In an earlier post, perhaps I was too hard on postmodernism. From Jordan Peterson: He says they don’t have gratitude, presumably directed at millennials who are being brainwashed with postmodernism but unaware of it, but also directed at the postmodernists themselves, who are doing the brainwashing. Regarding socioeconomic outcomes, in agreement with Peterson, the postmodernist… Continue reading Defending Postmodernism
Tag: Intellectualism culture
Postmodernism: not just for liberals
This article went viral: Don’t Major in Literature The author, Max Diamond, although mostly correct, despite the pretense of intellectualism, offers a reductionist conclusion: that postmodernism and nihilism are leftist constructs and are always wrong. I don’t think it’s that simple. Foucault, an exponent of the blank slate, denies the existence of an innate human… Continue reading Postmodernism: not just for liberals
Intellectualism culture and intersectionality
‘Intellectualism culture’ is social theory that describes the interactions of smart people between each other and society. One of its maxims is that correctness is more important than consensus. Then it dawned on me, if in-group posturing is endemic to intellectualism, how did Cultural Marxism, which involves professors (presumably high-IQ people), stay ideologically cohesive instead… Continue reading Intellectualism culture and intersectionality
The Tyler Cowen-Rationality feud is getting out of hand
A brouhaha has erupted between Tyler Cowen and the Rationality community over comments made in an interview with Ezra Klein, in in which Tyler Cowen, in an uncharacteristic outburst of candidness, lambasted the Rationality community for what he perceives as religiosity and homogeneity: But I would approve of them much more if they called themselves… Continue reading The Tyler Cowen-Rationality feud is getting out of hand
Shared Experiences
From the study of ‘intellectualism culture’, which is a branch of ‘social theory’, arises the concept of ‘shared narratives’, discussed on this blog many times already. Shared narratives are beliefs, areas of inquiry, and values held by–and unique to–high-IQ people that bring such individuals together regardless of political or socioeconomic backgrounds. But then there are… Continue reading Shared Experiences
The Decline of ‘Low Information’ Conservatism
This article is going viral Advice to the Alt-Right Vox Day and Zman represent an insurgency against the ‘low information’ brand of conservatism that is characteristic of NRO, Drudge, Townhall, and elsewhere. Smart conservatives, in particular, are tired of hyper-partisanship and low-information punditry that regurgitates the same old predictable talking points, platitudes, and homilies…We, the… Continue reading The Decline of ‘Low Information’ Conservatism
Intellect: The Universal Solvent
In late December 2015, Scott Alexander’s How Bad Are Things article went massivly viral, with accolades from both right-wing and left-wing communities and forums, which got me (and others) thinking about how Scott is consistently able to transcend the left/right bulwark. Normally, people write articles for a specific audience or clique in mind, and spillovers… Continue reading Intellect: The Universal Solvent