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About Andrew G. Fiala
Fiala has published books and articles on war, pacifism, political philosophy, and religion. He also writes about applied ethical issues such as euthanasia, abortion, the death penalty, and animal welfare.
Fiala loves the classroom, where he encourages students to think carefully about the tough issues of our day. He teaches courses in ethics, applied ethics, political philosophy, and the history of philosophy.
More information, including links to articles and interviews, can be found at www.andrewfiala.com
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Blog postThe January 6 attack on the US Capitol gives us a lesson in the futility of violence.
Human beings have a terrifying tendency to kill each other over horseshit (to use a technical term). Violence typically rests upon a delusion. The bigger the lie, the worse the violence.
Religious and ideological warfare are extreme cases. Terrorism and cult violence routinely occur: with Jonestown, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, the Manson Family, in Waco with Dav4 days ago Read more -
Blog postFresno Bee, January 10, 2021
The mob’s attack on the Capitol was a juvenile outburst of rebellion doomed to fail.
What we witnessed on Wednesday was a juvenile outburst of rebellion. A motley mob stormed the Capitol without a plan or strategy. The violence was disorganized. This was a desultory insurgency instigated by a leader who lives in a fantasy world, where ranting and raving masquerade as thinking.
The image of Shakespeare’s King Lear comes to mind. As1 week ago Read more -
Blog postSelf-care is a common theme for 2021. One wellness website said: “focus on yourself this New Year’s Eve” and “indulge in these self-care strategies as you enter 2021.” The article recommended “allowing yourself to indulge in a night of luxurious me-time.”
This is not a bad idea. A little self-care is fine from time to time. But self-indulgence is occasional. It is not a way of life. We need something larger and less transitory. Self-care shoul2 weeks ago Read more -
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Blog postFresno Bee, December 27, 2020
On the longest night of the year, we drove through the fog looking for starlight. Other people had the same idea of driving uphill to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. In a parking lot in Prather, carloads of masked stargazers emerged from the fog and looked toward the heavens, seeking the Christmas star.
We are all looking for inspiration these days. If you rise above the fog, there are wonders to be found.
The last tim3 weeks ago Read more -
Blog postTime magazine declared 2020 “the worst year ever.” That’s obviously not true. In the 1850’s, millions were held in slavery. In the 1860’s, over 600,000 Americans died in the war that freed those slaves. One hundred years ago, the Spanish flu killed 675,000 Americans, while women struggled to gain the right to vote. Our current troubles are minor in comparison.
Time magazine’s hyperbolic headline can be forgiven as a ploy to sell magazines.&nb1 month ago Read more -
Blog postFresno Bee, December 13, 2020
Democracy is like Santa Claus. It only exists if we believe it does. Many Americans would like to say, “Yes Virginia, there was a legitimate election.” But the Scrooges are saying, “Bah, humbug.”
A number of Americans believe that the election was stolen. One poll reports that half of Republicans believe Trump “rightfully won” the election. Another poll found that 62% of Republicans say it’s “very likely” that the election was stolen by Democrats.1 month ago Read more -
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Blog postWhy do snake-oil salesmen and con men succeed?
Because human beings have a great appetite for horseshit.
Horseshit is a term that I learned from my grandfather, who was one of the world’s great artists of profanity. My grandfather taught me a lot of interesting things, for example, that H. was Jesus’s middle name. Like other men of his generation, grandpa distinguished horseshit from ordinary bullshit.
Kurt Vonnegut said that we prefer useful and comf1 month ago Read more -
Blog postFresno Bee, November 29, 2020
Last week, Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno gave an ethical warning about COVID-19 vaccines. In a video message, he said that if a vaccine were “developed with material from stem cells that were derived from a baby that was aborted, or material that was cast off from artificial insemination of a human embryo, that’s morally unacceptable.”
The bishop warned that the Pfizer vaccine may be morally suspect. In response to2 months ago Read more -
Blog postCovid-19 has transformed Thanksgiving. This year we should shelter within our bubbles and stay close to home. Rather than complaining about a downsized holiday, let’s use this as an opportunity to rediscover the wisdom of living modestly and being thankful.
Ancient wisdom celebrates gratitude and simplicity. Ancient sages teach us to be grateful for simple things and to celebrate abundance without extravagance.
