Cynical Theories

'Exposes the surprisingly shallow intellectual roots of the movements that appear to be engulfing our culture' Steven Pinker  Have you heard that language is violence and that science issexist? Or been told that being obese is healthy, that there is no such thingas biological sex, or that only white people can be racist? Are you confused bythese ideas, and do you wonder how they have managed so quickly to challengethe very logic of Western society?Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsaydocument the evolution of the dogma behind these ideas, from its origins inFrench postmodernism to its refinement within activist academic fields. Todaythis dogma is recognisable as much by its effects, such as cancel culture andsocial-media pile-ons, as by its assertions, which are all too often taken asread: knowledge is a social construct; science and reasonare tools of oppression; all human interactions are sites of oppressive powerplay; and language is dangerous. As they warn, the unchecked proliferation ofthese beliefs present a threat to liberal democracy itself.While acknowledging the need tochallenge the complacency of those who think a just society has been fullyachieved, Pluckrose and Lindsay break down how often-radical activistscholarship does far more harm than good, not least to those marginalizedcommunities it claims to champion. Only through a proper understanding of theevolution of these ideas, they conclude, can those who value science, reasonand consistently liberal ethics successfully challengethis harmful and authoritarian orthodoxy.