Sep 27, 2023
Writer and academic Yascha Mounk argues that a new set
of ideas about race, gender, and sexual orientation have overtaken
society, giving rise to a rigid focus on identity in our national
debate. In his new book, “The
Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time,” Yascha
seeks to take these ideas seriously, understand their origin,
dissect their merits and failings, and offer a path forward to
avoid what he calls “the identity trap.”
On today’s show, Mounk previews his book and explains how the
identity trap harms freedom of speech.
Mounk is known for his work on the rise of populism and the crisis of liberal democracy. He is a professor of the practice of international affairs at Johns Hopkins University and the author of five books. He is also the founder of the digital magazine Persuasion, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Transcript:
https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/so-speak-podcast-transcript-identity-trap-yascha-mounk
Timestamps:
- 0:00 - Introduction
- 1:35 - Origins of “the identity trap”
- 8:48 - What is “identity synthesis?”
- 12:26 - Is “cultural Marxism” a thing? / The intellectual history of identity synthesis
- 27:47 - Critical race theory
- 32:30 - Free speech culture
- 40:22 - Speech and violence
- 47:58 - The Law of Group Polarization
- 52:27 - How to escape the identity trap
Discussed intellectuals:
-
Christopher Rufo (Rufo’s book, “America’s Cultural Revolution,” and Nico’s review, “Christopher Rufo Became the Thing He Claims to Hate”)
-
Cass Sunstein (article: “The Law of Group Polarization”)
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