Sometimes people ask which political writers and thinkers I like to read, and they usually end up surprised when I name a lot of centrists and leftists.
Apparently, most people prefer authors who tell them what they want to hear, even while paying lip service to the idea that a healthy intellectual diet involves exposure to a wide range of individuals with different political views. But I don’t believe in simply seeking out ideological diversity for the sake of diversity. I think there are entire movements, bodies of research, and ways of thought that add nothing to human knowledge and are better to avoid. If my favorite writers don’t share a common ideological orientation, exactly what separates them from other authors that I choose to spend less time reading and engaging with?
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