Intellectual Dark Web

The Intellectual Dark Web is a neologism coined by economist Eric Weinstein to refer to a group of (mostly right-wing, libertarian and centrist) pundits, media producers, academics, and so on.[1]

How the sausage is made Politics

Theory

Political spectrum Political party Government (forms of)

Practice

International relations Propaganda War

Philosophies

Horseshoe theory Social contract Totalitarianism

Terms

Authoritarianism Conspicuous consumption Infofascism

As usual

A failure to disarm Libertarianism Totalitarianism

Country sections

v - t - e

Individuals associated with the term

• Eric Weinstein, American economist, mathematician, conspiracy theorist, and managing director of Peter Thiel's Thiel Capital.[2]

• Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Somali-born American anti-Islam activist.
• Sam Harris, American neuroscientist and one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism
• Claire Lehmann, Australian alt-right editor-in-chief and founder of Quillette
• Maajid Nawaz, British activist who advocates for a "moderate, secular Islam"
• Steven Pinker, American linguist and psychologist
• Jordan Peterson, Canadian clinical psychologist and social conservative activist
• Joe Rogan, American Ultimate Fighting Championship commentator and host of The Joe Rogan Experience
• Dave Rubin, American libertarian/self-proclaimed "classical liberal" host of The Rubin Report
• Ben Shapiro, American conservative pundit, conspiracy theorist, former-Breitbart writer and co-founder of The Daily Wire
• Michael Shermer, American science writer, editor-in-chief of the magazine Skeptic, and bicyclist.
• Christina Hoff Sommers, American writer for American Enterprise Institute.
• Bret Weinstein (Eric's brother), American biologist and the sole progressive of the group.

Patreon

After Sargon of Akkad was banned from Patreon, Rubin, Peterson and Harris left Patreon in protest.[3] Since then, Rubin and Peterson have suggested creating a Patreon equivalent.[4]

A gateway to alt-right radicalization

In 2019 a study from the Federal University of Minas Gerais by Manoel Horta Ribeiro et al. found the Intellectual Dark Web's YouTube channels were a gateway from the "alt-lite" to alt-right radicalization.[5] The study looked at 331,000 videos that an algorithm had classified as right-wing, and analyzed 72 million YouTube comments.[5]^:4 A large number of those users who had posted comments on IDW channels later migrated to leaving comments on more radical YouTube channels.[5]^:7-8 As Ribeiro puts it, "there is migration among users from the Alt-lite and the I.D.W. to the Alt-right," confirming that less extreme right-wing content did indeed serve as a gateway of sorts for radicalization.[6]

See also

• Koch Industries, who provide funding for numerous members of the IDW.[7]
• Dennis Prager, as many members have hosted PragerU videos, such as Shapiro,[8][9][10] Rubin,[11][12] Peterson[13][14] and Sommers.[15][16][17]
• Alt-lite, the less impressive name given to them by the alt-right.

References

1. Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web: An alliance of heretics is making an end run around the mainstream conversation. Should we be listening? by Bari Weiss (May 8, 2018) The New York Times.
2. Why capitalism won’t survive without socialism Vox. July 25^th, 2017.
3. Patreon Bars Anti-Feminist for Racist Speech, Inciting Revolt The New York Times. December 24^th, 2018.
4. Top Patreon creators, of the 'Intellectual Dark Web,' say they're launching an alternate crowdfunding platform not 'susceptible to arbitrary censorship' Business Insider. December 17^th, 2018.
5. Auditing Radicalization Pathways on YouTube by Manoel Horta Ribeiro et al. (2019) arXiv 1908.08313v3.
6. Dickson, EJ (August 28, 2019). "Study Shows How the 'Intellectual Dark Web' Is a Gateway to the Far Right". Rolling Stones Magazine.
7. The “Intellectual Dark Web” is a Billionaire-Funded Echo Chamber Medium. August 13^th, 2018.
8. "What Is Intersectionality?" (Jun 18, 2018)
9. Hollywood Wants Your Money...and Your Mind" (Dec 18, 2017)
10. "Facts Don't Care About Your Feelings" (May 11, 2017)
11. "So, You Think You're Tolerant?" (Jul 9, 2018)
12. "Why I Left the Left" (Feb 6, 2017)
13. "Dangerous People Are Teaching Your Kids" (Jun 11, 2018)
14. "Fix Yourself" (Jan 29, 2018)
15. "The Myth of the Gender Wage Gap" (Sep 22, 2014)
16. "War on Boys" (May 19, 2014)
17. "There Is No Gender Wage Gap" (Mar 16, 2017)