What's in a Name? Part 1

Distrephism (7 min)

This article is the first in a series in which I will cover several terms and concepts to give them a well-defined structure. This rationale arises from the failure of many Christians and conservatives to adequately categorize numerous belief systems that exist today. The problematic nature of this issue is greater than people might think. It is not just an abstract academic matter or merely theoretical navel-gazing. It has real, significant impact on the way people think and act. This issue spills out into many other resulting problems. Such as the problem of self-identification (covered here [coming soon!]), or the framing of religion and supposed “non-religion.” Category confusion and misrepresentation of concepts have real word implications. It is not just a philosophical problem.

The very first word to cover is a neologism that I coined. Specifically, the term Distrephism (pronounced di-stri-FIZ-uhm; with the emphasis on the penultimate syllable, so it’s like the “distri” in “distribution” but with “phism” ending), which refers to a religion/worldview and the term Distrephist (pronounced di-stri-FIST; using the same pronunciation rules as Distrephism) as the term that refers to either a follower of the religion of Distrephism or is an adjective describing something that adheres to the Distrephist religion. This new word aims to name and encapsulate a modern religion that has been extremely poorly defined up to this point. Prior terms used to describe this belief system were very flawed and often gave misleading impressions.

My upcoming book (stay tuned!) provides a fuller explanation of what Distrephism is, because fully understanding what it encompasses is not simple to describe. I give a shortened version here because I intend to use this word in my writings, instead of the common terminology found in most media. Terminology that mostly comes from a failure to understand the phenomenon.

What religion am I talking about? Well, the short answer is that Distrephism is the religion and worldview (both terms to be covered in future articles of this series) that we associate with “social justice”, “woke”, “progressivism”, “cultural Marxism”, or other terms like “leftism” and “liberal.” I coined Distrephism because none of these terms are very good, nor very accurate. Woke is a rather silly pejorative that has gained wide acceptance but is not an acceptable label. Especially when used to describe “wokeism,” which is a rather contorted term based on an already poorly defined concept. One thing those on the political left point out accurately is that “woke” is ambiguous and ill-defined (for example, here). With far too many people using it pejoratively or sycophantically for it to be something to take seriously (making it a problem for whoever uses it, regardless of what they believe).

One could also say the same about terms such as social justice, cultural Marxism, or leftism. These terms are either misguided or so poorly defined as to have use only in casual conversation. These terms lack serious rigor and are prone to abuse. Thus, people either use them only in propaganda or they cause serious category confusion in more serious works. Especially when people use these terms interchangeably but attach different meanings to them.

So, what does Distrephism mean then? This subject warrants a more in-depth discussion than I can provide here, but I am offering a summary so that my use of the term is clear to readers who haven’t encountered my forthcoming book on the subject. I define it here:

Distrephism is a Neo-pagan form of Humanism. Distrephism is both a religion and a worldview. It has roots in the Age of Enlightenment and the late 1800s, but officially started during the 1960s in Western academia, where it eventually coalesced into a fuller form publicly known as “woke” during the 2010s. Distrephism has two primary aspects, Neo-paganism and Humanism, along with five secondary aspects that uniquely distinguish it from other religions. These five secondary aspects are Antithetical Revisionism, Intersectional Identitarianism, Hedonism, Extrinsic Evil, and Victimhood Culture. Taken together the two primary and five secondary aspects together serve as the full delineation of Distrephism as a religion and worldview.

First and foremost, one must understand Distrephism as a religion and a worldview. It is a fusion of Humanism and Neo-paganism with the five mentioned secondary aspects being the defining traits of this specific religion (though they aren’t the same religion and worldview are two sides of the same coin so I often just use one of them to imply both). A summary of these secondary aspects is given below; I will clarify them elsewhere.

Antithetical Revisionism refers to the fact that Distrephism is a religion that involves an emphasis on opposing and contradicting an “antithesis.” Meaning that Distrephism is defined at least as much, if not more, by its opposition to something than by that which it positively supports. The religion of Distrephism has opposition to Christianity (and the Western worldview) as the antithesis around which it revolves. Distrephism isn’t the only religion with this trait, but it is primarily a reactionary belief system with an inherent adversarial stance. This makes Distrephism prone to heavy revisionism of any stances or narratives held by its antithesis (Christianity). One can think of Distrephism as an “anti-Christianity” where Distrephism takes a position directly opposing whatever the Christian worldview holds to be true. One of the primary roots of this is the belief in postmodern power dynamics and the “oppressor versus oppressed” framing of all issues.

