Theme:

What does it means when someone describes their politics as “left-wing” or “progressive”? This has always been heavily contested. In the old days some would claim you had to be a Marxist, or at least a socialist. After World War II the social-democratic vision came to predominate: a commitment to a more equal society through fiscal and regulatory policies, while retaining the benefits of a market economy. More recently things have taken a new turn with the embrace of the politics of culture and identity. Peter argues the latter is a profoundly regrettable development, representing the abnegation the Left’s roots in the Radical Enlightenment.

Full text PDF of talk the_left_and_identity_politics.pdf