Elevate with Robert Glazer Elevate Classics: Greg Lukianoff On The Fight To Protect Freedom Of Speech
Jul 17, 2025
Greg Lukianoff, President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and a New York Times best-selling author, discusses the vital role of free speech in society. He highlights the challenges of campus censorship and the cultural shift towards limiting discourse. Lukianoff explores the implications of cancel culture on academic freedom and emphasizes the need for robust protections for intellectual diversity. Through personal anecdotes, he advocates for critical thinking and the importance of confronting uncomfortable conversations.
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Cultural Clash Shapes Free Speech Views
- Greg Lukianoff's early life was shaped by a cultural clash between polite British and brutally honest Russian parenting.
- His family history fleeing Soviet oppression deepened his appreciation for freedom of speech.
Definition of Free Speech
- Free speech in the U.S. protects nearly all speech except certain categories like threats and harassment.
- Speech cannot be banned just for being offensive, a principle crucial to pluralistic societies like the U.S.
Ideology and Social Media Fuel Censorship
- The rise of campus censorship around 2014 stemmed from ideological shifts combined with social media's accelerating effect.
- Rationales for censorship often mirror cognitive distortions taught to students, worsening mental health issues.
