Triangle Heterodox Club

Are our politics trapped in false binaries? Does our culture feel “stuck”? Do you feel “politically homeless”?

The Heterodox Club is dedicated to discussing works from current "heterodox" thinkers that provocatively, and at times controversially, question present orthodoxies in our politics and culture. Just as importantly, we are dedicated to being involved in our community and have developed relationships with several nonprofits and community organizations that we support.

All you need to join is curiosity and a belief in the ideals of frank discussion, empathy, honesty, and nuance.

For more details on the club, see the sections below.

You can find our group Substack here with writings from the group
The group organizer has a Substack here.
We also have a group Discord.

A Quick Notes on Rules:
Polite, respectful, and empathetic discussion will be required at all times. Vigorous and passionate debate is desired! Challenge each other! However, the fact that we will be reading controversial works will not be an excuse to engage in insulting or offensive interactions.

What Will We Be Reading?
The thinkers we will read represent political and philosophical viewpoints that won’t always map well onto our political binary, but that share a critique of our current intellectual status quo.

We will read work from “anti-identitarian” Leftists that believe our current form of identity politics serves to prevent class consensus and material change. Radical centrists that believe our institutions have become afraid to speak the truth on certain issues openly and abandoned Enlightenment ideals. A new crop of feminists that believe treating of the sexes as the same sexually and psychologically has hurt women. We will read books that you will vehemently disagree with, as well as ones that you may not understand where any controversy could arise from.

Since the books we read will at times be controversial, respectful and considerate discussion will be enforced at all times. If you believe an upcoming topic should not be discussed and its inclusion as a discussion point is inherently morally problematic, then consider not attending unless you’re willing to engage critically and directly with those who would disagree.

Note: An intent of the club is to encourage specificity in how we we think that goes beyond everyday use of certain terms like "liberal" and "conservative". That being said, it does have certain metaphysical and ethical values that are implied in our approach to things. They will change and grow over time, but they include a commitment to human rights, the idea of progress, and there being truths in the world.

What the Club is Not
The goal of the club is not to boost ideas that are provocative for the sake of being provocative or that fail to adhere to basic standards of evidence, science, argument, logic, or respect for our fellow human. We will encourage a wide range of opinions and beliefs, but certain ground-rules for maintaining a pluralistic, healthy environment of discussion will be maintained. Namely, the club reserves the right to remove anyone that creates undue disruption in meetings or causes harm to another member in their interactions.

What Does Heterodox Mean?
The term “heterodox” refers simply to views that violate the commonly accepted, or “orthodox”, views of a belief system or group of people. The use of the term for this club is inspired by its use by Jonathan Haidt, writer of The Coddling of the American Mind and founder of the "Heterodox Academy", who has worked to encourage more honest debate and viewpoint diversity on college campuses.