Marxism, Intelligence, And The Thing with Freddie DeBoer (S3 Ep.30)
Sep 9, 2022
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Freddie DeBoer, independent writer and author of 'The Cult of Smart', discusses Karl Marx and the labor theory of value. They also delve into intelligence and the broken American higher education system. The conversation touches upon President Biden's student loan forgiveness executive order and wokeness. The podcast explores the changing perception of Marxism, challenges the denial of natural differences in ability, and questions the belief that college is the only path to success. The tension between reducing bias and objective assessments in education is explored, as well as the difficulties of finding suitable terms for social and political changes. The impact of language and the internet on communication is also analyzed.
Higher education has shifted its purpose from perpetuating an elite class to job preparation and social justice advocacy, leading to contradictions within colleges and their selection process for employers.
College degrees are losing value due to oversaturation, and alternative paths to success beyond academia should be recognized.
Holistic admissions in college can inadvertently perpetuate privilege and neglect systemic racism, raising questions about its effectiveness in promoting diversity and equity.
Deep dives
The Purpose of Higher Education
The podcast episode discusses the evolving purpose of higher education, pointing out that the original intent was to perpetuate an elite class rather than focus on job preparation or social justice. The episode highlights how colleges have become key in shaping job markets and the selection process for employers. It examines the contradictions within colleges, such as legacy admissions upholding privilege while advocating for dismantling privilege. The discussion also addresses the influence of holistic admissions, comparing it to the historical exclusionary practices against certain groups. Ultimately, the episode questions the value of college as a stamping mechanism and the exaggerated importance placed on intelligence in the current education system.
The Mismatch Between College and Job Market
The podcast explores the mismatch between the skills taught in college and the demands of the job market. It highlights the significance of college credentials as a screening mechanism for employers. The discussion underscores the declining value of college degrees due to oversaturation and the subsequent increase in competition among college graduates. The episode emphasizes the need to reconsider the emphasis on college as the ultimate measure of success and advocates for recognizing alternative paths to success beyond academia.
The Myth of Equality in College Admissions
The podcast challenges the notion of equality in college admissions, particularly in relation to holistic admissions. It discusses how holistic admissions can inadvertently perpetuate privilege by favoring certain soft factors and extracurricular activities that are more accessible to affluent students. The episode brings attention to the unintended consequences of holistic assessments, such as the potential for subjective biases and the neglect of systemic racism. It highlights the historical use of holistic admissions to exclude specific groups, such as Jews, and questions its effectiveness in promoting diversity and equity in higher education.
Redefining Success in Education
The podcast episode redefines success in education by challenging the notion of intelligence as the sole criterion of human value. It explores the concept of 'smart' as a loaded assumption and argues for a broader definition of success that acknowledges the natural variations in abilities and talents among individuals. The episode advocates for valuing diverse skills and talents instead of exclusively prioritizing academic intelligence. It questions the narrow focus on college degrees and highlights the need to reconsider the purpose and goals of education to better align with the realities of the job market and the individual strengths and aspirations of students.
The impact of social justice politics on American intellectual life
The podcast episode delves into the influence of social justice politics on American intellectual life, particularly focusing on its spread from elite university humanities departments to various sectors like academia, media, think tanks, and foundations. The episode highlights the preoccupation with safety, the emphasis on difference and identity, and the obsession with symbols and language that characterize this phenomenon. It discusses how these politics have gained prominence and resulted in a shift towards prioritizing subjective experiences and individual perspectives rather than collective action. The episode also explores the challenges faced in finding a suitable term to describe this movement, given the various interpretations and sensitivities surrounding the language used to discuss it.
The consequences of online communication and the role of technology
The podcast episode discusses the impact of online communication and technology on the proliferation of social justice politics. It highlights how the shift from audio-based conversation to text-based online platforms has contributed to the fixation on language and the amplification of conflicts. The episode emphasizes the indelible nature of online conversations, where every word is recorded and subject to misinterpretation, leading to permanent consequences for individuals. It also underscores the importance of considering the medium in which these debates occur and the challenges posed by the permanency and misinterpretation of written text. The podcast concludes by suggesting alternative forms of communication, such as voice memos, as a way to mitigate the negative effects of text-based interactions.
My guest today is Freddie DeBoer. Freddie is an independent writer on substack and has been published in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and many other places. His book "The Cult of Smart" was named one of the 10 best books of 2020 by New York Magazine.
In this episode, Freddie and I begin by discussing Karl Marx, the legacy of Marxism, and the so-called "labor theory of value". Freddie sees much more value in Marxism than I do so we disagree somewhat on that. We move on to discuss intelligence and the broken system of American higher education. A lot of that conversation is directly relevant to President Biden's recent student loan forgiveness executive order, although we recorded this right before that news broke. Finally, Freddie and I talked about wokeness and social justice ideology.
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