What's Left of Philosophy - 45 | On Solidarity and Conflict with Nathan DuFord

45 | On Solidarity and Conflict with Nathan DuFord

08/08/22 • 68 min

2 Listeners

In this episode we are joined by Nathan DuFord to discuss their new book Solidarity in Conflict: A Democratic Theory. We unpack why they believe solidarity ought to be theorized as a political concept rather than moral injunction. For DuFord, we risk missing that solidarity is what the oppressed do with one another and that the oppressed will have disagreements within their solidary groups if we undertheorize the political dimensions of solidarity. We go on to discuss the relationships between trust and conflict, whether groups formed in solidarity can last forever, and contemporary questions concerning conflict in left organizations. If you believe in solidarity you won’t want to miss this episode!

leftofphilosophy.com | @leftofphil

References:

Nathan DuFord [published under Rochelle DuFord], Solidarity in Conflict: A Democratic Theory (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2022).

Music:

Vintage Memories by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com

leftofphilosophy.com | @leftofphil

References:

Nathan DuFord [published under Rochelle DuFord], Solidarity in Conflict: A Democratic Theory (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2022).

Music:

Vintage Memories by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com

Previous Episode

44 | Karl Kautsky's Cooperative Commonwealth

In this episode we talk about the most important Marxist thinker during the time of the Second International, Karl Kautsky. We talk about his infamous claim that the breakdown of capitalism is historically inevitable, what he thinks socialist praxis should look like in a liberal democracy, and what the concentration of large-scale capital means for your small business. Plus at some point we realize that almost all anti-socialist arguments are actually just confused anti-capitalist ones, which we find irresistibly delightful. We’re in old-school classical Marxist territory for this one, folks!

leftofphilosophy.com | @leftofphil

References:

Karl Kautsky, “The Commonwealth of the Future,” in The Class Struggle (Erfurt Program), translated by William E. Bohn (Chicago: Charles H. Kerr, 1910).

Music:

Vintage Memories by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com

Next Episode

46 Teaser | What is Dialectics? Part V: Adorno's Negative Dialectics

In this patron-exclusive episode, we continue our series on the concept of dialectics by talking about Adorno’s Negative Dialectics. We reflect on what a non-closed dialectical system would look like, why Adorno is definitely not the defeatist he’s often caricatured as being, and what it means for us to hold onto utopian promises for a better world from within the administered nightmare of modern capitalism. Along the way we try to hone in on what’s special about Adorno’s negative dialectics, especially in comparison with what we get out of Kant and Hegel. And we give Heidegger an appropriately hard time for being just the worst.

This is just a small clip from the full episode, which is available to patrons:

patreon.com/leftofphilosophy

References:

Theodor Adorno, Negative Dialectics, trans. E.B. Ashton (New York: Continuum, 2007).
Music: Vintage Memories by Schematist | schematist.bandcamp.com