The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense
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- Create Date：2021-04-10 13:55:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Gad Saad
- ISBN：162157959X
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Summary
The West’s commitment to freedom， reason， and true liberalism has never been more seriously threatened than it is today by the stifling forces of political correctness。
Dr。 Gad Saad， the host of the YouTube show THE SAAD TRUTH， exposes the bad ideas—what he calls “idea pathogens”—that are killing common sense and rational debate。 Incubated in our universities and spread through the tyranny of political correctness， these ideas are endangering our most basic freedoms—including freedom of thought and speech。
The danger is grave， but as Dr。 Saad shows， politically correct dogma is riddled with logical fallacies。 We have powerful
weapons to fight back with—if we have the courage to use them。
A provocative guide to defending reason and intellectual freedom and a battle cry for the preservation of our fundamental rights。
Dr。 Gad Saad， the host of the YouTube show THE SAAD TRUTH， exposes the bad ideas—what he calls “idea pathogens”—that are killing common sense and rational debate。 Incubated in our universities and spread through the tyranny of political correctness， these ideas are endangering our most basic freedoms—including freedom of thought and speech。
The danger is grave， but as Dr。 Saad shows， politically correct dogma is riddled with logical fallacies。 We have powerful
weapons to fight back with—if we have the courage to use them。
A provocative guide to defending reason and intellectual freedom and a battle cry for the preservation of our fundamental rights。
Reviews
Edz
，
Fantastic。 Straightforward。 Hilarious。These are but some of the words with which one can describe this great book。 It’s about time someone addressed the absolute madness that is currently taking place on university campuses and explain it in a simplified manner; namely that it is the result of the manifestation of “idea pathogens” which infect people’s minds and kill off whatever common sense they had。 The first chapter deals with the author’s background and how he came to be fighting for truth Fantastic。 Straightforward。 Hilarious。These are but some of the words with which one can describe this great book。 It’s about time someone addressed the absolute madness that is currently taking place on university campuses and explain it in a simplified manner; namely that it is the result of the manifestation of “idea pathogens” which infect people’s minds and kill off whatever common sense they had。 The first chapter deals with the author’s background and how he came to be fighting for truth and reason amidst the climate of PC culture。 Chapters 2 to 8 mainly talk about the idea pathogens he has continuously struggled against （i。e。 postmodernism， cultural relativism， feminism etc。） and how he’s responded in kind。 The last two chapters I find to be the most important of the book in which he sets up a rigorous method of conveying evidence to whomever you want to convince in a dialogue （nomological networks of cumulative evidence） that is succinct and almost foolproof whilst at the same time calling on the reader to partake in the battle of ideas and be affirmative in one’s commitment to truth。 。。。more
Kara Boodhansingh
，
The premise of this book is using science and logic to combat some of what Gad Saad calls extreme views held by progressives in the US。 I am admittedly not the target audience for this book， but I picked it up to get a different perspective。 One of the problems with this book is that Gad doesn’t use science or logic to prove his points。 The book feels more like a rant and he uses his own personal experiences as evidence to refute some progressive views。 His references are largely his own YouTube The premise of this book is using science and logic to combat some of what Gad Saad calls extreme views held by progressives in the US。 I am admittedly not the target audience for this book， but I picked it up to get a different perspective。 One of the problems with this book is that Gad doesn’t use science or logic to prove his points。 The book feels more like a rant and he uses his own personal experiences as evidence to refute some progressive views。 His references are largely his own YouTube channel or podcast episode appearances。 Any social/political issue， regardless of whether it’s a far right or far left viewpoint is multi faceted and Gad， when he does provide some reasonable scientific reference， over simplifies the issues as it fits his narrative。 While I do agree that extreme viewpoints need to be analyzed critically， this book didn’t provide the scientific and logic driven analysis that I was expecting。 It was also very one sided - a more convincing book would have included far right “mind parasites” as well。 。。。more
Jess
，
