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James Lindsay: “Counter Wokecraft” and Responses to Institutional Takeover

“You have to have a steel spine in your liberalism. ‘What kind of government did you create, sir?’ ‘We created a republic, if [you] can keep it.’ The ‘if you can keep it’ part requires a steel spine.”

Editor’s note: The phrase “A republic, if you can keep it” discussed during the interview reportedly originates from Benjamin Franklin

On January 17th, Merion West editor-in-chief Erich Prince was joined by author and commentator James Lindsay for a discussion prompted by the recent publication of Charles Pincourt’s book Counter Wokecraft: A Field Manual for Combatting the Woke in the University and Beyond, for which Dr. Lindsay wrote the foreword. Dr. Lindsay is the founder of New Discourses and co-authored the 2020 book Cynical Theories, co-authored with Helen Pluckrose. During their conversation, Mr. Prince and Dr. Lindsay discuss the enduring preferability of liberalism as opposed to the currently ascendant post-liberal movement, how the Woke movement is largely repackaged Marxist theory, and how those opposed to the movement’s advance can respond. This conversation follows a January 6th discussion between Mr. Prince and Mr. Pincourt.

Erich J. Prince is the editor-in-chief at Merion West. With a background in journalism and media criticism, he has contributed to newspapers such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and The News & Observer, as well as online outlets including Quillette and The Hill. Erich has also spoken at conferences and events on issues related to gangs, crime, and policing. He studied political science at Yale University.

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