Cornel West: “The American Empire is Sick”

Katie talks to Cornel West about the N-wordization of America, Iran and more.

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Dr. Cornel West, also warmly regarded as Brother West, is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary. In his capacity as a professor, Dr. West offers instruction in Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, and a wide range of subjects encompassing philosophy, politics, literature, cultural theory, music, and the classics. He is dedicated to engaging diverse audiences and advancing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with a focus on truth-telling and the pursuit of love and justice.

Dr. West previously served as University Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University, and also holds the title of Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in three years, and subsequently received both his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton University. In 1980, Cornel West became the first Black man to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University.

Dr. West has authored over 20 books and edited numerous additional volumes. He has also written many forewords and contributed endorsements for hundreds of authors. His most celebrated publications include Race Matters, Democracy Matters, and his memoir Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. His book Black Prophetic Fire explores the legacy of prominent African American figures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Most recently, he co-authored Truth Matters with Dr. Robert George, fostering thoughtful discourse on contemporary social issues in the United States.

Through a partnership with MasterClass, Dr. West teaches several courses, including Empathy, MasterClass’s first multi-instructor course on Black History, Black Freedom & Black Love, and a course on Philosophy. For further information, visit www.cornelwest.com and select the MasterClass banner.

In 2024, Dr. West ran as an Independent candidate for President of the United States. That same year, he delivered the 2023–2024 Gifford Lectures, titled A Jazz-Soaked Philosophy for Our Catastrophic Times: From Socrates to Coltrane, at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Dr. West is married to Dr. Annahita Mahdavi West, a poet, clinician, and professor at Long Beach City College in California.