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.10 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.
Glyn,
You ask such a great question, one that I have pondered a lot this past semester given what has been happening at my university. First and foremost, there has to be a lot of prayer invested into any decision about standing up for the truth. Is God asking you to be a voice or not? If the answer is yes, then I think we make sure we do it in love and in a way that our personal testimony is not jeopardized. We do not engage in name calling or attacking the person(s) involved but rather focus on the issue. Then we pray more about next steps if any and walk in faith that God is sovereign.
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?
Shela,
Many of these pathogenic ideas rest on the idea of subjective truth which makes it difficult to combat. I am talking about combatting from both sides. For example, because social justice has been taken to an extreme, the more conservative hear the word and automatically close their ears and minds to the idea. I think engaging in critical thinking is a helpful way to get people (students) to process these ideas, especially looking for evidence-based ideas. For example, for social justice, the evidence would be looking at the benefits of engaging in the practice of social justice and where the Bible discusses it. For gender ideology, where does science provide evidence for the ideology and where does it counter it.
In my context, I think explaining the idea of parasitic ideas to students would be having them view things first through the eyes of Scripture, then looking at what science has to say, if the idea runs counter to both, such as gender ideology, then we need to really think about whether or not to consider it.
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?
Kari,
My coddling may go in the opposite direction than what Saad is thinking. Teaching at a conservative Christian University I have students who have never been exposed to or entertained ideas outside of the church. I am very careful to let them know that I am not promoting ideas or lifestyles that are contrary to the Nazarene Church, but that as future social workers, they are going to be exposed to these ideas, and I don’t want their jaws hitting the floor when a client starts discussing their beliefs or lifestyles. One of my main goals is to get students to consider how and why a person might believe what they do.
While we do emphasize understanding a client’s perspective and understanding their reality, we do heavily promote evidenced based practice. That is where professors can get students to engage in critical thinking. Why do they think this theory or practice works as opposed to other popular ideas.
Hi Jeff, I appreciate the way you highlighted gender in your reflection, particularly your struggle with hearing stories of children as young as three claiming to experience gender dysphoria. While I’m not a parent myself, I share a deep concern for the flourishing of children. When a child begins to show behaviors that might lead a parent to consider the possibility of gender dysphoria, what do you think are some healthier approaches to navigate this? I’d love to hear your thoughts. This is an area I know I should focus on more, but it often slips off my radar, as I’m currently only the caregiver to a very misbehaved cat.
Elysse,
My thoughts are that the parents need to help their child process their thoughts and feelings. For example, as a young boy maybe you like pink more than blue. Preston Sprinkle starts his book Embodied by stating that 100 years ago baby boys were dressed in pink because blue was considered too feminine. It’s about helping a child understand that it’s okay to be different, for a girl to like to play with worms and snakes. That in reality God makes us all different, that doesn’t mean we are born into the wrong body. In the interviews I have listened to on Preston Sprinkle’s Theology in the Raw podcast, regardless of where they are in the transition process, almost if not all of them recommend counseling before transitioning. To make sure it is really gender dysphoria and not some other mental health issue. Hopefully with the right counselor the child can begin to separate the societal constructs from biological reality.
Jeff, your reflection made me think about the tension you pointed out between courage and caution, especially in academic and professional environments. You quoted Saad on the costliness of truth, and added your own insight about the temptation of silence. I wonder: What do you think it would take to create a culture, especially in education, where truth-telling and critical thinking are not only protected but cultivated? And in your own experience, what small but meaningful steps have helped you push back against the pull of silence?
Chad,
Great question, In order for this to happen I think the educational institutions need to have alumni and donors that care about objective truth and critical thinking. I believe these institutions become focused on their finances and take care to not offend the big donors.
Right now, praying about situations and allowing God to lead me rather than fear helps push back against the pull of silence. At my university I have co-workers who are speaking out and/or resigning. However, I lack first-hand knowledge of many of the things on which they are speaking. So, I don’t feel that I have the right to speak. Right now, at least I feel called to be a source of stability for our department and students. However, if/when the time to speak becomes apparent, I will try to not let fear control me.