429 | John Gray: How Post-Liberal Thought Can Unpack the Chaotic and Terrifying 2020s

The Realignment

Saager Enjeti, Technology, Policy, News, Marshall Kosloff, International Relations, Politics, News Commentary, Public Policy, U.s. Politics, National Security, Economics

4.8 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 November 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

John Gray, author of The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism, joins The Realignment. Marshall and John discuss why he believes Hobbesian political realism is the only way of understanding the world of the 2020s, how faith in a liberal, well managed future peaked in the 1990s, why history could never truly "end," and how current events from Ukraine, Gaza, and the Pacific reflect could use a more self-aware, realistic, and disabused ethical approach.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Marshall here.
0:01.0	Welcome back to the realignment.
0:02.5	My guest today is the author, political philosopher and professor John Gray.
0:13.0	John's written a new book, The New Lythons,
0:16.0	Thoughts After liberalism.
0:18.0	In this conversation, John applies the cold political vision
0:22.0	of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes 17th century book
0:25.2	Leviathan to the problems and events of the 2020s in his telling if we'd look to the
0:30.7	1990s with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the seeming end of history
0:35.4	through a Hobseum lens, we would have been prepared for the contradictions, moral horrors,
0:41.6	and disappointments that led to a current moment in the 20-20s.
0:45.0	As I say at the start of the podcast, I haven't spent much time engaging seriously with political
0:50.0	philosophy, both in my personal life and on the podcast.
0:53.6	So his perspective, even when we disagree,
0:56.0	is greatly appreciated.
0:58.0	Hope you all enjoy this conversation.
0:59.9	And of course, a huge thank you to the Foundation for supporting the work of this podcast.
1:09.6	Sean Gray, welcome to the realignment.
1:12.2	I'm very glad to be here, Marshall.
1:14.0	Thank you for inviting me.
1:15.0	Yeah, it's great to chat with you.
1:18.0	I don't spend that much time focused on political philosophy. The podcast tends to be driven more by current events and policy.
	...

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