Conversations with Peter Boghossian

Latest Episodes:

Anti-Racism & Disempowerment | Peter Boghossian & Erec Smith Sep 06, 2023

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Erec Smith is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania. Although he has eclectic scholarly interests, Smith's primary work focuses on the rhetorics of anti-racist activism, theory, and pedagogy. He is the president of the Foundation for Free Black Thought. Smith's recent books include A Critique of Anti-Racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment (2020) and The Lure of Disempowerment: Reclaiming Agency in the Age of CRT (2022). He tweets here.

Documentaries mentioned: "The Woke Reformation" by Travis Brown "The Reformers" by Mike Nayna Watch this episode on YouTube.

The Wrong Kind of Black Person | Peter Boghossian & Tabia Lee Aug 30, 2023

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Dr. Tabia Lee is a longtime educator, pedagogist, and a founding member of Free Black Thought. In 2021, Tabia was hired at DeAnza College in California as the Faculty Director for the Office of Equity, Social Justice, and Multicultural Education. Tabia attempted to reform the toxic campus atmosphere characterized by many faculty and staff members as "too woke." DEI colleagues at DeAnza rejected Tabia's efforts to promote a "pro-human" approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Tabia, a black woman, was called a white supremacist, a racist, and a right-wing operative, among other accusations. In June this year, Tabia was fired. She is suing DeAnza College for violating her academic freedom and free speech rights. Find more from Tabia: Donate Free Black Thought

The Science of Happiness | Peter Boghossian & Gad Saad Aug 30, 2023

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Bestselling author and evolutionary psychologist Gad Saad is a pioneer in the application of evolutionary psychology to consumer behavior. He is a Professor of Marketing at Concordia University where he held the Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption for a decade. As a leading public intellectual, Gad writes and speaks about a wide range of ideas, including "idea pathogens" destroying logic, science, reason, and common sense. He hosts "The Saad Truth" podcast. Gad is the author of the international bestseller, "The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense," "The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption," "The Consuming Instinct, Evolutionary Psychology in the Business Sciences," and numerous scientific papers. His latest book is "The Saad Truth about Happiness: 8 Secrets for Leading the Good Life," published July 2023. Follow Gad Saad: The Saad Truth podcast Website Twitter

The Meaningful Life | Peter Boghossian & Glenn Loury Aug 28, 2023

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Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Glenn Loury, one of the leading public intellectuals in the Anglosphere, is known for his astute observations and forthright delivery. He does not disappoint in this conversation with Peter Boghossian during the University of Austin's Forbidden Courses program. Glenn and Peter discuss pressing social, racial, and economic topics of our era, including affirmative action, student debt relief, and criminal justice reform. Glenn explains his distrust of public policy to remedy social ills that should be managed through individual responsibility. He discusses disempowering narratives promoted by progressives and shudders at the "infantile, unserious arguments" of Ibram X. Kendi. Glenn also talks about how he derives meaning in life and his religious ambivalence. He shares his deep love for his wife in spite of political differences between them. When Peter asks Glenn about his hopes for his grandchildren, Glenn shares words of wisdom that reveal his deepest values. He also describes his favorite recent books: "A Certain Ambiguity" by Guarav Suri and "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth" by Reza Aslan. Author, economist, and social critic Glenn Loury is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Brown University. He is the recipient of many honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Carnegie Scholarship. He hosts The Glenn Show, frequently joined by another friend of the show, linguist John McWhorter. Glenn's publications include, "The Anatomy of Racial Inequality," "Race, Incarceration, and American Values," "One by One from the Inside Out," and "Ethnicity, Social Mobility and Public Policy." His memoir, "Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative," is forthcoming. Glenn's Substack: https://glennloury.substack.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube.

Trans Ideology vs. Biology | Peter Boghossian & Luana S. Maroja Aug 28, 2023

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Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Luana S. Maroja is a renowned evolutionary biologist, Professor of Biology, and Chair of the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Program at Williams College. She was taken aback when the Society for the Study of Evolution released a statement promoting sex as a spectrum and declaring the validity of "lived experience" in sexual identity. What would inspire such a misguided, conspicuously anti-scientific declaration? In this conversation with Peter, she answers that question. In plain language, Luana explains chromosomal differences in mammals and how the sex binary is expressed in animals. She addresses popular arguments about exceptions to the binary, such as variations in sex chromosomes, hormone receptor failure, and developmental sex disorders. They also discuss: Moralistic and naturalist fallacies, bimodality, being "born in the wrong body," social constructs, clown fish, non-biologists teaching bad biology, and trans racialism. Luana S. Maroja earned her undergraduate and master's degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and her PhD from Cornell University. Her research interests include population ecology, speciation, population genetics, phylogeny, and phylogeography. Luana studies a variety of organisms, including small mammals, insects, and plants, and has published more than 35 scientific papers. Luana co-authored The Ideological Subversion of Biology, the cover article in the July/August 2023 issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. "The Ideological Subversion of Biology," Skeptical Inquirer https://skepticalinquirer.org/2023/06/the-ideological-subversion-of-biology/ Watch the episode on YouTube.

