The heated culture wars of the 1990s are back – the modern battle ground is the internet. The rising alt-right, full of transgressive energy, includes everyone from obscure neo-reactionary and white separatist movements to geeky subcultures like 4chan to world-famous trolls and provocateurs. In contrast, lurking behind a wall of trigger warnings and no-platforming, the left looks like a reactive filter-bubble of retweets and struggle sessions. Will the casualty of these fierce and empty battles be democracy itself – and along with it any hope of engagement with the moral complexity of daily life?

Chaired by Kym Middleton, Head of Editorial & Events, The Ethics Centre.

This conversation was recorded live on stage at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2018.

The heated culture wars of the 1990s are back – the modern battle ground is the internet. The rising alt-right, full of transgressive energy, includes everyone from obscure neo-reactionary and white separatist movements to geeky subcultures like 4chan to world-famous trolls and provocateurs. In contrast, lurking behind a wall of trigger warnings and no-platforming, the left looks like a reactive filter-bubble of retweets and struggle sessions. Will the casualty of these fierce and empty battles be democracy itself – and along with it any hope of engagement with the moral complexity of daily life? Chaired by Kym Middleton, Head of Editorial & Events, The Ethics Centre. This conversation was recorded live on stage at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2018.

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

An initiative of UNSW Sydney, the Centre for Ideas is a thought-provoking program of events and digital content from the globe's leading thinkers, authors and artists.

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