Although Gad comes across as a bit arrogant at times in his writing （and I don't just say that because I disagree with him on certain pivotal things）， I admire his passion for truth and objective science。 I think the information he presents about the nature of certain academic "mental parasites is important for people to hear。 It was interesting to see him break down why these contagious， cult-like ideas appeal to many， but also why it's so important to be courageous in the face of insanity。 Although Gad comes across as a bit arrogant at times in his writing （and I don't just say that because I disagree with him on certain pivotal things）， I admire his passion for truth and objective science。 I think the information he presents about the nature of certain academic "mental parasites is important for people to hear。 It was interesting to see him break down why these contagious， cult-like ideas appeal to many， but also why it's so important to be courageous in the face of insanity。 。。。more
Esteban Roche
，
Joe Rogan: What if the truth hurts your feelings？Gad Saad: Fuck your feelings。
Don Bennie
，
I wish there was a 4。5 stars。 Overall a very good book and well argued。 It goes off the rails in a couple of sections that either rely too heavily on personal anecdotes， or devalue their own argument with flippant language choices or the creation of new vocabulary of which the author seems proud （ referring to phrases that he has coined）。 Nonetheless some sold arguments。 Would have liked more examples from both extremes of the ideological continuum even just to show that these are issues that ca I wish there was a 4。5 stars。 Overall a very good book and well argued。 It goes off the rails in a couple of sections that either rely too heavily on personal anecdotes， or devalue their own argument with flippant language choices or the creation of new vocabulary of which the author seems proud （ referring to phrases that he has coined）。 Nonetheless some sold arguments。 Would have liked more examples from both extremes of the ideological continuum even just to show that these are issues that can and do plague both ends。 。。。more
Pedro
，
Interesting but got bored halftime way thru it。。。 it just repeats and repeats everything。 I agree with him but it’s those this meeting could have been an email。 But I understand his point and probably this is a bigger issue than I make of it， probably bcs I’m not from the US， still not so crazy here I guess。
Joe
，
Some very reasonable arguments against the often absurd political correctness that has taken over many college campuses。 These arguments are however drowned out by the author continually patting himself on the back for the 'zingers" he has posted on Twitter over the years。 He reminds me of that one friend we all know who reminds you of that awesome joke he made like three years ago at a party。He isn't wrong about a lot of what he says。 The book however makes no attempt to understand the roots of Some very reasonable arguments against the often absurd political correctness that has taken over many college campuses。 These arguments are however drowned out by the author continually patting himself on the back for the 'zingers" he has posted on Twitter over the years。 He reminds me of that one friend we all know who reminds you of that awesome joke he made like three years ago at a party。He isn't wrong about a lot of what he says。 The book however makes no attempt to understand the roots of political correctness， and some of the well-meaning （but admittedly run amok） origins of the problem。 We need people who can reach across divides in this troubled world we live in。 This book never even tries to go there。 。。。more
En defensa de la no ficción
，
This has been a really fun read。 I'm looking forward to reading more books written by Dr。 Saad。 This has been a really fun read。 I'm looking forward to reading more books written by Dr。 Saad。 。。。more
Kelli Kidd
，
"。。。it is terribly condescending and patronizing to pretend that women need men to serve as their allies。"Hopefully after reading this book， many will develop the testicular fortitude to speak up when faced with wrongs。 "。。。it is terribly condescending and patronizing to pretend that women need men to serve as their allies。"Hopefully after reading this book， many will develop the testicular fortitude to speak up when faced with wrongs。 。。。more
Daniel
，
I read this book based on intellectual space within which Gad Saad places himself in。 I am glad to say that he is a man committed to his principles， and willing to fight for his beliefs to the very end。 He is however， beholden to his ego which very quickly comes apparent in the book。 He is the man who fears being forgotten， or being left out of the controversy storms swirling around his contemporaries。 'If Jordan Peterson gets all this attention as Canada's freedom of speech defending psychology I read this book based on intellectual space within which Gad Saad places himself in。 I am glad to say that he is a man committed to his principles， and willing to fight for his beliefs to the very end。 He is however， beholden to his ego which very quickly comes apparent in the book。 He is the man who fears being forgotten， or being left out of the controversy storms swirling around his contemporaries。 'If Jordan Peterson gets all this attention as Canada's freedom of speech defending psychology professor， why don't I？" is the general motivation I detect behind much of Saad's writing， and he seems to insert himself in to every academic controversy awashing the internet since 2015。 If he were not tangentially involved， then there is some tweet or opinion he espoused which embroiled him in the general struggle。 Often he allegedly spoke or met with said person/group right before said controversy happened。 