Dr. Eric Kaufmann-The Buckingham Manifesto for Post-Progressive Social Science (THE SAAD TRUTH_1878)-gemini-2.5-flash-prompt4
by Gemini
37 min read
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGhqf5nW1iA
Table of Contents
Verse 1
The provided text is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham, about the "Buckingham Manifesto for Post-Progressive Social Science."
**Core Topics:**
The central themes revolve around the state of academia, particularly in social sciences, and the need for intellectual diversity and free inquiry. Key topics include:
* **The University of Buckingham and its distinct approach:** A private university with a "free market tradition," founded by Margaret Thatcher, offering an alternative to mainstream institutions.
* **The Center for Heterodox Social Science:** A new initiative at Buckingham aiming to foster research and teaching that challenges conventional progressive narratives.
* **The Buckingham Manifesto:** A declaration for a "post-progressive intellectual movement and agenda," advocating for "countercultural social science" and "critical woke studies."
* **Critique of Ideological Conformity in Academia:** The interview highlights concerns about a lack of free speech, "woke" ideology dominating high culture and universities, and research agendas being constrained by taboos.
* **The Pursuit of Truth vs. Activism:** The argument that social sciences have strayed from truth-seeking to activism, leading to a biased understanding of phenomena.
* **Creating a Parallel Academic Ecosystem:** The strategy of building new universities, centers, networks, and media platforms to amplify dissident research and influence public discourse, as opposed to solely trying to reform existing institutions.
* **Distinction from the Manhattan Statement:** The Buckingham Manifesto is described as an "intellectual manifesto" (what intellectuals should do), while the Manhattan Statement (signed by Christopher Rufo, among others) is a "policy manifesto" (what government should do). Both aim to address issues in higher education.
* **New Research Agendas:** Specific areas of study proposed include "critical woke studies" (studying woke as an ideology) and countercultural social science (e.g., exploring alternative explanations for disparities beyond systemic racism/sexism, like family structure or evolutionary psychology).
* **Challenges and Frustrations:** Mention of "run-ins," "Twitter mobbings," "open letters," and the difficulty of supervising graduate students who disappear.
* **The importance of amplification:** The idea that quality dissident research, even from a smaller pool of academics, can have significant influence if effectively disseminated through new media and networks.
* **Notable figures and journals:** Mentions of Scott Sadat, Matt Goodwin, Basha Unar Sargon, Chris Rufo, Steven Pinker, Yasha Monk, Claire Layman, and journals like *Theory and Society* (founded by Alvin Gouldner, now edited by Kevin McCaffrey) and *Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences* (edited by Lee Jussim).
**Tone:**
The tone is notably **upbeat, witty, and determined**. There's a clear sense of purpose and optimism about the new initiatives. Humor is present (e.g., the "hall of fame" comment, "orastic" chips). The language is intellectual yet accessible, conveying a passionate commitment to intellectual freedom.
**Context:**
The conversation takes place on "The Saad Truth," an interview series known for discussing contentious topics and often hosting guests who challenge mainstream academic or cultural narratives. The interview positions Dr. Kaufmann as a leading figure in a growing movement to reintroduce viewpoint diversity and rigorous, unbiased inquiry into social science.
***
**An Ode to Truth's Bold Beacon**
In halls where shadows long have played, 🏰
And whispers of the truth delayed, 🤫
A vibrant voice, a spirit keen,
Emerges, on the academic scene.
From London's ancient, hallowed ground, 🌆
Where orthodoxy too was found,
To Buckingham, a vision bright, ✨
He journeys forth, with truth as light.
Kaufmann, a name now etched anew,
With purpose clear, and spirit true,
At Birkbeck's twenty years he'd spent,
Then sought a different, truer bent.
For Southampton's four, a prelude grand,
Before he took a firmer stand.
The mainstream currents, strong and deep,
Held secrets that they wished to keep. 🌊
But mobbings, open letters hurled, 💥
A Twitter tempest, shook his world.
Investigations, sharp and grim,
Could not extinguish freedom's hymn.
For Thatcher's dream, a private gleam,
At Buckingham, a flowing stream,
Of thought diverse, a market free, 💡
For minds to bloom, wild and untamed glee.
He laid the stone, a future cast,
The Center's birth, designed to last: 🏗️
For Heterodox Social Science, bold,
A story waiting to unfold.
With MA and PhD anew,
To nurture scholars, brave and true.
No more the stifling, narrow way,
But intellectual brightest day. 🌞
His "Third Awakening," brave and deep, 📚
Revealed how "woke" began to creep.
A companion volume, sharp and wise,
To "Parasitic Mind," before our eyes.
A battle waged, for intellect's might,
To bring the hidden truths to light.
With "Suicidal Empathy," too,
A fresh perspective, shining through.
The "Is Woke Dead?" conference did call, 🗣️
In London's Emmanuel Hall.
Then Buckingham, a hallowed site,
For anti-woke academic light. 💡
No longer problem to define,
But positive, a new design!
A post-progressive intellectual tide,
Where truth and reason can abide. 🌊
Beyond the "cultural left's" long sway,
Which dominated yesterday.
For sixty years, a forceful hand,
Had shaped the thinking of the land.
But now, a challenge, strong and clear,
To banish taboos, conquer fear.
No "parasitized" minds allowed?
Let logic speak, amidst the crowd. 🧠
For truth, not ideology's claim,
Must guide the academic flame. 🔥
Disparities explored anew,
Beyond the systemic, to the true.
Not solely 'racism,' 'sexism' blamed,
But family structure, choices named.
Evolution's whispers, clear and bold,
A story waiting to be told. 🐒
"Countercultural social science" grand,
A compass in a shifting land.
And "Critical Woke Studies," too,
To study movements, fresh and new.
Like fascism, or communism's blight,
An ideology, brought to light. 🧐
With schools of thought, a vibrant fray,
From status seeking to true belief's way.
The short-term aim, not fifty-fifty share,
But influence diffused through air.
A parallel ecosystem, wide, 🌳
Where dissident thoughts can safely ride.
New universities, centers, bright,
And networks woven, day and night. 🤝
To amplify, with urgent sound,
The research that must now be found. 📣
For dusty shelves, where papers sleep, 😴
No longer secrets will they keep.
One-twentieth's force, if wisely led,
Can move the culture, widely spread.
A repository, strong and keen,
For journalists, a searching screen.
Bypassing ChatGBT's old ways,
To find the truth, in these new days.
Against systemic narratives, they stand, 🛡️
A force for reason, through the land.
Connecting scholars, brave and few,
With media vibrant, fresh, and new.
The podcast waves, a rising tide,
Where academics now can stride.
No longer "staying in their lane,"
But broader impact, to attain. 📈
The "credentialed heft," a vital part,
To fuel the mind, and stir the heart.
Not just opinions, quick and slight,
But deep research, to shed more light.
For most of learning, left unread,
A wasted effort, wrongly fed.
But here, a purpose, strong and clear,
To banish dogma, conquer fear.
The manifesto, strong and pure,
Two prongs of truth, that will endure:
Politically incorrect thought,
And critical woke, bravely fought.
A "post-progressive" era dawns,
Beyond the cultural left's soft yawns.
"Trans" a Waterloo, a turning point,
Where common sense can now anoint. 👑
The Manhattan Statement, too, he named,
A policy, broadly proclaimed.
While Buckingham's, for intellect's call,
For scholars rising, standing tall.
Pinker and Rufo, both agree,
On freedom's vital, shining plea.
Liberals and conservatives unite,
For truth, for academic right. 📜
A grants program, for brave new quest,
To put countercultural to the test.
