The hottest Cultural Debates Substack posts right now

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National IQs Are Valid

Cremieux Recueil • 809 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Cultural Debates
  1. National IQ estimates can be reliable and realistic even if they seem low, as they reflect a range of factors, including cultural and environmental influences.
  2. It's important to understand that an IQ score does not solely define someone’s abilities, especially in different cultural contexts where adaptive functioning matters more.
  3. Critics of national IQ data often misunderstand how mental retardation is defined and how IQ tests measure intelligence, leading to flawed arguments against the use of national IQ data.

Our new book, Beyond Woke and Anti-Woke, is available for pre-order now!

The Path Not Taken • 176 implied HN points • 11 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Cultural Debates
  1. The book, 'Beyond Woke and Anti-Woke', aims to explain social justice ideology from a balanced perspective, acknowledging its unique aspects while avoiding bias.
  2. Demographic changes like increased education and diversity have influenced the rise of social justice ideology, especially among younger people.
  3. The book hopes to reach both academic and general audiences with its analysis and is available for pre-order, encouraging readers to help spread the word.

New Zealand's Midwifery Council banishes the words 'mother' and 'woman'.

A B’Old Woman • 219 implied HN points • 12 Nov 22
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Cultural Debates
  1. The New Zealand Midwifery Council has decided to stop using the words 'mother' and 'woman' in their guidelines. This change raises concerns since these terms are central to midwifery.
  2. Most people giving birth identify as women, so removing these words could make midwifery less clear and less welcoming for many parents.
  3. The council has invited public feedback on this decision, but it seems odd that they didn’t consult the women and mothers most affected by these changes beforehand.

Anti-Wokeness Is a Mental Autoimmune Disorder

KERFUFFLE • 51 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Cultural Debates
  1. The argument connecting diversity initiatives to wildfires lacks real evidence and is more about stirring emotions than facts. It's not a logical explanation of what’s happening with the fires.
  2. Critics often use inflammatory rhetoric to distract from serious discussions about wildfires, changing the topic to political agendas instead.
  3. Blaming 'wokeness' for complex issues like wildfires serves only to push certain narratives, without addressing the actual causes or the effectiveness of emergency responses.
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