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Social (In)justice

Why Many Popular Answers to Important Questions of Race, Gender, and Identity Are Wrong--and How to Know What's Right: A Reader-Friendly Remix of Cynical Theories
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( 105 ratings, 11 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Social (In)justice explores the evolution and influence of contemporary ideas on race, gender, and identity that have come to dominate public discourse. It examines claims such as language being a form of violence, challenges to biological sex, and critiques of traditional values, revealing these as recent inventions lacking scientific foundation. The book highlights how such beliefs often conflict with liberal democratic principles that underpin progress and equality.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is suitable for readers interested in social theory, cultural debates, and the foundations of justice and equality in society. It appeals to those seeking a critical perspective on current discussions about identity politics and social justice.

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"This book is based on Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity--and Why This Harms Everybody by Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay, first published by Pitchstone Publishing in 2020"--Verso.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This is a book about ideas.

Specifically, this is a book about the evolution of a certain set of ideas, and how these ideas have come to dominate every important discussion about race, gender, and identity today.

Have you heard someone refer to language as literal violence, or say that science is sexist? Or declare that being obese is healthy, or that there is no such thing as biological sex? Or that valuing hard work, individualism, and even punctuality is evidence of white supremacy? Or that only certain peopleβ€”depending on their race, gender, or identityβ€”should be allowed to wear certain clothes or hairstyles, cook certain foods, write certain characters, or play certain roles? If so, then you've encountered these ideas.

As this reader-friendly adaptation of the internationally acclaimed bestseller Cynical Theories explains, however, the truth is that many of these ideas are recent inventions, are not grounded in scientific fact, and do not account for the sheer complexity of social reality and human experience. In fact, these beliefs often deny and even undermine the very principles on which liberal democratic societies are builtβ€”the very ideas that have allowed for unprecedented human progress, lifted standards of living across the world, and given us the opportunity and right to consider and debate these ideas in the first place!

Ultimately, this is a book about what it truly means to have a just and equal societyβ€”and how best to get there.

Cynical Theories is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller. Named a 2020 Book of the Year by The Times, Sunday Times, and Financial Times, it is being translated into more than fifteen languages.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781634312233

Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 18 January 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Pitchstone Publishing

Illustration: Illustrations

Contributors:

  • Contributions by Rebecca Christiansen

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 139.0mm

Height: 215.0mm

Weight: 408g

Pages: 248

About the Author

Helen Pluckrose is a liberal political and cultural writer and the founder of Counterweight (counterweightsupport.com). A participant in the Grievance Studies Affair probe that highlighted problems in social justice scholarship, she is today an exile from the humanities, where she researched late medieval and early modern religious writing by and for women. She lives in England and can be found on Twitter @HPluckrose.

James Lindsay is a mathematician with a background in physics and founder of New Discourses (newdiscourses.com). He is interested in the psychology of religion, authoritarianism, and extremism. He led the Grievance Studies Affair probe that made international headlines in 2018, including the front page of the New York Times. He lives in Tennessee and can be found on Twitter @ConceptualJames.

Rebecca Christiansen is a novelist and essayist. Her debut YA novel, Maybe in Paris, was released in 2017, and she has several popular stories published on Wattpad. She lives in Canada and can be found on Twitter and Wattpad at @rebeccarightnow.

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