Monthly Archives: December 2021

Essay: Reading Richard Rorty’s “Achieving Our Country” Published on Medium and Substack (and announcing The Clarity Factory)

This essay examines the late philosopher Richard Rorty’s alleged prediction of the rise of Donald Trump as well as the background. This includes Rorty’s conception of the difference between Right and Left, the Two Lefts that have influenced American politics and culture respectively, and how the inability of the Cultural Left to speak to matters of economic concern to mostly rural and working whites fueled Donald Trump’s rise. After an assessment of what Rorty got right versus what he got wrong, I conclude with a few remarks about where we might go next. Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Election 2016 and Aftermath, Philosophy, Political Economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment