Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity - And Why this Harms Everybody

Es un excelente estudio sobre el origen del movimiento SocialJustice.

which deconstructs(!) the various facets of wokenism and sheds light into the absurdity and reactionary character of many aspects of so-called postmodern critical "theory"

Sehr informativ!

It has really helped me understand how all the SJW movements rely on a reasoning method, which is opposed to the scientific method. Unlike the scientific method, they start from the conclusion (i.e a specific group is oppressed by a dominant group), and then they expose as many facts as possible that would seem to corroborate that conclusion. They do not consider all the evidence that could undermine their conclusion, neither do they consider all the evidence that could suggest an alternative explanation.It seems that the research method of "critical thinkers" is similar to what a lawyer does when defending their client. They expose an extremely one-sided view of the facts, because their goal is not to find the truth, but rather just to win the trial.I have not yet finished the book, but I am already understanding debates and discussions in a whole new-light, no longer using the scientific lens to analyse the position of SJWs, but instead using their binary oppression lens.I find the book to be somewhat difficult to read at times, but only because they discuss the work of critical thinkers who purposefully complexify simple concepts as a rhetorical tool to undermine relatively simple scientific facts.In hindsight, I am surprised that there are not many more books written on the subject. But I wouldn't be surprised if this book opens up a whole new genre of writing in the upcoming years.

This is one of four books I have read recently, all of which highlight the damage being done by the pernicious madness espoused and violently promoted by the so-called 'progressive' wing of left-leaning politics (for 'progressive', read 'authoritarian'). The other three are Douglas Murray's 'The Madness of crowds', Steven Pinker's 'Enlightenment Now', and Charles Murray's 'Human Diversity'.Of the four, this one by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay concentrates on delineating the origins and philosophical underpinning of the so called 'Woke' movement, as well and exposing its fatal flaws and extremely harmful effects. All four deserve to be read by those concerned about the directions being taken in Academia and the wider society in America, and only to a slightly lesser degree in Western Europe.If some of the earlier chapters here might have benefited from tighter editing, the rest of the book proceeds to an eloquent conclusion which could hardy be bettered. Let us hope it has the effect in deserves in the circles where it is most needed. For the rest of us, it provides riveting insights and cogent arguments against the current madness and for a return to classical liberalism.While the authors' liberal principles, quite reasonably, do not endorse the policies of (for example) Victor Orban, who would outlaw the teaching of Gender Studies, and similar topics which now proliferate in many Western Universities, I do think they could properly argue that no student should be required to take such courses, and demonstrate their fealty, as a condition of graduating, That such requirements are now common for all students in many American universities, and elsewhere, should - in my view - be outlawed immediately, and I am sorry that the authors did not address this issue.