Weber on legitimacy

The seminar on legitimacy I mentioned early in the month has so far been a challenging but enriching experience. There are only five of us including the professor. I don’t know if this has to do with the demanding and continually growing reading list, or the fact that we meet at 08:15 in the morning. …

The wanton threat to democracy

University started yesterday on a perfect sunny autumn day. For the time being classes are live, and it was nice to see students back on campus after a three-semester hiatus. Teaching is so much more enjoyable in the classroom than online. As a student, I am focused on finishing my master’s thesis this semester, but …

Communism reloaded, expropriation in Berlin?

While members of the national and international press are warning of the end of the world as we know it and rebranding Graz as Stalingraz following Sunday’s city council election here, a far more revolutionary election result occurred in Germany over the weekend. I am not referring to whether Armin Laschet or Olaf Scholz will …

Comrades, visit Graz!

Municipal tourist boards invest significant effort in promoting the local character of their cities. Convincing potential visitors in advance of the beauty and distinctive allure of their hamlets, however, can be challenging. This is especially true for Graz as we have to compete against our globally recognized federal capital with its Sachertorte, imperial architecture, and …

Responsibility reloaded

Two posts ago I examined how stopping profligate bread waste could reduce C02 emissions. Earlier in a comment to my post on climate change responsibility, Jordan had astutely noted that while consumers bear some responsibility in reducing emissions major corporations should also be held accountable. Today I will explore how assigning responsibility to both consumers …

Climate change and FMGCs

Following up on my last post, today I want to examine the importance of narratives in getting people – especially Europeans since I’m Austrian – involved in climate change activism. First, it is important to note that current inaction is not because people reject climate science. Europeans overwhelmingly agree that “the climate is probably or …

Climate Change Responsibility

In my last post I posed the question: Who specifically is responsible for addressing climate change and reducing GHG emissions? Today I provide one possible answer. I believe that considerable, if not the brunt of, responsibility ought to lie with consumers. However, it is unlikely that individuals accustomed to unlimited choice among a glut of …

Who is responsible?

When I started studying political, economic, and legal philosophy at the University of Graz just for fun, little did I know that climate change would play a prominent role in the curriculum. Now in my fourth semester, I have had the opportunity to examine the urgings and arguments of diverse researchers – philosophers, economists, climate …

Divine redemption or comedy of errors?

A few days ago in a much discussed post I posed the question: What duties do the living have to compensate victims of past injustices? The tenor from comments, and also my opinion, is that at minimum the living have obligations towards the dead regarding their historical memory. It seems that Sperello di Serego Alighieri, …

Leftists of the World Unite!

Last summer I questioned the ability of social media to actually rally people and bring about populist revolution. The storming of the United States Capitol on January 6th, however, is a counterexample which clearly casts doubt on my claim. Social media played a critical role in mobilizing and unifying diverse right-wing groups – QAnon supporters, …