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TCP August 2021

In August, our conversation revolved around the topic of philanthropy. We wanted to find out what we understand by philanthropy and how we want to see it in our society. Various texts led us to relevant questions and aspects. Philanthropy has different forms and focuses and goes in countless directions around the world. Therefore, it is crucial to know and understand the meaning and concept of philanthropy a little better. 

The very insightful texts were:

On the Modern Meaning of Philanthropy | (Marty Sulek)

Introduction: The Ethics of Philanthropy | (Patricia Illingworth and Thomas Pogge)

There’s No Such Thing as Good Philanthropy | Jacobin (Daniel Bessner)

“Generous” Billionaires Are Part of the Problem | Jacobin (Luke Savage)

Philanthropic Foundations and Development Co-operation | (OECD)

Promoting Philanthropy: Global Challenges and Approaches | INSP (Paula D. Johnson, Stephen P. Johnson, Andrew Kingman)

TCP May 2021

In May we talked about the “pursuit of happiness”. Hence, we were once again inspired by the US Constitution. Moreover, happiness is often regarded as everybody’s daily objective and the “pursuit of happiness” has been part of international pop-culture for a long time. Therefore, we would like to discuss our perspectives on happiness in our personal life but also what happiness means for a society, especially if ones most prominent legal document constitutes happiness as a major goal and human right. 

As always we were guided through the discussion by some texts that we discover after a brief and relatively random research, these were our references:

Hannah Arendt on Action and the Pursuit of Happiness | Brain Pickings (Maria Popova)

Our ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ Is Killing the Planet | The New York Times (James Traub)

The Lost Meaning of The Pursuit of Happiness (Arthur M. Schlesinger)

The Pursuit of Happiness: What the Founders Meant –And Didn’t | The Atlantic (Kathleen Kennedy Townsend)

Were we happier in the stone age? | The Guardian (Yuval Noah Harari)

What the Declaration of Independence really means by ‘pursuit of happiness’ | Emory University

TCP April 2021

In April, we discussed the broad topic of liberty and tried to understand it a little better. Liberty is one of the cornerstones of the U.S. Constitution and, moreover, one of the core values that people around the world aspire to. However, there are so many different understandings of what liberty might be. Therefore, we needed some guidance and by chance and a brief research, the following texts served as our references:

What is Freedom?  (Hannah Arendt)

Yours, Mine and Ours – Property Rights and Individual Liberty (Chesney C. Ryan)

Left and Right – the Prospects for Liberty (Murray N. Rothbard)

The Idea of “Freedom” has two Different Meanings – Here’s Why (Annelien De Dijn)

A warm welcome to TCP

A short and warm welcome to our Transatlantic Conversation Podcast.   On the first Monday of every month, we meet on Zoom to discuss transatlantic and global issues. The idea is that even though we are in different places geographically and personally, we exchange ideas, learn from each other, and grow more and more into […]