Category Archives: Election 2016 and Aftermath

The Year 2022: Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Steven Yates

Beginning with a hefty list of the converging crises of the 2020s, we look back on 2022 and then look ahead at what we can expect in 2023 and beyond. Continue reading →

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

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Steven Yates

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 →

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James Howard Kunstler – Everyone Interested in Truth Should Be Reading His Writings

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Steven Yates

James Howard Kunstler exploded the myths of our culture of mass consumption and disposability years ago; more recently, he’s been exploding those of the cult of wokery, the oh-so-convenient pandemic, and the idea beloved in elite media that last year’s election was honest and above-board. So what happens next? Continue reading →

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Comment on Robert Greenleaf Brice, “Philosophy in the Contemporary World: Facts and Our Stubborn Attitude Towards Them” APA Blog, January 21, 2019

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Steven Yates

Comment intended for the APA Blog in response to article by Robert Greenleaf Brice on “Philosophy in the Contemporary World: Facts and Our Stubborn Attitude Towards Them” Continue reading →

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“Philosophy in Three & a Half Years”

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Steven Yates

Seen by accident, “ganked” off Colin McGinn’s blog this morning, this comment caught my eye. Writing back in April 2017 under the title “Philosophy in Five Years” he predicted: I think the field will be a complete shambles. It’s already … Continue reading →

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“Anti-Intellectualism and How Fascism Works”: A Comment

Posted on August 17, 2018 by Steven Yates

I followed the link from here to IHE’s “Anti-Intellectualism and How Fascism Works,” an interview with Jason Stanley (Yale) who has authored a book entitled How Fascism Works. I’d been thinking of posting a comment, but discovered that the comments thread … Continue reading →

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Truth Teller’s Dilemma, Part 1

Posted on April 24, 2018 by Steven Yates

[Author’s note: this was previously posted elsewhere, but it strikes me that all three parts of this extended essay should be available on the same site. This will render them out of order, but I think my readers are smart … Continue reading →

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Truth-Teller’s Dilemma, Part 3

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Steven Yates

“Truth-Teller’s Dilemma” concluded: if you care about the truth or those trying to tell it, support them (us)! Continue reading →

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Truth-Teller’s Dilemma, Part 2

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Steven Yates

Truth-Teller’s Dilemma, Part 2, continued from Part 1: what reason is there for believing mainstream (corporate) institutions care about the truth? Continue reading →

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Why Donald Trump Won in 2016, Chapter Umpteen Thousand and Counting….

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Steven Yates

Matt Bai’s Yahoo! columns are usually worth one’s time, however annoying they often are with their unexamined assumptions. Bill Kristol, son of neoconservative godfather Irving Kristol interviewed here, doesn’t seem to distinguish between conservatism and neoconservatism, and the problems only … Continue reading →

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