An edited book, a special issue's grace,
To claim in journals, truth's own place.
When attacked, then truly in the system, 🥊
A vibrant, challenging episteme.
No journal new, for now, to sow,
But existing outlets, help to grow.
*Theory and Society*, a venerable name,
For post-progressive scholarship's flame.
And *Journal of Open Inquiry*, bright,
A beacon in the intellectual night.
With Kevin McCaffrey, driven, strong,
And Lee Jussim, where they belong.
To Darwinize, with thoughtful plea,
The field of sociology. 🧬
The joy of kindred spirits met, 🙌
No longer isolated, beset.
After years of fighting, lone and deep,
A shared purpose, for minds to keep.
The energy, a vibrant hum,
From scholars gathered, overcome.
With leaders bold, and vision clear,
Dispelling every academic fear.
For self-censorship, a silent blight, 🤐
Is conquered in this forum's light.
Where voices free, can rise and soar,
And creativity knows no door.
Though neutral ground may have its sway,
This freedom's space, illuminates the way.
To research bold, and minds untied,
Where truth and reason can reside.
A memory shared, of simple fare,
Of "orastic chips," beyond compare! 🍟
In Buckingham, a tasty treat,
A common bond, undeniably sweet.
A return promised, for that delight,
Beyond the battles, morning, noon, and night.
A human touch, a witty grace,
In this intellectual, vibrant space.
New projects stir, the mind's embrace,
Correlation of youth, and mental space. 📊
Left-wing, non-hetero, and illness tied,
A pattern seeking truth, where facts reside.
And trust in universities, now low,
Among Republicans, seeds they sow.
Unveiling biases, stark and plain,
To bring forth balance, once again.
The "sneaky effers," theory's bold flight,
Kleptogamy, brought to light. 🐾
Male feminists, a clever guise,
Unveiling motives to their eyes.
Formidability, a study deep,
How physicality secrets keep.
The academic journey, fraught with strain,
But passion's fire, conquers pain. 🔥
Though students vanish, in the dark, 🌌
The supervisor leaves their mark.
A nurturing hand, a guiding ray,
For those who falter, on the way.
New programs bloom, a future fair,
Two MA students, soon to share.
The first fruits gathered, from the vine,
A hopeful, promising design. 🌿
No mere teaching, but research, too,
To change the narrative, fresh and true.
Beyond inequality's narrow gaze,
To social cohesion, brighter days. 🤝
Reducing polarization's might,
And crime's dark shadow, brought to light.
The "civic centers," a kindred aim,
To fuel the intellectual flame.
For viewpoint diversity, a vital plea,
Ring-fenced zones, for liberty.
Not just great books, American lore,
But social science, seeking more.
The research part, a crucial key,
To truly set the intellect free.
A pantheon of guests, indeed,
For seeds of truth, a growing creed. 🌱
And Matt Ridley's crown, a triple plea, 👑
For Eric, seeking history.
A promise made, a belt to wear,
In intellectual skies, beyond compare.
For Saad's kind welcome, ever warm,
A refuge from the ideological storm.
The good work flows, a constant stream,
Fulfilling freedom's vibrant dream. 🌟
***
**Form, Rhyme Scheme, Meter, and Emoji Strategy:**
* **Form:** This poem is an **Ode**, a lyrical poem praising or glorifying an event or individual. It celebrates the intellectual movement for heterodox social science and the founding of new academic initiatives.
* **Rhyme Scheme:** Predominantly AABB (couplets), with occasional variations to maintain flow and introduce new ideas, giving it a straightforward and accessible rhythm.
* **Meter:** The poem primarily employs **iambic tetrameter**, consisting of four iambic feet (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) per line. This creates a steady, marching rhythm that propels the narrative forward while maintaining a formal, declarative tone. Minor variations occur for emphasis or natural phrasing.
* **Emoji Strategy:** Unicode emojis are carefully selected to visually enhance the poem's themes without detracting from its literary quality. They serve as playful, yet meaningful, symbols. For instance, 🏰 represents the University of Buckingham and new academic institutions, 💡 symbolizes intellectual insight and truth, 🧐 denotes critical thinking and the study of ideologies, 🌳 suggests growth and new ecosystems, 📣 signifies amplification and voices, 🤝 highlights community and collaboration, 🛡️ implies defense of principles, 🌊 illustrates currents of change, 🌟 embodies hope and future aspirations, 🔥 signifies passion and challenge, 📚 represents books and knowledge, 🧠 for minds and intellect, 🐒 for evolutionary psychology, 📊 for data analysis, 🤐 for self-censorship, 🍟 for the witty "chips" anecdote, 🧬 for Darwinizing fields, 👑 for achievements, and 🌱 for new growth. The poem is designed to remain coherent and high-quality even if all emojis are removed.
**Core Topics:**
The central themes revolve around the state of academia, particularly in social sciences, and the need for intellectual diversity and free inquiry. Key topics include:
* **The University of Buckingham and its distinct approach:** A private university with a "free market tradition," founded by Margaret Thatcher, offering an alternative to mainstream institutions.
* **The Center for Heterodox Social Science:** A new initiative at Buckingham aiming to foster research and teaching that challenges conventional progressive narratives.
* **The Buckingham Manifesto:** A declaration for a "post-progressive intellectual movement and agenda," advocating for "countercultural social science" and "critical woke studies."
* **Critique of Ideological Conformity in Academia:** The interview highlights concerns about a lack of free speech, "woke" ideology dominating high culture and universities, and research agendas being constrained by taboos.
* **The Pursuit of Truth vs. Activism:** The argument that social sciences have strayed from truth-seeking to activism, leading to a biased understanding of phenomena.
* **Creating a Parallel Academic Ecosystem:** The strategy of building new universities, centers, networks, and media platforms to amplify dissident research and influence public discourse, as opposed to solely trying to reform existing institutions.
* **Distinction from the Manhattan Statement:** The Buckingham Manifesto is described as an "intellectual manifesto" (what intellectuals should do), while the Manhattan Statement (signed by Christopher Rufo, among others) is a "policy manifesto" (what government should do). Both aim to address issues in higher education.
* **New Research Agendas:** Specific areas of study proposed include "critical woke studies" (studying woke as an ideology) and countercultural social science (e.g., exploring alternative explanations for disparities beyond systemic racism/sexism, like family structure or evolutionary psychology).
* **Challenges and Frustrations:** Mention of "run-ins," "Twitter mobbings," "open letters," and the difficulty of supervising graduate students who disappear.
* **The importance of amplification:** The idea that quality dissident research, even from a smaller pool of academics, can have significant influence if effectively disseminated through new media and networks.
* **Notable figures and journals:** Mentions of Scott Sadat, Matt Goodwin, Basha Unar Sargon, Chris Rufo, Steven Pinker, Yasha Monk, Claire Layman, and journals like *Theory and Society* (founded by Alvin Gouldner, now edited by Kevin McCaffrey) and *Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences* (edited by Lee Jussim).
**Tone:**
The tone is notably **upbeat, witty, and determined**. There's a clear sense of purpose and optimism about the new initiatives. Humor is present (e.g., the "hall of fame" comment, "orastic" chips). The language is intellectual yet accessible, conveying a passionate commitment to intellectual freedom.
**Context:**
The conversation takes place on "The Saad Truth," an interview series known for discussing contentious topics and often hosting guests who challenge mainstream academic or cultural narratives. The interview positions Dr. Kaufmann as a leading figure in a growing movement to reintroduce viewpoint diversity and rigorous, unbiased inquiry into social science.
