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flurry2568's review against another edition
2.0
Stopped on page 201.
Very interesting concepts on how being on the wrong side of a modern debate is scarily close to 1984's thought crime.
Unfortunately the author's thick bias and weak examples produce a very mediocre book.
Very interesting concepts on how being on the wrong side of a modern debate is scarily close to 1984's thought crime.
Unfortunately the author's thick bias and weak examples produce a very mediocre book.
alexandrabree's review against another edition
5.0
“ Queers want to be recognized as fundamentally different” vs paraphrasing this bit, Gays would simply like to be part of the larger social fabric. This definition made the book among about 101 other excellent points made.
Must read
Must read
jasperburns's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really quite a fan of Douglas Murray, he is such a clear thinker and writer. The "madness" he describes are really the numerous inbuilt contradictions within many of the new social justice movements. He, as a gay man, critiques the coalitions built upon sexuality, feminism, race, and transgenderism. Some of the many contradictions include:
• Men and women should be treated as equals, AND women are better than men.
• Men and women are not biological realities but social constructs, AND men and women need to biologically alter themselves to become the other sex.
• Identity is a construct so you can change your sex, AND identity is a biological reality so you cannot change your race.
• Race and culture are not inextricably linked, AND race and culture are inextricably linked.
• Racism is prejudice plus power, AND empowered minorities who are prejudiced are still not racist.
• Trans women are real women, AND trans women are not real women.
• Western countries are the worst because of how they oppress minorities, AND non-Western countries that are for more oppressive are somehow better or less in need of social critique.
Importantly, he makes explicit the growing connection between identity and politics. Under some ultra-left conceptions, Kanye West having supported Trump is an indication that he is no longer black. Peter Thiel doing the same means that while he may sleep with men, he is "not a gay man" (according to a prominent LGBT magazine). What started as good-hearted intention to help the disenfranchised has turned into nearly religious and over-the-top zeal. Empathy has completely blinded reason. Virtue signaling has overwhelmed actual virtue.
Very much appreciated Murray. I recommend to all interested.
View my best reviews and a collection of my mental models at jasperburns.blog.
• Men and women should be treated as equals, AND women are better than men.
• Men and women are not biological realities but social constructs, AND men and women need to biologically alter themselves to become the other sex.
• Identity is a construct so you can change your sex, AND identity is a biological reality so you cannot change your race.
• Race and culture are not inextricably linked, AND race and culture are inextricably linked.
• Racism is prejudice plus power, AND empowered minorities who are prejudiced are still not racist.
• Trans women are real women, AND trans women are not real women.
• Western countries are the worst because of how they oppress minorities, AND non-Western countries that are for more oppressive are somehow better or less in need of social critique.
Importantly, he makes explicit the growing connection between identity and politics. Under some ultra-left conceptions, Kanye West having supported Trump is an indication that he is no longer black. Peter Thiel doing the same means that while he may sleep with men, he is "not a gay man" (according to a prominent LGBT magazine). What started as good-hearted intention to help the disenfranchised has turned into nearly religious and over-the-top zeal. Empathy has completely blinded reason. Virtue signaling has overwhelmed actual virtue.
Very much appreciated Murray. I recommend to all interested.
View my best reviews and a collection of my mental models at jasperburns.blog.
yates9's review against another edition
3.0
The author raises many interesting points at the heart of our contemporary moral landscape, he identifies logical inconsistencies between values and scientific fact, and he makes a strong point about how media, culture and politics are driven by the sensational rather than the useful and reasonable.
However, I remain disappointed in the half-baked thinking. Here we have neo-rationalist thinking that does not think beyond its tools. What you are reading and learning about is the instrumentation of words, the discussion about what they mean, without acknowledging that everything we do is made of the same words.
Specifically:
- While the author complains about sensationalization of information as distorting our reasoning, he himself leverages the same mechanism when identifying moral contradictions. And he never admits that perhaps his own sensationalization might lead to even more of a fight rather than the reasoned practical solutions he advocates.
- He takes on board research such as IQ and race without even for one moment worrying about definitions. This research is not problematic because of its methodology, it is divisive, unproductive and confusing because it relies on language that is not well defined. Most people do not realize we do not have clear definitions of neither intelligence nor race. So ultimately we are measuring cultural stereotypes ability to give rise to cultural stereotypes.
I believe the author has the potential to be a great informer and transformer if he were to work from establishing operational consensus definitions of his terminology rather that spending a book trying to give rise to inflammatory counter cultural exploits.
However, I remain disappointed in the half-baked thinking. Here we have neo-rationalist thinking that does not think beyond its tools. What you are reading and learning about is the instrumentation of words, the discussion about what they mean, without acknowledging that everything we do is made of the same words.
Specifically:
- While the author complains about sensationalization of information as distorting our reasoning, he himself leverages the same mechanism when identifying moral contradictions. And he never admits that perhaps his own sensationalization might lead to even more of a fight rather than the reasoned practical solutions he advocates.
- He takes on board research such as IQ and race without even for one moment worrying about definitions. This research is not problematic because of its methodology, it is divisive, unproductive and confusing because it relies on language that is not well defined. Most people do not realize we do not have clear definitions of neither intelligence nor race. So ultimately we are measuring cultural stereotypes ability to give rise to cultural stereotypes.
I believe the author has the potential to be a great informer and transformer if he were to work from establishing operational consensus definitions of his terminology rather that spending a book trying to give rise to inflammatory counter cultural exploits.