Hernandez Jason Robinson Edward Garcia Kimberly

I went through a similar nightmare at my institution. The whole affair was Kafkaesque, and the mob-like mentality was primaeval. A pro-woke stance is easy, risk-free and makes you feel righteous. And, oh boy, did the mindless mob ever sign on. My faculty union was my worst enemy. I had the quiet support of my Dean and the President; without which I would have been sunk. Oddly, I eventually achieved my goal, although it took several years and I paid a terrible price. Ultimately it was worth it and I am fine now, but holy mother of god I learnt a lot about how awful people can be. The situation was on top of me in a flash and I was left fighting for my professional life. This type of thing can happen to all of us, so be warned.

Lopez Jason Lewis Sandra Robinson Gary

Great talk but what about refuting the north korea argument ?

Garcia Amy Jackson Daniel Lee Susan

Real classical liberals were/are woke AF. “GUARD AGAINST THE IMPOSTURE OF PRETENDED PATRIOTISM.” GEORGE WASHINGTON “As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protection of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality." George Washington “Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by a difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society.” George Washington - letter to Edward Newenham, October 20, 1792 “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us.” Justice Robert H. Jackson, 1940 Supreme Court Justice and Chief US Prosecutor at Nuremberg Minersville School District v. Gobitis SOCIAL SAFETY NET: Jefferson's expanded view on poverty: “I am conscious that an equal division of property is impracticable. But the consequences of this enormous inequality producing so much misery to the bulk of mankind, legislators cannot invent too many devices for subdividing property, only taking care to let their subdivisions go hand in hand with the natural affections of the human mind. The descent of property of every kind therefore to all the children, or to all the brothers and sisters, or other relations in equal degree is a politic measure, and a practicable one. Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise. Whenever there is in any country, uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to labour and live on. If, for the encouragement of industry we allow it to be appropriated, we must take care that other employment be furnished to those excluded from the appropriation. If we do not the fundamental right to labour the earth returns to the unemployed.” Thomas Jefferson “Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and so let your hand give in proportion to your purse.” -George Washington “To provide employment for the poor, and support for the indigent, is among the primary, and, at the same time, not least difficult cares of the public authority.” James Madison, in James Madison (1867). “1816-1828”, p.162 “He who never was hungered may argue finely on the subjection of his appetite, and he who was never distressed may harangue as beautifully on the power of principle. But poverty, like grief, has an incurable deafness which never hears. The oration loses all its edge, and ‘To be or not to be’ becomes the only question.” - Thomas Paine “I consider our relations with others as constituting the boundaries of morality... Nature [has] implanted in our breasts a love of others, a sense of duty to them, a moral instinct, in short, which prompts us irresistibly to feel and to succor their distresses... The Creator would indeed have been a bungling artist had he intended man for a social animal without planting in him social dispositions. It is true they are not planted in every man, because there is no rule without exceptions; but it is false reasoning which converts exceptions into the general rule." --Thomas Jefferson to T. Law, 1814. * It is a duty certainly to give our sparings to those who want; but to see also that they are faithfully distributed and duly apportioned to the respective wants of those receivers." --Thomas Jefferson to Megear, 1823. * "The only orthodox object of the institution of government is to secure the greatest degree of happiness possible to the general mass of those associated under it." --Thomas Jefferson to M. van der Kemp, 1812. IMMIGRATION: "I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong." -George Washington “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and previleges." -George Washington Neither the general government of the union, nor those of the individual states, are ignorant or unobservant of the additional strength and wealth, which accrues to the nation, by the accession of a mass of healthy, industrious, and frugal laborers, nor are they in any manner insensible to the great benefits which this country has derived, and continues to derive, from the influx of such adoptive children from Germany. John Adams to James Monroe, 1819 “America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts.” - James Madison "America is now, I think, the only country of tranquility and should be the asylum of all those who wish to avoid the scenes which have crushed our friends in [other lands]." --Thomas Jefferson to Mrs. Church, 1793. FE 6:289 "It [has] been the wise policy of these states to extend the protection of their laws to all those who should settle among them of whatever nation or religion they might be and to admit them to a participation of the benefits of civil and religious freedom, and... the benevolence of this practice as well as its salutary effects [has] rendered it worthy of being continued in future times." --Thomas Jefferson: Proclamation, 1781. Papers 4:505 The Obligation to Provide Asylum: "Shall we refuse the unhappy fugitives from distress that hospitality which the savages of the wilderness extended to our fathers arriving in this land? Shall oppressed humanity find no asylum on this globe? The Constitution, indeed, has wisely provided that for admission to certain offices of important trust a residence shall be required sufficient to develop character and design. But might not the general character and capabilities of a citizen be safely communicated to every one manifesting a bona fide purpose of embarking his life and fortunes permanently with us?" --Thomas Jefferson: 1st Annual Message, 1801. ME 3:338

