Claire Lehmann, a journalist and the founder of Quillette, shares her journey from a modest upbringing in Adelaide to becoming a significant voice in media. She delves into the challenges of postmodernism in literature and her transition from academia to forensic psychology. Lehmann discusses her advocacy for marriage equality and the unexpected backlash from the left. She also reflects on the complexities of identity politics and societal changes, all while emphasizing the importance of fostering diverse perspectives in contemporary discourse.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Modest Upbringing, Rich Education
Claire Lehmann had a modest but intellectually rich childhood among bohemian parents in Adelaide.
Her father, an artist, introduced her to art and literature, enriching her early education and worldview.
insights INSIGHT
Escape from Postmodernism
University literature studies were dominated by postmodern theory which felt monolithic and limiting to Claire.
Discovering Camille Paglia on her own showed her alternative ways to appreciate literature beyond ideological confines.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Trauma Shapes Realism
A violent relationship Claire experienced in her youth led her to appreciate the importance of societal rules.
This trauma helped shape her realistic, small-c conservative view of human nature and social order.
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Jonathan Katz's "The Invention of Heterosexuality" is a significant work in the history of sexuality. It challenges the notion of heterosexuality as a timeless and natural category, arguing that it's a relatively recent social construct. Katz traces the historical development of the concept, examining how it emerged and evolved over time. He analyzes the role of language, science, and social institutions in shaping our understanding of heterosexuality. The book is a valuable contribution to understanding the social construction of sexual identities and the power dynamics involved.
The Moral Animal
Why We Are the Way We Are
Robert Wright
In 'The Moral Animal', Robert Wright delves into the world of evolutionary psychology to explain human behavior, emotions, and moral conduct. The book uses Charles Darwin's life and personal conduct in Victorian England as a case study to illustrate how evolutionary forces shape human behavior. Wright discusses topics such as jealousy, altruism, and social class, arguing that many of our actions are driven by subconscious genetic strategies aimed at survival and the propagation of our genes. The book also explores the paradox of how moral and responsible actions can emerge from a strictly Darwinian interpretation of human behavior, suggesting that understanding our evolutionary past can help us override our primitive programming and develop a more common moral outlook[1][2][4].
Claire Lehmann is a journalist and publisher. In 2015, after leaving academia, she founded the online magazine Quillette, where she is still editor-in-chief. She’s also a newspaper columnist for The Australian.
For two clips of our convo — on how journalists shouldn’t be too friendly with one another, and how postmodernism takes the joy out of literature — pop over to our YouTube page.
Other topics: a modest upbringing in Adelaide; her hippie parents; their small-c conservatism; her many working-class jobs; ADHD; aspiring to be a Shakespeare scholar; enjoying Foucault … at first; her “great disillusionment” with pomo theory; the impenetrable prose of Butler; the great Germaine Greer; praising Camille Paglia; evolutionary psychology; Wright’s The Moral Animal and Pinker’s The Blank Slate; Claire switching to forensic psychology after an abusive relationship; the TV show Adolescence; getting hired by the Sydney Morning Herald to write op-eds — her first on marriage equality; Bush’s federal amendment; competition among women; tribalism and mass migration; soaring housing costs in Australia; rising populism in the West; creating Quillette; the IDW; being anti-anti-Trump; audience capture; Islamism and Charlie Hebdo; Covid; critical Trump theory; tariffs; reflexive anti-elitism; Joe Rogan; Almost Famous; Orwell; Spinoza; Oakeshott; Fukuyama and boredom; tech billionaires on Inauguration Day; the sycophants of Trump 2.0; and X as a state propaganda platform.
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