To gain a deeper understanding of the philosophy of war, check out this insightful collection. From Dr Mike Martin’s discussion on being a soldier-philosopher to Professor Shannon E. French on ‘the code of the warrior’. Every episode contributes to our complex understanding on the ethics of war.
Gregg D. Carusso – On the illusion of Free Will, Myth of Meritocracy and the need to rethink our Justice System
Gregg D. Caruso is a Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Corning. He’s also a Visiting Fellow at the New College of the Humanities, and Honorary Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney. Gregg is also a Co-Director of the Justice Without Retribution Network housed at the University of Aberdeen School of Law.
LTCOL Dave Grossman (retd) – On killing, combat, sleep, 'blind spots' and everything else in between
LTCOL Dave Grossman (retd) requires very little introduction, as I’m sure most of the audience will be intimately familiar with his books; most notably, the one that has revolutionised the way we think and talk about combat. The book is of course ‘On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society’, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; has been translated into multiple languages; is on the US Marine Corps Commandant’s Required Reading List; and is required reading at the FBI academy and numerous other academies and colleges around the world.
David Livingstone Smith – On dehumanisation
David Livingstone Smith is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of New England. He has authored nine books with his more recent titles focusing on dehumanisation, race, and propaganda. David is an interdisciplinary scholar, whose publications are cited not only by other philosophers, but also by historians, legal scholars, psychologists, and anthropologists. He has been featured in prime-time television documentaries, is often interviewed and cited in the national and international media and was a guest at the G20 economic summit in 2012.
Shannon E. French – On 'the code of the warrior' and ethics of war
Professor Shannon E. French is from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) where she is also the Inamori Professor in Ethics, and the Director of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence. Prior to her current role, she taught for 11 years at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, where she was a tenured member of the Ethics department and Associate Chair of the division of Leadership, Ethics, and Law.
Cian O'Driscoll – A Philosopher's take on just war theory
Cian O’Driscoll is originally from Limerick, in the Southwest of Ireland where he completed his schooling and undergraduate degree, before moving to Nova Scotia, and then Wales, for Grad School. He completed his PhD at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and worked at the University of Glasgow before joining the Australian National University, Canberra in 2020.
Dr Mike Wessells – On child soldiers
Dr Mike Wessells is a Professor at Columbia University in the Program on Forced Migration and Health. Over the decades, Mike has conducted extensive research on the holistic impacts of war and political violence on children, and he is author of the book ‘Child Soldiers: From Violence to Protection’. Currently, Mike is the lead researcher on inter-agency and multi-country action research on strengthening community-based child protection mechanisms. He also regularly advises UN agencies, governments, and donors on issues of child protection and psychosocial support, including in communities and schools.
Dr Mike Martin – A Soldier-Philosopher
Dr Mike Martin is a former British Army Officer who has since become a prominent speaker and writer on conflict, particularly its causes. Mike has published several books on the subject, including; ‘An Intimate War: An Oral History of the Helmand Conflict 1978-2012’ – which landed him in some hot water, and ‘Why We Fight’ – a deep dive into the evolutionary reasons for war and conflict. More recently, Mike has been engaged by the Australian Defence Force to deliver a course on the impact cultural understanding can have on a conflict as a way to improve our collective understanding of the wars we have been a part of and are likely to be involved with in the future.
The Cove will continue to share more of Maz's podcasts with you via our website and The Cove Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Check out the full Voices of War collection on their website (unavailable on the DPN), on Spotify, and other podcasts platforms.
