Preference Falsification
How Passive Acceptance Enabled Ideological Capture
Jonathan Kay recently critiqued the rise and anticipated fall of social-justice ideologies in academic institutions, particularly in Canada. He argues that the movement, which he terms "social-justice cultism," is already losing momentum. Kay predicts that future analyses will reveal how such ideologies briefly became influential:
Highly Motivated Minorities: Kay suggests that a small number of passionate, ideologically driven individuals strategically captured key positions within university committees and professional associations.
Passive Majority Compliance: Most people reportedly acquiesced quietly, mistakenly believing the policies enacted were harmless or purely symbolic.
Collective Action Problem: Kay notes a lack of organized resistance, exemplified by nursing students at institutions like the University of Western Ontario (UWO), who privately see the policies as nonsense but choose silence to avoid social or professional repercussions.
This scenario exemplifies Timur Kuran's theory of "preference falsification," where individuals publicly endorse ideas they privately reject to avoid penalties or social stigma. The outcome is institutional capture by ideological minorities despite limited genuine support.
Kay anticipates that these ideologies will eventually be removed from institutional frameworks and online presence as they lose favor and influence, even in places traditionally sympathetic to such ideas. His critique serves as a cautionary note on the dangers of passive acceptance of institutional ideologies, emphasizing the importance of actively confronting ideas one disagrees with to prevent unrepresentative minorities from exerting disproportionate influence.