The Quillette Effect

(Originally published October 30, 2024)

We all have a strong tendency to favor information that confirms our existing beliefs. This bias can be amplified within ideological communities, where shared values and perspectives create echo chambers that reinforce pre-existing beliefs and erect barriers to understanding and engaging with alternative viewpoints.

One particular form of this is what I call the “Quillette Effect,” where an ideological community creates the illusion of open inquiry while instead reinforcing its own biases. It occurs when a source trusted by a particular community presents a critique of opposing viewpoints in a way that is both inaccurate and flattering to the community’s existing beliefs. This creates a false sense of understanding and reinforces the idea that the opposing viewpoints are not only wrong, but also easily dismissed.

The name come from Quillette , an online magazine popular with right and center-right audiences. Their tagline is “Free Thought Lives.” Quillette has published articles purporting to explain left-wing ideas such as critical race theory and postmodernism . However, these articles often misunderstand or misrepresent these ideas, presenting them in a ways both simplistic and uncharitable. For Quillette’s core audience, who are predisposed to be critical of these ideas both because they come from other tribes and because they contradict or critique their own beliefs, the articles provide a seemingly credible confirmation of their existing biases. However, for those familiar with these ideas, Quillette’s presentations are often inaccurate and misleading.

The Quillette Effect is not limited to a single publication. It can be observed across the ideological spectrum, wherever communities create and consume content that reinforces their existing beliefs under the guise of neutral or “open” inquiry.

The consequences of the Quillette Effect can be significant. It can lead to a deeper entrenchment of biases, a decreased willingness to engage with opposing viewpoints, and an overall increase in polarization. By creating the illusion of open inquiry while subtly reinforcing pre-existing beliefs, it undermines critical thinking, deep understanding, intellectual rigor, and constructive dialogue.

Recognizing the Quillette Effect is crucial for anyone seeking to engage in meaningful conversations across ideological divides. It’s a reminder that we must be critical of the information we consume, especially when it comes from sources we trust. It’s also a call to be more mindful of our own biases and to actively seek out diverse perspectives expressed by the people who hold them. If we want to learn about new ideas, and new theories, especially if they are ideas and theories we’re inclined to think our wrong, our starting point should be the writings of the proponents of those ideas, not their critics.

Only by genuinely challenging our own assumptions and engaging with alternative viewpoints—expressed in the most accurate, fair, and thorough terms possible—can we hope to overcome our echo chambers and build a more informed and understanding conversational community.