Wakey wakey. I'll be providing some commentary from the Speaking Truth To Social Justice conference today. A really ideologically diverse group of people in the room today. 
I got to meet and shake the hand of Alan Sokal of 'The Sokal Affair' infamy moments ago. He's here today en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_aff…
After the opening remarks from Michael O'Fallon, @peterboghossian will take to the podium with 'How Social Justice Silences'.
The event is being filmed, so I assume so.
https://twitter.com/Hari89886353/status/1183302467783671808?s=19
"Social Justice advocates become what they claim to hate: thugs and bullies". @peterboghossian is talking about being spat on, harassed and threatened with physical violence for attempting to host open conversations about social justice ideology.
"No one will tell me what I can or can't say or who I can or can't speak to". @peterboghossian gets a round of applause for refusing to be intimidated by the mob.
Now @peterboghossian is going to lay out 7 ways in which social justice threatens freedom of speech.
#1 "name-calling".
"Social Justice advocates use name-calling to silence people". Peter tells us how "Nazi" is a popular goto
#1 "name-calling".
"Social Justice advocates use name-calling to silence people". Peter tells us how "Nazi" is a popular goto
#2 "Claiming that speech is violence".
"Claiming speech is violence is a way to cut off dialogue before it even starts" @peterboghossian
"Claiming speech is violence is a way to cut off dialogue before it even starts" @peterboghossian
#3 'Inclusion'
@peterboghossian is telling us about the difference between a 'welcoming' environment and an environment that restricts speech under the guise of 'Inclusion'.
@peterboghossian is telling us about the difference between a 'welcoming' environment and an environment that restricts speech under the guise of 'Inclusion'.
#4 'Disinvitations'
This is the common issue of people receiving invitations to speak, then having them revoked due to complainants about their political positions. The list of disinvitations is long. @peterboghossian says it's more likely to happen to those on the right
This is the common issue of people receiving invitations to speak, then having them revoked due to complainants about their political positions. The list of disinvitations is long. @peterboghossian says it's more likely to happen to those on the right
#5 'Bias response teams'
This is the practice of encouraging students to report "offensive" speech so that a panel can investigate and punish offenders where necessary
This is the practice of encouraging students to report "offensive" speech so that a panel can investigate and punish offenders where necessary
During number 4, @peterboghossian mentioned that speakers can often be distinvited due to required security costs. I wrote about this a while back. gspellchecker.com/2017/04/ayaan-…
"The new thing now is being offended by proxy". @peterboghossian talks about the growing trend of being offended on someone else's behalf and making a complaint.
#6 'Cancel culture'.
This is the boycotting, shunning or ignoring of those (usually a public figure) who say things deemed 'offensive'.
This is the boycotting, shunning or ignoring of those (usually a public figure) who say things deemed 'offensive'.
"Cancel culture creatures an atmosphere of being scared to say what you think...Social justice has no mercy and no path to redemption"- @peterboghossian
#7 'Idea laundering'
A term coined by @BretWeinstein. It's the act of ideologically motivated individuals forming a peer-review group to publish faulty ideas in journals to pass them off as 'knowledge'.
A term coined by @BretWeinstein. It's the act of ideologically motivated individuals forming a peer-review group to publish faulty ideas in journals to pass them off as 'knowledge'.
We return after a short break with @HPluckrose on 'The Evolution Of Postmodern Thought'.
"It's common now to hear that all men are sexist or that all white people are racist" -@HPluckrose
@HPluckrose is telling us about the 'modernist' understanding of knowledge and explaining how we come about objective truth
@HPluckrose uniforms us that many people assumed the postmodernist movement had died out. However it didn't, but rather 'evolved' into the social justice movement we see today
This is great. @HPluckrose is giving us a really deep dive chronology of postmodernist to social justice thought. She has a book out on this topic next year apparently. One for your wishlist.
