The Michael Shermer Show

chevron_right

The Collapse of Open Inquiry: Sacred Victims and Forbidden Questions

whatshot 19 snips

Dec 28, 2025

Guest

Eric Kaufmann

In this engaging discussion, Eric Kaufmann, a politics professor and director at the Centre for Heterodox Social Science, explores the complexities of identity politics and its impact on open inquiry. He argues that certain identities have become morally sacred, stifling honest debate and shaping current culture conflicts. Kaufmann critiques the shift from equal opportunity to enforced equal outcomes and highlights the dangers of selective sacred concerns. He also examines free speech limits and the role of emotional safety in academia, all while discussing historical 'awokenings' and their implications.

01:30:00

forum

Ask episode

web_stories

AI Snips

view_agenda

Chapters

menu_book

Books

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

insights

INSIGHT

Definition Of Woke As Sacreding Groups

Eric Kaufmann defines "woke" as making historically marginalized race, gender, and sexual identity groups morally sacred.
He argues sacreding groups restricts inquiry and elevates emotional protection over falsifiable evidence.

insights

INSIGHT

Origins Of Equal-Outcomes Mindset

Kaufmann traces the shift from equal opportunity to equal outcomes back to Johnson's 1960s policies and affirmative action architecture.
He says disparate-impact rules and outcome-focused programs entrenched expectations of perfect group equality.

insights

INSIGHT

Three Awokenings And Their Growth

Kaufmann frames three "awokenings": late 1960s, late 1980s–90s, and the 2010s–20s surge that spread off-campus.
He argues the third awokening fused campus ideology with mainstream media and social platforms.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Kaufmann's background and research focuses

01:22 • 3min

chevron_right

Political identity and 'rational populist' stance

04:30 • 4min

chevron_right

Defining 'woke' as sacred victimhood

08:57 • 2min

chevron_right

Evidence versus structural racism claims

10:52 • 2min

chevron_right

Shift from equal opportunity to equal outcomes

12:23 • 3min

chevron_right

Problems with pursuing perfect equality

15:47 • 4min

chevron_right

Selective sacred concerns and ignored factors

20:02 • 2min

chevron_right

STEM gender gaps and differing interests

22:01 • 4min

chevron_right

Three 'awokenings' historical framework

26:26 • 5min

chevron_right

Campus controversies and free speech history

31:40 • 5min

chevron_right

Emotional safety versus free inquiry

36:10 • 3min

chevron_right

Political consequences of woke culture

39:10 • 2min

chevron_right

Case study: archaeology and deplatforming

41:11 • 6min

chevron_right

Free speech limits and evidence requirements

47:10 • 3min

chevron_right

Britain and non-crime hate incidents

50:09 • 5min

chevron_right

Arguing woke arises from liberal empathy, not Marxism

54:47 • 5min

chevron_right

Therapeutic liberalism amplifies identity politics

01:00:10 • 5min

chevron_right

Partisan polarization and social sorting

01:05:21 • 7min

chevron_right

Comparing woke left and 'woke right'

01:12:10 • 2min

chevron_right

Monoculture in academia and viewpoint diversity

01:14:31 • 4min

chevron_right

Policy ideas: equivalent action and funding levers

01:18:23 • 3min

chevron_right

Role of government versus bottom-up reform

01:21:24 • 2min

chevron_right

Outlook: partial retreat and ongoing risks

• Mentioned in 8 episodes

Sociobiology

The New Synthesis

Edward O. Wilson

In 'Sociobiology: The New Synthesis,' Edward O. Wilson defines sociobiology as the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behavior. The book explores how social behaviors in animals, including altruism, cooperation, and aggression, are shaped by natural selection and genetic factors. Wilson extends this analysis to humans in the final chapter, sparking significant controversy and debate about the role of biology in human social behavior. The book is a landmark in the field of evolutionary biology and has had a profound impact on the nature versus nurture debate and the development of evolutionary psychology.

#2981

• Mentioned in 14 episodes

America's Cultural Revolution

How the Radical Left Conquered Everything

Christopher F. Rufo

In this book, Christopher F. Rufo uncovers the hidden history of left-wing intellectuals and militants who captured America’s institutions, including universities, corporations, and schools. He profiles key figures like Herbert Marcuse, Angela Davis, Paulo Freire, and Derrick Bell, showing how their ideas have profoundly influenced American culture. The book argues that these activists aim to replace constitutional equality with a race-based redistribution system overseen by bureaucratic ‘diversity and inclusion’ officials. Rufo’s work is both an historical analysis and a call to action against critical race theory and its implications on American society.

