"Many people are nonplussed by the surge of wokery, social justice warfare, intersectionality, and identity politics that has spilled out of academia and inundated other spheres of life. Where did it come from? What ideas are behind it? This book exposes the surprisingly shallow intellectual roots of the movements that appear to be engulfing our culture."
—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now

About the Book

Have you heard that language is violence and that science is sexist? Have you read that certain people shouldn’t practice yoga or cook Chinese food? Or been told that being obese is healthy, that there is no such thing as biological sex, or that only white people can be racist? Are you confused by these ideas, and do you wonder how they have managed so quickly to challenge the very logic of Western society?

In this probing and intrepid volume, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay document the evolution of the dogma that informs these ideas, from its coarse origins in French postmodernism to its refinement within activist academic fields. Today this dogma is recognizable as much by its effects, such as cancel culture and social-media dogpiles, as by its tenets, which are all too often embraced as axiomatic in mainstream media: knowledge is a social construct; science and reason are tools of oppression; all human interactions are sites of oppressive power play; and language is dangerous. As Pluckrose and Lindsay warn, the unchecked proliferation of these anti-Enlightenment beliefs present a threat not only to liberal democracy but also to modernity itself.

While acknowledging the need to challenge the complacency of those who think a just society has been fully achieved, Pluckrose and Lindsay break down how this often-radical activist scholarship does far more harm than good, not least to those marginalized communities it claims to champion. They also detail its alarmingly inconsistent and illiberal ethics. Only through a proper understanding of the evolution of these ideas, they conclude, can those who value science, reason, and consistently liberal ethics successfully challenge this harmful and authoritarian orthodoxy—in the academy, in culture, and beyond.

About the Author

Helen Pluckrose is a liberal political and cultural writer and speaker. She is the editor of Areo Magazine and the author of many popular essays on postmodernism, critical theory, liberalism, secularism, and feminism. A participant in the grievance studies affair probe, which 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.

James Lindsay is a mathematician with a background in physics. He is interested in the psychology of religion, authoritarianism, and extremism and is the author of Everybody is Wrong about God. His other books include Life in Light of Death and How to Have Impossible Conversations. His essays have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Philosophers’ Magazine, Scientific American, and Time. 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.

Details

ISBN: 9781634312028
Format: hardcover
SRP: $27.95
Page count: 352 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: August 2020

“This book questions society’s willingness to abandon a generation of children to the dictates of a global political movement. It challenges what it means to be ‘kind’ and blows apart the activist ideology you’re supposed to believe. Essential reading for every parent, lawmaker, and teacher, and for everyone who cares about the welfare of children and the importance of truth.”
—Stephanie Davies-Arai BEM, Founder and Director, Transgender Trend

About the Book

A medical scandal is currently unfolding across Western liberal societies. As Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans reveals, the primary victims are vulnerable, socially awkward kids with normally developing bodies who fall for the Internet-fueled promise that they can solve their emotional, psychological, or physical discomfort by adopting an opposite-sex identity. With deep reservations about the new gender orthodoxy that informs this promise and the irreversible one-size-fits-all medical prescription that comes with it, the parent contributors to this anthology share deeply personal stories about transition and desistance that won't be told at the gender clinic. They also offer practical advice based on hard-earned experience that won't be found in mainstream media. Whether progressive or conservative, gay or straight, secular or religious, they all share the aim of protecting children from the physical and emotional harms of the gender industry and seek to empower and encourage other parents and individuals to combat gender ideology at home, in schools, in clinics, and beyond.

About the Editors

Josie A. is a mother and co-founder of Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans. She lives on the West Coast. Dina S. is a mother and co-founder of Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans. She lives on the East Coast. Stella O’Malley is the founder of Genspect.

Details

ISBN: 9781634312462
Format: paperback
SRP: $19.95
Page count: 392 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: August 2023

PRAISE FOR CYNICAL THEORIES

"Many people are nonplussed by the surge of wokery, social justice warfare, intersectionality, and identity politics that has spilled out of academia and inundated other spheres of life. Where did it come from? What ideas are behind it? This book exposes the surprisingly shallow intellectual roots of the movements that appear to be engulfing our culture."
—Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of Enlightenment Now

About the Book

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 people—depending on their race, gender, or identity—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 built—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 society—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.

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.

Details

ISBN: 9781634312233
Format: hardcover
SRP: $18.99
Lexile measure: 1370L
Page count: 248 pages
Trim size: 5.5 x 8.5
Pub date: January 2022

"Parents of children who announce a transgender identity often find themselves in a world of confusion and contradiction. These brilliant, clear-eyed authors — all with extensive clinical experience — have written the emergency survival guide for families."
—Abigail Shrier, author of Irreversible Damage: Teenage Girls and the Transgender Craze

About the Book

Being the parent of a gender-questioning child is confusing. You want to do what’s best for your child, but doctors and therapists might make recommendations that conflict with your instincts as a parent, the person who best knows your child’s unique history, challenges and struggles. Do you immediately affirm a newly professed gender identity, watch and wait, or pursue some other path? While many books have been written for parents who choose to facilitate their child’s gender transition, there are almost no books for parents who do not think that social or medical transition is the best option for their child. Written by Sasha Ayad, Lisa Marchiano and Stella O’Malley – three mental health professionals who collectively have decades of experience working with trans-identified adolescents and their families – When Kids Say They’re Trans is a resource designed explicitly for those parents who do not think that hasty affirmation or medicalization is the best way to ensure the long-term health and well-being of their child. It is also for those who simply aren’t so sure about the best course of action and want to learn the facts before committing to a particular approach. At a time when schools, institutions and governments increasingly promote ideas about gender that confuse children and even encourage kids to keep secrets from their parents, the authors celebrate parental love and engagement as the bedrock that children need to move out into the world. As the authors make clear, parents who have successfully helped their children navigate gender distress without resorting to surgery and hormones have done so by actively taking the reins – not by reflexively outsourcing this responsibility or waiting until they found the ideal therapist or doctor. When Kids Say They’re Trans tells you all you need to know as a parent to help your child struggling with gender issues – and will give you the confidence to trust your own instincts as you guide and support your child on the path toward growth, acceptance and maturity.

About the Author(s)

Sasha Ayad is a licensed professional counselor in private practice who works with teens and young adults struggling with issues of gender dysphoria and gender identity. She also runs a robust parent coaching membership group to help parents navigate their child's identity exploration with discernment, wisdom, and compassion. Sasha is cohost of the podcast Gender: A Wider Lens. 

Lisa Marchiano is a licensed clinical social worker and a certified Jungian analyst. She consults with parents of trans-identifying teens and detransitioners and is the author of Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself. 

Stella O’ Malley is a psychotherapist and best-selling author whose work focuses on teenagers, parenting, and family dynamics. In addition to facilitating a parent coaching site that provides practical help to parents who are navigating their child’s gender-related distress, she is the cohost of Gender: A Wider Lens podcast and director of Genspect, an international organization that offers a healthy approach to sex and gender.

Details

ISBN: 9781634312486
Format: paperback
SRP: $19.95
Page count: 304 pages
Trim size: 6 x 9
Pub date: October 2023