Released in May, available to pre-order
https://twitter.com/peterboghossian/status/1183323705256091656?s=19
Now @HPluckrose is telling us about 'racist microaggressions'. Apparently, examples have included "complimenting a black person on their eloquence" or being of the opinion that "the best person should be given the job".
Now @HPluckrose is telling us about 'Critical Race theory'. Many proponents/scholars of it promote the idea that someone's mere existence is enough to be implicit in racism.
Another quick break. @peterboghossian is getting some love for his published writing
Next up, it's James Lindsay (@ConceptualJames) with 'The Truth About Critical Methods'.
James tells us he has two "cognitive allergies".
Bullshit & unfairness.
He makes these comments in the context of the smears aimed at thinkers such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Tim Hunt. @ConceptualJames
Bullshit & unfairness.
He makes these comments in the context of the smears aimed at thinkers such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Tim Hunt. @ConceptualJames
@ConceptualJames is using disaster movie metaphors (Outbreak 1995) to explain the emerging threat of social justice ideology. We're all familiar with the first act when some boffin informs us of impending doom and no one listens. Then all hell breaks loose later in the movie
A lot of sirens in the area right now. Could be due to Extinction Rebellion, or the offense police coming to the conference. I'll let you know
James is invoking MLK in his defence of Liberalism, "the contents of one's character".
He points out the significance of today's venue. @ConceptualJames
He points out the significance of today's venue. @ConceptualJames
Some more info on the Gladstone Library. guoman.com/en/london/the-…
"The objective of social justice is to deconstruct liberal societies and replace them with social justice societies where they get to decide what is right or wrong" @ConceptualJames
"The weakness of a liberal society lies in its greatest strength: it invites criticism"
@ConceptualJames warns about the threat to liberalism from a significant number of dishonest complainants.
@ConceptualJames warns about the threat to liberalism from a significant number of dishonest complainants.
Know your enemy!
https://twitter.com/peterboghossian/status/1183336493009588224?s=19
James points out that the game of Critical Race Theory is rigged. Even if you are cognizant of your white privilege, you are simply termed one of the "good whites". This isn't a sincere descriptor. It's a term used to denigrate you for faking for social favour. @ConceptualJames
James is now pointing out certain similarities between social justice ideology and communism.
"Social Justice demands that we reject liberalism for 'The Greater Good' " @ConceptualJames
"Social Justice demands that we reject liberalism for 'The Greater Good' " @ConceptualJames
That's lunch!
Ok, we're back with a panel discussion featuring @peterboghossian, @ConceptualJames, @MikeNayna & @HPluckrose.
We're going to hear about their hoax paper project sciencealert.com/cultural-studi…
We're going to hear about their hoax paper project sciencealert.com/cultural-studi…
James tells us that the infusion of social justice ideology with 'the atheist movement' gave credence to the claims that atheism was a religious movement. @ConceptualJames
@ConceptualJames tells us that Alan Sokal's criticism of their initial project was invaluable to their later success.
Now @HPluckrose tells us that her path to this project was being feminist, but being dismayed by the current feminist movement.
"The feminist movement was turning into something that was actively disempowering women".
"The feminist movement was turning into something that was actively disempowering women".
@MikeNayna was on-hand to document this project on video from the get-go, capturing it all as it unfolded.
Mike is joking about his initial lack of faith in the project. He thought he may end up documenting @peterboghossian's career suicide. But here we are!
Mike is joking about his initial lack of faith in the project. He thought he may end up documenting @peterboghossian's career suicide. But here we are!
A lot of audience laughter as @ConceptualJames details the contents of some of the hoax papers. It's absurd, but they were accepted.
@MikeNayna says he began the project with a more charitable outlook on the social justice movement, but the more he researched, the more his perspective changed.
"The further you look into it, you realise it's really ugly"
"The further you look into it, you realise it's really ugly"
Shout-out from @peterboghossian to @sapinker's book 'The Blank Slate'.
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (Penguin Press Science) amazon.co.uk/dp/014027605X/…
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (Penguin Press Science) amazon.co.uk/dp/014027605X/…
Now @peterboghossian outlines the difference between 'equity' and 'equality'.