Thanksgiving has strayed far from this idea.&nbs2 months ago Read more -
Blog postFresno Bee, November 15, 2020
The political news reminds us of the wisdom of graceful exits. Businesses need succession plans. Individuals ought to prepare advance medical directives. It is wise to learn to depart with dignity. That means not clinging or lingering until the bitter end.
In show business they say, “leave them wanting more.” It is better for the show to end with an empty spotlight than to offer another encore to a2 months ago Read more
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Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.
The Just War Myth argues that while the just war theory is a good theory, actual wars do not live up to its standards. The book provides a genealogy of the just war idea and also turns a critical eye on current events, including the idea of preemptive war, the use of torture, and the unreality of the Bush Doctrine. Fiala warns that pacifism, too, can become mythological, advocating skepticism about attempts to justify war.
This book provides an overview of nonviolence. It offers answers to the questions of what nonviolence is, how and why it ought to be used, and who ought to employ it. The book discusses examples of successful nonviolent social protest, from twentieth century movements for civil rights and colonial liberation to the Arab Spring and contemporary Black Lives Matter protests, and considers recent research that explains the power of nonviolence. It also explores philosophical and religious sources of nonviolence, while discussing key historical figures including Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, and Malala Yousafzai. This book offers insight into the link between nonviolence and democracy. And it reminds us that nonviolence gives us the power to build a better —more just, truthful, and loving— world.
ENDORSEMENTS
Nonviolence A Quick Immersion, by Andrew Fiala, offers a passionate presentation and defense of nonviolence in its various aspects and manifestations. It covers the whole spectrum of nonviolent movements and approaches: from the most spiritually and religiously motivated, to those primarily moral and practical; from Buddha and Mahavira, Socrates and Jesus, Gandhi and King, Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, to Gene Sharp and Malala. Fiala writes with the conviction that nonviolent movements have made profound and lasting impacts in the world, and that they continue to grow and be powerful because of their internal consistency and integrity. Besides offering well-informed and clearly presented views, the most important quality of this book is its insistence on the rootedness of nonviolence in the traditional and universal values of truth and justice, respect and love. Fiala rightly insists that the ultimate concerns behind our decisions how to live and interact with others must be the affirmation of life and human flourishing. Predrag Cicovacki, Professor of Philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross.
Fiala’s Nonviolence: A Quick Immersion is a superbly lucid introduction to nonviolence which is both succinct and rigorous. It manages to navigate through several important and sometimes thorny objections, debates and reflections with impressively clear explanations and accessible language.
This brilliant book presents a nuanced overview of the range of things referred to as 'nonviolence’, as well as a measured and informative discussion of what is ‘violence’. It provides helpful explorations of the relation between nonviolence and democracy, the ideological proximity to pacifism and anarchism, and the conceptual proximity to love, truth, and justice. Also clarified are the differences between pragmatic and principled approaches, and of course, crucially, how and why nonviolence can be effective. The book also offers valuable reflections on ’structural violence’ and on the transformative potential of nonviolence on both the individual and society. And it contains an informative history of nonviolence which demonstrates its various independent roots in diverse religions traditions as well as non-religious arguments. Plenty of examples from a wide range of contexts furthermore illustrate the range of methods available. In sum, this book is a splendid introduction to nonviolence — thorough, nuanced, clear and informative. Highly recommended. Alexandre Christoyannopoulos, professor of Politics, History and International Relations. Loughborough University (UK)
An early self improvement guide "Marcus Aurelius has been lauded for his capacity "to write down what was in his heart just as it was, not obscured by any consciousness of the presence of listeners or any striving after effect". Wikipedia
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Wars have played a momentous role in shaping the course of human history. The ever-present specter of conflict has made it an enduring topic of interest in popular culture, and many movies, from Hollywood blockbusters to independent films, have sought to show the complexities and horrors of war on-screen.
In The Philosophy of War Films, David LaRocca compiles a series of essays by prominent scholars that examine the impact of representing war in film and the influence that cinematic images of battle have on human consciousness, belief, and action. The contributors explore a variety of topics, including the aesthetics of war as portrayed on-screen, the effect war has on personal identity, and the ethical problems presented by war.
Drawing upon analyses of iconic and critically acclaimed war films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Thin Red Line (1998), Rescue Dawn (2006), Restrepo (2010), and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), this volume's examination of the genre creates new ways of thinking about the philosophy of war. A fascinating look at the manner in which combat and its aftermath are depicted cinematically, The Philosophy of War Films is a timely and engaging read for any philosopher, filmmaker, reader, or viewer who desires a deeper understanding of war and its representation in popular culture.
