If there is one underlying noise that has been getting louder over the past few decades, it’s the hum of Identity Politics. In fact, the desire to be completely oneself ultimately results in a paradoxical form of self-loss, even becoming One with a Collective Identity. Consequently, Alexander Douglas titled his book Against Identity, drawing on a Taoist myth that, in the very first chapter, leads him to the grim conclusion that Identity Kills. Here, we see how Hundun, the unfortunate ruler of China’s Middle Kingdom, is pierced by his opponents. With this myth in mind—and the biography of Baruch Spinoza before his eyes—Alexander Douglas goes on to explore the paradoxical aspects of Identity Politics in the 21st century. And, of course, the conversation also examines the question of how Identity has evolved from a naturally developed self-image to strategic »self-marketing,« reinforced by Social Media and Silicon Valley’s digital technologies. While drawing on his own multicultural background and referencing philosophers such as Spinoza and René Girard, our conversation with Douglas also brings unexpected topics into relief, ranging from Identity Politics to Money and Writing. Although one may weigh these factors very differently, there was a common agreement that genuine Human Authenticity arises precisely from the »failure« of any fixed categories of Identity.
Alexander Douglas is an author and senior lecturer in Philosophy at the School of Philosophical, Anthropological, and Film Studies at the University of St. Andrews. He also maintains his As Difficult as Rare blog on Susbtack.
