Name: The End of the Enlightenment and the Rise of Authoritarianism?
Start: 2025-07-24T23:30:00.000Z
Location: Left Coast

**The End of the Enlightenment? A discussion on Liberalism, Fascism, and Modern Disorientation**

For our next meeting, we’ll break from our usual focus on a single philosopher and instead engage a three-episode arc designed to spark a lively and urgent discussion.

A topic I’ve personally returned to often in recent years is the *decline of Enlightenment values* and the *rise of totalitarianism and irrationality*, both in the United States and around the world. Since the emergence of Trump and global populism, defenders of classical liberalism often seem frozen—like deer in the headlights—offering facts and reason in response to movements that operate on emotion, identity, and force. It’s like trying to nail Jello to the wall. The usual tools of civil debate feel increasingly useless.

For this meeting, I want to move beyond the familiar red-vs-blue polemics and instead ask deeper questions:
**Has liberalism’s strength—its commitment to openness, neutrality, and reason—created the conditions for its own collapse?**
**In securing freedom and rights, does liberalism’s social contract erode our sense of meaning, community, and identity?**

To explore this discussion, I’ve selected three episodes from *Philosophize This!*:

1. **Episode 132 – “Carl Schmitt pt. 1”**
Introduces Schmitt’s critique of liberalism as naive in the face of political enemies who reject its norms. Raises questions about the limits of constitutions, neutrality, and rule of law.
2. **Episode 133 – “Carl Schmitt pt. 2”**
Expands on Schmitt’s belief that humans are inherently political, that the friend/enemy distinction is unavoidable, and that liberalism’s denial of identity and power leaves it vulnerable to authoritarian strongmen.

> *Note: Schmitt was a fascist and anti-Semite, and I find his ideas personally repulsive. But as a foil, he offers a hard challenge to liberal values—one worth reckoning with.*

3. **Episode 229 – “Kafka, Adorno, and Arendt”**
Rather than a theory-heavy episode, this one focuses on the *felt experience* of modern life. Through Kafka’s absurd, nightmarish stories (as interpreted by Adorno and Arendt), we get a portrait of alienation, surveillance, bureaucracy, and powerlessness—the spiritual terrain in which fascism thrives.

This final episode asks us: *What does it feel like to live in a system that no longer recognizes you as fully human?* For me, it echoes the disorientation of the present.

As always, you can access the Philosophize This! podcast using your favorite podcast app or you can read the transcripts using the link below (after you click on an episode, you will find a link that states "See the full transcript here"):
[https://www.philosophizethis.org/podcasts](https://www.philosophizethis.org/podcasts)

All you need for preparation is to listen to the episodes or read the transcripts and reflect on how they apply to our current moment. A few days before our meeting, I’ll send around some background material and an outline. Feel free to add recommendations in the comments.

As always, I’ve limited attendance to ensure a **small, engaged group**, so sign up early. Look for the **bust of Socrates on the table**—that’s where we’ll be gathered, thinking big thoughts!

Looking forward to seeing you!

Philosophize This

Jeffrey

Maneco

Luke W

Emily

The End of the Enlightenment and the Rise of Authoritarianism?

Left Coast

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