In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and Elan Journo discuss the moral significance and the consequences of the January 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of President Trump.

Among the topics covered:

How the storming of the Capitol resembled the 9/11 terrorist attacksTrump’s level of moral responsibility for the attackThe arbitrariness of Trump’s conspiracy assertionsOur culture’s descent into irrationalist tribalismThe increasing authoritarianism on both the right and the leftThe importance of recognizing the varying degrees of support for violence and authoritarianism on both sides of the cultureThe importance of recognizing the various forms of dictatorial aspirationThe tribalistic attempt to claim victimhood in order to scapegoat the other sideWhy the attackers were not “patriots” but nihilistsThe commonalities between the storming of the Capitol and the BLM protestsThe attack as an attempt to defy the rule of lawThe political institutions worth supporting in an irrational political cultureThe philosophical causes of tribalismHow to think rationally about election fraud claimsWhat should happen to Trump in the future given his moral responsibility for the attackWhat is the best path forward for America

Mentioned in the discussion is Onkar Ghate’s 2016 essay “One Small Step for Dictatorship: The Significance Of Donald Trump’s Election.”

This podcast was recorded on January 13, 2021. Watch or listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.

Podcast audio: