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New Discourses

Panel: Grievance Studies | Boghossian, Lindsay, Nayna, O'Fallon, Pluckrose

Nov 14, 2024
Join Peter Boghossian, a philosopher known for his critiques of social justice ideologies, along with Helen Pluckrose, an academic writer, and Mike Nayna, a documentary filmmaker, as they unpick the Grievance Studies project. They discuss how absurd academic papers, like the infamous "dog park" submission, expose the decline of scholarly rigor under ideological influences. The panel scrutinizes the dangers of prioritizing ideology over truth, and highlights the unsettling shift in social justice activism, revealing the complexities behind the movement's evolution.
54:16

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Quick takeaways

  • The Grievance Studies project aimed to expose how deeply ideologically driven social justice theories have compromised academic integrity and critical thought.
  • Panelists underscored the dangers of prioritizing activism over truth in academia, leading to a suppression of open discourse and epistemic injustice.

Deep dives

Origins of the Grievance Studies Affair

The Grievance Studies Affair, also known as Sokol Squared, began when two activists, Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay, connected over concerns regarding the social justice movement's rise within academia. Their discussions revealed a common thread regarding the interpretation of gender studies and its resemblance to religious doctrine. This realization influenced them to undertake a project that would critically examine the academic literature surrounding social justice topics, eventually leading to their decision to write a hoax paper to illustrate the absurdities in the field. This project ultimately evolved into a series of critical papers designed to expose flaws in grievance studies, marking the beginning of a larger investigation into these ideologies.

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