Modern Ideologies – Don’t forget critical thinking
What I already know
What do I believe about modern ideologies? Sometimes you hear a term and because of the various ways in which it is used and where you are at in the semester, you must go back to the basics and look the term up. I looked up the term ideology on Philosophy Term’s website and they defined it in a way that my tired brain could understand.
“Put simply, an ideology is like an invisible backpack of ideas that you carry around. It helps you understand the big world around you and influences your everyday actions and decisions. Imagine the invisible backpack is filled with a variety of tools – these could be your thoughts on what’s fair, your feelings about nature, or your beliefs on right and wrong. You use these tools to navigate through life.”[1]
Now that my mind grasps the concept of ideology, I’m still not sure how the term modern is delineated. Having recently read Hicks, are we using the term like he did, modern versus postmodern, or are we discussing modern as in recent history?[2] For this post, modern means recent history.
As Hicks would argue, we live in a world in which a person’s invisible backpack of ideas is based not on evidenced based research, but more on how the ideas make a person think or feel (subjectivism).[3] I would include what gets the person the most likes on social media, or the most votes. Many of these ideas start out as fact-based ideas but get taken to extremes. Even Richard Delgado and Jean Stefanic in their book on Critical Race Theory give the following caveat “What do Critical Race Theorists believe? Probably not every writer would subscribe to every tenet set out in this book,” [4] This suggest that CRT has been taken to a point that not everyone agrees upon all facets of the theory being purported. Mounk, says close to the same thing when talking about Intersectionality.[5] “As Crenshaw described the term in her early articles on the topic, “intersectionality” was an intuitively plausible concept. It was also somewhat familiar: social scientists had long thought about the ways in which the presence of two causal factors could have effects that went far beyond a mere addition of each individual effect.”[6] Mounk continues “But as critical race theory became more influential in the following decades, and the once-obscure academic term coined by Crenshaw morphed into an unlikely rallying cry for a new generation of activists, its meaning became increasingly broad and amorphous.”[7]
There are so many modern ideologies” being presented and it is easy to get caught up in what is being presented that people forget to engage in critical thinking. For example, Dr. Paul Hruz states that the American Endocrine Society endorses puberty blockers for youth with gender dysphoria.[8] However, he says that not enough research has been done to know what puberty blockers to do a healthy endocrine system as they were designed to be used with an overactive endocrine system. Looks like people are forgetting to consider that piece of information.
The Parasitic Mind
Gad Saad, a Lebanese born, Canadian Jew whose passion is to pursue freedom and truth, writes about what he considers the parasitic pathogens.[9] He writes
“These [pathogens] are composed of thought patterns, belief systems, attitudes, and mindsets that parasitize one’s ability to think properly and accurately. Once these mind viruses take hold of one’s neuronal circuitry, the afflicted victim loses the ability to use reason, logic, and science to navigate the world. Instead, one sinks into an abyss of infinite lunacy best defined by a dogged and proud departure from reality, common sense, and truth.”[10]
Some of the pathogens he discusses are social justice, gender ideology, postmodern ideology, and diversity, inclusion and equity ideology.
Doing an inspectional reading of the book, I found my head shaking in disbelief. I was raised to know the importance of the scientific method and continue to adhere to it when deciding what to teach. Saad gives example after example of people being censored because their views do not align with the modern ideologies that are circulating today, thus affirming my idea that people are no longer engaging in critical thinking. An example of this is Saad referring to Lisa Littman’s 2018 publication. I use her research when teaching about transgender. Littman’s research was on Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD).[11] This is where a person seemingly out of the blue announces their gender dysphoria. In interviews with parents, Littman found evidence of a possible social contagion factor in this diagnosis. Littman did not deny the existence of ROGD but urged caution in blindly accepting the diagnosis. When faced with opposition, Brown University removed the news release discussing the study.[12]
Something that runs counter to what you thought you already knew.
