Tucker Lieberman
1 min readFeb 26, 2024

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"Unconditional solidarity" was Deutscher's term, as quoted by Prof. Gould. I don't know what Deutscher meant by the adjective "unconditional." Generally, that term might imply staying with someone no matter how they treat you or others (a topic that may be philosophically addressed under questions of loyalty and love), standing by them no matter what the consequences may be (addressed by discourse about duties), or merely avoiding the most obvious kind of transactionalism (e.g., "I'll draft legislation for your cause, but only if and when your organization publicly supports my candidacy").

Prof. Gould did say that "criteria such as accuracy and depth should guide us." Thus — this is only my reading, and she can speak for herself here, should she wish to add anything — her essay doesn't seem to me to imply that standpoint and solidarity have freestanding value, unmoored from any other values, nor does it presume ethical absolutism in any other sense I can see.

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Tucker Lieberman
Tucker Lieberman

Written by Tucker Lieberman

Cult classic. Author of the novel "Most Famous Short Film of All Time." Editor for Prism & Pen and Identity Current. tuckerlieberman.com

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