Historical Perspectives on Free Speech and Government Overreach

Jacob Mchangama, author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, joins Michael to examine the evolving landscape of free expression amid rising political and cultural tensions. They discuss how far governments, universities, and tech platforms should go in regulating speech, and what’s at stake when they do.

In this episode:

• Should non-citizens have the same speech protections as citizens?
• Social media, mental health, radicalization, and the “moderation dilemma”
• The global shift toward stricter regulation of speech
• How today’s most divisive issues test the limits of free expression

Jacob Mchangama is the founder and executive director of the Future of Free Speech, professor at Vanderbilt University, and senior fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).