As seems to be the common trend in these types of books （e。g。 Madness of Crowds）， he name drops all the key figures of the IDW; on that note he has a fixation on the IDW， most likely as he was not included on the "official list" of the meaningless grouping， and ever since has ridiculed them consistently。 To put it simply， it is FOMO。I mention all these things， because they are defining to the man， and while I would normally find that kind of behaviour repellent， I begrudge them to Gad Saad because he is a man of his word。 He knows the true pain and pathology embroiling this world， and will stare at it unflinchingly。 He is after all， the real deal。 In such cases， I think having a strong ego and flamboyance is a necessity for survival。 I'm sure that Saad would admit to some truth in my criticisms， and I am certain that he is capable of self ridicule。 That is the crucial element that makes all these foibles forgivable。With that being said， I should of course focus on the value of the book。 In an earlier time， it would be entirely inappropriate to conflate a review of a book with the author， but now given the merging of art and artist， of message and speaker， it seems inevitable。 Gad passes on all those fronts， and as does his book。Initially I have to say， I had the impression that the book was rather derivative， and an extension of the intellectual IDW FOMO that I believe Saad to have。 If Jordan Peterson， Sam Harris， Douglas Murray， （and even Dave Rubin （ughhh））， can put out books bashing wokeness， why can't the great Gad Saad do the same？ While I will admit I am being quite harsh towards Saad， having just recently read Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose and James Lyndsay， I couldn't help but find The Parasitic Mind incredibly lightweight and tokenist by contrast - especially given the constant attention the author gives to posts from those demonstrating they are reading his book。 Saad attempts to posit his theories on the rise of wokeness and western ideologues， through a combination of light evolutionary psychology， a casual mention to postmodernism's founders， with a smattering of anecdotal tales。 In contrast to the painstakingly thorough documentation of the genesis of post modernism and all its mutant progeny found in Cynical Theories， Saad's writing cannot help but come across as incomplete and surface level。 This is further exacerbated by his penchant for trying name/coin phenomena。 Ostrich Parasitic Syndrome is what he terms the behaviour of those who deflect and ignore the evidence before their eyes。 Saad consistently uses this phrase in the book， and in public life， as if by using it more， it will legitimise it in the eyes of readers and researchers。 It is a ridiculous name， whose only underlying purpose is to try and create a memorable phrase that can be attributed to the great Gad Saad。 This type of silliness， I'm sure Gad would try to justify as light hearted humour intending to break up an otherwise very serious matter。 I can't help but find it quite grating in the face of his is constant self promotion， and I don't believe in this case that he has actually found any new phenomena。So far， I am aware that I have come across as extremely critical， but my feelings towards the book are positive。 As the book continued and we were able to leave more of author's personal tales behind （useful for context but a little irritating）， there were more things of value to be found。 The last three chapters in particular come to mind。 I particularly enjoyed his detailed essay on Numulogical Networks as a means of gathering evidence to present an argument， be it on "Nomological Network of Cumulative Evidence for Islam" concerning the unique danger Islam poses to the West， or on "Nomological Network of Cumulative Evidence for Sex Differences in Human Mating" concerning the fact that there are real measurable differences between sexes， and we are not in fact entirely products of social circumstance。 As Saad explains， Darwin pioneered his scientific method in accumulating data for his eventual publication of the Origin of Species by researching across fields and strata， by looking at multiple data points well beyond any one area of study; by doing this you can build a case for an argument that becomes insurmountable。 It sounds like common sense， but it is sorely lacking within contemporary academic research。 Interdisciplinary co-operation has never been lower， as in the current landscape Academics view specialisation as the height of academic achievement。The ultimate argument of the book is that certain ideas are like parasites which use and discard their host。 I would agree on that front; ideas can indeed end up possessing their hosts and fragmenting their identities to the point where they have nothing left， ruining their lives。 That is why any dogma or precept must be firmly grounded in healthy humanist values， as I maintain are espoused by enlightenment values。While the impression I have given of the book may seem a harsh one， it is a good book that shares a lot of valuable perspectives。 I may not be the intended audience， given my relative awareness of the area， and so while I didn't enjoy it as much as I may have liked （and found it a little "simple"）， I would recommend it as a worthy read。 。。。more
Vitaliy
，
