Thumbs up, thumbs down, part 2: Ignorance and anti-rationality on the left

"On the Barricades" s05e22

This is the second of three installments on this week's “On the Barricades” release. This episode is part of our regular series, which we co-produce and co-host with Youri Smouter of 1+1. Boyan and Youri continue the discussion of cancel culture on the left, as a reflection of a wider problem of ignorance and ideological misguidedness on the left. Thumbs down to shutting down media outlets and censoring, which downgrades the public debate; thumbs up to education and rational thinking.

2:15 war in Ukraine and Zelensky’s shutting down political opposition
3:05 Boyan on illogical conclusion-drawing on the left. Why would removing media outlets from the public debate improve the public debate?
6:45 Youri on the SWP in Britain and background knowledge deficit
9:50 Where are the educational systems in the collective west falling short, quantitatively as opposed to inherently? What is in reach via reforms?
12:20 Exploitation of emotions and coercion as predominant the political culture on the left– a civilization step back from Enlightenment gains and the promotion of rationality, analysis or even basic logic
16:47 People who claim to be face of left, instead of having a responsibility to transmit a snippet of knowledge, use their position to run up this emotional disbalancing effect
20:33 Boyan on the lack of rational participants, needed to have a rational conversation
25:00 the need for education study groups, and rational participation of people who don’t necessarily agree with one another
27:00 Lack of confidence among leftists in taking an ideological stand