***
**An Ode to Truth's Bold Beacon**
In halls where shadows long have played, 🏰
And whispers of the truth delayed, 🤫
A vibrant voice, a spirit keen,
Emerges, on the academic scene.
From London's ancient, hallowed ground, 🌆
Where orthodoxy too was found,
To Buckingham, a vision bright, ✨
He journeys forth, with truth as light.
Kaufmann, a name now etched anew,
With purpose clear, and spirit true,
At Birkbeck's twenty years he'd spent,
Then sought a different, truer bent.
For Southampton's four, a prelude grand,
Before he took a firmer stand.
The mainstream currents, strong and deep,
Held secrets that they wished to keep. 🌊
But mobbings, open letters hurled, 💥
A Twitter tempest, shook his world.
Investigations, sharp and grim,
Could not extinguish freedom's hymn.
For Thatcher's dream, a private gleam,
At Buckingham, a flowing stream,
Of thought diverse, a market free, 💡
For minds to bloom, wild and untamed glee.
He laid the stone, a future cast,
The Center's birth, designed to last: 🏗️
For Heterodox Social Science, bold,
A story waiting to unfold.
With MA and PhD anew,
To nurture scholars, brave and true.
No more the stifling, narrow way,
But intellectual brightest day. 🌞
His "Third Awakening," brave and deep, 📚
Revealed how "woke" began to creep.
A companion volume, sharp and wise,
To "Parasitic Mind," before our eyes.
A battle waged, for intellect's might,
To bring the hidden truths to light.
With "Suicidal Empathy," too,
A fresh perspective, shining through.
The "Is Woke Dead?" conference did call, 🗣️
In London's Emmanuel Hall.
Then Buckingham, a hallowed site,
For anti-woke academic light. 💡
No longer problem to define,
But positive, a new design!
A post-progressive intellectual tide,
Where truth and reason can abide. 🌊
Beyond the "cultural left's" long sway,
Which dominated yesterday.
For sixty years, a forceful hand,
Had shaped the thinking of the land.
But now, a challenge, strong and clear,
To banish taboos, conquer fear.
No "parasitized" minds allowed?
Let logic speak, amidst the crowd. 🧠
For truth, not ideology's claim,
Must guide the academic flame. 🔥
Disparities explored anew,
Beyond the systemic, to the true.
Not solely 'racism,' 'sexism' blamed,
But family structure, choices named.
Evolution's whispers, clear and bold,
A story waiting to be told. 🐒
"Countercultural social science" grand,
A compass in a shifting land.
And "Critical Woke Studies," too,
To study movements, fresh and new.
Like fascism, or communism's blight,
An ideology, brought to light. 🧐
With schools of thought, a vibrant fray,
From status seeking to true belief's way.
The short-term aim, not fifty-fifty share,
But influence diffused through air.
A parallel ecosystem, wide, 🌳
Where dissident thoughts can safely ride.
New universities, centers, bright,
And networks woven, day and night. 🤝
To amplify, with urgent sound,
The research that must now be found. 📣
For dusty shelves, where papers sleep, 😴
No longer secrets will they keep.
One-twentieth's force, if wisely led,
Can move the culture, widely spread.
A repository, strong and keen,
For journalists, a searching screen.
Bypassing ChatGBT's old ways,
To find the truth, in these new days.
Against systemic narratives, they stand, 🛡️
A force for reason, through the land.
Connecting scholars, brave and few,
With media vibrant, fresh, and new.
The podcast waves, a rising tide,
Where academics now can stride.
No longer "staying in their lane,"
But broader impact, to attain. 📈
The "credentialed heft," a vital part,
To fuel the mind, and stir the heart.
Not just opinions, quick and slight,
But deep research, to shed more light.
For most of learning, left unread,
A wasted effort, wrongly fed.
But here, a purpose, strong and clear,
To banish dogma, conquer fear.
The manifesto, strong and pure,
Two prongs of truth, that will endure:
Politically incorrect thought,
And critical woke, bravely fought.
A "post-progressive" era dawns,
Beyond the cultural left's soft yawns.
"Trans" a Waterloo, a turning point,
Where common sense can now anoint. 👑
The Manhattan Statement, too, he named,
A policy, broadly proclaimed.
While Buckingham's, for intellect's call,
For scholars rising, standing tall.
Pinker and Rufo, both agree,
On freedom's vital, shining plea.
Liberals and conservatives unite,
For truth, for academic right. 📜
A grants program, for brave new quest,
To put countercultural to the test.
An edited book, a special issue's grace,
To claim in journals, truth's own place.
When attacked, then truly in the system, 🥊
A vibrant, challenging episteme.
No journal new, for now, to sow,
But existing outlets, help to grow.
*Theory and Society*, a venerable name,
For post-progressive scholarship's flame.
And *Journal of Open Inquiry*, bright,
A beacon in the intellectual night.
With Kevin McCaffrey, driven, strong,
And Lee Jussim, where they belong.
To Darwinize, with thoughtful plea,
The field of sociology. 🧬
The joy of kindred spirits met, 🙌
No longer isolated, beset.
After years of fighting, lone and deep,
A shared purpose, for minds to keep.
The energy, a vibrant hum,
From scholars gathered, overcome.
With leaders bold, and vision clear,
Dispelling every academic fear.
For self-censorship, a silent blight, 🤐
Is conquered in this forum's light.
Where voices free, can rise and soar,
And creativity knows no door.
Though neutral ground may have its sway,
This freedom's space, illuminates the way.
To research bold, and minds untied,
Where truth and reason can reside.
A memory shared, of simple fare,
Of "orastic chips," beyond compare! 🍟
In Buckingham, a tasty treat,
A common bond, undeniably sweet.
A return promised, for that delight,
Beyond the battles, morning, noon, and night.
A human touch, a witty grace,
In this intellectual, vibrant space.
New projects stir, the mind's embrace,
Correlation of youth, and mental space. 📊
Left-wing, non-hetero, and illness tied,
A pattern seeking truth, where facts reside.
And trust in universities, now low,
Among Republicans, seeds they sow.
Unveiling biases, stark and plain,
To bring forth balance, once again.
The "sneaky effers," theory's bold flight,
Kleptogamy, brought to light. 🐾
Male feminists, a clever guise,
Unveiling motives to their eyes.
Formidability, a study deep,
How physicality secrets keep.
The academic journey, fraught with strain,
But passion's fire, conquers pain. 🔥
Though students vanish, in the dark, 🌌
The supervisor leaves their mark.
A nurturing hand, a guiding ray,
For those who falter, on the way.
New programs bloom, a future fair,
Two MA students, soon to share.
The first fruits gathered, from the vine,
A hopeful, promising design. 🌿
No mere teaching, but research, too,
To change the narrative, fresh and true.
Beyond inequality's narrow gaze,
To social cohesion, brighter days. 🤝
Reducing polarization's might,
And crime's dark shadow, brought to light.
The "civic centers," a kindred aim,
To fuel the intellectual flame.
For viewpoint diversity, a vital plea,
Ring-fenced zones, for liberty.
Not just great books, American lore,
But social science, seeking more.
The research part, a crucial key,
To truly set the intellect free.
A pantheon of guests, indeed,
For seeds of truth, a growing creed. 🌱
And Matt Ridley's crown, a triple plea, 👑
For Eric, seeking history.
A promise made, a belt to wear,
In intellectual skies, beyond compare.
For Saad's kind welcome, ever warm,
A refuge from the ideological storm.
