'Postmodernist theory tended to be a very blunt instrument, which resulted in the same general political points being repeated over and over.' Precisely. This is the stultifying orthodoxy at play. Those of us who value literature & scholarship generally must resist this.https://twitter.com/Gil_Ant/status/937280966602530817 …
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Well, I mean this is pretty much what I have been writing about in different forms forever when I have addressed feminism, academia, politics but I need to spell out the strategic need for this.
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In our manifesto, we wrote about the problem of existential polarisation in which people internalise the bad ideas of their own side in order to present a united front against the perceived existentially bad ideas of the other side. Same principle repeats all over the place.
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The left, by nature, is revolutionary and eats their own. They do so because revolutionary energy comes from the fringes and the “mere” reformers become cowed and intimidated into submission. Why “save” the left? Why not cheer on rational thought and (individual) human progress?
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I do! I co-wrote a whole thing about that. https://areomagazine.com/2017/08/22/a-manifesto-against-the-enemies-of-modernity/ … You could equally say that the right is, by nature, reactionary & its energy comes from fringes & moderate capitulate. In reality, we need both wings to fly & my values align with the left.
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Yes, I read that. There are problems mostly with mischaracterizing “natural rights” with “anti modern” sentiment. Once you accept that rights are granted by the state, the individual loses sovereignty and you’re on the road to autocracy.
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Huh? How does this relate?
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To “natural law” and pretty much the entirety of the Scottish enlightenment.
@JonHaidt work in moral psychology is pretty much on board that there is “human nature”. Natural law is the source of “rights that are not granted by govt. -
Of course there is a human nature. It doesn't necessarily lend itself to respecting the lives & property of other humans tho.
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Nature tends to kill other animals and eat them. In humanity, it tends towards killing them and taking their stuff. We have to reason this stuff out using consistent human needs & desires & our sense of justice & then set up systems to protect them.
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I suspect we come prewired in these tendencies and that reason only validates what our impulses want. We are tribal creatures, but I do think we get to decide which tribe we are in
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Can you explain that in plain English please?
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Not really. If you're not aware of either group in those terms, it probably couldn't be explained on Twitter!
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Fair enough. I'll consult my dictionary...
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I can explain the terms but if you've not been engaging in the conversations about the populist right - https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/02/what-is-populist-trump/516525/ … or the postmodern left https://areomagazine.com/2017/03/27/how-french-intellectuals-ruined-the-west-postmodernism-and-its-impact-explained/ …, you might still be confused. I co-authored this about it:https://areomagazine.com/2017/08/22/a-manifesto-against-the-enemies-of-modernity/ …
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I don't mean this in a condescending way, btw. This is just my area of study and it's not of interest to everyone. In the same way, I will not follow terms when people talk about economics or foreign policy.
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Why do you regard "populism" as a problem? A populist agenda seems eminently reasonable to to me. Has the definition of the word changed?
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I have always understood it in this sense.https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/02/what-is-populist-trump/516525/ …
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This is correct but it’s always the left that points it out in the right.There need to be some self reflection on the left, if they want to undo the damage:/
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Please do that!
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