About this Event
In The Left's War on Reality, Michael Shellenberger and Alex Gutentag, two former progressives, delve into the unsettling truth behind the left’s policies. What they uncover is far more troubling than mere unintended consequences. Through nine meticulously researched case studies, they reveal a shocking conclusion: the destruction caused by the left isn’t accidental—it’s deliberate.
From open borders and trans “medicine” to climate change and COVID, Shellenberger and Gutentag argue that the left’s policies are designed to dismantle nations, communities and lives. Cloaked in the language of empathy and science, these policies mask a deeper agenda: the systematic erosion of civilization itself.
They say that on each of their key issues, progressives inhabit dream worlds, imagining themselves as heroes and their opponents as villains. Lost in these fantasies, the left rejects real-world evidence and justifies enormous harm through complicated academic theories, pseudoscientific models, and language games.
Shellenberger and Gutentag argue that, when confronted with the problems it creates, the left blames its enemies. Plummeting literacy scores? Racism. The romantic recession? Toxic masculinity. Mass migration? Western colonialism. Euthanizing poor and lonely people? Inequality. Regretful detransitioners? Transphobia. Skyrocketing overdoses? Anti-drug stigma. Failure of renewables? Climate skepticism.
Join us for a provocative program with Shellenberger and Gutentag as they criticize the left’s claims of rationality and compassion, arguing that progressive policies betray their own ostensible principles and hurt the very people they claim to help.
Notes
Attendees subject to search; no large bags or backpacks.
This program is supported by the Ken & Jaclyn Broad Family Fund. Complimentary books provided by Ken and Jaclyn Broad.
Photos courtesy of the speakers.
Speakers
Alex Gutentag, Senior Editor, Public.News; Co-author, The Left’s War on Reality
Michael Shellenberger, CBR Chair of Politics, Censorship, and Free Speech, University of Austin; Founder, Public.News; Co-author, The Left’s War on Reality
Moderator: TBA
4:45 p.m. doors open & check-in
5:30–6:30 p.m program
6:30 p.m. book signing & wine reception
(all times Pacific Time)
Event venue & nearby stays
The Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, United States
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