The Parasitic Mind

1. The West faces a pandemic of dangerous idea pathogens

Unlike other pandemics where biological pathogens are to blame, the current culprit is composed of a collection of bad ideas, spawned on university campuses, that chip away at our edifices of reason, freedom, and individual dignity.

Idea pathogens spread. Like viruses, destructive ideas can infect minds and propagate through populations. These include:

• Postmodernism: Rejects objective truth
• Radical feminism: Denies biological sex differences
• Social constructivism: Claims all human traits are socially imposed
• Cultural relativism: Refuses to judge harmful cultural practices
• Identity politics: Divides people into competing victim groups

Universities are ground zero. These ideas largely originate in humanities and social science departments, then spread to:

• Politics and government
• Corporate policies
• Media and popular culture
• K-12 education

The result is an erosion of reason, individual liberty, and enlightenment values that have made Western civilization great. Like an immune system, society needs robust debate and critical thinking to combat these intellectual pathogens.

2. Universities have become breeding grounds for anti-reason movements

Universities serve as the training ground of the politically correct thought police and their social justice warriors.

Academic freedom is under attack. Many universities now prioritize protecting students' feelings over pursuing truth. This manifests as:

• Speech codes and bias reporting systems
• Disinvitations of controversial speakers
• Self-censorship by professors fearing backlash
• Grade inflation and lowering of academic standards

Echo chambers form. Political diversity is severely lacking:

• Liberal professors outnumber conservatives by ratios of 10:1 or higher in many fields
• Students are rarely exposed to opposing viewpoints
• Disciplines like gender studies often lack any ideological diversity

The result is a generation of students unprepared for real-world intellectual challenges and diversity of thought. Universities must recommit to their core purpose of fostering critical thinking and the pursuit of truth.

3. Social justice warriors enforce a culture of victimhood and offense

To judge is to be human. It is perfectly natural to judge others. It is an integral part of being a well-functioning adult.

Victimhood is fetishized. Social justice ideology incentivizes:

• Claiming oppressed status
• Competing in the "Oppression Olympics"
• Manufacturing grievances and outrage

Judgment is prohibited. SJWs enforce taboos against:

• Criticizing other cultures, even for clear human rights violations
• Acknowledging biological sex differences
• Questioning transgender ideology

Rational discourse suffers. The result is:

• Self-censorship out of fear of offending
• Ad hominem attacks instead of addressing arguments
• Denial of basic scientific and social realities

This creates fragile students unprepared for life's challenges. We must push back by encouraging open debate, critical thinking, and judgement based on reason and evidence.

4. Political correctness and self-censorship threaten free speech

Political correctness is like the sting of the spider wasp. Recall that the afflicted spider is dragged to the wasp's burrow in a zombie-like state and is subsequently eaten in vivo by the wasp's offspring. Political correctness achieves the same macabre objective—it allows nefarious ideas to slowly consume us while we sit quietly in a zombie-like state, too afraid to speak out.

Free speech is foundational. Open discourse is essential for:

• Scientific progress
• Social and political reform
• Individual liberty and human flourishing

Self-censorship is rampant. Many remain silent out of fear of:

• Professional retaliation
• Social ostracism
• Being labeled racist/sexist/phobic

Courage is needed. To preserve free speech:

• Speak out against censorship, even of views you oppose
• Support those who face backlash for controversial speech
• Oppose hate speech laws and campus speech codes
• Cultivate emotional resilience to handle offense

A free society requires citizens willing to defend open discourse, even when it's uncomfortable. The alternative is a stifling orthodoxy that impedes progress.

5. Postmodernism and radical feminism reject objective truth and science

Feminism, throughout its history, has ameliorated the lives of innumerable women around the world, but, like any ideology or institution, it seeks to perpetuate itself, and that now requires maintaining a manufactured victimhood narrative.

Postmodernism undermines knowledge. It claims:

• There is no objective truth
• All knowledge claims are merely social constructions
• Science has no special claim to truth

Radical feminism denies biology. It asserts:

• There are no innate psychological sex differences
• Gender is entirely socially constructed
• Acknowledging sex differences is sexist

Science is attacked. These ideologies:

• Reject the scientific method as "white" and "patriarchal"
• Claim other "ways of knowing" are equally valid
• Deny biological realities about sex

This anti-science stance impedes research and social progress. We must defend scientific inquiry and biological realities while still advocating for equal rights and opportunities.

6. Islam poses unique challenges to Western liberal values

If you are a classically liberal, modern, pluralistic, and secular society, opening your door to innumerable immigrants whose cultural and religious heritage is rooted in religious supremacy, homophobia, misogyny, intolerance toward religious minorities with a special hatred for Jews, rejection of freedom of speech, and freedom of conscience, will not yield good outcomes.

Islam's global impact. Evidence shows Islam's outsized role in:

• International terrorism (80-90% of attacks)
• Oppression of women and minorities
• Restrictions on free speech and apostasy

Cultural compatibility issues. Many Muslim immigrants hold views opposing:

• Gender equality
• LGBT rights
• Religious pluralism
• Separation of church and state

Honest discussion needed. We must be able to:

• Critique Islamic doctrines without being labeled racist
• Acknowledge differences between Muslim and Western values
• Have rational immigration debates based on data

This doesn't mean opposing all Muslim immigration or demonizing Muslims. But it does require honestly facing challenges of assimilation and preserving liberal values.

7. Building "nomological networks" can combat destructive ideologies

Nomological networks of cumulative evidence constitute a powerful means by which we can synthesize complex information in our quest to make rational decisions.

Evidence-based reasoning. To counter ideological thinking:

1. Identify key claims of an ideology
2. Gather evidence from multiple disciplines and sources
3. Build a network of mutually supporting facts and arguments
4. Look for converging lines of evidence

Example: Gender differences. Evidence includes:

• Cross-cultural universals in mate preferences
• Neuroanatomical sex differences
• Behavioral differences in infants
• Evolutionary theory predictions
• Hormone effects on behavior

Strength in synthesis. This approach:

• Makes ideological denial more difficult
• Reveals robust patterns across domains
• Distinguishes solid theories from pseudoscience

By building comprehensive evidential networks, we can more effectively challenge destructive ideologies and defend scientific truth.

8. We must actively defend reason, science, and individual liberty

March on, soldiers of reason. Together we can win the battle of ideas.

Engagement is crucial. To preserve Western values:

• Speak out against censorship and illiberal ideologies
• Support academic freedom and viewpoint diversity
• Challenge anti-science movements with evidence
• Defend individual rights over group identities

Courage is needed. Be willing to:

• Face social and professional backlash
• Engage in difficult conversations
• Stand up to mob mentality

Hope remains. By taking action:

• We can reclaim universities as bastions of free inquiry
• Political correctness can be rolled back
• Reason and individual liberty can prevail

The future of Western civilization depends on ordinary citizens willing to stand up for enlightenment values. Each voice matters in this crucial battle of ideas.

Last updated: August 7, 2024