In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Robert Paul Wolff’s personal contribution to his 1966 anthology with the essay An Analysis of the Concept of Political Loyalty. Rather than obedience, Wolff suggests that loyalty is a kind of identification with the state—one that might even lead to principled resistance.

Paired with Wolff is Pauli Murray—civil rights lawyer, poet, priest, and powerful legal mind behind some of the greatest progress in racial and gender equality. Murray’s life exemplified a kind of loyalty that held America to its best ideals.

In this episode:

• The difference between obedience and loyalty
• Pauli Murray’s legacy in civil rights and gender equity law
• Two reflection questions to consider your own loyalties

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books.

Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

Bandcamp | Spotify

Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace

Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link

In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the story of Paul Le Meur, a French teacher who faced an impossible moral decision during Nazi occupation—and chose not to comply. His story is paired with the extraordinary resistance of the villagers of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, who sheltered thousands of Jews during the Holocaust without fanfare or credit.

Both remind us that peace often lives in quiet places—and in the brave hearts of ordinary people.

In this episode:

• A reading of Le Meur’s wartime decision
• The remarkable resistance of Le Chambon
• Two peace questions to guide your week

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books.

Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

Bandcamp | Spotify

Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace

Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link

From the U.S. Supreme Court to the streets of Cape Town: this episode of Wolff Peace examines what it means to protect conscience in law and in life.

Host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Robert H. Jackson’s stirring opinion in Barnette, which rejected forced patriotism in favor of moral independence, and pairs it with the radical compassion of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who led a nation toward justice without vengeance.

In this episode:

• The reversal of Gobitis in Barnette
• Desmond Tutu’s legacy of truth, justice, and reconciliation
• Two reflection questions to guide your personal and civic values

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books.

Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

Bandcamp | Spotify

Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace

Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link

In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines the tension between obedience and conscience by pairing Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter with Palestinian philosopher and peacebuilder Sari Nusseibeh.

Frankfurter’s ruling in Minersville v. Gobitis prioritized national unity over religious freedom, sparking backlash and violence. In contrast, Nusseibeh’s life work offers a model of nonviolent dignity and resistance under the weight of systemic oppression.

Together, their voices challenge us to rethink how peace interacts with the right to dissent.

In this episode:

• The logic and consequences of Minersville v. Gobitis
• The lived peace philosophy of Sari Nusseibeh
• Two reflection questions for your head and heart

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books.

Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

Bandcamp | Spotify

Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace

Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link

When loyalty becomes betrayal—and betrayal becomes peace. In this episode of Wolff Peace, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines the quiet power of disobedience. Political theorist Richard Schaar challenges the psychology of loyalty—and Sophie Scholl, executed at 21 for resisting Hitler, shows what it means to shift allegiance from nation to conscience.

In this episode:

• What makes us loyal—and what breaks the spell
• Sophie Scholl and the White Rose resistance
• Two reflection questions for your internal compass

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast and books.

Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW

Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace

Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link

Two centuries. Two refusals. One call to conscience. In this episode of Wolff Peace, host Avis Kalfsbeek reflects on the power of peaceful disobedience—from Thoreau’s refusal to fund slavery and war, to Greta Thunberg’s school strike for the climate. When systems harm the vulnerable, is breaking the law the most peaceful choice?

In this episode:

• Thoreau’s legacy of moral refusal
• Greta’s unapologetic activism for the planet
• Two reflection questions for your everyday courage

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series.

Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW

Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace

Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link

Obedience. Resistance. The inner cost of doing what’s right. In this episode of Wolff Peace, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the tension between obeying unjust laws and standing for justice. From Plato’s Crito, where Socrates chooses death over escape, to the early years of Aung San Suu Kyi’s nonviolent struggle in Myanmar, we reflect on what it means to remain true to your conscience—even when the consequences are great.

In this episode:

• Plato’s argument for lawful obedience and moral integrity
• Aung San Suu Kyi’s long house arrest and evolving legacy
• Two reflection questions for your inner and outer peace practice

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series.

Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW

Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace

Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: Amazon link

Missed an episode? This special recap journeys from John Locke to Friedrich Engels, linking each classic thinker to a peace warrior of our time. Perfect for catching up or diving in.

We take a reflective pause in our Wolff Peace series to look back on Part One of Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man: “The Individual and the State.”

Host Avis Kalfsbeek revisits the questions of political legitimacy, power, and moral resistance—and considers how the teachings of Hooker, Austin, Weber, Lenin, Locke, Hume, and Engels meet our present moment.

We also revisit the peace warriors who offered alternate models of strength—from Dorothy Day to Bayard Rustin—and ask what authority looks like when love leads.

In this episode:

• Reflections on seven core thinkers of Part One
• Peace Pairing highlights and their unique forms of moral authority
• Two big questions to carry into your own practice of peace

Visit aviskalfsbeek.com to learn more about the podcast, books, and upcoming episodes in the Wolff Peace series.

· Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike and The Red Kite by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez.

· Bandcamp | Spotify

· Robert Paul Wolff’s Political Man and Social Man on Amazon