#978 Sophie Scott-Brown: European Political Thought, Anarchism, and Steven Pinker's Progressivism

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Aug 9, 2024

Sophie Scott-Brown, a scholar from the University of St. Andrews, delves into the evolution of European political thought and the complexities of anarchism. She questions the relevance of 'left-wing' and 'right-wing' labels in today's society while exploring the themes of liberty and communal living in anarchist ideology. The discussion also critiques Steven Pinker's views on progress, linking them to ongoing global conflicts, and emphasizes the need for diverse historical perspectives to address contemporary issues like economic inequality.

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INSIGHT

Modernity Rewires Political Problems

Modernity changes political questions because it reduces precarity and creates new collective problems like pandemics and climate change.
Scott-Brown warns many traditional political tools and national governments are ill-suited for these global, localized challenges.

INSIGHT

Left-Right Labels Are Historically Accidental

'Left' and 'right' began as seating positions in the French Assembly but now carry heavy moral and tribal weight.
Scott-Brown argues the labels are increasingly unhelpful and hide important differences among people grouped under them.

ANECDOTE

Why She Leans Left

Sophie identifies with the left because she prioritizes liberty grounded in a decent, more equal playing field rather than market-only freedom.
She finds social equality more creative and interesting and prefers people standing 'eye to eye' rather than elite divisions.

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Dr. Sophie Scott-Brown is a Research Fellow at the University of St. Andrews, and Future Fellow at Remarque Institute, NYU. She is also Founder of the Everyday Democracy project with Open Society Foundation. She is well-known for her historical work on left-wing politics, especially the post-war British left, and for her intellectual biography of Raphael Samuel entitled The Histories of Raphael Samuel - A Portrait of A People’s Historian (2017).

In this episode, we first talk about the history of European political thought, how old it is, and how it changed with the advent of modernism. We discuss the origins of “left-wing” and “right-wing”, and why these terms are problematic. We talk about the main tenets of anarchism as a political ideology, and focus on the topics of liberty and whether society needs hierarchy. We discuss the relationship between history and politics. Finally, we discuss some of the issues with Steven Pinker’s take on the Enlightenment and progressivism. --

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