
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Season 3, Episode 3: Jessica Rawson, Life and Afterlife in Ancient China
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Jessica Rawson, one of the world’s most eminent scholars of China, as they discuss Rawson’s book, Life and Afterlife in Ancient China. Listen in to learn about the roots of Chinese civilization through the stories of twelve grand tombs, each helping to reveal a pivotal phase in China’s history.
Together, they discuss the political, geographical, technological, and cultural evolution of China. Professor Rawson offers profound and fascinating insights regarding one of the world's great civilizations. With deep insights gleaned from her lifetime of scholarship, and building on the latest archaeological findings, Prof. Rawson sheds light on the deep foundations of China’s unique culture, including the role of ancestor worship, physical geography, and farming systems in shaping China’s civilization.
The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.
⭐️ Thank you for listening!
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➡️ Website: bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org
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Season 3, Episode 2: Lindsey A. O'Rourke, Covert Regime Change: America's Secret Cold War
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and political scientist Lindsey O’Rourke as they discuss O’Rourke’s remarkable book, Covert Regime Change. US foreign policy is based heavily on trying to overthrow foreign governments, and O’Rourke’s account is a powerful and deeply scholarly account of America’s frequent resort to secretive regime-change operations. Her book focuses on the Cold War years (1947-1989), but Sachs and O’Rourke bring the issues up to the current day.
O’Rourke’s highly insightful study offers a deep and rare look at the how’s and why’s of US foreign policy. Together, Sachs and O’Rourke discuss why U.S. covert regime-change operations have rarely succeeded, but have often left a colossal mess in their wake.
The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.
Footnotes:
Regime ChangeAmerican Involvement in Regime Change Conspiracy TheoriesForeign Electoral InterventionKennan and Containment, 1947Political Assassinations JFK and the Diem CoupList of Coups and Coup AttemptsList of Revolutions and RebellionsJohn Mearsheimer James Rodney SchlesingerFreedom on Information ActObama Attempt to Overthrow Syria ⭐️ Thank you for listening!
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Season 3, Episode 1: John Mearsheimer, How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs and political scientist John Mearsheimer as they discuss Professor Mearsheimer’s latest book, How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy. Hailed as the most influential foreign policy realist of his generation, Mearsheimer and co-author Prof. Sebastian Rosato provide a groundbreaking examination of a central question in international relations: Do states act rationally?
Together, they discuss the book’s core idea: that states are generally rational in their foreign policymaking, in the sense that they use deliberative processes grounded in plausible theories of the world. Through a fascinating analysis of historical case studies, Mearsheimer and Rosato argue that states think rationally most of the time, though not always with successful outcomes.
Yet. as Sachs and Mearsheimer discuss, sometimes states do indeed act irrationally - as when the US invaded Iraq in 2003. In their discussion, Professors Sachs and Mearsheimer cover considerable ground, discussing the World Wars, the Cold War, and the War in Ukraine.
The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.
Footnotes:
Ukraine War Vladimir PutinInternational Relations Foreign Policy Foreign Policy of the Russian EmpireNATOWikileaksBalance of Power Theory Benjamin NetanyahuRealist TheoryOpen Door Policy Bush Administration NATO Expansion HegemonyGeorgia NATO RelationsRussian December 2021 UltimatumEconomic Sanctions⭐️ Thank you for listening!
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Customer Reviews
China’s World View / China Scholar Biases
Important to note the Marxist dialectic pedagogical paradigm that skews Mainland scholarship , even with the best of intentions. Namely, excess emphasis on “them vs us”; “East vs West” and a related unwillingness to publicly expose (share) China’s weaknesses. As some one who has lived in China for over 30 years as corporate lawyer , writer, and small business owner, the day-to-day problems are rarely discussed. Here you go: China’s borders are porous, with multiple challenges with all of its neighbors. This is China’s main preoccupation. Secondly, annual and chronic environmental disasters many of its own making . Third, rising inflation with insufficient economic tools to stem inflation’s growth . China’s ancient history is often used as a diversion to mask present day problems. China’s post 1949 education system is less than ideal; this comment is also a taboo and not subject to open debate and not easily changed. But easily evidenced by the “tsunami” level of Mainland Chinese studying abroad.
Get to the heart of important issues
Priceless resource. No nonsense discussion of core issues shaping our world.
Absolutely fascinating and extremely relevant discussions 5/5
One of the best podcasts out there.
Sachs is a great source himself, so he knows who best to talk to and on what subjects.