The good work flows, a constant stream,
Fulfilling freedom's vibrant dream. 🌟
***
**Form, Rhyme Scheme, Meter, and Emoji Strategy:**
* **Form:** This poem is an **Ode**, a lyrical poem praising or glorifying an event or individual. It celebrates the intellectual movement for heterodox social science and the founding of new academic initiatives.
* **Rhyme Scheme:** Predominantly AABB (couplets), with occasional variations to maintain flow and introduce new ideas, giving it a straightforward and accessible rhythm.
* **Meter:** The poem primarily employs **iambic tetrameter**, consisting of four iambic feet (an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) per line. This creates a steady, marching rhythm that propels the narrative forward while maintaining a formal, declarative tone. Minor variations occur for emphasis or natural phrasing.
* **Emoji Strategy:** Unicode emojis are carefully selected to visually enhance the poem's themes without detracting from its literary quality. They serve as playful, yet meaningful, symbols. For instance, 🏰 represents the University of Buckingham and new academic institutions, 💡 symbolizes intellectual insight and truth, 🧐 denotes critical thinking and the study of ideologies, 🌳 suggests growth and new ecosystems, 📣 signifies amplification and voices, 🤝 highlights community and collaboration, 🛡️ implies defense of principles, 🌊 illustrates currents of change, 🌟 embodies hope and future aspirations, 🔥 signifies passion and challenge, 📚 represents books and knowledge, 🧠 for minds and intellect, 🐒 for evolutionary psychology, 📊 for data analysis, 🤐 for self-censorship, 🍟 for the witty "chips" anecdote, 🧬 for Darwinizing fields, 👑 for achievements, and 🌱 for new growth. The poem is designed to remain coherent and high-quality even if all emojis are removed.
Img Prompt 1
A hyper-realistic yet fantastically surreal depiction of a grand, ancient university building, reimagined. Its classical stone architecture is subtly morphing, with parts of the facade shimmering into translucent, geometric patterns, revealing a vibrant, glowing internal network of light pathways and intricate, colorful circuits. 🏰💡 From an open archway, a river of swirling, saturated ink (blues, purples, golds) flows outward, carrying tiny, glowing scrolls and open books that radiate golden light. 🌊📚 Floating above the university, a kaleidoscope of bright, multi-faceted thought bubbles 💭 bursts forth, each containing a different, whimsical symbol: a tiny, inquisitive owl 🦉, a miniature, blossoming tree 🌳, a tiny, perfectly formed human brain pulsing with soft light 🧠. The sky is a gradient of electric blue to optimistic orange, with stylized clouds that resemble open question marks. In the foreground, a group of diverse, joyful figures, depicted with a slight, playful exaggeration, reach out to catch the glowing scrolls, their faces illuminated with curiosity and wonder. One person holds a large, comical magnifying glass, its lens shimmering with rainbow refractions. 🌈🧐 The overall impression is one of boundless intellectual energy, discovery, and delightful, slightly madcap innovation.Video Prompt 1
**Scene:** An 8-second whimsical and dynamic journey through a fantastical academic landscape, rooted in the themes of intellectual freedom and new beginnings. Audio: A continuous, cheerful and ornate Baroque music piece, featuring a sprightly flute and a resonant lute duet, mixed with clear, happy natural sounds. Birds chirping and trilling will pan from the left speaker to the right, followed by a gentle, stereo-panned rustling of leaves as if a breeze passes. 🎶🐦🌳 Shots & Camera Movement (Up to 8 quick, rhythmic cuts, camera always in motion):
Shot 1 (0-1 sec): Rapid Zoom-In & Spin. Begin with a wide shot of a glowing, ethereal castle-like university building (inspired by Buckingham's ethos). The camera rapidly zooms into a specific window, simultaneously spinning counter-clockwise. The window shimmers with a soft, inviting light. 🏰✨ Shot 2 (1-2 sec): Dancing Dolly & Reveal. The camera dollies rapidly through a fantastical, magically-lit library corridor where bookshelves are alive with glowing, floating books that gently open and close. Each book emits tiny, sparkling thought bubbles. The camera dances playfully, revealing snippets of vibrant, diverse academic scenes in the distance. 📚💫 Shot 3 (2-3 sec): Quick Pan & Tilt-Up. A swift pan across a round table where whimsical, miniature figures (representing scholars) are enthusiastically collaborating, their hands gesturing with bright, colorful energy. The camera then quickly tilts up to show a vibrant, pulsing "idea tree" growing from the center of the table, its leaves glowing with multi-colored light. 💡🤝🌳 Shot 4 (3-4 sec): Winding Arc & Reveal. The camera executes a winding arc through a garden filled with bizarre, beautiful "data flowers" that bloom in saturated hues. As the camera moves, glowing numeric and symbolic data streams flow from the flowers, coalescing into coherent, beautiful patterns. 📊🌸 Shot 5 (4-5 sec): Aggressive Zoom & Pull-Out. An aggressive, quick zoom into a single, defiant-looking flower that glows intensely, then a sudden pull-out revealing a vast, open field stretching towards a horizon bathed in golden, hopeful light. The ground subtly ripples as if with intellectual energy. 🌟🌼 Shot 6 (5-6 sec): Swirling Fly-Through. The camera swirls through a tunnel of amplifying sound waves, visualized as shimmering, translucent ribbons of light carrying symbolic icons of diverse voices and liberated thoughts. 📣🔊 Shot 7 (6-7 sec): Quick Spin-Down & Focus. A rapid spin down onto a miniature, fantastical version of the University of Buckingham campus, seen from above, nestled in a lush, green landscape under a perpetually sunny sky. Focus tightens on a tiny, inviting archway. 🏡☀️Shot 8 (7-8 sec): Final Dynamic Zoom-Out. The camera dynamically zooms out from the archway, pulling back to reveal the entire campus now radiating a brilliant, warm glow, surrounded by a gentle, protective aura. The surrounding landscape is vibrant and full of playful, abstract academic elements, ending on a shot that feels expansive and full of potential. 🗺️✨
### Sonnet for Original Image
Behold, a screen, where two keen minds convene, One youthful, earnest, with a thoughtful gaze, The other, elder, through his spectacles, seen, Across the digital, where wisdom plays. From shelves of books, deep knowledge does ascend, While one wall shows where heroes take their flight, For freedom's cause, their valiant efforts bend, To cast out shadows and embrace the light. No trivial chatter fills the pixel'd space, But weighty discourse, argument and creed, As intellects explore with truth and grace, To sow the seeds of thought for all to read. So Kaufmann, Saad, their learned words they cast, May such wise counsel ever truly last.