“Wokism” attracts those who dislike bullies and bigots. Trump has given permission for them to come right out in the open. Now the bullies and bigots are whining like snowflakes, shooting up cases of beer if a beer company DARES run ads they don’t like, engaging in the very cancel culture they are vying to be the biggest MARTYR for being cancelled by competing over who can offend the most people. Grow up.

Who were the discussants? Nathan Cofnas make some excellent points. If wokism were primarily about black/white disparities, it would be a simpler issue. Glenn Loury and others have made the obvious point that the situation of slave-descendent black Americans is unique and exceptional. Woke is about a intersecting coalitions of the oppressed, competing victimhoods, etc. My point may be semantic but I don't see the intellectual coherence in woke. I strong recommend the book by the forensic scholar Norm Finkelstein, "I'll Burn that Bridge When I get to It - Reflections on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture and Academic Freedom". (2023) Finally, I am not sure what Nathan meant about 'examining sociological issues from a scientific perspective'. I can guess. Sociology is pure BS. Even if conservatives take over, there is no need for this discipline. Quantitative and investigative journalists, philosophers, economists, historians, social workers, etc can cover these topics much better.

A brilliant and original thinker nearly suffocated by ageing self-sufficient professors who get distracted by details and fail to see he's on their side and represents the most coherent approach to win this fight. Thanks for inviting him though.

Ignoring laws for a minute, I don't see a problem with exerting public, legal pressure to promote your morality. What is the problem with calling for JK Rowling to be dropped by her publisher? What is the problem with boycotts? What, actually, is the problem with 'canceling'? (If there is a problem, it lies with companies firing people because they care nothing for their employees, and will do any expedient thing for profits, because that's the economy we chose). Our legal system is not unprepared. It has considered the matter for centuries and has clearly decided that publicly shaming others is a right to be protected. Because social morality has always worked this way (the only difference now it that technology gives people the power to pile on). You think people weren't 'canceled' in the past? There was never a time when people weren't being 'cancelled'. But many older folks are just blind to the way it worked in past decades (when the penalties were actually often much more severe for doing or saying the "wrong things", btw). Basically, if you agree with the morality being enforced, you probably don't see it as social enforcement. You think "of course people are doing that, it's just the right thing to do". Which is how woke people feel too. The struggle in the public square between wokism and reaction is scary, but it's the "healthy" way democracy is designed for (even though basically amounts to a daily torrent of complaining). This is how we determine our social morality. Oh, and if you're one of those "conservatives" who say they believe society doesn't exist or that we can get rid of social morality altogether and just "be free" (if any of you actually believe that, which I doubt): I don't know... just put yourself in others' shoes more and feel the power imbalances. Either we act on the basis of trust in some generally-agreed upon social morality, or we act on the basis of pure power, which is always ultimately the threat of violence.

So sad that the two sides don't even go to each others' conferences

Very interesting talk. thank you for posting. Why does he call Christian morality "WEIRD". (I'm not saying it's not, he just didn't explain.) He also defines the "race taboo" to be hypersensitivity. I don't see how that leads to any actions. Seems rather more likely to lead to inaction (I understand this is Kaufmann's thesis, but I don't think it was explained well enough)

Cofnas is right. Tory politicians are more woke than the average Labour voter according to a recent study.

