The Wayward Axolotl

Back in 2013, I spent some time arguing against the MGTOW ideology. Then I laid the topic to rest and moved on. However, recently several people have been promoting the MGTOW ideology in my general vicinity, and so I decided to revisit the topic and clearly present the case against MGTOW. First, I should define “MGTOW”. The term is an abbreviation of “Men Going Their Own Way”. It can refer either to an ideology or to the people who believe in the ideology. By “ideology”, I mean a system of ideas that functions as a social identity. Belief in the ideology implies membership in the community of believers. An ideology has a shared value or values that the members rally around. It gives them a sense of belonging and a shared identity. As an ideology, MGTOW is the rejection of the sexual contract, on the grounds that it is oppressive to men. In practical terms, this means rejecting marriage, children and long-term relationships with women. The shared positive values of MGTOW are

Remember “new atheism”? It seems like such a long time ago. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, new atheism was an important part of the cultural landscape, especially on the internet. Books by Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens inspired a movement to actively oppose religion in the public square. These days, it has been eclipsed by other issues, but there was a time when atheism versus theism was the biggest debate raging on the internet. The main difference between “old” and “new” atheism was one of attitude. The new atheists were aggressively opposed to religion, and they brought the debate into the public square. They were also effective early users of social media, such as Twitter and YouTube. The standard atheist claim is that religion is irrational: that it is not supported by evidence, and that many religious beliefs are logically or conceptually absurd. In addition to the standard skeptical critique of religion, the new atheists also claimed that relig