Why the Alt-Right Loves Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s critique of modernity has fascinated thinkers on the Right and Left — but in its essence, it belongs to the Right. The Left must advance an alternative modernity.
28 Search Results for: Nietzsche
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Getting Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche Talking
Karl Marx believed in the self-emancipation of the working class, while Friedrich Nietzsche had nothing but disdain for the masses. But a provocative new book claims the two thinkers can be read together to develop a socialism for today.
Why the Contemporary Right Loves Nietzsche (and Heidegger and Schmitt)
Today’s right-wing thinkers look to Nietzsche and other German reactionaries to ground their elitist politics — and to do battle with leftists' project of universal emancipation.
Jordan Peterson’s Bullshit
Jordan Peterson's thought is filled with pseudo-science, bad pop psychology, and deep irrationalism. In other words, he’s full of shit.
Jordan Peterson Is Your Grandfather’s Conservative
Jordan Peterson claims to slay sacred cows and challenge prevailing orthodoxies. But what he’s really offering is a minor twist on tried-and-true conservatism — defending existing hierarchies and opposing the democratization of political and economic life.
Explaining Our Morbid Political Symptoms
We can’t talk about the rise of right-wing populists like Donald Trump, reactionary and bizarre conspiracy theories like QAnon, and the increasingly pervasive sense of nihilism across global politics without talking about neoliberalism.
The Bezos Theory of Value Is Deeply Disturbing
In his final letter to shareholders as Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos offers a novel — and profoundly disturbing — conception of value creation: a handful of visionaries are the sole source of all “real value.” This aristocracy mercifully blesses customers, clients, and even Amazon workers with social goods.
“Responsible Conservatives” Won’t Save Us From Fascism
History shows that when working-class strength threatens the status quo, even moderate conservatives won’t balk at making common cause with fascists.
There’s No Moral Justification for Capitalist-Owned Enterprises
Capitalist "liberty" is just another word for private tyranny. Workers, not capitalists, should control economic enterprises.
Zeev Sternhell, 1935–2020
Zeev Sternhell was a historian of nationalism who demolished the myth of French “immunity” to fascism. His focus on the history of ideas allowed him to trace the genealogy of France’s home-grown far right — yet proved less able to understand the social forces that powered fascist movements across the continent.
The White Tiger Is a Window Into India’s Class Society
Movies about class and inequality are back in the mainstream. Ramin Bahrani’s The White Tiger is a powerful interrogation of the injustices of class and caste society.
Adventures in Marxism
The best of Marx is full of life, full of joy — and above all, deeply human.
Aliens, Antisemitism, and Academia
Alt-right conspiracy theorists have embraced postmodern philosophy. The Left should return to the Enlightenment to oppose their irrational and hateful politics.
The Cunning of Unreason
Critics of populism lament the rise of “emotion-driven” politics. But instead of asking why politics has become so “irrational,” we should ask why people are so angry in the first place.
Jacques Derrida’s Defense of Marx and the Birth of Hauntology
French philosopher Jacques Derrida is best known as one of the champions of postmodernism. But in the early 1990s, at the height of capitalist triumphalism, Derrida took up the cudgels in defense of Karl Marx — and inadvertently spawned a whole musical genre.
When Max Eastman Was Young
For the young Max Eastman, socialism meant open inquiry, cultural experimentation — and above all, freedom.
Domenico Losurdo (1941–2018)
Domenico Losurdo was an acute critic of liberal hypocrisy and double standards in history writing.
Oscar Wilde Wasn’t Just a Satirist. He Was a Socialist.
Much more than just the wit and satirist of his posthumous reputation, Oscar Wilde was a radical thinker who posed a fundamental challenge to the conservative mores of late Victorian England. His thinking on liberation led him to imagine a socialist future in which creativity can flourish across all of society.
Chapo Trap House, Between Hope and Nihilism
Chapo Trap House’s Matt Christman on pulling angry young men away from the alt right, consumption choices as politics, the grotesqueries of American life, and his commitment to “optimism of the will and all that shit.”
Steven Pinker: False Friend of the Enlightenment
Steven Pinker's technocratic liberalism has nothing to do with the radical spirit of the Enlightenment.