Ideas Matter: Scientism and the Manufacture of Consent - then and now

Eighth and final lecture in series Psychology and Democracy from
The Academy 2020 organised by Battle of Ideas (boi) charity.


In this episode, the lecture ‘Scientism and the Manufacture of
Consent: then and now’ draws together themes explored earlier in
the series. It looks at how, in an age without a clear set of
authoritative political ideas, an ideology - as yet without a
name - has taken root. This ‘invisible’ ideology represents the
coalescence of two separate strands of thinking over the past
century - on the one hand an orientation towards social
engineering and expert led technocracy, and on the other the
emergence and eventual thriving of identity politics.


Lecturer: Professor Frank Furedi, sociologist and social
commentator; author of more than 20 books, including most
recently, ‘Why Borders Matter: why humanity must relearn the art
of drawing boundaries’


THE ACADEMY 2020: PSYCHOLOGY AND DEMOCRACY The Academy Online was
a mixture of lectures and seminars offering an opportunity to
place contemporary events in a historical and philosophical
context. The full programme and some background reading can be
found at theboi.co.uk/the-academy-online…logy-and-democracy


THE ACADEMY In the context of today’s instrumental approaches to
knowledge, The Academy summer school is a modest attempt to
demonstrate the value of scholarship, and of the worth of the
university as a place of free enquiry dedicated to the pursuit of
truth.


DONATING TO THE BOI CHARITY The BOI charity is committed to
continuing to host discussion and debates throughout this period
when society is restricted by measures to tackle coronavirus. In
order to realise events such as the Academy Online, none of our
staff are furloughed and instead remain working. If you can, then
please consider a donation, small or large.
Visit: theboi.co.uk/donate


IDEAS MATTER PODCAST Ideas Matter is a podcast that takes the
most important issues of our times and explores the ideas and
intellectual trends that have shaped where we are today.


You can subscribe and listen to Ideas Matter on Apple Podcasts,
Podbean, Spotify or SoundCloud. For full details of all episodes,
visit the podcast page on our website


Keep up-to-date with Ideas Matter and all the initiatives
organised by the Battle of Ideas charity by following us on
Twitter (@theboi_uk) and on Facebook (battleofideas).