Kevin Vallier, Bowling Green State University
Posvar 4130
The 20th century had an unusual feature: global secularizing movements. In the 19th century, those movements were confined mostly to Western Europe, but in the 20th century, they exploded, suppressing the influence of religion around the world. In some milder cases, these movements only suppressed the political expression of the great religions, such as in Turkey and India. In other cases, ferocious religious persecution was a daily occurrence, such as in the USSR and Mao’s China. But today, older religious influences are taking back their political influence as these regimes have receded. And they are doing so by rejecting the doctrine of liberalism that they have seen as their oppressors. Kevin Vallier will discuss these different movements, critique them, and explain how defenders of liberal democracy can respond.
Dr. Kevin Vallier, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), specializes in political philosophy. Hailing from Fairhope, Alabama, he possesses a unique background rooted in the Georgist philosophy of public land ownership. With a PNP degree from Washington University in St. Louis and another degree in philosophy of religion at St. Louis University, Dr. Vallier completed his PhD in political philosophy at Arizona. He held a post-doctoral position at Brown University’s Political Theory Project before joining BGSU. Currently, he serves as the director of BGSU’s Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL) program and contributes to insightful discussions on cooperation and reconciliation through his blog, Reconciled.
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