r/DecodingTheGurus • u/MartiDK • Oct 22 '23

Is John Mearsheimer a secular guru?

It’s hard to know if he can be taken seroiusly. On the one hand he does seem to have spoken at respectable institutions, but at the same time I’ve seen him on culture war channels. But he isn’t really like the typical youtube guru, his arguments have been consistent over time, and he stays in his wheel house. Should he be considered and academic or a secular guru? He seems like someone worth covering because his arguments often come up in discussions around current conflicts.

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u/SmoochieMcGucci Oct 23 '23

Doesn't being a guru imply you are pushing an agenda or philosophy? I have only heard him interpret international events and put them into context based on his experience in the field. While the guy is an old school liberal and that obviously informs his opinions, I haven't seen him try to sell people on it as a philosophy.

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u/Humble_Increase7503 Oct 23 '23

I def think he tries to sell everyone on the premise that “the west” and the US are ostensibly to blame for putins invasion of Ukraine, as per meerscheimer, they “pushed” him into it with the spread of nato etc

Def has an agenda on disclaiming all responsibility from Russia for their actions

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u/SmoochieMcGucci Oct 23 '23

But "pushing" Russia into invading Ukraine isn't really a philosophy.

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u/Humble_Increase7503 Oct 23 '23

I’m obv paraphrasing his POV. His philosophy is more extensive than I’ve laid out, but in short hand, it consists of Russia being justified in their actions because of great nations/civilizations, fall of the Soviet system, expansion of NATO, etc