The Merits of Meritocracy
The concept of meritocracy is frequently misinterpreted to mean that everyone gets what they deserve. “Do you think Donald Trump deserved to be president?” a friend once asked me, after…
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Politics
716 posts
Diversity in STEM: Why You Can Never Go Home Again
Social justice activists have recently implored the scientific community to be more welcoming to diverse voices. Diversity of perspective is important in science. Without it, research becomes narrowly focused, and…
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We All Work at the New York Times Now
In 2018, Andrew Sullivan lamented: “We all live on campus now.” He felt that important liberal norms were being undermined by “an identity-based ‘social justice’ movement” that had successfully migrated…
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Why We Need to Eliminate the Citizenship Test
In the US, as in many other nations, the final hurdle for a non-citizen to fully politically integrate into the nation state is the naturalization process. Half of this is…
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Education Wars: China vs. UK
In the latest tit-for-tat round of what passes for international politics these days, the UK government has imposed “unilateral sanctions” on a number of local and national Chinese politicians for…
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The Radicalisation of India and Pakistan
The border between Pakistan and India is one of the most volatile in the world and the people on both sides are chauvinistic towards each other. Pakistan is a Muslim-majority…
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Why We Need an Elected Monarchy
I’ve always considered myself a monarchist. The response to the recent death of Prince Phillip—an exceptional public servant in spite of his many and notorious gaffes—highlights the enduring popularity of…
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Toward a Better Understanding of Systemic Racism
As an academic librarian in the United States, I have watched with dismay as Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become the dominant framing of the continuing impact of America’s terrible…
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Men Are Not Sharks
Announcing on Twitter that all women are bad drivers or that all Muslims are bombers in waiting is likely to lead to a suspension. Moreover, it could have serious ramifications for…
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Academic Freedom and Native American Reburials
Thirty years ago, a federal law called NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) was passed. NAGPRA’s purpose is to assist federally recognized Native American tribes with repatriation and…
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The Virus, Lockdown and the Right
Phil Shannon’s recent essay “The Virus, Lockdown and the Left,” eviscerates the left for supporting lockdowns, social distancing and mass vaccinations and, especially, for failing to protect the poor, who…
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What Ibram X. Kendi Gets Wrong About Reparations
Prominent scholar and activist Dr. Ibram X. Kendi has claimed, “To oppose reparations is to be racist. To support reparations is to be anti-racist.” But is Kendi right? One way…
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Why is Left-Wing Writing Often So Bad?
Many people accuse the major intellectuals on the political left of writing very poorly. Needlessly verbose, difficult and ugly left-wing writing is often seen as little more than a screen…
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Is Liberalism Worth Saving?
Often, a political ideology can be justified on the basis of its principles, despite its many failings in practice. This is how Francis Fukuyama and Patrick Deneen’s interpretations of liberalism…
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Why Can’t the Right Be Cancelled?
On 10 February 2021, Gina Carano—a former MMA fighter best known for her role in the Stars Wars spin-off The Mandalorian—was dealt what looked like a death blow to her…
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The Subject Principle in Critical Social Justice Thought
No current intellectual or social movement in the west enjoys the momentum of Critical Social Justice (CSJ). One reason for this is that people don’t understand CSJ well, and if…
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Not All Men
For Vijit and Gita Imagine if we lived in a world populated by two races of beings: one of them not only markedly physically stronger than the other but more…
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What Fascism Is and What It Is Not
No word has been more brazenly and irresponsibly weaponized and diluted by the social justice movement than fascism. Fascism has been discussed in countless op-eds, traded as an insult in…
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