Starter Books
In a private conversation, there was a lively back and forth about the books that new people to our politics should read. One of the hidden truths about this side of the great divide is it is a highly literate movement. People drawn to this type of politics tend to enjoy reading. Then there is the fact that our politics is not cut off from the Western intellectual tradition, which is the case for most conventional politics. As a result, we have a vast library of writing on our topics of interest.
That vastness is a problem. This side of the great divide has a lot of diversity of interests and thought. If you are drawn over by the human science, there are dozens of great books to get you started. If you are into right-wing intellectual history, you have more books and writers than you can read in a lifetime. Everyone on our side has their favorites. Many have a book or a writer they credit with their awakening. The new person can find it intimidating at first.
With that in mind, the show this week is about the books to get someone started on understanding dissident politics. These are not foundation texts or anything like that, just doorways to the sorts of topics that get discussed here. When you are a kid learning to write, you start with the big pencil and wide-ruled paper. You do not use that for the rest of your life. It is just how you get started. The books for the new person to our politics should work the same way.
The thing about the books covered in the show is they challenge the reader’s conditioning on various topics. That really is the essence of dissident politics when you stop and think about it. Because liberal democracy and the technological state cannot comport with the reality of the human condition, you are left with two choices. You can deny the reality of the human condition or question the morality and legitimacy of the prevailing orthodoxy. That is the great divide in a nutshell.
Of course, this is the sort of topic that generates endless disputes, because no two people have the same list. There is no doubt that many people will be outraged at the selection of titles in the taboo book section. Well, outraged by one of the books and what I have to say about it. At some point in the future, that will be the topic of a full show and maybe a series of posts. Again, the point here is a gentle introduction to the taboo subjects that can only be discussed on this side.
This week I have the usual variety of items in the now standard format. Spreaker has the full show. I am up on Google Play now, so the Android commies can take me along when out disrespecting the country. I am on iTunes, which means the Apple Nazis can listen to me on their Hitler phones. The anarchists can catch me on iHeart Radio. I am now on Deezer, for our European haters and Stitcher for the weirdos. YouTube also has the full podcast. Of course, there is a download link below.
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This Week’s Show
Contents
- 00:00: Opening
- 03:00: Fanatics (Link)
- 13:00: American Diversity (Link)
- 23:00: Liberal Democracy I (Link)
- 33:00: Liberal Democracy II (Link)
- 43:00: Taboo Subjects (Link) (Link) (Link) (Link) (Link) (Link) (Link)
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