Michael Walzer, one of America’s foremost political thinkers, will be on campus  April 23-27, 2012  and during his visit, he will be giving two public lectures (see below for details).

Walzer has written about a wide variety of topics in political theory and moral philosophy, including political obligation, just and unjust war, nationalism and ethnicity, economic justice, and the welfare state. He has played a critical role in the revival of a practical, issue-focused ethics and in the development of a pluralist approach to political and moral life.

Walzer's books include Just and Unjust Wars (1977), On Toleration (1997), and Arguing About War (2004). In addition, he has served as editor of the political journal Dissent for more than three decades. Currently, he is working on issues having to do with international justice and the new forms of welfare and also on a collaborative project focused on the history of Jewish political thought.

Tuesday, April 24 / 7:30pm
Stanford Humanities Center - Levinthal Hall 

"Holy War in the Bible - and After"
Reflection on the Holy War tradition in the Bible and later culture.

This event is sponsored by the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, Department of Religious Studies, and the Stanford Humanities Center.

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Thursday, April 26 / 5:30pm
Annenberg Auditorium (435 Lasuen Mall)

"Can the Good Guys Win?: Moral Dilemmas in Asymmetric War"
In this lecture, Walzer will address the criticism that is current among some soldiers and academic strategists these days that if you try to fight an asymmetric war in accordance with the US rules of engagement or the requirements of just war theory, you will lose the war. He will argue that the good guys can win (not that they will certainly win) without adopting the methods of the bad guys.

This event is sponsored by the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society and is part of our on-going Ethics & War series.


Both events are free and open to the public.