POLEMICS: WHAT? YOU'RE CALLING ME "WOKE RIGHT"?
Hold on! We would not know, but apparently there have been some debates recently among proponents of Modernism and the Enlightenment -- notably Dr Jordan Peterson and Dr James Lindsay -- framing those rejecting the Modernist project, as 'woke' and 'Postmodern'. Now I don't care for these squabbles -- intellectual or otherwise -- but this affects me personally as one of the first critics of Postmodernism. Our blog PoMo News (link) dates back to 2014, and even then I had been writing essays attacking Postmodernism for eight years. So I'm no rooky at this and this silliness is not going to pass without some protest from my part.
May 13, 2025 COTEL: Debunking the "Woke Right:" Jordan Peterson, James Lindsay, and Modernity.
The fight between proponents and opponents of Modernity on the right was inevitable. So now is as good a time as any.
Having been a defender of the Enlightenment project myself for years, I have increasingly come to the conclusion that, rather than being the victim of the Left and the woke, Modernism is actually the cuckoo that has been incubating those seeds of it own destruction. What we are looking at is in effect, civilizational suicide.
I get that Modernists see Postmodernists as opponents. But if you look at the trajectory, you can see that the one grew out of the other. As does 'wokeism' and transhumanism, which are extensions of Postmodern anti Realism and identity as social constructs.
The return of religion had already been forecast in 2013 by the Objectivist (Modernist) author, Leonard Peikoff in his book, "The DIM Hypothesis" (link). As a Ayn-Randian Objectivist, Peikoff wrote this book from the pro Enlightenment point of view, predicting an intellectual desert, with people turning to all kinds of 'medieval tropes of mysticism'.
The following chart explains his view of what happened historically in the fields of philosophy and the economy, as the West moved progressively from Pre Modernity, to Modernity and to Post Modernity.
Peikoff wrote his book in 2013, at the height of PoMo, before anyone had even thought of 'wokeism'. Compare the Modern and Pomo in the last two columns and you will see how identical they have become. The PoMos have been having the Mods for breakfast!
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It did not take much. Just one of the Modernist pillars turned from individual sovereignty to the supremacy of the globalist state. And that is just what's obvious!
As for a field like epistemology where Modernists used to be guided by empiricism and reason, have a look at what academe has been producing lately! It's one after another politically motivated false study to propagandize society.
What about metaphysics? I am writing a book about it! Realism has left the planet since Nominalism took over in Scholastic times (AD 1100 to 1400) when they threw away the Greek classical Realists, Plato and Aristotle! Don't even get me started on this!
Having been in this rabbit hole for so long I have come to the conclusion we should not lament the demise of the West. It is of course synonymous with Modernism.
The West IS Modernism! If you study its history back to the Scholastic period, you start to understand that you have to take the long view here.
May 13, 2025 TCN: Dave Smith: Debating Douglas Murray, the “Woke Right” Narrative, and the Moment He Found God.
This is not the first time a civilization was born, peaked, declined and eventually died. This happened over and over again. This is how the universe works. But living in the Western paradigm you would not know. Note how in the chart history starts at the Middle Ages. Before the Schism of 1054, there be dragons! This is the norm.
It shows why progressives are wrong. History does not proceed in a straight time line, it runs in cycles.
You may have noticed I am not putting my full energy in this blog at the moment. That is because I have been persuaded to collect what I have written over the years, and bundle it in a comprehensive, easily digestible book.
Initially it will be an e-book, but if successful we may go to the trouble and expense of putting it into print.
We are distributing the first 25 e-books for free in exchange for feedback with suggestions, on spelling errors, typos and the like. If you want to be on the list, leave your name and email address in the comments (will not be published) or send me a DM on X @KassyTroy.
I am leaving you for the day with David Patrick Harry who just finished his dissertation, adding PhD to his name. Congratulations to DPH and COTEL! God bless your efforts 🍷
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