The revival of the social sciences – inoculation against parasitic ideas and suicidal empathy, and the quest for consilience via the evolutionary lens

To maximally flourish, the social sciences must be inoculated against parasitic ideas (e.g., postmodernism) and suicidal empathy (e.g., an epistemology of care), both of which arise when the pursuit of truth is confounded with social justice activism. Furthermore, the social sciences currently exist in disorganized if not incoherent silos of knowledge void of an organizing meta-theory. The evolutionary lens provides such a unifying framework whilst engendering the requisite consilience.

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Publication Details

Journal
Theory and Society
Published
2026-03-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-025-09674-8
Primary Topic
Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The revival of the social sciences – inoculation against parasitic ideas and suicidal empathy, and the quest for consilience via the evolutionary lens

Gad Saad
Theory and Society
Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
article

The revival of the social sciences – inoculation against parasitic ideas and suicidal empathy, and the quest for consilience via the evolutionary lens

Gad Saad
article en

Abstract

To maximally flourish, the social sciences must be inoculated against parasitic ideas (e.g., postmodernism) and suicidal empathy (e.g., an epistemology of care), both of which arise when the pursuit of truth is confounded with social justice activism. Furthermore, the social sciences currently exist in disorganized if not incoherent silos of knowledge void of an organizing meta-theory. The evolutionary lens provides such a unifying framework whilst engendering the requisite consilience.

Theory and SocietyVol. 55(2)
University of Mississippi (US)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 25%
Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
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