New Discourses Bullets

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 134 At the center of Woke thinking is critical theory. So, what is it? In short, critical theory is a tool for delegitimizing a real thing for not being some kind of sociopolitical ideal thing that cannot even exist. The way it works is by holding the real thing up to the standards of an imaginary ideal rather than against the contingencies of reality and criticizing it with the aim of breaking people's faith in it, simply for existing in reality. It's a wicked tool almost always used to undermine something legitimate so that something illegitimate can replace it (dialectics). Join host James Lindsay for this episode of New Discourses Bullets, where he breaks it down and makes it clear. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #criticaltheory

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 133 Over the last few years, much has been said about the "motte and bailey" rhetorical strategy, which is a dishonest way in which postmodernist, Woke, and other manipulative people argue. First described by Nicholas Shackel in a 2005 paper, "On the Vacuity of Postmodern Methodology," it has become a standard explanation for the Woke era in the last few years. In Counter Wokecraft (https://www.amazon.com/Counter-Wokecraft-Manual-Combatting-University/dp/B09LH2L3B6/ref=sr_1_1), James Lindsay and Charles Pincourt outline both offensive and defensive uses of this crooked strategy, which is a kind of "strategic equivocation" used to steal power. In this episode of New Discourses Bullets, host James Lindsay explains how the "motte and bailey" strategy can be iterated through a series of players to give legitimacy to truly radical ideas and programs while the actors involved keep their own hands mostly clean. Join him to understand an important dynamic. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #MotteandBailey

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 132 There are several differences between the Left and the Right on ideological, philosophical, and political grounds, but in plain practical terms, there's another obvious difference. The Left has radicalized in a way conservatives have not, and in proportions that conservatives have not. Why is that? The answer is that the Left has succumbed to the blinding temptation for power far more than the rest of us have, and it has driven them mad. The thing is, while radicalism and political violence are not (at present) "both sides" problems, temptation is a both-sides problem. The friend-enemy distinction as a criterion of politics tempts us too, and we must continue to choose to reject it, or we will lose this most important distinction between Left and Right. Join host James Lindsay for this episode of New Discourses Bullets wherein he discusses this important matter. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #Politics

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 131 What is civilization? What is it based on? In the biggest picture, there are three fundamental pillars to civilization: truth, justice, and love. (You'll notice how Biblical this is.) Truth allows us to make real, meaningful strides, and reality will punish us if we fail to keep to it. Justice is necessary to keep people functioning together and working for their society and the American Dream. But these must also be pursued with an orientation toward love, not enmity, if we are to foster a civilization instead of a tribalistic warzone. Join host James Lindsay for this important episode of New Discourses Bullets where he lays out these three crucial pillars of civilization. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #civilization

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 130 The hard part of building and protecting civilization is that we have to do it while maintaining the values and principles of civilization. That means while the enemies of civilization can run amok and break rules, norms, policies, laws, and expectations, we cannot. We have to do everything by the book. It's not just that we need to on a matter of principle, though. We also must as a matter of strategy. In a two-tiered system like the Woke Left has set up for itself, it gets to excuse itself for breaking the rules, but we will not have that luxury. In this episode of New Discourses Bullets, host James Lindsay breaks down the need for us to win by the book so we can preserve the book. Join him to learn how to fight for things worth fighting for. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #bythebook

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 129 We've all heard it before: "real Communism has never been tried!" Yeah, yeah. Well, here's the thing. "Real Communism" can never be tried, so this old canard isn't saying anything interesting at all. The reason is that "real Communism" is the utopian end state of Communism as an eschatological (end-times) religion. It never actually arrives. In this episode of New Discourses Bullets, host James Lindsay breaks this simple fact down and reveals the same exact thing is also believed about "real Fascism." You won't want to miss it. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #Communism

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 128 Freedom of speech is a concept a lot of people appreciate but also struggle with. It can be challenging for people to distinguish between threats to their freedom of speech, cancellation, censorship, and, on the other hand, more speech being the answer to speech. Drawing from one of his oldest popular writings (https://newdiscourses.com/2020/01/freedom-of-speech-fallacy-demanding-heard/), host James Lindsay addresses the issue of freedom of speech in principle in this new episode of New Discourses Bullets. He breaks down the four component freedoms in freedom of speech: to speak, to hear, not to speak, and not to hear. He also distinguishes these from certain things that are not part of freedom of speech, including unprotected speech and a small variety of entitlement complexes that hide behind accusations of censorship. Join him to get clearer on this important issue. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #FreeSpeech

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 127 One of the more difficult experiences we all face today is how hard it is to tell when something blows up on the internet whether it's "real" or a "psyop" (part of an active measure with a political warfare purpose). Well, the answer is typically "yes" between these two choices. That is, it's frequently both. Using a process that would best be called "reflexive becoming," a psyops can be turned into a flashpoint issue in the culture war, a movement, or even an insurrection. In this episode of New Discourses Bullets, host James Lindsay breaks down the idea so that we're better equipped for life in our agitprop battlefield. Join him to prepare yourself. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #Psyop

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 126 Is there a good way to know if you're seeing (or experiencing) cancel culture or a struggle session? As it turns out, we can lay out some basic criteria for exactly that. Thanks to one helpful X user (https://x.com/Sarodinian1/status/1948081917577863467), in this episode of New Discourses Bullets, host James Lindsay lays out seven criteria for cancel culture and struggle sessions that can help you identify when they're occurring so that we can better resist them. Join him for this important information. Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #CancelCulture

New Discourses Bullets, Ep. 125 Is America just an idea? No, it isn't, but America is based on an idea. That idea is simple: free men and women can govern themselves by taking personal responsibility, and organizing the political structure this way will produce both liberty and prosperity. No other nation in the history of the world has been explicitly based on an idea in this way, and the results have been tremendous. In this episode of New Discourses Bullets, host James Lindsay reminds every American of the idea his country was based on and calls them back to it. Join him to be inspired and have your faith in America restored! Latest from New Discourses Press! The Queering of the American Child: https://queeringbook.com/ Support New Discourses: https://newdiscourses.com/support Follow New Discourses on other platforms: https://newdiscourses.com/subscribe Follow James Lindsay: https://linktr.ee/conceptualjames © 2025 New Discourses. All rights reserved. #NewDiscourses #JamesLindsay #america