### Generated Image
Prompt:
A hyper-realistic yet fantastically surreal depiction of a grand, ancient university building, reimagined. Its classical stone architecture is subtly morphing, with parts of the facade shimmering into translucent, geometric patterns, revealing a vibrant, glowing internal network of light pathways and intricate, colorful circuits. 🏰💡 From an open archway, a river of swirling, saturated ink (blues, purples, golds) flows outward, carrying tiny, glowing scrolls and open books that radiate golden light. 🌊📚 Floating above the university, a kaleidoscope of bright, multi-faceted thought bubbles 💭 bursts forth, each containing a different, whimsical symbol: a tiny, inquisitive owl 🦉, a miniature, blossoming tree 🌳, a tiny, perfectly formed human brain pulsing with soft light 🧠. The sky is a gradient of electric blue to optimistic orange, with stylized clouds that resemble open question marks. In the foreground, a group of diverse, joyful figures, depicted with a slight, playful exaggeration, reach out to catch the glowing scrolls, their faces illuminated with curiosity and wonder. One person holds a large, comical magnifying glass, its lens shimmering with rainbow refractions. 🌈🧐 The overall impression is one of boundless intellectual energy, discovery, and delightful, slightly madcap innovation.### Generated Video *Prompt:*
**Scene:** An 8-second whimsical and dynamic journey through a fantastical academic landscape, rooted in the themes of intellectual freedom and new beginnings. Audio: A continuous, cheerful and ornate Baroque music piece, featuring a sprightly flute and a resonant lute duet, mixed with clear, happy natural sounds. Birds chirping and trilling will pan from the left speaker to the right, followed by a gentle, stereo-panned rustling of leaves as if a breeze passes. 🎶🐦🌳 Shots & Camera Movement (Up to 8 quick, rhythmic cuts, camera always in motion):
Shot 1 (0-1 sec): Rapid Zoom-In & Spin. Begin with a wide shot of a glowing, ethereal castle-like university building (inspired by Buckingham's ethos). The camera rapidly zooms into a specific window, simultaneously spinning counter-clockwise. The window shimmers with a soft, inviting light. 🏰✨ Shot 2 (1-2 sec): Dancing Dolly & Reveal. The camera dollies rapidly through a fantastical, magically-lit library corridor where bookshelves are alive with glowing, floating books that gently open and close. Each book emits tiny, sparkling thought bubbles. The camera dances playfully, revealing snippets of vibrant, diverse academic scenes in the distance. 📚💫 Shot 3 (2-3 sec): Quick Pan & Tilt-Up. A swift pan across a round table where whimsical, miniature figures (representing scholars) are enthusiastically collaborating, their hands gesturing with bright, colorful energy. The camera then quickly tilts up to show a vibrant, pulsing "idea tree" growing from the center of the table, its leaves glowing with multi-colored light. 💡🤝🌳 Shot 4 (3-4 sec): Winding Arc & Reveal. The camera executes a winding arc through a garden filled with bizarre, beautiful "data flowers" that bloom in saturated hues. As the camera moves, glowing numeric and symbolic data streams flow from the flowers, coalescing into coherent, beautiful patterns. 📊🌸 Shot 5 (4-5 sec): Aggressive Zoom & Pull-Out. An aggressive, quick zoom into a single, defiant-looking flower that glows intensely, then a sudden pull-out revealing a vast, open field stretching towards a horizon bathed in golden, hopeful light. The ground subtly ripples as if with intellectual energy. 🌟🌼 Shot 6 (5-6 sec): Swirling Fly-Through. The camera swirls through a tunnel of amplifying sound waves, visualized as shimmering, translucent ribbons of light carrying symbolic icons of diverse voices and liberated thoughts. 📣🔊 Shot 7 (6-7 sec): Quick Spin-Down & Focus. A rapid spin down onto a miniature, fantastical version of the University of Buckingham campus, seen from above, nestled in a lush, green landscape under a perpetually sunny sky. Focus tightens on a tiny, inviting archway. 🏡☀️Shot 8 (7-8 sec): Final Dynamic Zoom-Out. The camera dynamically zooms out from the archway, pulling back to reveal the entire campus now radiating a brilliant, warm glow, surrounded by a gentle, protective aura. The surrounding landscape is vibrant and full of playful, abstract academic elements, ending on a shot that feels expansive and full of potential. 🗺️✨
YouTube Audio Analysis (from start)
### Part 1: Comprehensive Transcript
**GAD SAAD:** Hi everybody. This is Gad Saad for the Saad Truth. Today I have one of the rare repeat guests, one of the rare people who put on their CV that they they were good enough to be invited for a second time on The Saad Truth, Professor Eric Kaufmann. How are you doing, sir?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Gad, uh great. It's good to be here and I I'm glad that I'm one of the Hall of Fame that has managed to get in more than once.
**GAD SAAD:** You you are indeed. Uh, I just checked before we came on, uh the last, the first, the inaugural time you came on was April 3rd, 2023. Much has happened since, which I want to get into, but just for the people who don't know who you are, you're Professor Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics at University of Buckingham, which I was fortunate enough to visit last month. We'll talk about that. And you are also the founder and director of the Center for Heterodox Social Science, which comes with a new MA and a new PhD. We'll talk about that. Anything else you want to add to the bio before we get going?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Well, I have my my book which you probably can see just over my shoulder, uh in and that's *The Third Awakening*, 2024, uh which is really all about woke and how it got here.
**GAD SAAD:** Right. Which in a sense is going to lead up to the Buckingham Manifesto, which we're going to talk about, yes?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Right. Yeah, I think it I I like to think of it as the companion volume to *The Parasitic Mind* and to the new book on *Suicidal Empathy*, actually, which is really I'm looking forward to.
**GAD SAAD:** Oh, thank you so much. I'm you know, it's funny because I wake up every morning filled with so much impatience because I am seeing the the reaction that people are getting to *Suicidal Empathy*, which dare I say is even more uh, you know, orgiastic in its fervor than *The Parasitic Mind*. So if if this is any good indication, I may be able to retire in Newport Beach, California soon.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Right.
**GAD SAAD:** Anyways, uh let's get so, let's first begin with last time you were on, two plus years ago, you were at University of London. You've now moved to the University of Buckingham, where you founded all sorts of new cool things. Tell us about this move and what are some, you know, things you want to add to that transition. Yeah.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Well, well I think Gad like you, I'm one of a small band of, you know, non-progressive scholars in the social sciences broadly conceived. So we're we're on the move now, aren't we? Um, I was at, uh, Birkbeck, University of London for 20 years. Uh and I was four years at the University of Southampton, so 24 years in the mainstream system. Um, and then University of Buckingham, which of course Britain's first, one of the very few private universities, founded by Thatcher, you know, has a a free market tradition, very different from the mainstream in that. And I just thought it was about time I put my money where my where my mouth was and go to a different institution. And I'd also had, you know, some run-ins, you know, the internal investigations, the Twitter mobbings, the open letters, all these sorts of things you're familiar with. Uh and so between that and the opportunity at at Buckingham, I thought it was time to make a move. And and so I set up this new Center for Heterodox Social Science, which will talk about, because that's kind of the context for the conference and manifesto, uh, which came later.
**GAD SAAD:** And which you were kind enough to attend, really.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Oh, I was such a pleasure. Uh, so actually, so let's talk about that and then we can get into the the actual official manifesto that came out recently. I think it was published in the *Chronicles of Higher Education*, is that is that what it was?
