“In general, modern liberal societies trade on the idea that there is no one way to be a person.”
— Akiva Malamet
Nation, state, country… these concepts may seem straightforward and synonymous, but they contain a great deal of nuance.
Can nationalism be just a simple love of one’s country, or does it always imply a level of prejudice? Can a state be truly multinational or must it contain dominant beliefs and backgrounds? Are borders an ethical necessity?
This episode of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an instalment of What Would You Do?, a podcast about ethics in the modern world.
In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Akiva Malamet, a graduate student whose research deals with immigration policy and whose writings on nationalism have appeared on Libertarianism.org. Their conversation explores the rise of fervent nationalism, the thin line between patriotism and hate, and whether the idea of compulsory loyalty to a nation has any moral basis.
“Nationalism is a force to be reckoned with and highlights the deep divisions around the world about matters of identity and belonging… these arguments can start out as benign and end up as deadly.”
— Dr. Elliot Malamet
This episode discusses:
Highlights:
00:52 Intro
02:06 Culture & nationalism’s comeback
05:23 What is a nation?
08:51 How is nationalism modern?
12:50 Is the concept of “nation” valuable?
15:19 Nationalism & morality
18:33 Individual v. citizen
22:06 Russian nationalism
24:57 Megalothymia
27:49 Conclusion
Links:
Vice In The Virtue Of Nationalism by Akiva Malamet
https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/vice-virtue-nationalism
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Shalom!
