Shortly after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States in January 2017, George Orwell's 1949 novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' shot to the top of Amazon's bestseller list. Apparently, lots of people thought Orwell had something relevant to say in that political moment. In 2016, many Americans were caught off guard by Trump's win, leading them to grapple with the potential consequences of a Trump presidency only after he was elected. But this time, more people seem to be thinking about the ramifications of such an outcome in advance. In my work as a professor of philosophy and law, I've spent a lot of time studying Orwell's writing. I think people were correct eight years ago to conclude that Orwell could provide insight into a Trump presidency. He was quick to point out that this was distinct from the concept of patriotism, which he defined as 'devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish...
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