Robinson Larry Clark Timothy Gonzalez Deborah

Jackson Robert Robinson Paul Johnson Laura

Kudos to Stanford for taking the debate, but the reason Wokism "wins" in taking over the elite is that the elite benefit from signaling in-group solidarity by projecting high cost (i.e. untenable, but catchy and/or obscure) beliefs that form the dogmatic basis of the civil religion known as Wokism. It is divorced from reality, to think empirical facts has any persuasive power in the face of what is effectively a bureaucratic theocracy. The closest analogue is the "tolerant" theocratic hegemony of Golden Age Islam in conquered territory - you are not obliged to believe, but you pay for non-belief and you will be ostracized for public criticism. Intelligence does not cause sound epistemology - even if sound epistemology at the individual level requires intelligence.

Lee Michael Anderson Kenneth Lee Jose

I feel like everyone agrees on the main ideas, but disagreement seems to be focused on whether leftists are more intellectual, which isn't a necessary premise for his conclusion. I guess it's just there to support his suggestion for a resolution that the change needs to start with the intelligentsia. Overall though, I would expect faculty members at a major university to have better etiquette than interjecting so much that the whole line of argument becomes difficult to follow. They even interrupted other audience members' questions. I mean, come on...

Rodriguez Jeffrey Davis Brenda Hall Karen

Hall Laura Anderson Margaret Moore George

Seeing a conference like this from a big university is refreshing...

Woke is NOT smarter. Don't confuse pretentiousness for intelligence. Being overly critical and judgmental is not a sign of intelligence. It's actually youre own ego letting you think youre higher than you really are. "Smart" people get things without falling into any of that. Woke is the literall definition of "dumb smart." Yes I'm analyzing things but still missing the point and thinking I'm smart for that. Yeaaa..no. That's actually a smarter way to make yourself even dumber. 😂😂😂. Gen Z ...You guys are the cream of crop for this hyperbole form of ridiculous thinking. And it's because youre not mature enough yet to form real opinions.

First problem. Presenter fails to define "wokism" or "wokeism", despite having a slide titled "What is wokism?" I would also suggest using the spelling "wokeism", in order to distinguish the concept from the belief in the superiority of cuisine cooked in woks.

Infuriating that rather than letting him speak, the audience interject meaning the coherence of the argument is lost. So called clever ppl acting really stupid.

Very Interesting.

Woke liberalism and the cons of conservative. Both trash cultures with bias sets. Wokism used in different ways by different groupings. Just another scam ideology. Just look at what they have done injecting DEI into entertainment. ( Games and movies ). Over represintation compaired to statistics. Just another grouping that takes with no good in return. A power play of types. Not going to touch your religious delusions part. The genetics and pronouns part is crazyland to argue against. Your video is head ache material for levels of backwards and you clearly have your own bias set like the conservatives. You might want to go argue with them. Statistics. The ratio of male to female teachers and counselors. The number of schools that failed their own grade level math or such. Statistics and sentences for the same crimes and male vs female. Abuse support networks and systems for men vs women and statistics. Inserting X type person into a job othrrs might be more qualified to do. A flawed ideology that matches the right conservative to degrees. Ironies. Good luck in your social wars. Like most wars, social wars can kill too. Religions and social wars should be left out of schools. Unless part of the course. Ethics and morals change from person to person and groupings. You don't know me and I don't know you. Why should I care about you? Just another group doing bad things and waisting tax money and such. Brain rot on both sides. Bias blindness and talking past instead of to each other. The assumptions on both sides. Pure crazyland stuff. Why go looking for aliens when humans are already so alien from each other?

