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Sebastian Gebski's Reviews > The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time

The Identity Trap by Yascha Mounk
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really liked it

Standard disclaimer: this is not a review (& star rating) of the author's political viewpoint. I do rate & review the book.

Solid four stars, maybe even slightly more. What did I like?
1. The structure is very logical, and the approach is very thorough, methodical & well-balanced (no all-out emotional rants). The author applies mainly to logos, not ethos or pathos.
2. The chapter on the origins of the IS is very informative (but still, I value information from "Cynical Theories" more!)
3. I was afraid that the author would dedicate a lot of space to numerous examples of woke fallacies, but that was not the case -which is good news, as there are many publications doing that already
4. I like part III - because of how it tackled the topics of free speech & meritocracy - a lot of good argumentation, very reasonable & to the point

Is there anything I didn't like?
1. Well, some sections felt tedious and hard to get through. Not because they were so complicated or the topic required a lot of consideration. I attribute this to insufficient editing - some sections could have been made more concise & more to the point. Unfortunately, this issue manifests in the very beginning of the book, which may discourage some readers from giving it a proper go.
2. It's OK that Mounk haven't "americanized" the book with too many repetitions, but ... the book nearly screams for some punchlines & expressive models. Yes, there are summaries (after each chapter), but that is not enough IMHO.
3. I don't agree with some thesis in the appendix - and I think that some argumentation the author used was even ... naive? I'm not sure what his intentions were - maybe it's his own sentiments (he has referred to the past of his family & the beliefs of their youth).

In the end, it's a very solid, well-balanced book that doesn't use outrage but reason as an argumentation. Recommended (together with Cynical Theories). 4.2 stars.
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Reading Progress

December 5, 2023 – Started Reading
December 5, 2023 – Shelved
December 12, 2023 – Finished Reading

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