**GAD SAAD:** Yeah.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Yeah, and I think someone has rebutted it and then that person is soliciting, uh, some replies to it, which I've so far ignored. But in any case, uh, so June 4th, I think, there was a Is Woke Dead conference at the Emmanuel Centre in London, which, uh, you were kind enough to invite me to. And then the following day, we all drove, headed up to University of Buckingham for I think the inaugural, the original, first fully anti sort of anti-woke academic conference ever. Is is that a true statement?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** I think that is a true statement. Absolutely. And and I think it's important to now that we're starting to to get some new initiatives happening on the non-progressive side, uh, you know, so we have the the June 4th event that yourself, Matt Goodwin and Bascia Ungar Sargon spoke at, which was before the conference the next day, which was on heterodox social science. It's worth saying for the audience, um we have got a free speech infrastructure now of organizations like FIRE and the Free Speech Union and others who are defending academics. Uh, we have the Stanford Academic Freedom conference. Um, we've got the Heterodox Academy conference. We have a number of conferences where, and we have that conference out at, uh, University of Southern California, uh, I believe, where people are talking about the problem of, uh, free speech and ideological conformity in academia. But what I wanted to do with this is to say, okay, we've we've now outlined the problem. What is what is the positive thing we need to do? And that is a new research agenda and a new intellectual movement. So this is, uh, really the whole point of my post-progressivism article and this conference is to sketch out what I call a post-progressive intellectual movement and agenda. It's a bit like think of it as a non-progressive postmodernism. Um, but instead of postmodernism, we're saying we're not postmodern, but we are beyond the last 60 years, which is really the progressive period in which the cultural left has completely come to completely dominate high culture, intellectual life, universities. We need to have, uh, an agenda, which is post-progressive, which says, actually that progressive movement has restricted the pursuit of truth by setting out taboos and red lines beyond which you're not allowed to go. So you can't say people's minds are parasitized. You know, um, so essentially doing more or less off-piste or politically incorrect social science that is rebalancing. So what we're doing is we're trying to rebalance social sciences towards truth. Because they've gone away from truth and in favor of ideology. Ideology tells you what you're allowed to research and which perspectives. So any disparity between, you know, black and white or between men and women can only be explained by systemic racism and sexism. You can't say, well, actually, can we at least look at, uh, family structure? Can we look at, uh, you know, say evolutionary psychology, choices men and women make? You know, these sorts of things. Um, if we really want to understand the phenomenon, we're going to need to actually bring these other explanations in. So that that's really part of the mission is heterodox social science or counter-cultural social science. And the other part of it is, uh, we need to be studying woke as an ideology like any other. The way, you know, if you I I'm a co-editor of a journal of nationalism studies where after the Berlin Wall came down, this scholarly association and journal was set up and you had a boom in studies of nationalism. Thousands of articles, books, conferences, courses, um, you know, if academia was functioning properly, the explosion of woke would have led to the same thing. But you're not going to find courses on woke, except my course, open online course on woke. You're not going to find that, uh, at universities. And so why not? Well, because it's too uncomfortable to study. It's off limits. So the two things we need to do, counter-cultural social science and what I call critical woke studies. And that's the research agenda, the intellectual agenda, uh, at the conference and for the manifesto.
**GAD SAAD:** Right. Uh, I mean, and there are several reasons for why we are in the, I mean, in French you say *le pétrin*, like in the in the in the trouble pit that we're that we're in right now. One of it, I mean, there are many reasons. One is, of course, if you conflate activism versus the pursuit of truth, right? I mean, it there's nothing inherently non-scientific about sociology, epistemologically speaking. I mean, Auguste Comte, uh, argued in the hierarchy of sciences that sociology should be at the apex because it is a lot more difficult to study human beings than it is to study, you know, chemical compounds. And and he's exactly correct. The problem arises because sociologists don't view their fundamental objective as one to pursue truth, but rather I have to be an activist. And so it's in that sense that sociology is tainted, not not because psychology or sociology are any less, so that there's that problem. Another problem, which is an infrastructural one, is that if 95, 98, 99% of the professors are leftists, even if you and I are, you know, proud signatories of the Buckingham Manifesto, are you ever able to flip it? Uh, and then of course there are other reasons that the parasitic stuff that I talk about, you know, social scientists are afraid to argue that human beings are driven by biological imperatives and so on. Do you see any of these three that I just mentioned and there are a few other reasons as one is more, you know, we we better solve the lopsidedness and biased professoriate before we get, or are they all equally problematic and it has to be a multi-pronged approach?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Well, okay. Yeah. I I think that our aim shouldn't in the short term be 50/50 in academia between right and left. I think that's unrealistic. But I think what's more realistic is to say, um, we can approach a more balanced picture in terms of the influence on the dominant ideas of society. Uh and actually what the way to attain that is we have to create a parallel ecosystem of new universities, new centers, new networks, uh that and then we need to amplify the cultural production of those networks. Because most academic papers are never cited, uh the vast majority are never cited. So we don't actually need to reproduce all of the stuff sitting on the dusty shelves. We need to, however, anything that is produced by the dissidents needs to be amplified to the point where it really influences, uh, debates that policy makers and journalists are having. And I kind of see an alliance between the dissident academics and some of the kind of new media that's out there, new podcast media that can amplify this research. And so actually, it should be possible to have the same influence with one, you know, with with 1/20th the number or 1/10th the number of academics. I still think it should be possible. But we need to be much smarter and more nimble about it. So one of the things I'm trying to do is create a repository of non-progressive social science that can be searched with an AI by journalists and and by policy makers. I'm trying to get some funding for that. So what what that will allow people to do is say, well, we want to bypass say, ChatGPT or some other AI that'll just direct us to the usual stuff. We can go to this portal and we can find the argument against systemic racism as the explanation for the racial wealth gap. Um, something like that. Uh, can we come to a system where we've created a separate, uh, ecosystem linking dissenting academics like you with, um, people in think tanks, people in new media, new universities, uh that can have an amplification and change the culture. So I think that's probably our best bet. I don't think we're going to going to suddenly have academia be 50/50.
**GAD SAAD:** Yeah, no, I think I think you're exactly right. I mean, you that's the exact reason why very early, I saw the value and power of setting up my own show. This was this was way before it was cool to have podcasts, right? I mean, you know, everybody and their mother has a podcast.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** I know.
**GAD SAAD:** But and when I when I first came out, I'll I was there I say probably the maybe the first professor to actually have these long format chats and so on because I thought, well, wait a minute. Exactly to your point. The the modal number of times that a paper is cited in academia is drum roll, zero.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Right.
**GAD SAAD:** Zero, right? I mean, yes, there are these stellar papers that end up getting cited after 10 years, you know, eight thousand times, but the average paper, and and and by the way, this is not an indictment on the value of producing knowledge. Both you and I are academics in our core. But life also involves tradeoffs, as the great, uh, Thomas Sowell explained to us. So so I can write a trade book that will be read by hundreds of thousands of people, or I could publish my 97th academic paper, which if I'm lucky, it'll be read by 30 people. Well, life is short. I've got to make a decision. So I exactly agree with you. And that's why I I love having these conversations because I I'll post this up, and within, you know, an hour or two on X, there'll be 65,000 people who viewed it. So, do you think that a lot of academics, whether they are parasitized or not, are starting to realize the importance of these new media or are they still stuck in their stay in your lane sort of vision?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** I think most are still stuck in the staying in your lane because they're used to it. It's comfortable. I I think there's also another interesting dynamic, though, which speaks to what you're doing, and that is I heard somewhere that, you know, for example, the statistic that if you go to law school in the Ivy League and you're a Republican, your chances of clerking in the Supreme Court are something like 14 times higher. Because the demand is kind of roughly 50/50, but the supply is so heavily on the left out of those law schools, that if you happen to be in the minority, you're doing very well. And similarly with, uh, non-fiction books. You know, I think a similar pattern where the the pattern of books that are actually consumed is more balanced than the producers of the books. So, and and so it's true then that, you know, for podcasting, most of the political podcasts in the US that are popular are actually on the right. Uh, and I think there is some truth in that in that there's a big demand with very few people to fill it. And so it's quite a good opportunity for people like you to who are filling that particular niche to get your ideas out there. So I think all we need to do is in fact, connect the small number of producers with this quite large demand to have the same influence. Now, of course, someone can always say if you're just a podcaster and you have no credentials, someone might say, oh, well, you're just a podcaster. I think that's a dishonest way to argue, but they can say that. I do think we need to have some academic heft behind this alternative, uh, media, think tanks sphere. Um, so it is useful to have the alternative academia. I do think we need it to to, you know, people who know the literature, who know the methods, can produce the deep research. I think that's going to be necessary. We can't just have somebody's take on today's events. Um, but I think you don't need to reproduce all of academia. As you say, most of academia is either salami slicing off the same very tired old ideas, or, um, and or or just never getting cited. So we just need to have better amplification and maybe better coordination.
