The Michael Shermer Show

How to Think About Social Justice


Listen Later

Those who are pursuing social justice too often fail to incorporate the insights of sociology, and when they do make use of sociology, they often draw heavily from claims that are highly contested, unsupported by the evidence, or outright false. This book shows why learning to think sociologically can help us to think better about social justice, pointing us toward possibilities for social change while also calling attention to our limits; providing us with hope, but also making us cautious. Offering a series of tips for thinking better about social justice, with each chapter giving examples of bad sociological thinking and making the case for drawing from a broader range of sociological theory and research to inform social justice efforts, it advocates an approach rooted in intellectual and moral humility, grounded in the normative principles of classical liberalism. A fresh approach to social justice that argues for the importance of sociological understanding of the world in our efforts to change it, How to Think Better About Social Justice will appeal to scholars and students of sociology with interests in social justice issues and the sociology of morality, as well as those working to bring about social change.

Bradley Campbell is a professor of sociology at California State University, Los Angeles. His work examines moral conflict, including violent conflicts such as genocide as well as nonviolent conflicts on college campuses over politics and free speech. He is the author of The Geometry of Genocide: A Study in Pure Sociology and co-author of The Rise of Victimhood Culture: Microaggressions, Safe Spaces, and the New Culture Wars. He has also co-authored op-ed articles about contemporary moral conflicts that have appeared in Time, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The New York Times.

Shermer and Campbell discuss: the telos of sociology: truth or activism? • Can we make people better? • evaluating ideologies • victimhood culture vs. honor culture • conflicting rights and social tradeoffs • CRT, DEI, cancel culture, identity politics • the true motives of woke, progressive leftists • How widespread is the problem of woke ideology? • equality vs. equity • overt racism vs. systemic racism.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Michael Shermer ShowBy Michael Shermer

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

862 ratings


More shows like The Michael Shermer Show

View all
Closer To Truth by Closer To Truth

Closer To Truth

243 Listeners

The Glenn Show by Glenn Loury

The Glenn Show

2,257 Listeners

Making Sense with Sam Harris by Sam Harris

Making Sense with Sam Harris

26,350 Listeners

Conversations with Tyler by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Conversations with Tyler

2,394 Listeners

Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps by Josh Szeps

Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

832 Listeners

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating by Big Bang Productions Inc.

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

1,044 Listeners

The Good Fight by Yascha Mounk

The Good Fight

890 Listeners

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas by Sean Carroll | Wondery

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

4,129 Listeners

Quillette Podcast by Quillette

Quillette Podcast

805 Listeners

Within Reason by Alex J O'Connor

Within Reason

1,514 Listeners

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss by Lawrence M. Krauss

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss

488 Listeners

Blocked and Reported by Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal

Blocked and Reported

3,752 Listeners

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal by Theories of Everything

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

459 Listeners

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins by Richard Dawkins

The Poetry of Reality with Richard Dawkins

80 Listeners

Conversations With Coleman by The Free Press

Conversations With Coleman

229 Listeners