Conceived while backpacking the John Muir Trail through the mountains of California, the book reminds us of the complex history of nature’s wonderlands. It encourages us to learn the simple lesson of a well-tended fire, a quiet stream, and a place to call home.
Fiala weaves a rainbow of wisdom discovered on the trail with Socrates, Jesus and Lao Tzu. It follows in the footsteps of authors such as:
• Henry David Thoreau
• John Muir
• Gary Snyder
Andrew Fiala is a professor of philosophy. He is an expert on ethics and religion, and is a well-known scholar of peace and nonviolence. He is the author or editor of dozens of books, including:
• "Transformative Pacifism"
• "The Peace of Nature and the Nature of Peace”
• "What Would Jesus Really Do."
Fiala resides in California's Central Valley in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada, where he hikes, climbs, skis, and wanders. The book features original photography taken in Yosemite, Sequoia, King's Canyon, and other wonderlands.
Take this book with you on the trail or wherever you wander, wonder, and play.
Excerpt:
"In the mountains near here, there are some very old and useless trees. They are older than the Great Wall, older than the trees of Gethsemane. The sequoias grow tall and thick in hidden groves at around 6,000 feet. One April we visited a secret grove that can only be found by hiking for a few days along the Kaweah River. A bear passed through our camp that night. We forded an ice-cold creek and climbed a steep hill. At the top of the hill, the sequoias were standing silently, waiting for us as they have since the time of Socrates…"
Interest in pacifism—an idea with a long history in philosophical thought and in several religious traditions—is growing. The Routledge Handbook of Pacifism and Nonviolence is the first comprehensive reference designed to introduce newcomers and researchers to the many varieties of pacifism and nonviolence, to their history and philosophy, and to pacifism’s most serious critiques. The volume offers 32 brand new chapters from the world’s leading experts across a diverse range of fields, who together provide a broad discussion of pacifism and nonviolence in connection with virtue ethics, capital punishment, animal ethics, ecology, queer theory, and feminism, among other areas. This Handbook is divided into four sections: (1) Historical and Tradition-Specific Considerations, (2) Conceptual and Moral Considerations, (3) Social and Political Considerations, and (4) Applications. It concludes with an Afterword by James Lawson, one of the icons of the nonviolent American Civil Rights movement. The text will be invaluable to scholars and students, as well as to activists and general readers interested in peace, nonviolence, and critical perspectives on war and violence.
Andrew Fiala appreciates Jesus as a moral teacher with an ethical vision centered in love, generosity, forgiveness, tolerance, and peace. But he argues that it is often difficult to determine exactly what Jesus would say or do about tough contemporary issues, such as abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, war, homosexuality, and politics. Hence, Fiala believes we need to engage in philosophical reflection and critical thinking to arrive at answers to today's ethical questions that Jesus never anticipated, such as those involving technology, scientific discoveries, ethical advances.
The book shows how philosophers and psychologists—from Kant and Mill to Nietzsche and Freud—struggled to make sense of the ethics of Jesus. The book concludes by arguing that we cannot pretend that Jesus and the Bible provide all the answers to our ethical dilemmas, although Jesus does provide perennial moral wisdom. Thus, Fiala shows that Jesus' moral teachings must be filled out with contemporary ethical reflection to determine what Jesus, as a moral ideal, would really do today.
Pacifism is a transformative philosophy with wide ranging implications. It aims to transform political, social, and psychological structures. Its focus is deep and wide. It is similar to other transformative social theories: feminism, ecology, animal welfare, cosmopolitanism, human rights theory. Indeed, behind those theories is often the pacifist idea that violence, power, and domination are wrong. Pacifist theory raises consciousness about unjustifiable violence. This in turn leads to transformations in practical life. Many other books defend nonviolence and pacifism by focusing on failed justifications of war, as well as on the strategic value of nonviolence. This book begins by reviewing and accepting those sort of arguments. It then focuses on what a commitment to pacifism and nonviolence means in terms of a variety of practical issues. Pacifists reject the violent presuppositions of a society based upon power, strength, nationalism, and the system of militarized nation-states. Pacifism transforms psychological, social, political, and economic life.
This book will be of interest to those who are disenchanted with ongoing violence, violent rhetoric, terrorism, wars, and the war industry. It gives anyone with pacifist sympathies reassurance: pacifists are not wrong to think that violence and war are immoral, irrational, and insane and that there is always an alternative.
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