In today’s world, political discourse is often reduced to a battle of either/or labels: left versus right, liberal versus conservative, capitalist versus socialist. These categories can be useful shorthand, but they also flatten the complexity of human thought. Some of recent history’s thinkers, artists, and academics cannot be easily placed in one camp or the other. Their ideas often blended seemingly contradictory positions, challenging the tidy boundaries of ideology.
George Orwell: Democratic Socialist with Conservative Instincts
George Orwell is remembered as a fierce critic of totalitarianism, best known for 1984 and Animal Farm. He called himself a democratic socialist, advocating for workers’ rights and economic equality. Yet, he also harbored what some would call conservative instincts: a love of English traditions, skepticism toward intellectual fads, and a reverence for ordinary working-class decency over revolutionary rhetoric. Orwell could praise socialist policies while criticizing left-wing elites who, in his view, looked down on the very people they claimed to defend.
Hannah Arendt: Champion of Freedom, Critic of Both Left and Right
Political theorist Hannah Arendt resisted simple classification. She critiqued fascism and totalitarian communism with equal force, but also distrusted mass democracy when it descended into conformity and groupthink. While she valued civic participation and freedom, she was wary of political movements that sacrificed individual judgment to ideology. Her work resonates with both liberals and conservatives, though she often frustrated both sides.
Barry Goldwater: Conservative Icon for Religious Freedom and Gay Rights
Known as “Mr. Conservative,” United States Senator and 1964 Republican Party Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater helped define the modern American right. He was a staunch advocate of limited government, free markets, and a strong national defense. Yet, he also broke with parts of the conservative movement.
The son of a Jewish father and a Christian mother, Goldwater championed freedom of religious beliefs and spoke against the growing influence of the Religious Right in politics. He was also a defender of gay and lesbian rights, famously saying, “You don’t need to be straight to fight and die for your country. You just need to shoot straight.” For Goldwater, liberty meant not only economic freedom but also freedom in personal life.
Albert Camus: Neither Communist nor Capitalist, but Humanist
French writer and philosopher Albert Camus stood apart from both the left and the right. Though sympathetic to the plight of workers and critical of colonialism, he rejected communism’s embrace of violence. Likewise, he distrusted the dogmas of the right, which he felt stifled individual freedom. Instead, Camus championed a philosophy of human dignity, moral responsibility, and solidarity across ideological lines.
John McWhorter: Politically Liberal Linguist, Critic of Leftist Orthodoxy
Columbia University linguistics professor and cultural commentator John McWhorter identifies as a political liberal, voted for Obama and Kamala Harris, and has harshly criticized Republican administrations. However, he has also gained public attention and criticism from progressives for challenging prevailing leftist narratives on race and identity politics.
While supporting civil rights, same-sex marriage, and drug legalization, McWhorter has also criticized affirmative action, aspects of anti-racism movements, and what he calls “woke religion.”
He straddles the line between liberal values and critiques that resonate with conservatives, making him a thinker who refuses to be pinned down by any single ideological label.
The Value of Contradiction
These figures remind us that human thought rarely fits into neat ideological boxes. They were willing to hold tensions, and to critique both allies and opponents. Their legacies suggest that intellectual integrity often requires stepping outside the safety of a single label.
At a time when public discourse is pressured into binary choices, revisiting thinkers like Orwell, Arendt, Goldwater, and McWhorter can remind us of the richness, and necessity, of complex, even contradictory, perspectives.
You could add David Brooks and yourself to this list.
A very fun, illuminating read. Thanks!