Ep 319 Peacewarts: Morphological Peace 101 – Orientation & The Architecture of Cruelty (Class 1)

We enter the builder's studio to launch the Department of Morphological Peace, establishing how structural shape determines civic flow. Using London anti-homeless stud removals, the Camden bench, Seneca Village, Grants Pass v. Johnson, and local shelter litigation in Chico as historical anchors, we explore how to audit defensive urban design and convert hostile architecture into spaces of rest and contact.

Homework:

1. Look up the design of the 2012 Camden bench and identify two specific physical features built into its concrete shape to deter specific human behaviors.
2. Write down one question about any of this episode's topics. If you don't have a question, write 'no question.'
3. Optional: Walk through your local town or neighborhood. Take note of one spot where hostile architecture is present and journal about how that space could be redesigned to offer contact and rest instead of dispersal.

Books: If you would like to read more on this subject, some book suggestions are Callous Objects: Designs Against the Homeless by Robert Rosenberger, an essential examination of how public space is engineered to exclude vulnerable populations, and The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces by William H. Whyte, a classic observational study detailing how specific physical design choices either draw human beings together or drive them apart.

Learning Topics: Hostile Architecture; Defensive Urban Design; Camden Bench; Seneca Village; Grants Pass v. Johnson; Warren v. City of Chico; Re-Commoning.

Join the Community / Get the Books: https://www.AvisKalfsbeek.com

Podcast Music: Javier Peke Rodriguez “I am late, madame Curie” https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW

Sound effects: Pixabay

Ep 318 Peacewarts: Social Chemistry 101 – From Reactant to Catalyst (Class 14) Episode Summary: In our final session, we explore the transition from being a reactant to a catalyst. Using Václav Havel’s "living in truth," the Peace People of Northern Ireland, and JFK’s 1963 American University speech as anchors, we define the power of co-regulation and the final protocols of the Peace Scholar. Homework:

1. Research Václav Havel’s "living in truth."
2. Write down one question about any of this episode's topics. If you don't have a question, write 'no question.'
3. Optional: Final Journal Entry on the 14-class journey. Books: If you'd like to read more on this subject, some book suggestions areThe Power of the Powerless by Václav Havel, a profound essay on personal integrity and how individual alignment with truth destabilizes authoritarian systems, and Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh, an essential guide on cultivating a calm, luminous presence capable of transforming hostile environments. Learning Topics: Reactant vs. Catalyst; Co-regulation; The Velvet Revolution; JFK’s American University Speech (1963); The Peace People of Northern Ireland; Living in Truth. ·

Join the Community / Get the Books: www.AvisKalfsbeek.com ·

Podcast Music: Javier Peke Rodriguez "I am late, madame Curie" https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW

In Episode 317 of the Peacewarts Lab on the Peace is Here podcast, host Avis Kalfsbeek takes a sharp, satirical look at how modern Silicon Valley billionaires are resurrecting Ayn Rand's hyper-individualist playbook from Atlas Shrugged to justify AI-driven wealth extraction.

Examining modern tech commentary—including discussions on podcasts like Peter Diamandis's Moonshots—Avis contrasts the tech industry's claims of magical abundance with the realities of high-tech "arbitrage," exposing how corporate models turn shared human knowledge into private profit. Rather than abandoning technology or falling for trickle-down promises, Avis offers a compelling alternative: reclaiming machine intelligence and shared resources through The Commons. From proposals to send the tech titans off to Mars to previews of next year's Peacewarts 201 curriculum, this episode lays the groundwork for communal stewardship over corporate exploitation.

Commons Resources:

• Read for free:Free, Fair, and Alive: The Insurgent Power of the Commons by David Bollier and Silke Helfrich — https://freefairandalive.org
• Read for free:Governing the Commons by Elinor Ostrom — https://www.actu-environnement.com/media/pdf/ostrom_1990.pdf
• Documentary Video on YouTube:Common Struggles: The Meaning of Common Goods — "Common Struggles" is a documentary that tells the story of the search for the meaning of Common Goods (Commons) in Central and Eastern Europe by European Alternatives (EA) — https://youtu.be/MeMT9YQaphM?si=gKqwb41GnRpiujB3

This episode was created with the help of my digital partner, G (Gemini).

Music: ElevenLabs by Avis Kalfsbeek