A second set of the "Understanding Now" teach-in lectures took place in Willet Auditorium on Friday, March 27. Unlike the previous set of lectures, this Friday only had two sessions.
Professor of Political Science Lori Johnson gave the first of two lectures. Her speech was titled “What is the ‘Rule of Law’ and Why Does it Matter.” Jim May, associate professor of english and creative writing, spoke about “A Defense of Empathy.”
Griffith Chair and Associate Professor of English Elizabeth Harper organized the teach-in in addition to the previous set from early February.
“It's easy to get locked into a crisis mentality when watching the news unfold daily, every day is something new and shocking, and it can be overwhelming,” Harper said. “Teach-ins help us by acknowledging that we aren’t living in normal times, helping us understand what is happening and giving us something to do beyond just outrage.”
Johnson explained how she understands the rule of law: accountability for the government, just and clear laws, an open and accessible government and an impartial justice system. Johnson, who has a JD and is the first director of the Department of Political Science's law and public policy major, said it is more important than ever to understand and be aware of the rule of law.
She also addressed career civil servants, or people in political positions who remain neutral and appear to work based on their own experiences and moral code, rather than strictly adhering to presidential orders.
“You might also know them as the 'deep state,' or at least that’s what [President] Donald Trump calls them," Johnson said. “He’s not totally wrong there. They are insulated from his pressure and his will, and many presidents have been frustrated by this before.”
She said Trump is the first president to explicitly and publicly instruct career civil servants, providing instances like the Department of Justice meeting as examples.
May’s lecture centered around the devaluation of empathy in modern politics.
“Cruelty in politics, and life in general, feels a little like the sudden implementation of [artificial intelligence] on almost every tech platform. Most people don't want this, but we're being force-fed it anyway,” May said. “I think it's important to be empathetic, but we also need to be vocal about our desire for empathy.”
Johnson said she thinks one of the most important things to do is to talk to other people and not to shut oneself out or put themselves in an information silo that encourages and reinforces strictly their point of view.
May agreed and added he believes it is important to learn about opposing views.
Geetanjali Angara ‘29 is an International Affairs major at Mercer University and a staff writer at The Cluster. Her hobbies are reading, writing and playing piano. You can typically either find her with a good book or singing a Taylor Swift song.
