Daniel Kaufman: Peak Woke Philosophy

Academic philosophy is in crisis--as are the humanities and softer social sciences--as is academia generally. Political radicals now exert enormous control over academic philosophy. Via organized campaigns of harassment, they suppress opposition to their favored politics, and pretend they're doing philosophy rather than destroying it. Destruction masquerading as transformation. Most philosophers seem to either be ignoring this, or keeping their heads down in fear and hoping it will pass. Many, unfortunately, agree with or belong to the destroyers and harassers. Transgender mythology is, currently, more-or-less the tip of the spear. It rests on premises that would have been shot down in flames in any respectable philosophy seminar ten years ago. Today, it rules the roost, flagrantly violating principles that would get any un-PC view gleefully shredded. 

   Daniel Kaufman:

So what's happening now? Woke philosophy’s most recent moves can be found in an “open letter” to the profession, published anonymously (by “t-philosopher”) and entitled “I am leaving academic philosophy because of its transphobia problem,” as well as a lengthy essay, written by none other than the intrepid Weinberg, “Trans Women and Philosophy: Learning from Recent Events” and published at the Daily Nous. The two pieces are an exquisite pairing: T-philosopher is wounded and empowered and terrified and accusatory and defeated and defiant, all at once – sometimes, even in the same sentence – and then, suddenly, thankfully, as if out of a puff of smoke, Weinberg appears on the scene to help us sort it out so that we all might become Better People.
   T-philosopher announces to the profession – all of it – that she is leaving because of philosophy’s “transphobia” and the terrible harm she has suffered at the hands of “bigots” like Kathleen Stock (who else?), whose presence renders her no longer “safe in professional settings.” Then comes the inevitable “call to action”: Journals must refuse to publish articles critical of gender identity theory and activism; conferences must no-platform philosophers seeking to present gender critical arguments; gender critical thinkers must be barred from public discourse, whether on blogs, discussion boards, social media sites, comments sections, or other online venues; and anyone and everyone who is going to engage in both professional and public philosophical discourse on the subject had better accept that “any trans discourse that does not proceed from this initial assumption — that trans people are the gender that they say they are — is oppressive, regressive, and harmful” and that “trans discourse that does not proceed with a substantial amount of care at amplifying trans voices and understanding the trans experience should not exist.”
   If you’ve raised a teenager, as my wife Nancy and I have done, you’ll immediately recognize this as typically adolescent behavior. The clueless narcissism (“to the academic philosophy community…”); the catastrophizing (I know Kathleen Stock. You can watch video of Kathleen Stock. One cannot possibly be “unsafe” because of Kathleen Stock); the empty (because toothless) demands; the emotional blackmail (You see what you’re making me do!); even the proverbial running away from home (I’m leaving and never coming back!) It’s all there.

Philosophy is embarrassing itself. It's cowering in fear while the sophists take over.