Helen Pluckrose on confronting Critical Theory | Solutions With David Ansara Podcast #32

In this episode of the 'Solutions With David Ansara' podcast, I speak with British writer Helen Pluckrose about the pernicious influence of Critical Theory, and how to push back against these dangerous ideas.

Helen and I discuss the postmodern origins of Critical Theory, and how it escaped the ivory tower of academia to become mainstream. This has dramatically altered the way we talk about race, gender and sexuality, she says.

Helen argues that what passes for 'Social Justice' is in fact a fundamentally illiberal and intolerant ideology. Its adherents suppress free speech, foster a culture of victimhood and essentialise people's experience based on their identity and 'positionality'.

We explore alternative (liberal) approaches to social justice, and also discuss the practical steps that ordinary people can take to counteract 'wokeness' in the workplace or other institutions.

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) Intro
(00:30) Helen Pluckrose on postmodernism
(04:08) Helen Pluckrose on the emergence of Critical Theory
(07:26) Helen Pluckrose on liberal approaches to social justice
(11:17) Helen Pluckrose on the problems with 'wokeness'
(13:23) Helen Pluckrose on how Critical Theory went mainstream
(17:54) Helen Pluckrose on Critical Theory in universities
(21:10) Helen Pluckrose on the influence of Marxism on Critical Theory
(25:26) Helen Pluckrose on Critical Race Theory
(29:26) Helen Pluckrose on CRT in the workplace
(37:04) Helen Pluckrose on the culture of victimhood
(38:52) Helen Pluckrose on Western Civilisation and the Enlightenment
(43:57) Helen Pluckrose on the right-wing reaction to CRT
(46:37) Helen Pluckrose on counteracting CRT activism
(53:50) Conclusion

RESOURCES

BOOK: Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay, 'Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody' (2020): https://www.amazon.com/Cynical-Theori...

WEB: https://counterweightsupport.com/