Political Correctness: A Sociocultural Black Hole: (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought)

This book explores the nature of political correctness as but one of the faces of today’s widespread sociocultural hypocrisy; it is a critique of a phenomenon that constitutes a threat to the Enlightenment hope that humanity might one day achieve maturity. The author identifies political correctness as a drive towards shallowness, anti-intellectualism and self-flagellation – and a culture in which perception is everything. With attention to the emergence and growth of political correctness in a country, Greece, where it can be observed from a bottom-up perspective, this volume demonstrates that although at first glance it appears as a well-intentioned social movement informed by values with which no moral and judicious person could disagree, political correctness actually represents, at best, a distraction from graver concerns; at worst, a manifestation of human foolishness and malevolence. A study of the destruction of honest and rational debate, characterized by trials of intention, often by social media, Political Correctness: A Sociocultural Black Hole will appeal to scholars of sociology and media studies with interests in contemporary political culture.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: A Lannister Always Dates His Pets 2. PC in Greece: An Atypical, yet Revealing, Case Study 3. A Culture of Hypocrisy 4. The Story Thus Far: A Critical Review of the Literature on PC 5. Alceste… and the Rest: A Misanthropic Pessimist’s Outlook on PC 6. [In Lieu of a] Conclusion

About the Author :
Thomas Tsakalakis is Adjunct Lecturer in Cultural Studies at the University of Athens, Greece.

Review :
‘What is to be done when a tool forged to support social justice turns against itself? Thomas Tsakalakis’s book addresses the challenges posited by political correctness (PC) when its initially benevolent premises produce opposite and absurd results … The great merit of the book is that it exposes and fills in the logical gap in the arbitrariness of certain PC-generated arguments. Through the strong combination of empirical cases and conceptual analysis, the book contributes to cultural/media, political, and philosophical theory by means of metacritical, metaepistemological, and metaethical investigations ... Tsakalakis’s book is significant enough to herald the establishment of a PC studies niche.’ – Vassilis Galanos, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice ‘Tsakalakis asserts that political correctness constitutes an inexhaustible source of cultural, sociopolitical, and philosophical concerns because, while it is theoretically informed by ethical values and logical premises with which no judicious person could disagree, most of its practitioners resort to aggressive and more or less irrational practices that make us head even faster toward the cultural black hole from which there is no escape … if his seminal work should fall victim to the current "cancel culture," this will automatically verify the truth of the propositions put forth in this book.’ - Myrto Rigou, Enteukterio 'Thomas Tsakalakis has written an original, insightful, and at times moving book where he also battles against the crippling benefits of his own medical minority status. Anyone on the lookout for novel, critical ideas about the hollowness of political correctness are well advised to study his book.' - Göran Adamson, Quillette