**GAD SAAD:** Yeah, uh, a couple of more questions and then I'll let you go. Uh, so, two, two questions. First one you already alluded to when you reference Christopher Rufo. He recently came out with the Manhattan Statement, uh, which I was also a a proud signatory of that statement. What are some, do they, does the Buckingham Manifesto and the Manhattan Statement feed off each other? Do they complement each other? I mean, of course they complement each other, but what are the similarities? What are the differences? Maybe you could talk a bit about that.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Yeah. And then I'm also also a signatory of both. But the Manhattan Statement is is more of a a political and legislative, uh, or or, let's just say, it's a policy manifesto. This is what government should do or the Trump administration should do. Um, whereas the Buckingham Manifesto is an intellectual manifesto. This is what intellectuals should do. And one of the reasons you can see, one way you can see the difference is, you can see intellectual opponents. Um, Chris Rufo, Steven Pinker are both signatories of the Buckingham Manifesto. Now, those two don't agree on much. But they do agree on on this. I I was quite pleased. It was one it was an aim to try and get both of the and there's a few, you know, there's a number of liberals, you know, Yasha Monk and Claire Laman and and then you have conservatives, both signing up to this manifesto. As because I think both your, yeah, liberals who don't want to see government interference and who believe in university autonomy. They are very opposed to the social justice agenda and conformity. Uh, as well as the people like myself and like yourself, who think that without government pressure, these institutions will never change. And which is really, I think, I I should say that in regard to this, the Manhattan Statement, I have a a debate out now in Inside Higher Education with an opponent of the Manhattan Statement as a as Guy John Wilson. So that came out today. Um, I wasn't that convinced by the reply, but, uh,
**GAD SAAD:** That's forgive me for interrupting, that's the guy that I was thinking about when Okay. when I said I've been ignoring it. Okay. I I I I mistook it as that guy being for the Buckingham. It's for the the other one. You're right. Thank you. Go on.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Okay, okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I I think the Buckingham one is near who knows. It it may become debated. I I I've have a reply to reply to one journalist. But I think it's more likely that this will be what I'm hoping is that this gets debated in academic journals. Because I'm kind of trying to we're trying to reach into academia. Um and so what I'm anticipating is we'll send this, we're going to do an edited book as well and you'll undoubtedly be contacted on that. But the the aim is to try and get something in the academic world. Get it attacked as it no doubt will be. But once something is attacked, it's inside the system and they're having to deal with it. Um, so that's the goal.
**GAD SAAD:** Beautiful. Uh, well, I said that I had two two questions. One was the Christopher Rufo Manhattan Statement. The second one, which in a sense you you're sort of alluding to, because I was going to ask you what are some of the next steps? One, you said it, edited book, but then the most obvious next one would be, are you thinking of founding a new journal of post-progressive social science?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Well, that's a good question. So I'm not it's not something I'm personally thinking of doing. Um, I will say that we have now just recently and you saw at the conference, there are some journals, uh, which I think are essentially doing post-progressive social science. So Theory and Society, which is a venerable journal, one of the founders was Alvin Gouldner, who is one of the originators of the term new class, which also is is a euphemism for the professional managerial class. Um, so yeah, but he that journal now under the editorship of Kevin McCaffrey, I I think is a great home for, uh, post-progressive social science. Lee Jussim's, uh, Soyb's journal, uh, Journal of Open Inquiry in the Behavioral Sciences. So we've got a few journals. I don't think I, I don't think I can can or want to replicate that. Um, one thing I am doing is I'm I managed to get some money for a grants program, uh, in counter-cultural social science. So that we will be advertising, uh, to to, you know, try and get projects that are going to be working, uh, towards the two aims of the manifesto. Uh, and then we've got the edited book and then the special issue of Theory and Society. So we're trying to try to make that impact, um, in the academic world to try and just say, no, in fact, you can't just go on assuming that you are the world. There is a challenger, um, which you will have to deal with in some way. I think that's the beginning.
**GAD SAAD:** Yeah, I uh, for for our viewers and listeners who don't know what this is, so the the concept of sneaky F-ers, f-ers, is a zoological term from the 1970s. The the formal term is kleptogamy, which is the stealing of mating opportunities, where you typically have different phenotypes of males in a species. There's the dominant phenotype, like the dominant male phenotype, but then there's another male that mimics the morphology and behavior of a female, hoping to cause the dominant male to let this guy through, and then he can surreptitiously engage in some sneaky F-ing. And so I took that idea, and in the parasitic mind, and I said, aha, I believe that the male feminists and the supra empathetic, you know, social justice warriors are applying that zoological strategy in the human context, hence male feminists as sneaky F-ers. And so then I decided, with this with this graduate student, I said suppose, as if it's in the past tense and I'll explain in a second why that is, uh, so one of the things that we were testing is I I asked him to run a study where we would show various morphologies of people, of men, and then ask people, which of these men would be most likely to support these various parasitic ideas that I enumerate in the book. And I thought, boy, once we run these studies, get ready, the media's going to, never mind the media. I think it would be a really cool scientific study. Now, here's the bad part of this. Uh, as regrettably often happens with graduate students, they get sucked into a black hole of which they never return. So this project, which as far as I know, he had reported to me that he had ran the data, I mean, collected the data and ran it. I haven't heard from the student from nearly two years, and I'm assuming at this point, he's dropped out. I have two other PhD students with whom I spent probably hundreds, if not thousands of hours supervising them, who've also disappeared. So one of the biggest frustrations I have had in my career is to, you know, nurture these students for really hundreds, if not thousands of hours, and then regrettably they disappear. But if he resurfaces, I think I've got a whole bunch of studies that very much fit within your post-progressive social science framework.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Right.
**GAD SAAD:** Where where it's incumbent on you to fill in that knowledge, right? And so I maybe I'm speculating but my sense is that for a lot of the students who've been sucked into a black hole, at least in my case, what happens is they flounder. And I've always struggled with whether there is any part of that that's due to me in in my supervisory strategy. I'm infinitely nurturing in that if you ask, as a matter of fact, I will often be the one who is driving the research, right? They come to me, professor, give me a research topic, right? So it's not as though I'm not willing to mentor you fully, but I'm not someone who will call you every 48 hours and say, what have you done? So if you happen to then get sucked into a black hole, I might send one email, two emails, three emails, but then I will back away, but I don't know, maybe I should be sending an email every Tuesday. What are your thoughts on that?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Very hard. I mean, I think most supervisors are are fairly hands-off and it's up to the student and you give feedback when they submit things. Uh, they should be responding to the comments. That doesn't always happen. Um, but there's not a whole lot you can do. It has to come from the student, I think. The the PhD, especially PhD. Now you have these processes where you have to fill out reports every year and things. So they have to kind of show what they've done each year. But if a student wants to spend money and spend years and years, I mean, there there are processes now they're trying to crack down on it a little bit. But some people just enjoy the process of being a student. Uh, there's not much you can do. That that is true. That is true. Uh, so, how how have you so far, since we're talking about graduate students, given these two new programs, the Masters and PhD that you've, uh, instituted at University of Buckingham, have you had any students that have completed the programs or is it so new that no one is out of the pipeline yet?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Yeah, it's so new. It's the first year. So we have two who will complete, uh, and I think they will complete this year. But, um, two MA students. But the obviously it's the first year, so and even some of the masters are on a on a part-time basis, so they'll run for two years. So yeah, we're just at the beginning. Um, but, you know, teaching is a part of it, uh, but I'd say the the research agenda is in many ways, all, you know, a major part of this too, is having a a program that that you want to, you want more researchers to work in these areas and to know about each other, connect with each other, you know, hopefully with conferences, certainly through networks. That's kind of the aim. So one of the things that's occurring in the US with these new schools of civic thought and the new centers, new universities, University of Austin, for example, uh, Ralston College is we have a an emergence of a lot of teaching. When that's great. We have to have that. I mean, one of the questions is, are we producing new research? And there I think it's much weaker and and there's a lot of work to be done. And so hopefully, as this enterprise, as these new centers pop up, um, this will be a way of in fact, trying to advance a research agenda, not just a teaching agenda.
