Questioning authority is a necessity for a functioning democracy. Continually calling power to account has to be a good thing, right? Maybe not, at least not all the time. So argues today’s guest, philosopher Mark Kingwell.

Have we let “speaking truth to power” degenerate into a Pavlovian response to any and all real, or merely perceived, sources of authority? Has this drive to habitually challenge institutions endangered politics, academia, science, and journalism?

Mark Kingwell joins Jesse to explore these questions which lay at the heart of his new book Question Authority.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor/ Mixer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Production Manager), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher),

Guest: Mark Kingwell

Further reading:

Question Authority - Mark Kingswell Upcoming Book
Can we rescue civility in public discourse?

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This episode features the audio short “Street Piano Superstars” by James Archer (Montreal, QC), one of the finalists from the 2024 Local Correspondents Audio Competition, a CanadaLabs initiative.

CanadaLabs, a hub for the next generation of audio journalists, is made possible with the support of Amazon Music, The Perspective Fund, and Canadaland Supporters.

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Additional Music is by Audio Network.

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