Extremism and Science; Editorial Stuff

An interview with Tracy Llanera and Louise Richardson-Self

Dear all,

With Paul Giladi’s “Inclusive Philosophies” series starting on 19th and the spring “On Philosophy” series starting on 24th, this week is very much the calm before the storm. Registration for Paul’s series will open tomorrow (you will be able to register here).

There has been a lot going on behind the scenes at The Philosopher these past weeks. As we shift from an oligarchic structure to a more collective structure, it has been a great pleasure for me, the deposed oligarch, to see the management team, the events team, the (awkwardly named) “organisational infrastructure team”, and so on, coming together in exciting and creative ways. I am convinced that when the fruits of these new collectives ripple out into the world, it will be a beautiful and valuable thing indeed.

Your Sunday Read
“Extremism and the Allure of Science”
a conversation with Tracy Llanera and Louise Richardson-Self

Defining extremism turns out to be a tricky business. There are a host of traits associated with extremism, e.g., intolerance, rigidity and inflexibility, feelings of victimization, hate and anger towards particular outgroups, displeasure and fear about the state of the world or the direction it is headed, willingness to sacrifice oneself or others in the name of one’s ideals. Definitional problems aside, one notable feature of many extremist groups – from white supremacists to the alt-right – is the allure of scientific explanations in reinforcing their views. From biological essentialism to “natural” hierarchies, scientific findings are sought out to add substance to extremist arguments. In this conversation, Tracy Llanera and Louise Richardson-Self help us explore the boundaries between fact and fiction, science and pseudoscience. You can read the conversation here.

Ending
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Wishing you all a lovely Sunday, wherever you are.

Anthony Morgan
Managing Editor