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Cynical Theories
- How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity - and Why This Harms Everybody
- Narrated by: Helen Pluckrose
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
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Summary
Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best seller!
Have you heard that language is violence and that science is sexist? Have you read that certain people shouldn't practice yoga or cook Chinese food? Or been told that being obese is healthy, that there is no such thing as biological sex, or that only White people can be racist? Are you confused by these ideas, and do you wonder how they have managed so quickly to challenge the very logic of Western society?
In this probing and intrepid volume, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay document the evolution of the dogma that informs these ideas, from its coarse origins in French postmodernism to its refinement within activist academic fields. Today this dogma is recognizable as much by its effects, such as cancel culture and social-media dogpiles, as by its tenets, which are all too often embraced as axiomatic in mainstream media: knowledge is a social construct; science and reason are tools of oppression; all human interactions are sites of oppressive power play; and language is dangerous. As Pluckrose and Lindsay warn, the unchecked proliferation of these anti-Enlightenment beliefs present a threat not only to liberal democracy but also to modernity itself.
While acknowledging the need to challenge the complacency of those who think a just society has been fully achieved, Pluckrose and Lindsay break down how this often radical activist scholarship does far more harm than good, not least to those marginalized communities it claims to champion. They also detail its alarmingly inconsistent and illiberal ethics. Only through a proper understanding of the evolution of these ideas, they conclude, can those who value science, reason, and consistently liberal ethics successfully challenge this harmful and authoritarian orthodoxy - in the academy, in culture, and beyond.
What listeners say about Cynical Theories
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- Anonymous User
- 30-01-23
Put My Feelings into Eloquent, Structured Words
This is not the kind of book I usually read and I am probably not it’s typical audience. Frankly, I don’t consider myself very academic at all. However I really found this book accesible, interesting and helpful.
I’ve become increasingly aware lately of attitudes in society changing and feeling more and more uncomfortable about it without knowing why. Starting in the early 2000s I have been involved in what I would have called ‘social justice’ ventures, both professionally and in my personal life. I’ve always felt strongly that all people should be treated as equally, but uniquely valuable. However in the last few years I’ve felt more and more detached from the ‘Social Justice’ movement and at times ashamed to be associated with it. At first I put this down to ‘political correctness gone mad’ and overzealous young people taking part in well-meaning activism, however with some lack of wisdom and measure. But recently it’s felt more sinister but I haven’t been able to put my finger on it.
Listening to this book felt like someone had translated my subconscious ‘gut feelings’ and put them into a well rounded, systematic explanation with academic credibility. I am grateful to the authors for speaking out on these issues, even as though they are opening themselves up to public backlash
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- Mr. Paul John Price
- 27-08-21
This explains everything.
Very thoughrough, clear and understandable. Would be an easy read if the subject of the book were not so infuriating. I would say anyone considering further education should read it as a vaccine before they start.
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- yfbc
- 16-02-21
Essential commentary on radical ideas
Everything is a bit strange right now, isn't it?
Why are people telling you everything and everyone is racist, transphobic and bigoted?
The answer is complex. A not at all adequate summary is that an underlying illiberal authoritarian idiology has begun to spread across society, under the guise of compassion and empathy. And its led to rising alt-right insanity.
Want to know more? This book tells you what's really going on.
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- G Copeland
- 24-10-21
Great explanation
This is the best explanation I have seen about how the “woke” mindset was created.
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- Luke
- 14-09-21
Very accessible and clarified my viewpoints
I knew very little of Theory before reading this beyond what I had witnessed in practice, and I knew that some of it didn't quite sit right with me. This book does a really good job of explaining how this particular style of social justice emerged and why it is problematic. My biggest criticism is a technical one - the authors go to great lengths to use capitalisation to distinguish between different schools of thought, but since this is an audiobook this does not convey at all.
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1 person found this helpful
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- David H. Furnival
- 18-06-21
Essential reading in these Woke times
Wonder why things are going crazy just now, this book provides the answers in a balanced and measured critique of Social Justice Activism and study
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- Anonymous User
- 02-01-22
Must Listen
If you've been left scratching your head in disbelief at how cancel culture and wokeness has spread throughout society, then this is the book for you. An insightful journey through the history of Social Justice Theory, an analysis of its many logical fallacies and a hopeful conclusion about how liberal thinking can still triumph. Thank you both for the wonderful book.
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- acustomer
- 25-02-21
Good pragmatic scholarship
A good, clear, analysis of post-modern thinking and identity studies and their role in the development of politically correct and morally distorted modern society.
I don't have a social science or humanities background but found it easy to follow and enjoyable.
Surprisingly well read by one of the authors (rather unusual)
Trevor
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- Mr Elias Sahyoun
- 13-02-23
Excellent!
Brilliantly incisive book which explains so much about the current social justice activist movement - my bafflement has turned to clear sighted comprehension.
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- Martin Lang
- 29-12-23
Thorough historical account of the evolution of "theory"
This book is good, but it fails to deliver on its promise. For the most part, it's a walk through the history of various theories, rather than a critique of them. Poor narration with lots of repetition and awkward overdubs.
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