In this episode, we discuss the American philosopher Richard Rorty’s book Achieving Our Country, which provides a critique of the left from within. Rorty divides the 20th century into two distinct phases for the left, the first being dominated by the reformist left, and the second, starting in the mid-1960s, being dominated by the cultural left. Rorty’s sympathies lie clearly with the reformist left, but he is nonetheless highly appreciative of the successes of the cultural left, specifically as they relate to the fight against the Vietnam war. In the book, Rorty proposes a sort of alliance between the reformist left and the cultural left that can re-empower the left in politics and allow it to achieve the traditional leftist vision of America as a classless society and model to the rest of the world.

Show Notes

Richard Rorty 1997 interview

Ryan Grim on how internal culture wars caused a meltdown within progressive organizations during the critical early stage of the Biden presidency

MLK quote from Where Do We Go From Here: “A people who began a national life inspired by a vision of a society of brotherhood can redeem itself. But redemption can only come through a humble acknowledgment of guilt and an honest knowledge of self.”

Note: This episode was recorded before Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

Credits

The podcast’s theme music was made by our youngest brother Tate.

Cover art by Arthur Santoro.

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