Name: Did the Intellectual Dark Web Succeed?
Uploaded: 2025-04-23T15:04:02+00:00
Duration: 57 min 40 s
Description: My guest in this episode is Jamie Roberts, author of the excellent Intellectual Dark Web: A History (and Possible Future). We traced the IDW’s rise, fragmentation, and legacy. The Intellectual Dark We

Streamed on: Apr 23, 6:00 pm EDT

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My guest in this episode is Jamie Roberts, author of the excellent Intellectual Dark Web: A History (and Possible Future). We traced the IDW’s rise, fragmentation, and legacy. The Intellectual Dark Web (IDW) emerged as a loose alliance of heterodox thinkers—figures like Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and the Weinstein brothers—who challenged mainstream narratives on free speech, identity politics, and meritocracy. It wasn’t a formal group but a label for those unafraid to engage in tough, unfiltered conversations.

The IDW’s appeal lay in its rejection of ideological echo chambers, offering a platform for ideas often stifled by political correctness. Yet, its lack of cohesion—bound only by shared principles, not conclusions—led to inevitable splintering.

Jamie's book: https://a.co/d/1Erywk9

Chapters
0:00 Did the IDW succeed?
8:10 Is Peter in the IDW?
9:40 Demise of the IDW
16:00 IDW & DEI
22:10 Disagreements within the IDW
32:30 Dave Rubin
34:40 Conflating different terms
44:50 Atheist & Christian alliance
51:05 Defining expertise