Overall, there are several things that Saad and I agree upon, but there are a few areas, specifically related to how faith factors into his ideologies upon which I believe we would disagree. I feel I would need to do more reading to really nail that down. But I want to focus on gender. Saad using research discusses that a child’s preference to what kinds of toys they play with is biologically driven and counters the social constructivists idea of gender roles being solely influenced by societal constructs.[13] Abigail Favale suggests that your gender is your biological sex lived out, that regardless of what you do, you are being the male or female God created you to be.[14] I agree with her statement. However, I believe that society plays more of a role in determining gender roles than Saad might believe. My struggle comes when I hear stories of children as young as 3 claiming to be experiencing gender dysphoria.[15] My initial thought is, if not for societal influences, how would a 3-year-old be able to perceive that they are not acting like and/or feeling like their gender? If a 3-year-old girl prefers to play with a toy gun over a female doll, is there something biologically innate telling her that she is not acting out her biology, or is she getting messages from adults and older children?
Conclusion
I agree that the world seems to be infected with ideas that prevent people from thinking rationally and critically. I also agree that something needs to be done. Saad said, “An honest signal of one’s commitment to truth, reason, and justice must be costly for it to carry any weight. Still one can understand the temptation to anonymity.”[16] I would add the temptation of silence. I’ve had colleagues admit their silence but when you are in a position not protected by tenure, have a family, bills to pay, and children’s future higher education to consider, rational thinking tends to side with keeping things in homeostasis and silence wins out.
[1] Philosophy Terms, “Ideology,” Accessed on March 14, 2025, https://philosophyterms.com/ideology/
[2] Stephen R. C. Hicks, Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault, (Reland Bay, QLD: Connon Court Publishing, 2019).
[3] Hicks, 60-83.
[4] Richard Delgado and Jean Stefanic, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, (New Delhi, India: Dev Publishers 2017), 8.
[5] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, (New York, Penguin, 2023), 65-66.
[6] Mounk, 65-66.
[7] Mounk, 66
[8][8] Theology in the Raw, Diversity of Trans* Part 6: An Endocrinologist’s Perspective on Puberty Blockers and Cross Sex Hormones: Dr. Paul Hruz – Theology in the raw, February 8, 2021. https://theologyintheraw.com/podcast/diversity-of-trans-part-6-an-endocrinologists-perspective-on-puberty-blockers-and-cross-sex-hormones-dr-paul-hruz/.
[9] Gad Saad, The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas are Killing Common Sense, (New York, NY: Regnerny, 2021).
[10] Saad, 17.
[11] Lisa Littman, “Parents Report of Adolescent and Young Adult Perceived to Show Signs of a Rapid Onset of Gender Dysphoria, PlosOne, August 16, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202330
[12] Saad, 82.
[13] Saad, 147 – 150.
[14] Preston Sprinkle, “#886 – Sex, Gender, and the Anthropology of Trans* Identities: Dr. Abigail Favale”, Theology in the Raw Podcast, https://theologyintheraw.com/podcast/886-sex-gender-and-the-anthropology-of-trans-identities-dr-abigail-favale/.
[15] Preston Sprinkle, Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What they Bible Has to Say, (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2021). 50
[16] Saad, 37.
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.3 responses to “Modern Ideologies – Don’t forget critical thinking”
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Thanks so much Jeff. For those of us who work in public settings where speaking freely comes with professional and personal risk, how do we courageously stand for truth without endangering our livelihoods or our families’ well-being? Silence is a powerful temptation when one lacks institutional protection, but silence only deepens the spread of these parasitic ideas.
Hi Jeff,
As always, you write so well. Thank you for sharing your post.
How does Gad Saad’s concept of “parasitic pathogens” challenge modern ideologies like social justice and gender ideology, and what implications does this have for fostering critical thinking in educational or societal contexts? How would you explain this to your students?
Jeff, I thought about you as I read this book. Saad mentioned universities focusing on “coddling” emotions rather than promoting critical thinking. How have you experienced that in your context? In what ways can professors promote critical thinking with their students even if society is not?