Political polarisation: 1960s

Abstract

Philosophy has always been politicised. Philosophers have believed that public affairs should be conducted in a way that is congruent with the correct view of humanity and its place in the cosmos. Very often their views have been quite critical of the political regimes under which they lived, but only a few philosophers have thought that the key to changing the beliefs, attitudes and aspirations of people in the appropriate direction was political change. Most philosophers have tended to believe that the deficiencies of political regimes and of the attitudes and aspirations associated with them are the result of false beliefs. Correct those beliefs and political change will follow.