Gender, decolonization, privilege, fat shaming. Having moved from academic articles into everyday use, these words increasingly influence our perception of the world. But where did they even come from? Their source is a scattering of critical theories that emerged during the postmodern turn with its problematization of power, knowledge and truth. Nothing—from sex and history textbooks to medical diagnoses and architecture—can escape the notice of activists on a mission to identify and destroy all forms of oppression. Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay argue that, despite a good desire to make the world a little more just, critical theories, with their almost religious zeal and black-and-white perception of the world, pose a threat to both the academy and society. “Cynical Theories” is a painstaking and glib examination of the basic tenets of “activist science,” its internal logic and contradictions. This book will help you immerse yourself in the modern intellectual context, understand what motivates the sides of the culture wars, and not get lost in disputes on topics that elude understanding.