sophistry! glad the listeners werent shy to point any of it out

Nathan Cofnas presented his theory of Wokeism to the Classical Liberalism Initiative at Stanford University and received a rough ride from the audience, with many hostile questions. Cofnas’ theory holds that Wokeism follows from Western moral principles (all individuals have an equal right to flourish) plus the “equality thesis” (the scientifically false but near-universally-imposed axiom that there are no genetic differences in ability or preferences across race or gender groups). If we blindly accept the equality thesis plus the moral principle of equal rights, then “wokeism,” which is a near-hysterical witch-hunt to find the sources of remaining group disparities, makes logical sense. That is the Cofnas theory in a nutshell. Cofnas could not even convince the Classical Liberals of Stanford, an extremely talented group of hard-headed intellectuals, to accept the falsity of the equality thesis. Their harsh reaction to his talk shows that social scientists still have a difficult and important job to do. Social scientists need to explain to the intellectual elite that the equality thesis is no longer scientifically tenable - it has been empirically rejected beyond a reasonable doubt. Even brilliant Stanford students and faculty who identify as classical liberals still cling to the mistaken belief that groups disparities arise from environmental causes.

Love it

Kudos for letting him speak, but really wish the audience let him get substantially through his argument before nitpicking everything.

🎯 Key points for quick navigation: 00:00:16 *🎤 Introduction of Nathan Cofnas, a fellow at the University of Cambridge, specializing in the intersection of philosophy, biology, and ethics.* 00:01:00 *📚 Nathan Cofnas is noted for his courage to question societal taboos within academia, focusing on political correctness and censorship.* 00:01:30 *☁️ Cofnas humorously remarks on the discomfort caused by uncharacteristically nice weather in England compared to his American origins.* 00:02:12 *⛓️ Mentions the legal constraints in the UK where expressing certain opinions could lead to legal repercussions, contrasting with his experiences in the US.* 00:02:26 *🏛️ Describes 'wokeism' as an ideology predominantly found among educated elites across various professional and social fields.* 00:04:14 *🧠 Cofnas argues that wokeism provides a more intellectually coherent narrative than mainstream alternatives, attracting elites and educated individuals.* 00:05:37 *💬 Discusses the minimal influence and reach of classical liberal movements, emphasizing their intellectual coherence but limited mainstream impact.* 00:07:00 *📊 Highlights a corporate trend where high-value employees prefer a culture of 'wokeism,' affecting company policies and culture.* 00:08:11 *📝 Defines wokeism in the context of embracing equality across races and sexes, focusing on societal disparities and attributing them to environmental factors like racism.* 00:10:27 *📚 Comparison of wokeism to other theories, highlighting different explanations for racial and social disparities beyond discrimination.* 00:15:42 *🌍 Suggests that believing in equal distribution of traits across races would radically change one's political views, aligning more closely with woke ideologies.* 00:19:08 *🎭 Critiques Christopher Rufo’s theory of wokeism originating from academic critical theory and its gradual implementation across institutions.* 00:25:24 *🧠 Discussion on the perceived intelligence advantage of the left over conservative ideologies, stressing the importance of attracting intelligent individuals to any political movement.* 32:17 *💼 Cofnas critiques the lack of significant conservative intellectual institutions in the U.S., despite a large conservative population.* 33:22 *📚 Tucker Carlson emphasizes the importance of control over practical institutions rather than sociological study, highlighting a dismissive attitude toward academic exploration among conservatives.* 34:33 *📉 Carlson’s later career shifts towards more sensationalist and less intellectually rigorous content demonstrate a strategic response to audience demands rather than intellectual discourse.* 35:15 *🎭 Discussion on the populist tendencies within conservative media, using Tucker Carlson’s engagement with controversial figures as an example.* 36:20 *🇬🇧 Cofnas relates challenges he faced from the Tory press in the UK, suggesting similar intellectual and integrity issues exist in conservative media outside the U.S.* 38:09 *📰 Comparison of the intellectual rigor and ethical standards between left and right-wing media, with the right often indulging in less coherent or empirically unsupported narratives.* 39:03 *⚖️ Wokeism is presented as a moral response to perceived racial injustices, driven by a deep-seated belief in equality influenced by Christian morality.* 41:15 *⛪ Discussion on the secular yet morally driven nature of academic elites, drawing parallels between religious and woke practices.* 44:01 *🤔 Cofnas argues that wokeism, while flawed, presents a more coherent response to societal inequalities than conservative approaches which often ignore or misconstrue the root issues.* 46:12 *🔄 Criticism of wokeism’s internal contradictions and lack of empirical engagement, challenging its claim to intellectual coherence.* 48:27 *📚 Wokeism is described as a modern ideological response to traditional moral values, emphasizing equality and responding to disparities with increasingly radical measures.* 50:25 *🧠 The belief in innate equality across populations leads to intense scrutiny and efforts to address any disparities, a central tenet of wokeism according to Cofnas.* 52:28 *🏛️ Introduction of the concept of structural racism as a subtle yet pervasive form of discrimination that woke ideology seeks to combat.* 54:46 *🔍 Exploration of why wokeism continues to gain traction despite criticism, attributed to its deep roots in widely accepted moral and equality premises.* 01:01:43 *🤔 Cofnas points out the difficulty conservatives face in defining 'wokeism', often leading to vague or contradictory descriptions.* 01:03:20 *💡 He suggests that mainstream conservatives struggle to acknowledge natural racial differences as a way to explain persistent disparities.* 01:04:26 *🏳️ Discussion on how gender theory and safetyism are largely separate but still significant aspects of wokeism.* 01:05:20 *📜 Cofnas traces the roots of wokeism's emphasis on equality back to the early liberal philosophers like John Locke and John Stuart Mill.* 01:07:06 *📚 Exploration of how historical events like WWII and Nazi ideologies unfairly tarnished the reputation of race science.* 01:08:33 *🛡️ Mentions Christopher Rufo's efforts to challenge woke ideologies in educational institutions and boards, though noting the challenges without elite support.* 01:10:19 *🎓 Cofnas argues for the need to cultivate a counter-elite to effectively challenge woke dominance in cultural and educational institutions.* 01:11:37 *⚖️ Commentary on the Supreme Court's decision against affirmative action and its limited impact on university demographics.* 01:13:27 *📉 Cofnas questions the longevity of wokeism, suggesting that without significant intellectual challenges, its influence may persist or even grow.* 01:15:26 *🔍 Debate on whether wokeism's appeal is intellectual or primarily enforced through social pressures and punishments.* 01:17:43 *🌐 Discussion on the impact of gender dynamics in academia on the persistence of woke attitudes, especially among younger generations.* 01:19:03 *🔄 Cofnas emphasizes the need for a radical intellectual revolution to effectively challenge and potentially reverse woke ideologies.* Made with HARPA AI

