Lived experiences refer to experiences of oppression that, according to woke theory, shape the dominant society.138 Lived experiences are different from a person’s subjective experience: since members of dominant groups do not experience oppression, they cannot appeal to personal experiences. They are welcome as allies; however, they cannot see the truth. Their epistemological authority is refuted by standpoint theory, as privileged persons allegedly always knowingly or unknowingly justify their own privileges (see false consciousness).139
These evaluations of experiences on an identity basis arose from postmodern ideas about power: since knowledge is always determined by power (as Foucauldian power-knowledge), knowledge is always political.140 If knowledge is merely socioculturally conditioned, however, a problem arises often seen as the central issue in postmodern philosophy: as soon as someone holds any convictions and does not deconstruct them (as social constructs), they contradict postmodern premises. The postmodern, deconstructive viewpoint thus leads to complete uncertainty, as it can only provide nihilistic answers. A solution to postmodern nihilism emerged from the new-left perspectives of critical theories.141
Today’s woke ideology is based on the fusion of elements from critical theory with postmodern viewpoints. The so-called “lived experiences” provided the escape from the postmodern dead end: certain experiences of marginalised persons are recognised as “authentic” as long as they correspond to how critical theories characterise them. They form an epistemological anchor with which the woke ideology is secured.142
This anchoring cannot be questioned even by persons with marginalised identities. As soon as any person criticises woke claims, the contradiction is deemed inauthentic: either the person suffers from a form of false consciousness or commits wilful betrayal through complicity with the system. Only the viewpoints of persons with critical consciousness are considered authentic.143