Jean Seaton speaks to Kitabistan about the politicisation of the Enlightenment

Prof. Jean Seaton recently spoke to Kitabistan, an Azerbaijan based publishers who work work translate texts into Azerbaijani.

In the interview, which can be read in full on the Kitabistan website, Seaton discussed the role of George Orwell in shaping our understandings of censorship. Seaton also discussed the use of language and the ways in which Orwell pushed for the use of straightforward language to describe things. Seaton went on to note how language has become increasingly politicised, making it harder to cut through the rhetoric and understand the simple realities of situations. Referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Seaton noted ” there is very good data journalism. You can see where the fires are around the war in Ukraine. It doesn’t take somebody to tell you something because the satellite shows you. So, in one way we’re in a kind of a good place in reality, in another place people seem to believe everything’s been politicised which is really what the Russians invented. If you politicise all knowledge, that sadly is spreading, then, if I say “Covid is real” that suddenly becomes a political not a scientific fact. That’s the real problem. The politicisation of the Enlightenment is anti-Enlightenment”.

The full interview can be read at kitabistan.org