WP 102: Critical Theory

Allie Beth Stuckey interview with Neil Shenvi on Critical Theory.

 

Neil Shenvi - from a Christian perspective.

 

James Lindsay - secular academic.

 

Christopher Rufo - secular cultural researcher whose research prompted the federal ban on teaching critical theory in government institutions and organizations contracted by the government.

 

Book - secular perspective, “Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody” by Helen Pluckrose and James A. Lindsay.

 

Article: How to Talk to Your Employer about Anti-Racism.

 

Critical Theory reduces all relationships to power. Who has it and who doesn’t. Oppressor vs. oppressed. White people vs BIPOC.

 

Response: Jesus teaches us to love because he first loved us. And you exercise influence through loving service wrapped in grace and truth.

 

Matthew 20:25 - Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

Critical Theory reduces all people to their skin color, or identity group, as their primary identity (the most definitive thing to know about you).

 

Response: Jesus tells us our primary identity is that we are made in the image of God, of infinite value and unconditionally loved by our Creator.

 

Galatians 3:26 - So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

Federal ban on teaching critical theory in government institutions and contracted organizations. Summary: You shall not demean, stereotype or scapegoat people based on their race or sex.

 

This provision then lists “divisive concepts” that cannot be included in workplace training, including DEI training:  

• one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex. 
• the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist. 
• an individual—by virtue of his or her race or sex—is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. 
• an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex. 
• members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex. 
• an individual’s moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex. 
• an individual—by virtue of his or her race or sex—bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.
• any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.
• meritocracy or traits, such as a hard work ethic, are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race.

 

Tenets of Critical Theory:

1. Critical theory emphasizes group identity over individualism. Individual identity is inseparable from group identity as ‘oppressed’ or ‘oppressor.’

 

“My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor… I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will.” – Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege and Male Privilege,” in Andersen and Collins, Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology, p. 72.

 

2. Critical theory defines oppression as the exercise of hegemonic power—the ability of a group to impose its values, norms and expectations of society. Oppressor groups subjugate oppressed groups through the exercise of hegemonic power.

 

“Concepts of hegemony enable us to appreciate how dominant groups manipulate symbols and images to construct ‘common sense’ and thereby maintain their power.” – Jacob P. K. Gross, “Education and Hegemony: The Influence of Antonio Gramsci” in Beyond Critique: Exploring Critical and Social Theories in Education, p. 57, 65.

 

Smithsonian Infographic—the National Museum of African American history and culture which is a component of the Smithsonian Institute a federally funded organization 

 

3. Critical theory dismisses ‘reason’ and ‘evidence’ as self-serving justifications for oppression. Scientific method, evidence, statistics, etc. are tools of the oppressor.

 

A quote from Delgado’s “Critical Race Theory: An Introduction” says, “critical race theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and neutral principles of constitutional law.”

 

4. Critical theory sees intersectional ‘lived experience’ as an epistemic advantage. ‘Lived experience’ is more important than objective evidence in understanding oppression— i.e.,the lower one is on the intersectional hierarchy of the higher one’s perspective on truth. To question the oppressed persons lived experience is evidence of racism.

 

“The idea that objectivity is best reached only through rational thought is a specifically Western and masculine way of thinking – one that we will challenge throughout this book.” – Margaret L. Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins, “Reconstructing Knowledge,” in Anderson and Collins, Race, Class, and Gender, p. 4-5.

 

5. Our fundamental moral duty is freeing groups from oppression.

• Cancel culture or call out culture - make oppression visible.
• Civil discourse, exchange of ideas, freedom of speech, mutual understanding, etc. is not a value.
• You don’t have an individual voice. You are a mouthpiece for your identity group. 

 

The goal is not to “win” the argument through civil discourse. It is to overpower or silence the argument by any means necessary.

 

A posture for us from scripture: Romans 12:9-21:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

 

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:

 

If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.

 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

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