Decoding the Gurus Interview with Virginia Heffernan on Edge, the dangers of Scientism, & Culture Wars
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Feb 26, 2022 
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Rationalist Discourse Lacks Scholarly Context
- The public “rationalist” sphere often recycles academic-sounding claims without rigorous scholarship.
- Virginia Heffernan argues this creates constrained public debates that ignore contextual evidence and scholarship.
Context Matters For Controversial Scholarship
- Many heterodox communities ignore surrounding context like political affiliations when elevating controversial scholars.
- Heffernan highlights Noah Carl as an example where wider activity matters for assessing claims.
Prehistory Is A Poor Moral Compass
- Origin stories about prehistoric human nature are often speculative and used to justify modern political positions.
- Heffernan urges skepticism toward grand narratives about innate human hierarchy or egalitarianism.