The Michael Shermer Show

Why the Left Needs Its Own Reckoning

7 snips
Aug 11, 2025
In this enlightening discussion, Eric Heinze, a Professor of Law and Humanities at Queen Mary University of London, argues for a fresh approach to wokeness. He suggests the left must fully confront its historical injustices—from Stalin to North Korea—while also addressing contemporary issues like the Ukraine war and leftist antisemitism. Heinze advocates for a nuanced understanding of past atrocities and the importance of self-critique within progressive politics to reclaim an ethical stance. His insights promise to reshape how the left engages with its legacy.
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INSIGHT

Left Must Face Its Own Past

  • Eric Heinze says the left teaches critical history but rarely applies it to its own support for brutal regimes.
  • He urges translating knowledge of past leftist crimes into a reinvention of progressive politics.
INSIGHT

Definitions Matter Less Than Tendencies

  • Eric Heinze avoids narrow labels and focuses on recurring tendencies that shape progressive thought.
  • He analyzes strands like critical readings of Western history rather than debating terminology.
INSIGHT

Purity Narratives Excuse Leftist Crimes

  • Heinze identifies a 'purity narrative' that frames leftist atrocities as mistakes or impurities rather than systemic failures.
  • That narrative lets progressives demand constant reckoning from others while sidestepping their own culpability.
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