I Don't Have Enough FAITH to Be an ATHEIST The 'Impossible Conversation' No One Saw Coming with Dr. Peter Boghossian
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Jan 16, 2026 
This conversation features Dr. Peter Boghossian, a philosopher and author renowned for his work on free speech and culture. He delves into the breakdown of civil dialogue in today's political climate, emphasizing the need for open discussions even with those who disagree. Peter shares his experiences at UC Berkeley, the ideological rigidity at Portland State, and the vital role of free speech in society. He also outlines his ambitious plans for engaging with disenfranchised communities in France and debates the compatibility of Islam with Western freedoms.
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Being Pushed Out Of Academia
- Peter Boghossian described being unsuitable for academia and facing investigations for questioning orthodoxy at Portland State University.
- He said his dissertation work with prison inmates was fulfilling and shaped his later methods for improving moral reasoning.
Lack Of Dialectic Breaks Corrective Mechanisms
- Boghossian argued the left often lacks a dialectic corrective, leaving ideas untested and uncorrected over time.
- He proposed this absence explains why leftist thought cannot self-correct despite not necessarily having worse ideas.
When Truth Loses Its North Star
- When truth is not the community's North Star, discourse shifts to power framings like oppression and discrimination.
- Boghossian said communities oriented to moral enforcement abandon falsifiability and reason as corrective tools.