Language, Race, and the Woke Religion | Peter Boghossian & John McWhorter Aug 22, 2023

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Bestselling author John McWhorter is a linguistics professor at Columbia University, host of "Lexicon Valley," and a regular guest on "The Glenn Show" with Glenn Loury. John's writing has been published in many venues, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New Republic, City Journal, Time Magazine, and Forbes. He writes a weekly opinion column for The New York Times. John's most recent book is "Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America." He has authored more than twenty books on language and race relations, including "Nine Nasty Words," "The Language Hoax," and "Talking Back, Talking Black." Woke Racism by John McWhorter Lexicon Valley Substack New York Times articles Watch this episode on YouTube.

Vandals of Culture & History | Peter Boghossian & Michael Lind Aug 21, 2023

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Author Michael Lind is co-founder of the New America Foundation and co-author of its manifesto, "The Radical Center." He is a columnist for Tablet and has been an editor or staff writer for The New Yorker, Harper's, The New Republic, and The National Interest. He is a contributor to The New York Times, Politico, The Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Salon, The International Economy, Forbes, UnHerd, and many other publications. Michael has authored nearly 20 books, including "The New Class War: Saving Democracy from the Managerial Elite," "The American Way of Strategy," and "What Lincoln Believed." Michael's latest book is "Hell to Pay: How the Suppression of Wages is Destroying America," published in May 2023. Michael is a professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin, teaching courses on American democracy, political economy, and foreign policy. More about Michael: "Hell to Pay: How the Suppression of Wages is Destroying America" by Michael Lind Tablet Magazine New America Foundation Watch the episode on YouTube.

Why Audiences Hate Modern Movies | Peter Boghossian & The Critical Drinker Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

Scottish author and critic Will Jordan, aka The Critical Drinker, offers biting, insightful, and often hilarious critiques of modern cinematography. His straightforward analysis of plots, characterization, dialogue, and ideological narrative in modern film has earned him over 1.7 million YouTube subscribers. The Critical Drinker is the author of the "Ryan Drake" novel series and co-authored "Deadly Cargo" with James Patterson. He is also Peter's favorite movie and TV critic. Books by Will Jordan Follow Will on Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube.

The Cost of Unmasking Antifa | Peter Boghossian & Andy Ngo Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Journalist Andy Ngo has been in the news regarding the conclusion of his civil lawsuit against Rose City Antifa. Members of the Portland "anti-fascist" group assaulted Andy multiple times since 2019, putting him in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage. Despite a plethora of video evidence, the jury cleared the assailants of responsibility on August 8. Andy and one of his lawyers discussed juror intimidation by the defense lawyer and other Antifa members with Laura Ingraham. Peter Boghossian and Andy had this conversation prior to the conclusion of the trial. They have been friends for years, first meeting at Portland State University in 2015 when Peter was a professor and Andy was a graduate student. Peter and Andy share their first-hand experience with the damage Social Justice ideology has inflicted on Portland, Oregon. They discuss the decline in crime prevention by police and citizens, including the national effect of former US Marine Daniel Penny's indictment. Andy explains why left-wing violence is tolerated and even encouraged. Many academics have ties to violent extremists (or are violent extremists themselves) and activist journalists provide narratives that justify vitriol toward their ideological enemies. Andy explains how left-wing radicalization begins as early as elementary school. Andy and Peter were previously involved in secular activism. They consider the consequences of bartering fealty to traditional religions in exchange for Wokism. Peter describes his Pollyanna expectation for a new age of rational flourishing and his surprise at the secular pseudo-religious outcome. Also discussed: moral triaging, identity vs. class, epistemological paralysis, Billboard Chris, trans militancy, preferred pronouns, and the ineffectiveness of anonymity. Andy Ngo is the author of the #1 national bestseller, Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy. His articles can be found in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Quillette, New York Post, Fox News, and other publications. Andy is Senior Editor at The Post Millennial. Website: https://www.andy-ngo.com/ Locals: https://ngolocals.com/ Detailed report: Civil Trial against Rose City Antifa https://townhall.com/tipsheet/miacathell/2023/08/09/andy-ngo-antifa-trial-hacker-testimony-n2626762 Post-Trial Interview with Laura Ingraham https://www.patreon.com/posts/87462476?pr=true Watch this episode on YouTube.

Tyranny of Zealots and Spirals of Silence | Peter Boghossian & Jonathan Rauch Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

Award-winning author Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor of The Atlantic. Jonathan defends objective truth and free inquiry in his latest book, "The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth." He is the author of eight books on public policy, culture, and government, including "Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought" and "Beyond Queer: Challenging Gay Left Orthodoxy." Jonathan's Website: https://www.jonathanrauch.com/ Braver Angels: https://braverangels.org/what-we-do/debates/ Articles referenced by Jon: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/15/media/twitter-musk-journalists-hnk-intl/index.html https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/04/elon-musk-twitter-still-banning-journalists https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-medias-covid-success https://twitter.com/jon_rauch/status/1509752156605276160 Watch this episode on YouTube.

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