Really good essay! Ever since I found out about Tom Holland’s Dominion and how wokeness is constructed on a Christian moral foundation, I’ve been looking for more essays that really hammer in this point.
I wonder if Yancy is an Afropessimist. His early work seems to be deeply rooted in, as Frank Wilderson would say, the idea that Blackness and Slaveness are inseparable.
From the article: "some Black philosophers are also striving to articulate the bleakest aspects of Black experience as shaped by life in a society where Blackness is unrelentingly cast as a site of the “nonhuman,” and there is no redemption for Black people."
Considering that the term "redemption" is so soaked in Christianity, I wonder what Yancy means when he says that Black people cannot be redeemed.
Interesting thoughts! On the one hand I do think Christianity is a useful lens for looking at something like the racist history of the United States, where (imo) there is a level of collective guilt borne by all of us who are not the descendants of slaves for that crime and those that followed it. On the other hand though, I think what much of the Christian affect of the "social justice" (I deeply wish there was a better term for this) turn in left-liberalism that's developed in the last decade lacks is exactly the transcendent forgiveness of sin offered in actual religion. You might change your mind, you might have the right politics now, but you will never not be stained by your sins, they will never not defile you, whereas at least in theory (I have no illusions about the practice) this isn't the case for the faithful Christian
Good point, about the lack of forgiveness. It's like the first half of Christian moral psychology (dwell obsessively on your sins) without the second compensatory half of it (confess and be forgiven). And as you say, I don't think the Christian worldview is obviously a wrong one; it's a powerful one in all sorts of ways, which is why it's been so successful. I think for me it's more that it's important to articulate it, explore what it means (particularly without the forgiveness element in the mix), and recognize that it's not the only option.
It's partly why people (atheists/rationalists mostly) will so often say that "wokeness" (another term I hate) is a religion- they see that side of it but miss the nuances. I agree that there's a good chance Yancy is himself where this stuff comes from, you make a compelling case for that. It's funny because so much of the on-the-ground stuff is *so* antichristian (in ways that very much resemble things that happened in the 60s) but there's surely some descent.
Dear Daniel (if I may),
Thank you for covering some of my work.
I'm honored.
Dr. Yancy
You're welcome! Come on the podcast, perchance?
Really good essay! Ever since I found out about Tom Holland’s Dominion and how wokeness is constructed on a Christian moral foundation, I’ve been looking for more essays that really hammer in this point.
I wonder if Yancy is an Afropessimist. His early work seems to be deeply rooted in, as Frank Wilderson would say, the idea that Blackness and Slaveness are inseparable.
I'm not sure if he would identify that way or not. He did do an interview with Wilderson, and certainly they have overlapping concerns:
https://truthout.org/articles/afropessimism-forces-us-to-rethink-our-most-basic-assumptions-about-society/
From the article: "some Black philosophers are also striving to articulate the bleakest aspects of Black experience as shaped by life in a society where Blackness is unrelentingly cast as a site of the “nonhuman,” and there is no redemption for Black people."
Considering that the term "redemption" is so soaked in Christianity, I wonder what Yancy means when he says that Black people cannot be redeemed.
Isn't he paraphrasing Wilderson there?
Oh yeah. So in a sense, Afropessimism runs counter to Christian morality and the hope for redemption or salvation.
Interesting thoughts! On the one hand I do think Christianity is a useful lens for looking at something like the racist history of the United States, where (imo) there is a level of collective guilt borne by all of us who are not the descendants of slaves for that crime and those that followed it. On the other hand though, I think what much of the Christian affect of the "social justice" (I deeply wish there was a better term for this) turn in left-liberalism that's developed in the last decade lacks is exactly the transcendent forgiveness of sin offered in actual religion. You might change your mind, you might have the right politics now, but you will never not be stained by your sins, they will never not defile you, whereas at least in theory (I have no illusions about the practice) this isn't the case for the faithful Christian
Good point, about the lack of forgiveness. It's like the first half of Christian moral psychology (dwell obsessively on your sins) without the second compensatory half of it (confess and be forgiven). And as you say, I don't think the Christian worldview is obviously a wrong one; it's a powerful one in all sorts of ways, which is why it's been so successful. I think for me it's more that it's important to articulate it, explore what it means (particularly without the forgiveness element in the mix), and recognize that it's not the only option.
It's partly why people (atheists/rationalists mostly) will so often say that "wokeness" (another term I hate) is a religion- they see that side of it but miss the nuances. I agree that there's a good chance Yancy is himself where this stuff comes from, you make a compelling case for that. It's funny because so much of the on-the-ground stuff is *so* antichristian (in ways that very much resemble things that happened in the 60s) but there's surely some descent.