On July 15th at 3pm Eastern, HxA graduate affiliates were invited to join a virtual book club to discuss Richard Rorty’s “Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in 20th Century America.” Published in 1998, the book examines the growing divide between what Rorty refers to as the “cultural left” and the “reformist left.” Rorty highlights the role that academia played in fostering this divide; while emphasizing themes such as postmodernism, identity politics, and American civil religion. Rorty’s analysis offers a unique perspective that has proven prescient, and that remains helpful for understanding contemporary political debates.

The conversation was facilitated by Adam Peri, a PhD Candidate with the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science at University of Chicago.