Susan Neiman joins Inaya Folarin Iman on Equianopod to discuss her new book 'Left is Not Woke'. In the discussion, she explores the intellectual roots of “wokeness” and its surprising impact on traditional left ideals like universalism, freedom, and human agency.
Nov 20, 2023·edited Nov 20, 2023Liked by Ada Akpala
We have a bonafide philosopher among us, I feel that I ought to say something, to introduce myself at least. I am the self-style leading black British philosopher of my generation and founder of black Cartesianism. Am I deluded? grandiose? that is for you to answer if you so choose.
I tell jokes but my jokes are serious, I have asked what is the difference between a black philosopher and a white philosopher? I have asked what is the difference between a black Cartesian and a white Cartesian?
I will try to answer my questions/jokes/riddles. Where does 'the Left' begin. With the French Revolution perhaps, with Liberté, égalité, fraternité. Liberty matters to me, but it doesn't matter to everyone, as Sartre said 'we are condemned to be free', this brings responsibility - responsibility for what we do and what we say and the consequence of both. Equality is a problem too, I do not want to be equal to anyone, I want to set my own standard and my own aspirations.
Fraternity though, that has some potential. Here I am the self-styled philosopher without qualifications or sponsors, why should you trust me? Maybe you could give me the benefit of the doubt. Let me name drop a philosopher/anti-philosopher? Kierkegaard - the Leap of Faith is an idea that we can identify with Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard deals specifically with religious faith, we cannot know whether or not there is a god; to 'believe' we have to take a leap of faith. You do not know if I'm a fraud a charlatan or worse, a confidence trickster. I can perhaps provide evidence of a life of virtue and integrity, but ultimately you will trust me or not.
I used to attend weekend courses in philosophy, there was a tutor that I very much admired for his great knowledge and teaching abilities. When Brexit happened, he was a staunch remainer, his interventions were often intemperate and revealing of his own class and academic elitism.
So we have an issue of trust, who would you go in to battle with? Who would you trust not to bail out or betray you? Who are you friends? For outsiders, maybe for some black people for instance, there may be a white philosopher talking about freedom and equality, and you don't know him or anyone like him, you don't know how serious he is. He may talk about individualism, but he knows nothing about your life, and when a crisis strikes, he may have resources to call on that you don't have. The advocate of individualism turns out to have a wealthy family and important friends.
As a black Cartesian I do not carry the baggage that white philosophers are carrying today, the guilt and responsibility for white supremacism, racism, colonialism, call it what you will. I am also not a black identitarian, my standpoint is my own. Maybe I'm the first and last black Cartesian.
We have a bonafide philosopher among us, I feel that I ought to say something, to introduce myself at least. I am the self-style leading black British philosopher of my generation and founder of black Cartesianism. Am I deluded? grandiose? that is for you to answer if you so choose.
I tell jokes but my jokes are serious, I have asked what is the difference between a black philosopher and a white philosopher? I have asked what is the difference between a black Cartesian and a white Cartesian?
I will try to answer my questions/jokes/riddles. Where does 'the Left' begin. With the French Revolution perhaps, with Liberté, égalité, fraternité. Liberty matters to me, but it doesn't matter to everyone, as Sartre said 'we are condemned to be free', this brings responsibility - responsibility for what we do and what we say and the consequence of both. Equality is a problem too, I do not want to be equal to anyone, I want to set my own standard and my own aspirations.
Fraternity though, that has some potential. Here I am the self-styled philosopher without qualifications or sponsors, why should you trust me? Maybe you could give me the benefit of the doubt. Let me name drop a philosopher/anti-philosopher? Kierkegaard - the Leap of Faith is an idea that we can identify with Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard deals specifically with religious faith, we cannot know whether or not there is a god; to 'believe' we have to take a leap of faith. You do not know if I'm a fraud a charlatan or worse, a confidence trickster. I can perhaps provide evidence of a life of virtue and integrity, but ultimately you will trust me or not.
I used to attend weekend courses in philosophy, there was a tutor that I very much admired for his great knowledge and teaching abilities. When Brexit happened, he was a staunch remainer, his interventions were often intemperate and revealing of his own class and academic elitism.
So we have an issue of trust, who would you go in to battle with? Who would you trust not to bail out or betray you? Who are you friends? For outsiders, maybe for some black people for instance, there may be a white philosopher talking about freedom and equality, and you don't know him or anyone like him, you don't know how serious he is. He may talk about individualism, but he knows nothing about your life, and when a crisis strikes, he may have resources to call on that you don't have. The advocate of individualism turns out to have a wealthy family and important friends.
As a black Cartesian I do not carry the baggage that white philosophers are carrying today, the guilt and responsibility for white supremacism, racism, colonialism, call it what you will. I am also not a black identitarian, my standpoint is my own. Maybe I'm the first and last black Cartesian.