Equity refers to remedying past injustices, whereas equality is about treating everyone equally.
Equity refers to remedying past injustices, whereas equality is about treating everyone equally.
@HPluckrose pushes back at the social justice notion that science/enlightenment are "male, white & western" concepts that must be 'de-colonized' from the curriculum. Helen was invited to challenge this worldview at a public event and was disinvited due to 'safety' of students
As an aside, this is the poshest room I've ever been in (and likely ever will). It keeps catching me off-guard. I'm really surprised they let a northerner in. If they find out, I'm done for
"If you are not actively participating in social justice you are the oppressor"
@ConceptualJames pointing out the circular reasoning within the social justice movement.
@ConceptualJames pointing out the circular reasoning within the social justice movement.
"There is a denigration of objective truth".
@peterboghossian points out that people would soon change their tune on 'objective truth' were they to be short-changed by the bank.
@peterboghossian points out that people would soon change their tune on 'objective truth' were they to be short-changed by the bank.
@HPluckrose says there are actually valuable and valid ways to study social justice concerns (psychology, neuroscience etc). She says that the problem is when social justice claims to operate via "Alternative knowledge", external to objective methods.
We're back after a short break. @ConceptualJames takes to the podium again, this time with 'Believing in Progress'.
"Reality is the thing you run into when your beliefs are false" - @ConceptualJames
"Progress is getting answers from reality so we can figure out what approach works...progress is that you can get to when your beliefs are less false" - @ConceptualJames
After a break, @HPluckrose is telling us about 'Doing Social Justice Responsibly'.
This ties into something @ConceptualJames was talking about earlier. The causes of climate change is being co-opted by social justice, ergo "climate justice".
https://twitter.com/AntiRacismDay/status/1183398726422806528?s=19
@HPluckrose posits that secularism is a good tool in response to social justice ideology. In the name of secularism, we can recognise social justice ideology as a religion and demand 'religious freedom' from it. #Secularism
To gasps, @HPluckrose describes the below story..
University and College Union apologises after failing to include Jews on list of groups of Holocaust victims - The Jewish Chronicle thejc.com/news/uk-news/u…
University and College Union apologises after failing to include Jews on list of groups of Holocaust victims - The Jewish Chronicle thejc.com/news/uk-news/u…
After that break, @peterboghossian is up again with 'The Way Forward'.
Now @peterboghossian is teaching us about 'parrhesia' with reference to Socrates and Malala Yousafzai.
@peterboghossian is talking about the importance of establishing 'scales' in a discussion by asking a person to rate the certainty of their beliefs from 1-10. From there, got can introduce 'disconfirmation conditions'. This can introduce doubt
@peterboghossian advocates using "yes, and.. " when responding in conversation rather than "yes, but..." the latter serves to invalidate everything your interlocutor has just said and may inspire defensiveness. Therefore, it's less likely that they will change their mind
"If you speak clearly, you will know what you mean and other people will know what you mean". This is the antithesis of postmodernist language. @peterboghossian
"Finally and most importantly, be willing to revise your beliefs". You should also be "willing to say 'I don't know". @peterboghossian
"He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that". @peterboghossian quotes John Stuart Mill.
We return with the excellent @andrewdoyle_com as he talks 'Satire in the Digital Age'.
"Satire can only really be effective if you are annoying someone". @andrewdoyle_com
"The woke are the establishment, but they believe themselves to be the underdogs".
@andrewdoyle_com sees his satirical work with @TitaniaMcGrath as "punching up".
@andrewdoyle_com sees his satirical work with @TitaniaMcGrath as "punching up".
@andrewdoyle_com tells us about the time he had his satirical character joke that Mary Poppins has dabbled in 'black face', only for the New York Times publish the same claim, but sincerely. I bring it up here
https://twitter.com/GSpellchecker/status/1104002792841232384?s=19
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