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.
