Does the American Left have religion problem? What can progressives learn from people like Dorothy Day, Ignazio Silone, Henry Wallace, Staughton Lynd, and Cornel West? Many of these thinkers and activists offered a powerful vision for a moral and just...
Cornel West
Cornel West on identity politics
West’s thoughts here come from the transcript of a conversation on identity politics between West, philosopher Judith Butler, journalist Glenn Greenwald, and Simon Critchley. The entire transcript is at Public Seminar. Here is West: I want to begin, really, with...
Cornel West talks with The New Yorker
The noted moral philosopher talked with Vinson Cunningham of The New Yorker. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that covers seminary students, Harvard, public philosophy, his forthcoming Gifford Lectures, Barack Obama, Democratic Socialists of America, free speech, American imperialism, Ukraine, and grief....
Cornel West publishes his letter of resignation to his Harvard dean
He posted it on his Twitter account. More on West’s resignation here....
Is Democratic Socialism anti-Christian?
Here is a taste of Stephen Mattson‘s piece at Sojourners: “Why Democratic Socialism Isn’t Anti-Christian“: Contemporary Christians are among those who have embraced the democratic socialist platform as a necessary check against an economy and political system they view as...
Cornel West is leaving Harvard. He will return to Union Theological Seminary.
Some context. Here is The New York Times: Cornel West is abandoning his quest for tenure at Harvard and going back to Union Theological Seminary, where he first taught 44 years ago, the New York seminary announced on Monday. Over...
Cornel West is threatening to leave Harvard
Harvard offered the 67-year-old public intellectual an endowed chair, a ten year contract, and a pay raise, but Cornel West is holding out for tenure. I can’t read the Boston Globe story because I don’t have subscription, but here is...
What happens when a Black Marxist scholar wants to talk about race?
The killing of George Floyd and the subsequent protests have brought to light some serious differences on the American left. Take, for example, the case of Adolph Reed, a Black Marxist scholar at the University of Pennsylvania who was invited...
Robert George and Cornel West on the need for “honesty” and “courage”
The ideological odd couple are at it again. I am always encouraged when I see them together in this way. Here is a taste of the latest piece from George and West: Honesty and courage alone can save our wounded,...
Watch This Conversation Between Anderson Cooper and Cornel West
Last night on CNN. Worth your time. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1yftRuoGBQ&w=560&h=315]...
Cornel West and Robert George on “The Politics of the Gospel”
We have written before about the unusual friendship between West and George. Plough magazine recently talked to these prominent public intellectuals about religion and politics. Here is a taste of the interview: Plough: The mission of Plough is to “apply Christianity publicly,” to quote from...
Cornel West and Robert George at Liberty University
I spent a little time last night watching Cornel West and Robert George at Liberty University. I have learned a lot from both of these men and I love watching them talk with one another. This conversation is no different. ...
Cornel West and Robert George Will Be Speaking at Liberty University
Cornel West and Princeton professor Robert George will be speaking at an event on civil discourse at Liberty University. If I am reading the schedule correctly, it looks like the event will take place on August 30, 2019. West and...
The Cornel West–Robert George Road Show Discuss MLK
Check out Adelle Banks’s piece at Religion News Service on a recent event sponsored by Baylor University’s program in Washington D.C. I am encouraged when I hear conservative Robert George and progressive Cornel West working together to find common ground. At...
Cornel West and Robert George Discuss MLK’s Legacy
From the Wall Street Journal: In his own time Martin Luther King Jr. was regarded by some as a rabble rouser and even a communist sympathizer, and by others as an Uncle Tom and a “house Negro.” In demanding an immediate...
Cornel West on the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Martin Luther King Jr.
This is vintage West: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiZum-SGejk&w=560&h=315] Anderson Cooper said that West did not mention Coltrane, but if you listen closely he does throw-out a “Love Supreme” reference....
Cornel West Takes a Shot at Ta-Nehisi Coates
In The Guardian. A taste: Ta-Nehisi Coates’ We Were Eight Years in Power, a book about Barack Obama’s presidency and the tenacity of white supremacy, has captured the attention of many of us. One crucial question is why now in this moment...
Cornel West Backs a "People's Party"
Bernie Sanders supporters are trying to launch a “People’s Party” and convince Sanders to lead it. The movement is led by Nick Brana, the former outreach coordinator for the Bernie Sanders campaign. The movement appears to have the blessing of...
Cornel West and Ross Douthat Together at the University of St. Thomas
I have been concerned lately about the lack of open debate and public conversation on college campuses. All colleges and universities invite guest speakers to campus. At my college we do a fair job of inviting a range of...