Two New Conversations: Pluralism and Progressivism
ReImagining Liberty episodes with Jacob T. Levy and Samantha Hancox-Li
You might've noticed a renewed focus with the latest ReImagining Liberty episodes. The show's tagline says it's about "radical liberalism," and I've been dedicating more of the episodes to digging into what that means. My conversation with Janet Bufton looked at liberalism as emancipation, and today's show looks at liberalism as pluralism.
And I'm particularly excited because this was an opportunity to finally get Jacob T. Levy on the show. Not only did he write the book on the topic, but Jacob is one of my favorite contemporary political thinkers. Check out our conversation here:
Aaron Ross Powell
The episode coming after Jacob's, which you can listen to right now if you're an early access supporter, is on liberalism and progressivism. Much of ReImagining Liberty critiques the political and cultural right, for obvious reasons. I don't buy into both-sides-ing at all, and reject the faux-resonablness of pretending the contemporary American left is somehow just as anti-liberal as the contemporary authoritarian Trumpist right. But that doesn't mean there aren't significant problems with the progressive left, both in terms of its own anti-liberal tendencies, and the way its lack of skepticism about state power lead it to prefer policies counter-productive to its own emancipatory aims. I'm joined by Samantha Hancox-Li, writer, game designer, and associate editor at Liberal Currents.
We discuss what it means to be liberal, and how that's distinct from being a progressive. Then we talk about what liberals can learn from progressives, and where progressives go wrong in matching their political actions to their values. It's a conversation about political engagement, political rhetoric, and the right way to change the world.
If you're an early access supporter, you have access to that episode already. If you're not, and want to listen today, instead of waiting two weeks, click here to learn more about early access.