Sophia Alicea<\/b>
\n<\/b>Staff Writer<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
On September 15, Hackensack Meridian Health Theater in Redbank, New Jersey, hosted American debater, philosopher, and author Dr. Cornel West in their <\/span>Community Conversations <\/span><\/i>series<\/span>.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The forum examined the American philosopher’s outlook on justice, race, and the dangers of populism in a growing society. The evening commenced with a gospel performance, the first indication that the theological basis of West’s leading theory of \u201cRacial Conditionedness\u201d would build from gospel into a commentary on race and populism.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Cornel West is an accomplished author, most known for his New York Times best-selling works <\/span>Democracy Matters <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Race Matters.<\/span><\/i> He is also an avid lover of jazz, literature, political theory, and philosophy. West’s affinity for knowledge becomes evident when examining his history. He is the former Professor of Public Philosophy at his alma mater, Harvard University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Furthermore, he worked as a professor at Princeton University, where he received his master’s degree and his doctorate in philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n West opened his speech with the claim that justice is what love looks like applied in public. This set the tone for his trademarked philosophical concepts rooted in theology. The theological and philosophical claims made by West when introducing his opinions on race, justice, and institutions were that the materialistic implications of race as a historical concept are flawed. Race is an abstract concept: the \u2018flesh\u2019 has nothing to do with graciousness. This is where the historical and cultural conception of black people became the focus of the conversation; the observed concept of grace by Black people is not a result of skin color, but of spiritual and moral greatness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n West\u2019s perception of justice is derived from the idea of what it means to be human and embrace human goodness. He repeatedly asked the audience to think, when reflecting on racism, what kind of human should one be? He stated that, of his morals regarding the U.S. justice system, he would rather be in court than a coward. How one goes about overcoming skepticism to reconnect with the truth is what it means to regain justice in a divided society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n