Our fourth episode examines the tendency of fascists to act for the sake of action, without any clear or deliberate objective and ignoring any intellectual discourse that might delay the action. Fascism relies on the projection of strength, and what better way to project strength than to shoot first and ask questions later? Whether dressed in brown shirted uniforms or red MAGA ballcaps, there are always a band of non-thinkers ready to do the leader’s bidding. Beware of them, they’re dangerous.

In episode three, we’ll explore some of the basic features of the Western Enlightenment, particularly focusing on the liberal progressivism inherent in many of the new ideas of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Then, we’ll try to make sense of the threat such ideals presented to European fascists of the 20th century, who feared a societal descent into progressive depravity and persecuted the very idea of modern liberalism. That mantle has been taken up again in the 21st century, as tech bros and billionaires espouse a “dark” enlightenment meant to counter and erase any opposition to their world views.

Having decided to do a season-long deep-dive into the tenets of fascism and their appearances in contemporary American government, our second episode is all about the cult of tradition. The Romans deferred to the “way of the ancestors” for guidance about the appropriate means by which to live a good life. Traditions mattered, and straying too far from them had dire consequences. The Nazis and other fascists of modern Europe thought the same, and they imposed their versions of old traditions upon those they meant to rule…or destroy. It isn’t too hard to draw a straight line from Romans and fascists to contemporary American rhetoric about Christian nationalism and making America great again.

Guest host: Amanda Wils