47 min
The Culture Wars: Understanding How Culture Drives Politics | Robin Koerner & Ethan Yang The AIER Standard
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- Government
“Is America exceptional or fundamentally flawed? Such abstract moral questions dominating much of modern politics often lead to highly inflammatory debates in what we would call the culture war. Some might say that culture wars distract us from important policy reforms; others might say that an argument about culture is an argument about civilization itself. Either way, it is essential that we understand why and how culture drives our political discourse.
To help me dissect this phenomenon, I was joined by Robin Koerner, visiting fellow at AIER and an academic dean at the John Locke Institute located in Oxford. He received his graduate degrees from Cambridge University in physics and philosophy, and he is written on cultural issues ranging from ideological possession during the Covid era, to the virtues of living truthfully at all costs.
Listen to the AIER Standard with Ethan Yang here:
https://www.aier.org/podcasts/
00:00: The Culture Wars
2:48: The Commanding Heights of Culture
5:12: Why Does American Culture Matter
8:20: What is Brand America
10:00 Is America Racist or Exceptional
16:20: Culture Precedes Politics
19:10: The Culture of the American Revolution
22:20: Establishing a Culture of Freedom
27:40: School Curriculums and Politics
30:10: The Loud Minority of Politics
35:01 Lockdowns and American Culture
36:14: How to Deal With the Culture War
38:17: Defending the Truth
42:52: Lowering the Stakes of Politics
44:11: How Did Studying Physics Prepare You
“Is America exceptional or fundamentally flawed? Such abstract moral questions dominating much of modern politics often lead to highly inflammatory debates in what we would call the culture war. Some might say that culture wars distract us from important policy reforms; others might say that an argument about culture is an argument about civilization itself. Either way, it is essential that we understand why and how culture drives our political discourse.
To help me dissect this phenomenon, I was joined by Robin Koerner, visiting fellow at AIER and an academic dean at the John Locke Institute located in Oxford. He received his graduate degrees from Cambridge University in physics and philosophy, and he is written on cultural issues ranging from ideological possession during the Covid era, to the virtues of living truthfully at all costs.
Listen to the AIER Standard with Ethan Yang here:
https://www.aier.org/podcasts/
00:00: The Culture Wars
2:48: The Commanding Heights of Culture
5:12: Why Does American Culture Matter
8:20: What is Brand America
10:00 Is America Racist or Exceptional
16:20: Culture Precedes Politics
19:10: The Culture of the American Revolution
22:20: Establishing a Culture of Freedom
27:40: School Curriculums and Politics
30:10: The Loud Minority of Politics
35:01 Lockdowns and American Culture
36:14: How to Deal With the Culture War
38:17: Defending the Truth
42:52: Lowering the Stakes of Politics
44:11: How Did Studying Physics Prepare You
47 min