Peace Is Here with Avis Kalfsbeek

We explore the concept of Species-Level Loyalty and the shift from "National Resident" to "Planetary Citizen." We examine the 1975 Apollo–Soyuz Test Project as the first historical rehearsal of a borderless human crew, proving that shared survival can override national rivalry.

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Learning topics: Species-Level Loyalty, Planetary Citizenship, Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (1975), Shared Life-Support Systems, Global Identity, Universal Ethics.

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Peacewarts: Universal Understars 101 - The Overview Effect (Class 6)

We examine the Overview Effect not just as an experience, but as hard geopolitical data. By looking at the consistent testimony of astronauts from various nations, we see how the "High View" naturally dissolves nationalistic identity. We also revisit JFK’s 1963 "Strategy of Peace" as an early political application of this planetary consciousness.

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Learning topics: The Overview Effect, Astronaut Testimony, JFK’s American University Speech, Cognitive Reframing, Planetary Consciousness, Species Identity.

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We examine the biological reality of the atmosphere and how it renders traditional concepts of national sovereignty obsolete during a crisis. We dive into the history of the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty and how the discovery of radioactive fallout in the global food chain forced a shift toward planetary cooperation.

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Learning topics: Atmospheric Sovereignty, Global Commons, 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, Linus Pauling, Radioactive Fallout, Environmental Interdependence.

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We move from the philosophy of the "High View" into the engineering of Spaceship Earth. We explore Buckminster Fuller’s concept of the planet as a closed system where "there is no away." We also examine the 1963 document Pacem in Terris as a moral blueprint for a single human family sharing a limited life-support system.

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Learning topics: Buckminster Fuller, Spaceship Earth, Closed Systems, 1963 Pacem in Terris, Resource Management, Global Ethics.

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We travel six billion kilometers away to examine the Pale Blue Dot—the most distant photograph ever taken of our home. We explore Carl Sagan’s philosophy on "human conceits" and how this extreme perspective serves as a tool for dismantling nationalistic ego. We also look at the massive cultural impact of the Cosmos series, which reached 500 million people with a shared vision of our place in the universe.

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Peacewarts: Universal Understars 101 - The Blue Marble (Class 2)

We define and explore the Overview Effect—the cognitive shift that occurs when viewing Earth from space—and the historical impact of the Blue Marble photograph. We also examine the 1963 Hotline Agreement as a structural tool designed to maintain high-level clarity and prevent accidental global conflict.

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Learning topics: The Blue Marble (Apollo 17), The Overview Effect, Frank White, 1963 Hotline Agreement, Planetary Vulnerability, Systems Thinking.

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Peacewarts: Universal Understars 101 - The Humility of the High View (Class 1)

Episode Summary: We launch our first formal class of the semester by entering the Tower. We establish the vision of the "High View" and the "Stars-eye view" before examining the work of Jonathan Schell and Linus Pauling. We explore why the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty was a scientific necessity and introduce our shared commitment to the "Homework Pact."

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Learning topics: Jonathan Schell, Linus Pauling, 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, The Overview Effect, Stars-eye View, Scientific Activism.

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Today, we step onto the quad for the Peacewarts Foundations Festival. This is our "soft entry" into the curriculum—a day for breathing, gathering, and setting the cultural tone of the school. We move away from the high-speed "scrolling world" to embrace the "Deep Look," establishing the scholarly tools and ethical frameworks (like the CRAAP test) required for the work ahead. We also meet our first faculty members, who remind us that we are the ancestors of a world currently being planted.

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Welcome to Orientation. In this official orientation episode, we transition from theory to practice as we enroll in a new way of thinking about global conflict. We revisit the "Great Spell" of 1963 and conduct a high-level tour of the eight departments that form the Peacewarts curriculum. We define the "Syllabus of the Soul," establishing a roadmap for our year-long study of structural peace and our shared "Homework Pact"—a daily commitment to questioning the status quo.

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What happens when the standard ways of talking about peace feel too heavy? In this personal note, Avis transitions from The Peace Experiments into a brand-new adventure for 2026: a peace school. After a bout of midnight insomnia, a new structural logic emerged: a way to study peace that is as rigorous as it is joyful. Welcome to Peacewarts.

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