AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
Yascha Mounk: Avoiding The Identity Trap
Oct 5, 2023
Yascha Mounk discusses the dominance of identity politics, the power of post-modernism, critical race theory and intersectionality, teaching 'stupid things' to privileged children, family history and identity, challenges of being a college administrator, and embracing universal principles.
01:03:18
Episode guests
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- The rise of identity politics has led to a tension between the left and the right, with the right attacking everything associated with it and the left dismissing any critique of it.
- The identity synthesis, influenced by post-modernism, post-colonialism, and critical race theory, proposes that race, gender, and sexual orientation are the primary prisms through which the world should be understood, leading to a skepticism towards universal principles and a focus on intersectionality.
Deep dives
The Identity Trap: Understanding the Dominance of Identity Politics
In this podcast episode, Yasha Monk, the founder of the online magazine Persuasion and author of The Identity Trap, discusses the rise of identity politics and its negative influence on society. He argues that there is a tension between the right and the left when it comes to discussing these ideas, with the right sometimes attacking everything associated with identity politics and the left dismissing any critique of it. Monk delves into the intellectual history of these ideas, tracing their origins in the academy and their subsequent influence on society. He also explores the key components of this ideology, including the focus on race, gender, and sexual orientation, the skepticism towards universal principles, and the call for a regime where treatment and societal norms depend on group identity. Monk highlights the importance of engaging in a serious conversation about these ideas while also critiquing them and striving to live up to universal liberal values. He acknowledges that there has been pushback against extreme manifestations of this ideology, but cautions against the deeper hold it may be gaining in various institutions and classrooms.
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode