In the latest episode of Let Us Think About It, host Ryder Richards tackles the provocative and polarizing work of Ward Churchill, Pacifism as Pathology. Published in 1986 and later expanded, this essay challenges the sanctity of nonviolent activism, arguing that it not only fails to dismantle oppressive systems but actively reinforces the state’s power. Churchill, a controversial scholar and activist known for his radical critiques of American imperialism and colonialism, wrote this piece out of frustration with the dominance of pacifist tactics in North American progressive movements during the 1980s—a time marked by Reagan’s Cold War policies, military interventions, and rising economic inequality.

Richards sets the stage with a vivid metaphor: a towering fortress representing the state’s violent, coercive power, unshaken by protesters wielding candles and moral conviction. Churchill contends that pacifism is a pathological delusion, rooted in historical revisionism, moral contradictions, and a refusal to confront the state’s inherent violence. The episode breaks down his critique into three key arguments:

Pacifism as Delusion: Churchill likens pacifism to medieval alchemy—a futile attempt to transform oppressive systems through wishful thinking. He argues that pacifists naively believe their moral purity and symbolic acts (marches, vigils, sit-ins) can erode state power, ignoring its reliance on armed forces like police and military. This “sublime arrogance” limits transformative potential, allowing the state to thrive on empty gestures.

Historical Revisionism: Churchill debunks pacifism’s supposed victories by examining historical failures. He points to the Jewish communities in Nazi Germany, where pacifist strategies facilitated the Holocaust’s efficiency, with no significant armed resistance. Similarly, he challenges the myth that the anti-Vietnam War movement’s nonviolence ended the war, noting that Vietnamese armed resistance and internal U.S. military breakdowns were the true catalysts for change. These examples expose pacifism’s practical shortcomings and reliance on cherry-picked narratives.

Pacifism as Racist and Suicidal: Churchill argues that pacifism displaces state violence onto marginalized groups, particularly people of color, while white activists remain in a “comfort zone.” He calls this a racist paradox, where pacifists support armed struggles abroad (e.g., Vietnam’s National Liberation Front) but demand nonviolence domestically. Furthermore, he labels pacifism suicidal, claiming it invites state violence by refusing self-defense, as seen in the Holocaust’s tragic outcomes. This pathology, Churchill suggests, is akin to a dogmatic, quasi-religious belief system, resistant to logic or critique.

Richards contextualizes Churchill’s work within the 1980s progressive landscape, shaped by the legacies of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., and highlights his perspective as an indigenous scholar critical of liberal dogmas. The episode acknowledges the discomfort of challenging widely held values like peace and nonviolence, encouraging listeners to absorb the critique before part two, which will explore Churchill’s proposed solutions, incorporate current events, and draw on thinkers like Slavoj Žižek to broaden the discussion.

This episode is a bold invitation to question assumptions about social change and confront the harsh realities of state power. Whether you agree or disagree with Churchill’s radical stance, Richards’ engaging analysis sparks critical reflection on the effectiveness of nonviolent activism in the face of systemic oppression. Stay tuned for the next installment, where the conversation will deepen with practical remedies and contemporary perspectives.

In Step 87 of LetUsThinkAboutIt, host Ryder Richards dives into Part II of Richard Rorty’s Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity (1989), exploring the clash between ironists and metaphysicians. Fresh off recording Step 86, Ryder unpacks Rorty’s seductive vision of the liberal ironist—a figure who privately doubts their beliefs while publicly fighting cruelty, as defined by Judith Shklar’s maxim, “cruelty is the worst thing we do.” Rorty argues language, self, and community are contingent, not grounded in eternal truths, and pits ironists, who redescribe reality with new vocabularies, against metaphysicians, like Plato and Kant, who chase a “final vocabulary” to capture reality’s essence. With direct quotes, Ryder showcases Rorty’s witty jabs at philosophy’s old guard, exposing their logical traps, like Kant’s obsession with universal reason. From Proust’s self-creation to Derrida’s playful deconstruction, Rorty celebrates private irony but insists it stay separate from public hope. Ryder pushes back, questioning whether Rorty’s neat private-public split undermines moral conviction and if his narrative-driven solidarity is too fragile against competing stories. Packed with insights and skepticism, this episode sets the stage for Part III’s dive into cruelty and solidarity. Join Ryder to tinker with your mental toolbox and question your own vocabulary!

In "Step 88: Rorty’s Solidarity," the concluding episode of our three-part series on Richard Rorty’s Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity (1989), host Ryder Richards explores Part III, Chapters 7–9, where Rorty tackles cruelty and solidarity. Rorty argues that solidarity isn’t a universal human essence but a contingent creation, forged through imaginative identification with others’ pain via narratives like novels. We delve into vivid examples: Nabokov’s Lolita and its “tingles” of aesthetic bliss, which reveal cruelty through inattention and inspire moral empathy; Orwell’s 1984, where O’Brien’s intelligent cruelty underscores the fragility of liberal hope; and Sellars’ “we-intentions,” showing how solidarity expands “us” through shared stories, not abstract truths.

Rorty’s appeal lies in his witty, pragmatic blend of literary insight and moral hope, empowering us to craft kinder worlds without metaphysical crutches. Yet, Ryder remains skeptical, critiquing how Rorty’s vision has materialized but been subverted in 2025. While his liberal ironist thrives in self-creation and anti-cruelty movements, mimetic identities—adopting others’ vocabularies for social gain—and weaponized solidarity, where anti-cruelty fuels division, distort his utopia. This episode traces Rorty’s narrative-driven philosophy from language and selfhood to community, urging listeners to question vocabularies while imagining a broader “we.” Join us for a compelling finale to this philosophical journey, available on LetUsThinkAboutIt.

0:00 Intro

2:23 Noticing Cruelty through Narrative: Nabokov

7:18 Fragility of Liberal Hope: Orwell

11:50 Creating Solidarity: Sellars

15:48 Rorty's Legacy: subversion and capture

20:28 Outro