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New Discourses

The Thing You Run Into When Your Beliefs Are False | James Lindsay

Nov 26, 2024
James Lindsay delivers a thought-provoking critique of critical theory and its impact on social justice. He argues that this perspective dismisses objective truth in favor of shifting political agendas. Using the Challenger disaster as a poignant example, he stresses the need for evidence-based inquiry and grounded beliefs. Lindsay also discusses the troubling shift in education, particularly in mathematics, advocating for a balance between social issues and objective truths. Ultimately, he champions liberal values and the scientific method as essential to progress.
47:13

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • James Lindsay critiques critical theory for prioritizing political agendas over objective truth, undermining disciplines reliant on evidence-based methods.
  • The podcast emphasizes the dangerous implications of distancing social justice from factual realities, hindering effective solutions to complex global challenges.

Deep dives

The Revolutionary Goal of Social Justice

Social justice is framed as a quest for revolution, primarily aiming to dismantle existing power structures through critical theory. This approach focuses on the emancipation of oppressed individuals from various forms of injustice and unfairness, such as discrimination and bigotry. However, the effectiveness of these methods is brought into question as they may overlook the deeper complexities of the realities they seek to change. The danger lies in these advocates not fully comprehending the very systems they criticize, which can undermine their noble intentions.

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