In this week's episode Helen Pluckrose documents the evolution of the ideas that inform today's radical social justice activism, from its coarse origins in French postmodernism to its refinement within activist academic fields. Pluckrose argues this dogma is recognizable as much by its effects, such as cancel culture and social-media dogpiles, as by its tenets, which are all too often embraced as axiomatic in mainstream media: knowledge is a social construct; science and reason are tools of oppression; all human interactions are sites of oppressive power play; and language is dangerous. As Pluckrose and Lindsay warn, the unchecked proliferation of these anti-Enlightenment beliefs present a threat not only to liberal democracy but also to modernity itself. While acknowledging the need to challenge the complacency of those who think a just society has been fully achieved, Pluckrose break down how this often-radical activist scholarship does far more harm than good, not least to those marginalized communities it claims to champion. The podcast was hosted by the writer and journalist Helen Joyce. You can find out more about the book here: https://amzn.to/3nu0jmw Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared.
 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.