Sailer’s influence on me was more profound even than it was on my fellow dissidents because I was so impressed with his candor that I decided to write about race publicly. At first — and I owe Steve an apology for my cowardice — I kept my distance and never cited him. Writing about race was one thing, citing Steve Sailer was another. As Steve himself has written, “…people who don’t know me tend to hate me.” (Conversely, people who know Steve, like him.)
I wanted to write honestly about race, but I also wanted to keep my job in academia; and I worried that Sailer was so blunt and alienating that citing him was a guilt-by-association gift to enemies of honesty and open inquiry. As it turned out, I was not wrong. One of the sins I was accused of before getting fired was liking a tweet by Steve Sailer. I explained that I thought that the tweet was interesting and that I believed in the importance of dialogue and debate. Maybe I could encourage debate in a different way my boss responded.
I’d like to say that this was my Michael Corleone moment in which I understood the utter corruption of the institutions around me and went all in on the family. But I’m not sure if that’s true. Perhaps we can never be truly honest about our views even to ourselves. Nevertheless, I strive for intellectual transparency and honesty. If somebody asks my opinion about something, I will forward it, with appropriate caveats about human fallibility. And in that, Steve Sailer’s influence was enormous, along with Arthur Jensen and Charles Murray.
Steve Sailer: Still noticing after all these years
Bo Winegard reflects on the immense influence of Steve Sailer and reviews 'Noticing,' a newly published anthology of Sailer’s essays.
Mar 28, 2024