Jordan, what % of people actually think that about accumulation of money? Way to frame super minority’s opinion on most.

Keith E. Whittington es un politólogo y jurista estadounidense. Ha sido profesor de política William Nelson Cromwell en la Universidad de Princeton desde 2006. En julio de 2024, se incorporó a la facultad de Derecho de Yale.

Allen Sandra Thompson Mark Gonzalez Kimberly

You guys should cut the amount of commentators in half and have Dwarkesh moderate this thing to inject some life into it

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"It's better for undergrads to major in the humanities because they know they'll be unemployable."

Climate science isn't a science...[implies it's for losers who aren't good at engineering]

12:21 "Humanities, as we all know, are ridiiculous." File under: Things a person with Asperger's might say.

They live

that's my c**m

Yep, needs a hard labor job and some sun.

The ruling class is insane. Thiel is a bombastic example of that. He speaks the language of crypto fascism.

Pure charisma!

wtf is he on about. republican libertarian

Just being rich and doomposting

The younger generation IS doing better :)

an another liberalist who saYSA there should be 0 government but now made into the Trump vice president ear

I don't understand how he can be so dismissive of the Humanities, when his entire approach is self-evidently deeply informed by History, Philosophy, Political Science, Law, Literature ...etc... All received via an education in the Humanities

Spotted Nellie Bowles and Bari Weiss in the audience at 43:36