S5 E8 | Pursuit of Truth: Curiosity over Compliance

 In 2022 Counterweight, the organization that Helen Pluckrose founded and that was absorbed into the Institute for Liberal Values had a virtual conference on Alternatives to Diversity and Inclusion. Starting in 2025, we will be rolling out one talk a month that was presented at the conference. We sit down with the original presenters throughout 2025 to see what has changed since 2022. With Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives seemingly on the chopping block, we are curious to hear what our original participants are witnessing and experiencing on the ground. Is DEI really dead or just in remission? Are there healthy alternatives to DEI that we should consider, or do we throw the baby out with the bathwater and wipe our hands clean? What do you think?

This month Jennifer Richmond interviews Will Reusch.  In his update to her original talk on Liberal Approaches to Diversity and Inclusion, where he shared practical tips for difficult conversations and communicating across divides, Will shares with us his latest work on how to Brainwash-proof kids. Despite DEI being on the wane across America, Will tells us that they are now too often baked into K12 academic standards, making them more difficult to dismiss. As education becomes more decentralized with the rise of new school opportunities, Will is taking the momentum to move education from an obedience model that values compliance over curiosity, with his own online courses. His ultimate aim in creating Patterdox is the pursuit of truth that rewards curiosity and critical thinking.

You can find his original conference presentation here: https://youtu.be/ZCogWT-6N3E

Podcast Notes:

Will's socials:

https://www.instagram.com/willreusch/
https://x.com/teecherreusch

Website: www.patterdox.com

The Brainwash Proof masterclass can be accessed here:  https://patterdox.com/masterclass

Gender: https://youtu.be/-NW6J0uzpXI?si=q9LQKgCWlLYTi0Em 

Critical Social Justice: https://youtu.be/XaC3ObDSqzQ?si=IYucpCz6Sx8kg2oQ