Intersectional Identitarianism is the secondary aspect of Distrephism, comprising a unique form of identitarianism. Identitarianism, in this context, signifies a perspective where ethnic, racial, physical, or tribal identities are deemed most crucial for culture, social belonging, and civil governance. People often refer to this as “identity politics,” yet it’s a mistake to consider it solely a political perspective rather than part of a comprehensive religion. The Distrephist variant focuses on different identities than other forms of identitarianism do. Specifically, those derived from intersectionality theory and the perceived victim identities of Distrephism. It is also the most complex of all the secondary aspects of Distrephism, because of the inherent complexity and multifaceted nature of identity. Intersectional identitarianism comprises 5 major components: racialism, standpoint epistemology, uniform egalitarianism, the blank slate, and the noble savage.

The 5 sub-components together make up the unique way that Distrephism approaches identity in intersectional identitarianism. Racialism refers to their adherence to racial identities and the framing of issues through a racial lens (Critical Race Theory). Standpoint epistemology is the stance that Distrephists take towards knowledge itself. Where they believe that people have unique qualifications and authority based solely on their standpoint. The appeal to “lived experience” as an authority is an example of standpoint epistemology. Uniform egalitarianism refers to the Distrephist belief in equality of outcome and a complete leveling of humanity, rejecting merit and meaningful biological distinctions (such as between male and female). The blank slate refers to the belief that human nature is like a blank slate and that what we are, even our gender/sex, is solely a social construct. Humans have no inbuilt human nature; society shapes them almost entirely. The noble savage is the belief that people are inherently good in a “natural” state and that without the large structures of society, humans would live in utopian, free societies. It is the idea that “indigenous” people like the Native Americans lived in collectivist and libertine societies without social oppression.

Hedonism is a simpler aspect that does not have a unique definition and refers to the belief that pleasure or “happiness” is the highest good in life. It is a devotion to sensual or psychological pleasure. Frequently understood as the pursuit of personal “fulfillment,” where such fulfillment means the satisfaction of one’s personal desires as the ultimate purpose and goal of life.

Extrinsic Evil is also not unique to Distrephism but refers to the belief whereby people externalize all evil, or sources of problems, onto outside entities. It is not merely the belief that people are innately good, but one that views all “evil” as coming from an external, often systematic, source. It is a perspective within the problematics of a religion. This creates the rejection of personal responsibility within Distrephism because the problems that occur, such as crime, racism, and disparate outcomes, are not from individuals or specific cultures but from outside enemies. The clearest example of this is the belief that disparate outcomes can only come from things like discrimination or systemic racism.

Within Distrephism, Victimhood Culture heavily dictates a person’s social status through their perceived victimization and “underdog” position. This is because Distrephism gives higher moral standing to those who have a perceived victim status. A person receives more moral weight as they accumulate “marginalized”, “minority”, or “oppressed” identities. Conversely, the more “privilege” a person has, the less moral standing they have. So, a hierarchy of victimhood exists. With the most “marginalized” on one end and the most “privileged” on the other end. This victim hierarchy is rooted in intersectionality and all the other secondary aspects of Distrephism.

The last point to make here about Distrephism is that it is meant to be distinguished from the false left/right “spectrum.” Distrephism is a religion that dominates the political left, such as the Democratic Party, but it is not to be confused as being the same as so-called “leftism.” That is because the left/right groupings are nothing more than political alliances. These alliances exist only because of the two-party system in the United States. Do not confuse a specific religion with the larger political alliance that its followers exist within. Even if they have a majority position within that party. Distrephism is only the current majority religion found within the Democratic Party and the political left (the left and the Democratic Party as really the same thing). This cannot be said to have been the case 100 years ago, nor will it likely be the case 100 years from now. This is yet another reason for the creation of a new term. Because this new term is not based upon the inaccurate depiction of left/right as an ideological spectrum.