Свобода слова включает в себя и свободу высказывать мнение， которое не разделяет большинство。 Если же вам что-то не нравится， вы вольны нажать кнопку бан в твиттере。Книга о том， как фемки， "SJW-воены" и поборники политкорректности уничтожают основы западной цивилизации， культуры， науки и образования。 Слабонервным беременным радикальным феминисткам просьба отойти от экрана телевизора。 Свобода слова включает в себя и свободу высказывать мнение， которое не разделяет большинство。 Если же вам что-то не нравится， вы вольны нажать кнопку бан в твиттере。Книга о том， как фемки， "SJW-воены" и поборники политкорректности уничтожают основы западной цивилизации， культуры， науки и образования。 Слабонервным беременным радикальным феминисткам просьба отойти от экрана телевизора。 。。。more
Naman
，
A real let down from Dr Saad。 Having read his previous book I feel the Dr has tried to cash in on his social media profile。 This book is essentially， Dr Saad blowing his own trumpet and plugging his social media channels。 He recounts， in unnecessary detail， his various Twitter battles he has had and congratulate himself on his YouTube videos。 Nothing in this book that I didn't already know or that cant be picked up by reading a couple of papers on the same issue。 I hope his next book will be mor A real let down from Dr Saad。 Having read his previous book I feel the Dr has tried to cash in on his social media profile。 This book is essentially， Dr Saad blowing his own trumpet and plugging his social media channels。 He recounts， in unnecessary detail， his various Twitter battles he has had and congratulate himself on his YouTube videos。 Nothing in this book that I didn't already know or that cant be picked up by reading a couple of papers on the same issue。 I hope his next book will be more enlightening。 。。。more
Lama Saab
，
Did you ever finish a book and wonder whether the author is making sense or is just a total asshole？ This is one of those books。 Gad Saad's The Parasitic Mind tells you what you don't want to hear （and provide no room for your hurt feelings to have a say）。 Saad embodies the voice that is fighting the victimology of the minority， as he states it。 To a certain extent， there are points being made that do appeal to your reason。 However， the way you approach this book makes all the difference。 If you Did you ever finish a book and wonder whether the author is making sense or is just a total asshole？ This is one of those books。 Gad Saad's The Parasitic Mind tells you what you don't want to hear （and provide no room for your hurt feelings to have a say）。 Saad embodies the voice that is fighting the victimology of the minority， as he states it。 To a certain extent， there are points being made that do appeal to your reason。 However， the way you approach this book makes all the difference。 If you are an outright extreme Liberal， this book will make you angry - UNLESS you agree to approach it with an open mind to opposing views。 Ideologies can be detrimental; they bind and blind; however， in this book， there seems to be a targeted aggression towards certain groups that the author clearly depicts and the reader immediately picks up。 It takes you a few chapters in to realize what is going on - but it is difficult to refute his arguments， be they as extreme as they may sound。 Do I like this book？ Rationally， there is some element to it worth contemplating over。 Would his solution of following the truth and always rely on reason to solve all worldly issues feasible？ I hardly doubt。 。。。more
Conner Joseph
，
A dartboard of a book: Saad throws as many unrelated ideas out there as he can and sees what sticks。 Some of these ideas a good ones。 But they are mostly variations or regurgitations of those found in Coddling of the American Mind， Cynical Theories， or The Madness of Crowds。 If you’re interested in discovering more about the destructive thought patterns taking hold of our society， stick to those。 This book does more damage for its cause than good。 Prose is too conversational and colloquial for t A dartboard of a book: Saad throws as many unrelated ideas out there as he can and sees what sticks。 Some of these ideas a good ones。 But they are mostly variations or regurgitations of those found in Coddling of the American Mind， Cynical Theories， or The Madness of Crowds。 If you’re interested in discovering more about the destructive thought patterns taking hold of our society， stick to those。 This book does more damage for its cause than good。 Prose is too conversational and colloquial for this subject， and he relies far too much on personal experiences to prove his points。 He usually fails to refute or dismantle the points he disagrees with （or does so in a very weak fashion）。 The communicates ideas in a way that is unnecessarily narcissistic and arrogant， and he tries far too hard to be funny， clever， or witty。 For example， he writes an unnecessary tangent on society’s inability to see sarcasm on twitter， and fails to see that the inability to see the sarcasm of his tweets is probably due to his shortcoming and not his audience’s。 Overall far too colloquial and relies on his personal narrative and opinions rather than data。 Some good ideas but without providing proper support this book is likely to cause doubters and fence-sitters to trust in the good ideas that Saad is aiming to help them wake up to。 