Bo Winegard, PhD Podcast
Why is everyone so scared of talking about the truth?
Today it seems that you can’t discuss important matters in polite company, and forget about doing it publicly online. The moment you even approach the line of “acceptable” people screech and call for you to be cancelled. You can lose a job, a career, and a reputation in an internet minute if you say the ‘wrong thing.’
Tenured professors, independent journalists, and rogue intellectuals are the only ones who can take that risk. But even they face challenges.
The mob has made it too costly to dig into sensitive issues. It takes a brave person to address genetics, IQ, race, culture, and society. It shouldn’t be this way.
Bo Winegard, PhD, an assistant professor of psychology at Marietta College, is one of the bold ones. He is willing to tackle the tough issues whose data trails just might lead to unsavory conclusions. With his academic background in evolutionary psychology and personal interests in genetics, history, and government – Bo is positioned at the crossroads of some of the more salient questions we face, all of which makes him a very interesting person to talk to.
In our podcast, Bo and I pretend that no one is listening and we just go for it.
The Issues
We begin by declaring social psychology dead, which is an interesting position for a psychologist to take. Bo asserts that history and genetics are far more important in understanding human behavior than the deflating field of social psych.
The recent replication crisis in psychology and the infection of critical theory have all but reduced social psychology to astrology or numerology. Perhaps I exaggerate, perhaps not.
From there we dive into race and evolution, using Nicholas Wade’s book, A Troublesome Inheritance, as a guide.
I asked Bo, do different cultures require different forms of government or is universal liberalism is an ideal for everyone?
We seem to agree that Anglo American culture and society are preferable for me and him, but we also agreed that different group characteristics may also mean other people thrive under less free circumstances.
Bo stresses that he is a cultural pluralist and believes people can and should choose what works for them, but that he also believes Anglo American society is one worth preserving. He sees immigration restriction as one important tool in that effort.
From there we bounce around to many important issues:
- Where does the education achievement gap come from and can it be closed?
- Can Nationalism give people a sense of meaning in their lives?
- How do we create a society that has compassion for those lower in the social hierarchies?
Bo Winegard’s answers are well-informed, thorough, and empathetic. Even though we touch on radioactive subject matter, it’s all done through an eye on how to make it work for everyone, rather than how to exert dominance or control.
And that is the ultimate question here:
Given that genetic sciences seem to be leading us to a circumstance where achievement, capability, and even forms of government are based in our genetics – what do we do with this information? What do we do when the data leads to unsavory places?
How do we make sure people have meaning in their lives even if they find themselves in the low end of the distribution?
These questions will become even more important as science reveals more truths. It is imperative that we solve the ‘what to do with the data’ question even faster than science delivers new breakthroughs in understanding.
And one way to answer that question is to become as informed on the issues as possible.
Join us as we discuss today’s important matters.
Listen, subscribe, comment – get engaged!
Without further ado,
