Towards a Politics of Sincerity: A Roadmap by Martí and Du Bois

I argue that a robust form of sincerity must play a role in American politics, lest democracy should crumble. To elaborate on what I mean by sincerity, I turn to the Cuban philosopher José Martí and the American philosopher W.E.B. Du Bois, who teach us that democratic social progress requires sincerity. After discussing their views on the social and political function of sincerity individually, I synthesize their views into a unified theory of sincerity and consider how this theory addresses problems democracies face today. Du Bois and Martí attune us to the importance of being deeply sincere social, political, and cultural critics, and they warn us that insincere criticism only undermines democracy.