#2697

• Mentioned in 15 episodes

Bad News

How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy

Batya Ungar-Sargan

In this book, Batya Ungar-Sargon argues that American journalism has undergone a significant transformation over the twentieth century, evolving from a blue-collar trade to an elite profession. This shift has led journalists to focus more on the concerns of their affluent, highly educated peers rather than the working class. The book explores how the rise of the Internet and the decline of local news have nationalized elite news media, aligning corporate incentives with ideological newsroom crusades. Ungar-Sargon contends that this transformation has resulted in a media landscape that prioritizes 'woke' narratives and identity politics over class-conscious reporting, thereby consolidating the power of liberal elites and undermining American democracy.

#7227

• Mentioned in 6 episodes

Whiteshift

Populism, Immigration, and the Future of White Majorities

Eric Kaufmann

In this groundbreaking book, Eric Kaufmann examines the evidence to explore ethnic change in North American and Western Europe. He traces four ways of dealing with this transformation—fight, repress, flight, and join—and argues that to avoid more radical political divisions, we need to open up debate about the future of white majorities. The book is enriched with illustrative stories and draws on detailed survey, demographic, and electoral data, aiming to redefine the way we discuss race in the twenty-first century.

#4945

• Mentioned in 8 episodes

The Third Awokening

A 12-Point Plan for Rolling Back Progressive Extremism

Eric Kaufmann

In this book, Eric Kaufmann argues that the 'woke' movement is not a transient phenomenon but a cultural revolution with deep roots in left-liberal ideology. He contends that this movement has led to significant societal issues such as crime waves, educational decline, border chaos, and social division. Kaufmann proposes that the only way to mitigate these effects is through the use of constitutional government power to steer institutions and schools back towards neutrality and classical liberalism. He emphasizes the need for the conservative and moderate majority to prioritize cultural battles and win the war of ideas to preserve Western civilization.

#12471

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The Rise and Fall of Anglo-America

Eric Kaufmann

#9638

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

White guilt

How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era

Shelby Steele

In 'White Guilt,' Shelby Steele argues that the admission of past racism by white Americans created a moral vacuum, leading to policies like affirmative action and diversity initiatives that, while well-intentioned, have fostered dependency and inhibited true racial equality. Steele critiques liberal ideologies for perpetuating white guilt, which he believes complicates and extends racial problems rather than resolving them. He advocates for a shift towards individual freedom and accountability to achieve genuine racial harmony.

#26466

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Liberal Bullies

Luke Conway

#128

• Mentioned in 134 episodes

The selfish gene

Lalla Ward Richard Dawkins

Richard Dawkins

In 'The Selfish Gene', Richard Dawkins presents a gene-centred view of evolution, arguing that genes are the primary units of selection and that they behave selfishly to ensure their own replication. The book explains concepts such as kin selection, inclusive fitness, and the evolutionarily stable strategy, highlighting how these mechanisms can lead to altruistic behaviors in organisms. Dawkins emphasizes that the 'selfishness' of genes is a metaphorical concept, describing their evolutionary consequences rather than any intentional behavior. The book has been influential in shaping modern evolutionary thought and remains relevant today.

#4813

• Mentioned in 9 episodes

Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?

Eric Kaufmann

#7768

• Mentioned in 6 episodes

Mania

Lionel Shriver

In 'Mania', Lionel Shriver critiques the extremes of political correctness and radical egalitarianism through a satirical narrative. The story is set in a world where the Mental Parity Movement has abolished exams, degrees, and formal education, promoting the idea that all human brains are the same. The protagonist, Pearson Converse, rebels against this new order, facing dire consequences, while her friend Emory Ruth embraces the movement. The novel explores the consequences of such a society on various aspects of life, including education, healthcare, and politics.

Open inquiry depends on the ability to ask uncomfortable questions and follow evidence wherever it leads. Eric Kaufmann argues that this norm is now under strain.

Drawing on history, survey data, and political theory, Kaufmann outlines how certain identity categories came to be treated as morally sacred—and how that shift has reshaped debates about equality, free speech, and academic inquiry. The conversation examines the long roots of today's culture conflicts, the move from equal opportunity to equal outcomes, and why disagreement is increasingly interpreted as moral transgression rather than intellectual difference.

At stake is what happens to liberal societies when some questions can no longer be asked, nd whether open inquiry can still be defended without abandoning concern for fairness and dignity

Eric Kaufmann is a professor of politics and Director of the Centre for Heterodox Social Science at the University of Buckingham. He has written for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Times of London, Newsweek, National Review, New Statesman, Financial Times, and other outlets. His new book is The Third Awokening.

Home Top podcasts Popular guests Top books