Is Feminism Changing For The Worse? - Bryan Caplan - #708

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello friends, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Bryan Caplan. He's an economist at George Mason University and an author. Bryan wrote a letter to his young daughter, encouraging her to not become a feminist, which begs the question, why would a father not want this? In what ways are women being taken advantage of by an ideology and how might Bryan be wrong? Expect to learn what trade-offs feminism is making at the moment and why they're dangerous, why feminism does not like traditionally feminine roles, why there is so much of a lack of individual agency in the modern world, where the recent trend of demonizing having children came from, why more people should not conform, how to think for yourself and much more. This episode is brought to you by Craftd London. They are the number one men's jewelry company worldwide. If you have seen me on any of the cinema episodes on YouTube wearing a necklace, it will always be Crafted London. I love their pieces, their casual wear works well, their formal wear works well, whether it's for daytime or nighttime, this is the solution. If you've wanted to get some men's jewelry, but been struggling because everything sucks, this is where to go. They've got necklaces, chains, pendants, bracelets, rings, and earrings in gold and silver. They're waterproof, sweat proof, heat proof and gym proof. Plus they come with a lifetime guarantee. So they will replace your piece if it breaks for any reason during the entire life of the product. Also, they ship internationally and you can get a 15% discount site-wide of everything by going to bit.ly slash cdwisdom and using the code MW15 at checkout. That's bit.ly slash letter C, letter D, wisdom and MW15 at checkout. Look, we're nearly at Christmas. You probably need to get somebody a present and that person who continues to use their old face shaver for trimming their gentleman's area is the prime target for the Manscaped Lawnmower 5 Ultra. It's their 5th generation trimmer, which features standard trimming blade for taking a little off the top and a new foil blade to go for that smooth finish wherever your heart desires. It's also got dual LED spotlights so that you can trim in the dark perhaps, or if you're a particularly crevicey person and it is waterproof so you can use it in the shower. So if you're going to get someone a present for Christmas, this would be a fantastic option. And it's also a little bit of a hint, you know, maybe you're a bit hairier than you should be. Here's a gift, come on, get a trim. You can get 20% off and free shipping right now by going to manscaped.com/modernwisdom and using the code modern wisdom at checkout. That's 20% off and free shipping at manscaped.com/modernwisdom and modern wisdom at checkout. This episode is brought to you by Surfshark VPN. Protect your browsing online and get access to the entire world's Netflix library for less than the price of a cup of coffee per month. If you are using the internet without a VPN, you are basically dancing in a muddy field without any shoes on. It is not good for you if you use a public Wi-Fi network like a library or a cafeteria. The internet admin can see all of the data going back and forth between your computer and the internet. Plus your internet service provider is tracking everything that you look at and then selling your information to companies who will target you with ads on what you browse. Also it means that you can't access the entire world's Netflix library and you can't use services like HBO Max or Amazon Prime when you're abroad. All of this is fixed by Surfshark VPN. It is available across unlimited devices so it protects and gives you access on your laptop, your iPad, your phone and even your smart TV. Plus there is a 30-day money back guarantee and an 83% discount with 3 months free. All of that is available if you go to surfshark.deals.com/modernwisdom.
That's surfshark.deals slash modern wisdom. But now ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Bryan Caplan.
What is feminism, in your opinion?

**Bryan Caplan** (4:09)
Great question. I don't want to say what it is in my opinion. What I want to say rather is, how do we actually use the word? Anyone can just make up a new definition. What I really wanted to think about was, let's listen to other people and see what definition fits actual usage. And the definition that I offer is this one. Feminism is the view that our society generally treats men more fairly than women. Feminism is the view that our society generally treats men more fairly than women. If you look at official definitions, they will say things like, it's just the view that men and women should be treated equally. What I point out in my essays, we got public opinion data where we ask a whole lot of people and guess what? Almost everyone who says they're not a feminist still thinks that men and women should be treated equally, so that cannot possibly be the actual definition. It's more of an argumentative definition, like calling your newspaper truth, and then if someone disagrees with you, you say, oh, you're against truth.