The now-ubiquitous term “woke” suggests that leftism has become a religion. To those of us who reject it, this new pseudo-faith may seem more akin to a mental disorder. But if wokeness is crazy, it is so in a profound way, requiring a philosophical and theological response. The woke denial of the importance of borders or limits, for example, points to an understanding of our shared humanity that would somehow transcend all particular, political, or cultural horizons. To refute this position requires deep reflection on the political and moral condition of humanity.
French political philosopher Pierre Manent shows us how to do this. He brings us to the point where democrats, moderns, and Christians—whether confessional or merely cultural—can begin to face what is at stake in being open to the universal in humanity, while respecting what is insuperably political, and even “pagan,” in the human condition.
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