Saad should have approached this work much more delicately。 Instead he comes across as a pompous， belligerent dolt smashing his ideas over the head of anyone who disagrees with him。 Lastly， i went from two to one stars for the extremely unnecessary and offensive commentary on muslims。 For instance， he explains a story in which he walked into a room filled with burka-wearing women， and immediately left because， in his mind， any rational human being would be mortified at such a sight。 He uses this book as his personal soapbox to communicate his strong dislike of islam， which is hardly relevant and needs to be communicated much more delicately， even when some of his points may have some validity。 Terrible book。 Some ideas worth considering。 Stick to the other books above and steer clear of this annoying drivel。 。。。more
Rodolfo Borges
，
O livro acrescenta pouco ao debate sobre políticas de identidade， mas embala sua perspectiva bem na teoria da mente parasitada por ideias patogênicas， que a impedem de raciocinar de forma razoável， a ponto de defender causas ou tomar atitudes prejudiciais ao próprio hospedeiro。 Também vale pela ironia transcendental do autor。
Dennis Murphy
，
The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas are Killing Common Sense by Gad Saad is one of the go-to books for the anti-woke faction of the ever-present culture war。 Saad is a Lebanese Jewish Refugee who was nearly killed growing up for his Jewish identity by his fellow countrymen involved in a sectarian civil war。 He has controversial and largely insensitive views with regards to Islam， and is especially hostile to woke， progressive values。 In the text， he raises several instances of admittedly tr The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas are Killing Common Sense by Gad Saad is one of the go-to books for the anti-woke faction of the ever-present culture war。 Saad is a Lebanese Jewish Refugee who was nearly killed growing up for his Jewish identity by his fellow countrymen involved in a sectarian civil war。 He has controversial and largely insensitive views with regards to Islam， and is especially hostile to woke， progressive values。 In the text， he raises several instances of admittedly troubling incidents that are worth bearing in mind for when political correctness can go too far， but whatever good will he obtains by doing so is undermined by outlandish， and often misleading additional arguments and invocations。 Saad also has a bit of a martyrdom streak in his writing， which almost entirely unearned。 There's no reason why his life should have been threatened， but he did not provide too many details about that incident。 Rather， he spent more time talking about people on twitter trying to get him cancelled。 Values have degrees of severity and adherence。 There's hardly a virtue that cannot be turned into a vice， and this includes that which we believe is moral， ethical， or pragmatic。 The believer in a free market will not necessarily advocate for the abolition of any and all markers of government regulation or environmental protection。 That some individuals believe this is unfortunate， but we would be absolute morons to think that anarchocapitalists represent much more than a minor， marginal constituency。 Likewise， most believers in progressive cultural and social values will not necessarily associate any criticism of a person of color with racism， a woman with sexism， or a LGBT person with homophobia。 Most people who espouse such views would find such an accusation bizarre， and those that believe in such things are not at all popular among the mainstream of the New Left。 As our political discourse learns to weave and deal with the new discourse that has been injected into our public landscape， books like these （and those championing the opposite） will gradually fade into the background。 75/100 。。。more
Joody
，
A book allegedly fights extreme leftism movements such as radical feminism， postmodernism， and social constructivism in their rejection of scientific information that contradicts with their views to the world。 The book makes many legitimate arguments about how a lousy joke or comment could end a thriving career。 He fights identity politics and the concept of diversity in science arguing that science is impartial and follows the scientific method and it is only about the competence especially n A book allegedly fights extreme leftism movements such as radical feminism， postmodernism， and social constructivism in their rejection of scientific information that contradicts with their views to the world。 The book makes many legitimate arguments about how a lousy joke or comment could end a thriving career。 He fights identity politics and the concept of diversity in science arguing that science is impartial and follows the scientific method and it is only about the competence especially nowadays。 Also， He rejects that differences between sexs are mere social construct， and all other "gender identities" such as agender， bigender， or nonbinary or other terms used for identifying oneself as well。 He reminded me of a concept by the Egyptian writer Abdulwahab Almasiri （1999） which is Liquid monotony meaning reduction of any gender， sex differences and melting down the elements which differentiate the two genders from one another， and its repercussions on society and on females themselves。 