Magdalena M. Baran

Historian of ideas, commentator; assistant professor at the Institute of Sociology of the Pedagogical University of Krakow, Poland. She deals with ethics of war, international law on war and peace, reconstruction of post-conflict societies, political philosophy, ethics of government. Author of the books "The Meanings of War. Asking about a just war” (2018), “Faces of War (2019), “Once upon a time there was a country. Talks about Poland” (2021). Member of the program board of the "Freedom Games". Managing editor of the monthly Liberté! She runs the podcast "There is a country". Recently, she has been working on a book on the ethics of government

Society

Society of Myths

BY Magdalena M. Baran AND Liberte / July 19, 2024

\"In what myth does a man live nowadays? (...) What is your myth – the myth in which you do live?\" – once asked Carl Jung. The answer that I/we live in a story probably would not satisfy the master, but... for now, I have no other. They lead us through life from event to event, interweaving between what is important to us, edifying or ruinous; between moments when we wonder who and what we are for; when we choose the direction we decide to go.

Politics

Ethical Dimensions of Militant Public Administration

BY Magdalena M. Baran AND Liberte / June 11, 2024

It is true that the role of career public officials in resisting authoritarian state capture is not properly appreciated. As Kisilowski points out, for the far-right, the “deep state” of liberal professional bureaucracy is frequently viewed as a prime opponent of the authoritarian agenda.

Economy, Liberal Voices Syndicated

Lights Out! Polish People’s Opposition to Government’s Veto of EU Budget and COVID-19 Recovery Fund

BY Magdalena M. Baran, Liberte AND Liberal Voices Syndicated / December 4, 2020

Poland decided in favor of the veto partially in light of the EU’s activation of Article 7 on December 20, 2017. The Polish government is attempting to justify the veto by stating that it is defending itself and thereby affirming its power.

Liberal Voices Syndicated, Society

“You Will Not Burn Us All”: Polish Protests to Tightening of the Abortion Law

BY Magdalena M. Baran AND Liberal Voices Syndicated / October 26, 2020

Demonstrations were held not only in Kraków, Katowice, Wrocław, Szczecin, and Gdańsk, but also in smaller cities. On Friday evening, crowds marched again to the house of Kaczyński, then to the house of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. According to estimates, no less than 15,000 people took part in this \"walk\".

Liberal Voices Syndicated, Politics

Poland’s Divide

BY Magdalena M. Baran AND Liberal Voices Syndicated / July 11, 2020

Poland’s incumbent president, Andrzej Duda, a nationalist and conservative, topped the first round of the presidential election on June 28 with 43.5%. However, on July 12 he will go up with his liberal challenger, Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, who got 30.5% in the first round. Numerous polls suggest that the race is too close to call.

Society

Getting Afraid: On Polish Judiciary [Interview with Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram]

BY Magdalena M. Baran, Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram AND Liberte / November 19, 2019

The longer bad blood is circulating in the body, the sicker we get. The same applies to judiciary. The longer we allow politicians to control the courts, to appoint judges, pressure them, the more difficult healing the judiciary will get.