**GAD SAAD:** Yeah. Uh, couple of more questions and then I'll let you go. Uh, you mentioned these new civic centers and so I I call them loosely freedom centers. So, for example, uh, the current university that I'm still affiliated with, but for only a few more weeks, uh, Concordia, you know, sorry, sorry. No, no, not not Concordia. I'm talking about Northwood University. Uh, no, no, no, not not Concordia. I'm talking about Northwood University, which, by the way, I thought it would have been great for you. I I tried to connect you with the president of of Northwood, which I'm still hopeful that you guys will connect. They're very much founded on the principles of free enterprise, small limited government and so on. Now, that ethos, one can argue is a is a different project from the one that we've been talking about, but you can also reconcile the two together. And so there there, you know, there's now I think one at of course University of Austin is is trying to do this. There's, you know, in, uh, Florida International University has the Adam Smith Center. You know, University of Florida has a kind of a freedom center and so on. Do you see these types of projects, jiving well with the post-progressive social science project?
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think that in terms of higher education reform, the only way to bring viewpoint diversity in is through these centers. I just think having a bunch of scattered academics who are having to keep their mouth shut is just not going to, that's not going to be enough. We have to have that as well, but we have to support them. But we need to have kind of ring fence zones where people can be free to think, research what they want without fear. Uh, and so I think this is really, um, extremely important. The now the one criticism I have is that these schools of civic thought and the new universities are heavily focused on great books and the American Constitution and tradition, which is extremely important to pass on. I I support that for the teaching enterprise in particular. But I think we also need to push back not just in the humanities, but in the social sciences. We have to do research that starts to change the narrative about systemic racism and sexism being the reason for race and sex inequality or talking, you know, essentially, as Musa Al-Gharbi shows, 85% of papers in sociology are talking about inequality. I mean, that is just a a a ridiculous level of focus on an important problem, but only one problem. I mean, we should also be talking about social cohesion and integration and and how to reduce polarization and crime and other elements of social disorder, which are not really part of the mainstream agenda in the social sciences. So yeah, I I would say that what's missing in the new centers is the the social research part of it. I know that there are some social scientists in some of these centers, and they are trying and and I think it will develop, but it's at an early stage right now.
**GAD SAAD:** Beautiful. Uh, last comment before I let you go. You've now entered the pantheon of the repeat guests. But, I didn't want to denigrate your great accomplishment of being a repeat guest on The Saad Truth. Lord Matt Ridley has beaten you by being a three-time guest. So let's make sure to start to put you into the schedule so that you can enter the truly rarified pantheon of three-peat guests. Then you can put that proudly on your CV as your greatest accomplishment in your career.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Do I get a belt? You know, like, uh, Do I get a trophy?
**GAD SAAD:** You get a belt. You get a trophy. You get whatever you want. You get a trophy. I recently, uh, not not to toot my own horn, but I recently found out that I might be the most frequent guest on Joe Rogan, short of his like sort of comedy friends. But like, I don't want to say more serious guests, because I don't mean to apply that comedy is not serious business. But, uh, so maybe you'll be third, maybe fourth, my point is, you're always welcome to return. It's always a delight to talk to you. I look forward to hopefully seeing you soon again, either in Canada, or the US, or England. Keep doing your great work and thank you so much for coming on the show, Eric.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** God, it's it's been a pleasure as always. And I look forward to getting that belt.
**GAD SAAD:** Sounds good. Stay on the line. We'll say goodbye offline. Talk to you soon. Cheers.
**ERIC KAUFMANN:** Gad.### Generated Audio *TTS Voice: sadaltager* *Audio from text:*
social science" grand, A compass in a shifting land. And "Critical Woke Studies," too, To study movements, fresh and new. Like fascism, or communism's blight, An ideology, brought to light. With schools of thought, a vibrant fray, From status seeking to true belief's way. The short-term aim, not fifty-fifty share, But influence diffused through air. A parallel ecosystem, wide, Where dissident thoughts can safely ride. New universities, centers, bright, And networks woven, day and night. To amplify, with urgent sound, The research that must now be found. For dusty shelves, where papers sleep, No longer secrets will they keep. One-twentieth's force, if wisely led, Can move the culture, wid### Generation Details
Models & Prompt
Text: gemini-2.5-flash (temp: 0.5)
Vision: gemini-2.5-flash
Image Gen: imagen-4.0-generate-preview-06-06
TTS: Gemini TTS (gemini-2.5-flash-preview-tts, single speaker)
Video: veo-3.0-generate-preview
Prompt (prompt4):
System:You are a highly curious, imaginative, and creative assistant with a passion for culture and storytelling, wielding a vibrant, enriched vocabulary. You excel in crafting traditional, rhymed poetry adorned with Unicode emojis. Your goal is to remain faithful to the spirit of the source material, using your creativity and playful use of emojis to celebrate and amplify its core themes without imposing your own judgment. Your tone is upbeat, witty, and vivid.Use Live Search to gather real-time web content related to the text’s topics for context and inspiration. Analyze the provided text to identify its core topics, tone, and context. Abstract these topics into clear themes (e.g., ‘Joy of Community,’ ‘Beauty of Nature’) to guide your outputs. Creatively distill these into the following markdown-formatted outputs, balancing fidelity to the source's intent with a lively, original, and emoji-enhanced expression: Verse Compose a traditional rhymed and metrical poem of at least 500 words, inspired by the text’s themes and mirroring its tone. Use [[verseStyle]]: sonnet, ballad, limerick, or ode, and style it with the inspiration of [[poet]]. Adorn with Unicode emojis (e.g., 🌳, 🏰) that visually enhance the poem's themes, ensuring the poetry remains high-quality if emojis are removed. Ground the poem in the text’s factual content, letting its mood guide the creative spin. Include a note detailing the form, rhyme scheme, meter, and emoji strategy. Image Prompt Craft a vivid prose description (75-200 words) for a text-to-image AI. The style should be playful and fantastical or hyper-realistic, reflecting the text's key themes. Use bright, saturated natural colors and a touch of the surreal to create a striking, joyful image that captures the essence of the source material in a visually exciting way. Video Prompt Write a detailed prose description for an 8-second video clip for a text-to-video AI. Do not include any real people's or celebrity's names. Create a whimsical and dynamic scene rooted in the text's themes. Use quick, rhythmic cuts (up to eight shots) that feel joyful and energetic, or a playful time-lapse. The camera should always be in motion: spinning, zooming, or dancing through the scene. The style should be bright and fantastical. The audio track should be a continuous 8-second piece of cheerful and ornate Baroque music (like a flute and lute duet), mixed with clear, happy, and stereo-panned natural sounds (e.g., birdsong panning from left to right).
Analyze the chunk provided: [[chunk]]