Degeneration of feminine interests and vice versa。 He claims the center of this book is to fight the leftism in universities that effect academic studies and research。 However， he goes back and forth about how Muslims are terrorists with a crude neglect of the cycle of violence the United states has created！ （French colonialism for Algeria Muslims too） Attacking countries and spreading troops around the Islamic world， and I think his childhood as a Jew in Lebanon may contributed to these bias views。 He deliberately neglects those decades and decades where Muslims did nothing to anyone before the United States decided to middle in their countries creating a never-ending cycle of violence！ All three Abrahamic religions have legacy of violence that can be promoted for variety of reasons。 More importantly， I am surprised that a writer who claims to be impartial and truth seeker would support Israeli crimes by arguing that， the organization of Islamic cooperation has 57 countries all of which are UN members and therefore "it's not surprising that Israel receives too many condemnations， more than all brutal regimes in the world combined" ？！？ Not because Israel is the only country in the planet that has active occupation and colonization， and it has racial discrimination policies and active siege against Palestinians。 No！ only because there are 57 Islamic countries in UN。 Moreover， I strongly advise people to not be excited about or falsely assume that the book is an academic， scientific book by evolutionary behavior scientist。 It's more like， tweets and YouTube channel talks， and a few pieces of information on scientific studies here and there by a narcissistic social media influencer😄。 Generally entertaining and mind challenging， but not as impartial as one might think。 。。。more
Jeff Rudisel
，
TOP NOTCH！⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Inoculate yourself from destructive idea pathogens。Learn techniques to help you stand fast against the onslaught of Social Justice Warriors and political correctness and cancel culture and silencing and censorship， etc…
AttackGirl
，
with accompanying PDF。
don
，
A great eye-opener。 Presents the science about gender in a way that makes "progressives" look like flat-earthers。 The scientific information and his various other arguments are presented at a level that even a non-scientific person can understand。 The number of case studies of great scientific minds in many fields including education， who were unfairly harassed and/or fired is astounding， and makes Gad's call to stand up and speak out that much more important。 A great eye-opener。 Presents the science about gender in a way that makes "progressives" look like flat-earthers。 The scientific information and his various other arguments are presented at a level that even a non-scientific person can understand。 The number of case studies of great scientific minds in many fields including education， who were unfairly harassed and/or fired is astounding， and makes Gad's call to stand up and speak out that much more important。 。。。more
Grant Petik
，
Saad is abundantly clear that he lives in the world of academia， and is incredibly critical of it。 He is a Lebanese Jewish refugee and knows full well that there are many “thought pathogens” and extremist ideologies on the right， but that is not the topic of his book。That said， his critique of the ideological left is scathing， and the blind adherence to any doctrine at the expense of truth or reality is concerning， regardless of what group it comes from。At its core， this book is a call to always Saad is abundantly clear that he lives in the world of academia， and is incredibly critical of it。 He is a Lebanese Jewish refugee and knows full well that there are many “thought pathogens” and extremist ideologies on the right， but that is not the topic of his book。That said， his critique of the ideological left is scathing， and the blind adherence to any doctrine at the expense of truth or reality is concerning， regardless of what group it comes from。At its core， this book is a call to always value honest engagement with ideas in the pursuit of true knowledge， and protect relentlessly the freedom to explore and express thoughts about the difficult and complicated world that we live in。 。。。more
Mohammad Zakerzadeh
，
I share a lot of anti-leftist and anti-political-correctness ideas with Saad and would be really happy if found this book a reasonable battle against them。 Unfortunately the book is not well-written though brings lots of good ideas discussed superficially。I found the （expected to be funny） twitter stories a bummer to the narrative。
Jon
，
Excellent。 This should be required reading for every American。
Elliot Levey
，
No room for nuances。 I think there is room for nuances。
Rosemary
，
Watch Cad Saad on U-Tube。
Colleen Mulshine Epperson
，
