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Some time ago as part of a series of discussions put on by the Blackheath Philosophy Forum we ran a pilot project to test interest in discussing issues at the intersection of politics and civilization online. To get things going, I posted a series of articles indicting identity politics, an ideology that has become hugely influential throughout the Western world, including education at all levels, the media, politics and the corporate sector.
I invited all members of the Blackheath Philosophy Forum to respond on this website, eliciting a good debate with a range of viewpoints expressed and many carefully considered contributions - and not a single case of the ad hominem abuse so endemic to online discourse these days.
I belatedly posted the final article in the set, that supported the claim that identity politics threatens core valuable features of the civilization we inhabit, in November 2019. You can read it here.
A linked index to the full set of articles appears below. All the articles remain open for comments or more detailed responses. The debate so far can be viewed in a variety of graphical forms, including an outline treeview and radial graph and more.
Scroll down for information about how to join in or follow the proceedings as they unfold, including daily or weekly digests or immediate alerts when anything is posed.
Incidentally I strongly recommend Douglas Murray's brilliant new book dissecting identity politics The Madness of Crowds - check out the author interview below.
J'Accuse identity politics a short overview that summarizes the five-count indictment
Count 1: Identity politics is racist
Count 2: Identity politics is the enemy of free speech
Count 3: Identity politics harms the oppressed
Count 4: Identity politics is profoundly reactionary
Count 5: Identity politics threatens civilization as we know it posted 22 Nov 2019
To join in, subscribe to the mailing list (on the home page) and you will be sent an email explaining how to get started and setting out guidelines for the site. These are pretty straightforward: We want reasoned arguments, not ad hominem attacks. Any abusive, defamatory or violent items will be deleted and the account cancelled.
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To navigate around the debate, use the color-coded menu at the foot of every article or alternatively explore using one of the graphical views available from the menu at top-right.