Dave Rubin, the host of The Rubin Report, has famously traveled from one side to the other of our political spectrum. Once a rising star on the progressive network The Young Turks, Rubin moved to the center becoming a pillar figure in the diverse, counter-cultural online movement often referred to as The Intellectual Dark Web. As that space began unraveling however Dave became a champion of the libertarian right, emerging as a wildly popular personality in conservative America. But does Dave still think we can reach across the divides to heal our politics in the USA?
Rubin and I talk about everything in this episode – from the business model of polarization to the Intellectual Dark Web, the realities of Black history, social justice progressives, Never-Trump Republicans, President Trump, Jordan Peterson, Sam Harris, Ben Shapiro, David French all the way to the Nonviolent Movement and the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.; as well as, of course, the work of Braver Angels.
Every word of this conversation is worth hearing. I hope you enjoy! -John
3 thoughts on “Are We Too Divided to Heal? A Conversation with Dave Rubin”
I enjoyed this conversation, as part of my quest to hang in there with people I don’t agree with…so I really enjoyed this. I did think that John Wood did a much better job of backing up his points (although in a few cases he talked so fast I had to rewind several times to follow along) than did Mr. Rubin. Also, I live in an extremely conservative rural area of California and I believe Mr. Rubin may in some cases be conflating politeness with tolerance. That’s all. I really like Braver Angels, thanks!
Great episode. I used to listen to The Rubin Report in 2017-2018. I found it interesting that he sounds so similar to my progressive friends when they talk about the others and the destruction of our democracy. I have members of my family that share Dave’s feeling about Trump and progressives. I share their feelings about both parties. I found myself leaning left when Trump was president; and now I am leaning right with Biden in power. I have to agree with John. The means must be consistent with the end we are trying to achieve. If we want a tolerant society, we must practice tolerance and love everyday.
If this was supposed to be about healing divisions, it failed.