I do not generally read books like this because I prefer a good novel or anything with a storyline。 This book I had to read with a highlighter。 The author had many good points regarding today’s society and those graduating from our universities。 I had never learned about post modernism in school and these ideas have become so toxic in our current culture。 It was eye opening to learn about the indoctrination we are paying the universities to “teach” our children。 There is no wonder that this gen I do not generally read books like this because I prefer a good novel or anything with a storyline。 This book I had to read with a highlighter。 The author had many good points regarding today’s society and those graduating from our universities。 I had never learned about post modernism in school and these ideas have become so toxic in our current culture。 It was eye opening to learn about the indoctrination we are paying the universities to “teach” our children。 There is no wonder that this generation behaves like they do。 The author added many stories to illustrate his points and quoted many other authors。 One of my favorite quotes was from Thomas Sowell， “The next time some academics tell you how important ’diversity’ is， ask how many Republicans there are in their sociology department。” This author discusses the universities and their indoctrination as being more subtle in the US by saying， “It is achieved by an ethos of political correctness and best enforced by creating university campuses that lack intellectual diversity。” He also discusses the culture of offense and how it pays off to be a “member of the perpetually aggrieved。” Due to the university’s intellectually sterile settings， the students “do not develop the critical thinking skills， let alone the emotional maturity， to navigate through disagreements。” In the end， the author gave ideas regarding actions to take。 He implored the reader to stand up for what you believe in and not to allow others to walk all over you。 He encouraged the reader to never back down when being attacked by ideological bullies。 “But our minds are elevated when we discuss opposing points of view respectfully。 This should be a major focus of our universities。” He went on discussing the university and how they need to recommit themselves to the pursuit of academic excellence and get rid of identity politics。 “No one should have to apologize for being white， male， Christian， or heterosexual - or feel “pride” in their sexual orientation。 Immutable characteristics should not be the subject of either pride or shame， and we should neither inculcate or placate an ethos of perpetual victimhood and indignant offense。 We should stop coddling students and provide no allowances for trigger warnings or safe spaces， no indulgence for the foolishness of ‘cultural appropriation’ or ‘microaggressions。’ These are nonsensical concepts that embolden weakness and fragility。 Instead， foster an environment that promotes intellectual and emotional strength。” 。。。more
Peter Slivka
，
Keď som dostal odporúčanie vypočuť si túto knihu， prvé čo ma napadlo bolo， že škoda že sa nedostane k cieľovke a určite si idem vypočuť len ďalší confirmation bias。 Až kým som sa nezistil trpkú pravdu， že aj moju myseľ zasiahli “Idea pathogens” a to ja som cieľovka。Nesúhlasím na 100% so všetkými názormi a už vonkoncom nesúhlasím so spôsobom， ako ich autor prezentuje - štiplavou satirou a sarkazmom， ktorý chudáci ľudia na sociálnych sietiach nevedia dekódovať。 Bože， ale ako je to svinsky vtipné a Keď som dostal odporúčanie vypočuť si túto knihu， prvé čo ma napadlo bolo， že škoda že sa nedostane k cieľovke a určite si idem vypočuť len ďalší confirmation bias。 Až kým som sa nezistil trpkú pravdu， že aj moju myseľ zasiahli “Idea pathogens” a to ja som cieľovka。Nesúhlasím na 100% so všetkými názormi a už vonkoncom nesúhlasím so spôsobom， ako ich autor prezentuje - štiplavou satirou a sarkazmom， ktorý chudáci ľudia na sociálnych sietiach nevedia dekódovať。 Bože， ale ako je to svinsky vtipné a trefné！ Gad Saad rozhodne nie je politicky korektný， ale ako na jasných príkladoch demonštruje， korektnosť nie je vždy žiadaná， práve naopak a nebojí sa to dať najavo。Takže či už s názormi súhlasíte alebo nie， určite odporúčam prečítať （vypočuť）， skôr ako vás názorové patogény “západnej kultúry” oberú o racionalitu a možnosť vidieť veci kriticky aj z druhej strany。 。。。more
Most
，
Parts of the book were interesting， but overall I felt like the titled subject was not very clear to me。 I didn't get a lot of concise arguments about what the infectious ideas were and how they were killing common sense。 I got a lot of anti-feminist sentiment and aside from the anti-woke subject I found little of interest。 The author explored a lot of what he knew in regard to certain cultures and religions which might be interesting， but in my opinion， seemed like another subject entirely and Parts of the book were interesting， but overall I felt like the titled subject was not very clear to me。 I didn't get a lot of concise arguments about what the infectious ideas were and how they were killing common sense。 I got a lot of anti-feminist sentiment and aside from the anti-woke subject I found little of interest。 The author explored a lot of what he knew in regard to certain cultures and religions which might be interesting， but in my opinion， seemed like another subject entirely and I wonder if the author might have been better to save that for another book。 。。。more
Yanal
，
This was an easy listen on Audible and the author touches upon some very important topics that are occurring in society right now。 Topics include cancel culture， virtue signaling， and other cultural shifts taking place。 I would highly recommend for people on all different political spectrums to read this。
Sanja
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