Nick Cohen on political heresy
Nick Cohen has a very persuasive article in Standpoint which you can read here about the importance of political heresy.
The article is mostly about Republican opponents of Trump and Labour opponents of Jeremy Corbyn, but is applicable to almost every political movement.
We should beware of being too quick to denounce heretics. In many cases they keep us honest.
Nick Cohen's piece concludes:
"I always listen to heretics. Their inside knowledge of the movements they have left means that it is worth taking the time to talk to them, as long as you remember they don’t have a sacred status. Minorities can be as wrong as majorities, and just because their former allies revile them does not mean they are right. But come now, look around—in our times heretics are the best guides we have through the mire."
The article is mostly about Republican opponents of Trump and Labour opponents of Jeremy Corbyn, but is applicable to almost every political movement.
We should beware of being too quick to denounce heretics. In many cases they keep us honest.
Nick Cohen's piece concludes:
"I always listen to heretics. Their inside knowledge of the movements they have left means that it is worth taking the time to talk to them, as long as you remember they don’t have a sacred status. Minorities can be as wrong as majorities, and just because their former allies revile them does not mean they are right. But come now, look around—in our times heretics are the best guides we have through the mire."
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