Posts by Erika

History of Gandhi's early work in South Africa.… read more

The Bhagavad Gita and its "theory of action," how nonviolent action depends on detachment from the fruits of the action (ie. from personal benefits). The Gita as an allegory (ie. it is not promoting war). The three energy states (gunas) in Vedanta: inaction (tamas), entangled action (rajas), and selfless action (sattva). Introduction to Gandhi's time… read more

How the prevailing scientific paradigm creates cultural biases that lead us to think in terms of scarcity and determinism, and consequently promote violence, and how the emerging paradigm suggested by nonmaterial physics and cooperation biology makes nonviolence thinkable. This lecture also introduces ancient Indian philosophy (known as Vedanta), which was the system of thought out… read more

How our prevailing scientific paradigm of materialism, determinism, and scarcity leads to a culture of violence, and how the emerging paradigm promotes nonviolence. Discussion of Gandhi's concept of "heart unity," human dignity, autonomy, and noncoercion. Also, studies showing neurobiological mechanisms of nonviolence.… read more

How well did Dufy adhere to the rules of fasting? Then, an introduction to science and how it relates to nonviolence, particularly in terms of the models our culture uses to describe reality and how those models lead to an expectation of scarcity and competition and therefore violence.… read more

Basic overview of nonviolence, including examples demonstrating its power.… read more

Basic overview of nonviolence, including examples demonstrating its power. Also, overview of the course and what to expect.… read more