Speaker: Regina Rini

The online alt right is famous for its use of irony. Practitioners use fake-out goofy humor to openly encode violent messages and then refuse to be pinned down committing to their extreme ideas. But ironic detachment didn’t start on the political far right. It is a broader cultural theme of the internet era, and partly owes its origins to the American philosopher Richard Rorty. As one of the leading figures in 1990s leftist and academic ‘postmodern’ circles, Rorty famously advocated an ironist rejection of any objective standard of truth. A generation later, we are living in Rorty’s legacy: a new media environment where extremists of all varieties operate increasingly openly, using ironic distance to shield themselves from critique. Escaping the fog of online misinformation may mean more than just seeking truth – we may also need to revive some terribly old-fashioned norms of sincerity and earnestness.  

Please note that these seminars are open to the public and in person only.