Amy Wax, a prominent law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, tackles the contentious topics of race and wokism in academia. She highlights her controversial assertion that not all cultures are equal, advocating for open discussions about cognitive ability gaps. Amy critiques the oversimplification of social hierarchies in woke ideology and defends the role of meritocracy. She also emphasizes the challenges faced by right-leaning thinkers in academic spaces and the need for broader ideological engagement among young conservatives.
Amy Wax's experiences highlight the inadequacy of organizations like Heterodox Academy in defending academic freedom against political pressures and censorship.
The discussion contrasts soft realism and hard realism in understanding racial disparities, with implications for addressing prevailing wokeness in academia.
K-12 education is a vital battleground for combating woke ideology, necessitating conservative engagement in local education politics to promote diverse viewpoints.
Deep dives
Challenges of Heterodox Academy
The conversation highlights the ineffectiveness of Heterodox Academy in defending professors like Amy Wax against political pressures in academia. Although the organization promotes viewpoint diversity, it has not provided substantial support for those with dissenting views, particularly when faced with calls for censorship. Amy recounts an incident during a conference where discussions led to agreement on suppressing her ability to teach required courses. This lack of advocacy from Heterodox Academy has left her disappointed, as she expected a more robust defense for academic freedom.
Origins of Wokeism
Wokeism is explained through two primary theories by Chris Ruffo and Richard Hanania, who trace its philosophical and legal roots. Ruffo associates wokeism with critical theorists who classified society in terms of oppressed and oppressors, noting a lack of clarity in how they infiltrated institutions. In contrast, Hanania argues that wokeism arose from civil rights laws that inadvertently promoted a quota-based system to avoid discrimination. This interpretation suggests that the real issue lies in how these laws were enforced by judges and bureaucrats, rather than the legal framework itself.
Soft vs. Hard Realism
The discussion also contrasts soft realism, as proposed by Thomas Sowell, with hard realism, which ties disparities in outcomes to genetic differences. Soft realism attributes inequalities to cultural factors without placing blame on specific groups, aiming to foster understanding without confrontation. Hard realism asserts that certain differences inherently exist among groups and that these are not morally problematic. This divergence raises important questions on how to effectively present these viewpoints to challenge the prevailing wokeness in academic spaces.
The Role of K-12 Education
K-12 education is identified as the crucial battleground for combating woke ideology, where foundational beliefs are established. Amy emphasizes that many students arrive at higher education with insufficient exposure to diverse perspectives due to the current education system's biases. She encourages conservatives to engage in local education politics to foster environments where alternative viewpoints can be presented. This grassroots approach is seen as essential for reforming the narrative that dominates educational curricula and societal attitudes.
The Future of Academia
The conversation concludes with a reflection on the challenges of reclaiming institutions like academia from a predominantly leftist ideology. Amy mentions that the elite's adoption of wokeness is often rooted in a fear of being labeled racist or insensitive, leading to conformity in thought. Despite recognizing the difficulties ahead, there is a call for utilizing government resources and political will to introduce reforms in higher education. The need for transparency and accountability in hiring and curriculum design is stressed as key to restoring balance and promoting genuine academic inquiry.
Amy Wax is the Robert Mundheim Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2017, she suggested that “all cultures are not equal,” and she observed that, on average, black students do not perform as well as white students at Penn Law. She has been fighting for her job ever since.
In this episode we discuss strategies for defeating wokism. Contra Richard Hanania who says we should “shut up about race and IQ,” Amy and I say that we can dewokify the elites by teaching them the truth about race.
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