Yaron Brook on the State of American Politics

“The American sense of life is at best on life support. At worst, it’s gone.” Such is Yaron Brook’s assessment in his talk, “The State of American Politics,” delivered at OCON 2024 in Anaheim, California. A culture once marked by achievement, exceptionalism, and optimism has now morphed into one where fear, resentment, and violence drive the political discourse, and the specter of dictatorship looms large. How could this happen in a country built on the ideals of reason and individualism?

As Brook explains, America did suffer major shocks in the last few decades, such as 9/11, the financial crisis, and the global pandemic. But these events alone do not account for our tribalist politics. Instead, he argues, the country and its people were betrayed by its intellectual class, which refused to articulate the values that make America good and the nature of the threats it faces.

Because the present gloom is rooted in intellectual causes, we can find hope in a new generation of thinkers that will champion the philosophy of reason, freedom, and individualism. “We need a new direction,” Brook says, “and the only way to have a new direction is with new intellectuals. The intellectuals today must be replaced and there’s never been more urgency in doing so.”

In the Q&A period, Brook addressed topics such as:

• Cancel culture on the right;
• Whether Judaism has an impact on the world stage;
• The difference between American and European immigration;
• What a Trump victory would mean for American politics;
• The merits of Javier Milei.

To learn more about why American politics needs new intellectuals, watch the full talk here: