Marc LiVecche

Marc LiVecche is the McDonald Distinguished Scholar of Ethics, War, and Public Life at Providence. He is also a non-resident research fellow at the US Naval War College, in the College of Leadership and Ethics.

Marc completed doctoral studies, earning distinction, at the University of Chicago, where he worked under the supervision of the political theorist and public intellectual Jean Bethke Elshtain, until her death in August, 2013. His first book, The Good Kill: Just War & Moral Injury, was published in 2021 by Oxford University Press. Another project, Responsibility and Restraint: James Turner Johnson and the Just War Tradition, co-edited with Eric Patterson, was published by Stone Tower Press in the fall of 2020. Currently, he is finalizing Moral Horror: A Just War Defense of Hiroshima. Before all this academic stuff, Marc spent twelve years doing a variety of things in Central Europe—ranging from helping build sport and recreational leagues in post-communist communities, to working at a Christian study and research center, to leading seminars on history and ethics onsite at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp in Poland. This latter experience allowed him to continue his undergraduate study of the Shoah; a process which rendered him entirely ill-suited for pacifism.

Marc lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife and children–and a marmota monax whistlepigging under the shed. He can be followed, or stalked, on twitter @mlivecche. Additional publications can be found at his Amazon author page.

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Marksism | Ep. 4: Hope vs. Despair, Race Relations, Ongoing COVID-19, and More

In the fourth episode of the weekly series of Marksism, editors Mark Tooley, Mark Melton, and Marc LiVecche begin by…

Racism, Christianity, and Black Lives Matter: A Conversation with Derryck Green, Part 1

Christian realism argues that the right to political sovereignty rests not on simply wielding power in a geographically defined area,…

Marksism | Ep. 3: George Floyd, Protests, and More

Providence editors Mark Tooley, Mark Melton, and Marc LiVecche discuss the week’s latest events, including the protests and riots in the wake of George Floyd’s death, and Providence’s recent articles.

Restraint and Resolve: Christian Realism and the Requirements of Courage - George Floyd - Just War Tradition
Restraint and Resolve: Christian Realism and the Requirements of Courage

Through a Christian realist lens, the police officer’s mission closely corresponds to the just war tradition’s aim of promoting order, justice, and peace. Marc LiVecche reviews how the police failed in the killing of George Floyd.

Marksism | Ep. 2: On Rioting, Reinhold Niebur, and More

In the second episode of the weekly series of Marksism, Mark Tooley (editor) and Marc LiVecche (executive editor) discuss the…

Ministers of Justice

Memorial Day is the right time to reflect on the costs of war and why they are sometimes worth paying.

Marksism | Episode 1: R.R. Reno, Nuclear Weapons, and More
Marksism | Ep. 1: R.R. Reno, Nuclear Weapons, and More

In the first episode of what will be a weekly series, the three Providence editors—Mark Tooley (editor), Mark Melton (managing…

The Crucible of Hell: A Conversation with Saul David
The Crucible of Hell: A Conversation with Saul David

Writing about his experience in the Battle of Okinawa, US Marine Eugene Sledge reported that “men struggled and fought and…

V-E Day and the American Profession of Arms: A Conversation with Col. Mallard

On this V-E Day, Marc LiVecche connected with Col. Timothy Mallard, Command Chaplain for U.S. Army Europe, to discuss the…

Who Can Be Killed in War? A Conversation with Joseph Chapa on the Just War Tradition
Who Can Be Killed in War? A Conversation with Joseph Chapa on the Just War Tradition

To what degree are combatants in war morally liable to be killed, and to what degree are their adversaries morally permitted—or obligated—to kill them? To discuss this, Marc LiVecche sat down recently with Major Joseph Chapa.

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