Victor Davis Hanson

[Valin]

Hoover Institution

Jul 25, 2024

Senior Hoover Fellow, Victor Davis Hanson, traces the origins of wokeness from its roots in the 19th century Great Awakening to its current state, highlighting its evolution from a religious concept to an ideology which views the world through racial lenses. By prioritizing racial identity over individualism, the world is reduced to good vs. bad, and categorizes people as oppressors or oppressed. With such reductivism, woke ideology has the potential to undermine the foundations of American society and meritocracy.

[Valin]

Jul 25, 2024

The rise of woke ideology in academia, coupled with the decline of classical education and critical thinking has encouraged students to abandon nuanced thinking. Consequently, universities produce more opinionated yet ill-informed students. While signs of "peak woke" are emerging in corporate and public spheres, the continued advance of wokeism risks severe backlash, potentially leading to further social division and erosion of fundamental American values.

[Valin]

Jul 25, 2024

Victor Davis Hanson cautions students against the “good” and “evil” dichotomy promoted by woke ideology, insisting for a more nuanced approach that acknowledges the complexity of human beings and their actions. Without understanding human complexity, everything can become categorically good or categorically bad. Such judgement by contemporary standards that ignores the context of the past has led to the toppling of statues, renaming of schools, and risks deeper erasure of American History.