Conversations with Peter Boghossian

Johann Hari is a British-Swiss author and journalist, known for his books and his articles in The Independent and Huffington Post. Since 2015, his writing has primarily dealt with the war on drugs, mental illness, and decreasing attention spans. His books on these subjects include Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, Lost Connections, and Stolen Focus. In this conversation, Johann and I talk about the variables vying for our attention and their effects on society. Though Johann mentions twelve variables in his book, we focus primarily on social media. Johann and I offer observations of people addicted to technology, and we discuss evidence-based ways to combat this problem. Additionally, we speak about algorithms and their incentives to keep users "angry and scrolling." Finally, we take the conversation to the implications our shortened attention spans have on interpersonal relationships, political participation, and democracy. More from Johann: Books: https://johannhari.com/ Ted Talks: https://www.ted.com/search?q=johann%20hari Watch this episode on YouTube.

Peter engages actor Laurence Fox and TRIGGERnometry host Francis Foster in a game of Spectrum Street Epistemology. The conversation begins with a claim about hiring airline pilots based on race, a topic that has been widely discussed in recent weeks after a door blew off in-flight on an Alaska Airlines plane. Other claims include dating someone who's transgender, immigration issues in the UK, and more! Peter asks Laurence and Francis to argue in favor of an opinion they do not hold. The pair leaned into the character of someone who holds beliefs opposite to their own, resulting in a more dynamic (and often funnier) conversation. Laurence Fox is a renowned actor, the leader of Britain's Reclaim Party, and host of the Laurence Fox Show. Francis Foster is a cultural commentator, well-known comedian, and former teacher of English and drama. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Bryan Callen is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster. He got his start in show business with the original cast of MADtv and he played "Coach Mellor" on ABC's "Schooled." His film and TV credits include "Kingdom," "Ride Along," "Sex and the City," "Californication," and the latest Joker film. His podcasting credits include Steven Crowder's Mug Club, Conspiracy Social Club, and The Joe Rogan Experience. In this episode, Bryan starts by talking about the challenges of discussing political topics as a comedian. He shares some of his views, and we discuss how Americans are failing to talk to each other. We then delve into what one can do about the lack of open and honest conversation. The conversation concludes with a discussion about how to affect change in the world, and the necessary internal steps it takes to get there. More from Brian: YouTube channel: Brian Callen Comedy X/Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube.

Matt Goodwin, a professor of politics, discusses the impact of immigration on the UK. He argues that the British population has been misled on the issue. They explore the cultural effects of mass immigration, the challenges of illegal immigration, and the need for a radical insurgent movement to address the issues that the two big parties are failing to address.

Guests include Peter Boghossian, a professor at Portland State University, and Bruce Gilley, who wrote a controversial article on colonialism. They discuss the Harvard plagiarism scandal, DEI, and the academic landscape. They also delve into Gilley's book on colonialism, debunking myths and discussing the reality of colonialism. The conversation concludes with a discussion on Gilley's career.

In Fall 2023, philosopher and author Nina Power and cultural critic and polymath Carl Benjamin joined Peter for a Spectrum Street Epistemology exercise in Hampstead Heath, London. They explored controversial claims about a variety of socio-political and cultural topics. Nina and Carl have been on Peter's channel before, but this is their first Spectrum Street Epistemology episode. Peter's interview with Nina Power / Carl Benjamin Nina received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Middlesex University and an MA and BA in philosophy from the University of Warwick. She was a senior lecturer in philosophy at Roehampton University and has taught at various British universities. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the British Philosophical Association. She co-hosts the podcast The Lack with Helen Rollins and Benjamin Studebaker. Carl Benjamin, AKA "Sargon of Akkad," is best described as a free-speech activist, staunch critic of identity politics, and champion of English Liberalism. When YouTube and Google shadowbanned his channel in 2019 for wrongthink, Carl continued creating content on Akkad Daily. In November 2020, he launched a new media venture: Lotuseaters.com. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Eric Kaufmann a Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham. Originally from Vancouver, BC, Canada, he was born in Hong Kong and spent most of the last few decades in the UK. He is principally interested in cultural politics: ethnicity, national identity, left-wing ideology and religion, and has written extensively on these subjects. After two decades, Eric decided to relinquish his full professorship in Politics at Birkbeck College, University of London for the University of Buckingham, stating his case in an article for The Critic called "From monoculture to counterculture: why I am leaving Birkbeck for Buckingham". Peter and Eric discussed multiculturalism and its effects on society, immigration policy, differences between the current state of the US, Canada, and the UK, meritocracy, how to solve the capture of elite institutions, Social Justice, and more. The two even place bets on the future of Critical Social Justice and other cultural issues and will revisit the bet in six months. Follow Eric on X. The European Conservative interview with Eric Watch this episode on YouTube.

For years, James Fishback has been dedicated to formal debate as a competitor and coach. In 2019, James launched "Incubate Debate," a nonprofit organization bringing no-cost, free-speech debate tournaments, workshops, and camps to students across Florida. The organization seeks to overcome economic hardship and increasing censorship in national debate events. In May, James wrote an article, "At High School Debates, Debate Is No Longer Allowed," for The Free Press. He exposed the punishment debaters receive for "what they say and how they say it," and the ideological constraints judges enact in tournaments. In June, James wrote a second article for The Free Press about tournament punishments based on debaters' comments on social media—completely unrelated to their debate performance. In lockstep with the rest of academia, ideas on the debate stage are being censored on the basis of "safety" and ideological conformity. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Iraqi-American Faisal Al Mutar is a human rights activist and the founder of Ideas Beyond Borders, a non-profit organization countering extremism and misinformation through global access to new ideas. He came to the U.S. as a refugee in 2013 and received the President's Volunteer Service Award in 2016 for his commitment to education. This year, Ideas Beyond Borders won Atlas Network's Middle East & North Africa Liberty Award. Peter and Faisal are close friends. In this conversation, they discuss the persistent attack on enlightenment values in the U.S. and how this affects young people. Peter and Faisal are both atheists and they consider how the decline of religious belief has opened doors to alternative manifestations of tribal and authoritarian impulses, including in groups of supposed heterodox thinkers. Faisal also shares his views on the role religion plays in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This podcast was filmed October 30, 2023 at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship Conference in London, England. More from Faisal: "Are Western Values Worth Defending?" Peter Boghossian & Faisal Al Mutar with Freethinkers of PSU (2017) Follow Faisal on X and Facebook. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Psychiatrist Miriam Grossman has been exposing falsehoods in the sex and gender industry since 2006. Miriam has been a featured expert in many documentaries, including The Daily Wire's "What is a Woman?" and Fox Nation's "The Miseducation of America." She has testified in Congress, lectured at the British House of Lords, and spoken before the United Nations. Her expert psychiatric opinion is frequently sought for witness testimony and court reports. Jordan Peterson wrote the foreword to Miriam's recent publication, "Lost in Trans Nation: A Child Psychiatrist's Guide Out of the Madness." Her book offers practical advice to manage and prevent psychological and medical harm in the transgender assembly line. In 2009, Miriam published "You're Teaching My Child What?," an exposé on ideological sex education curriculum used in public schools. A paperback edition with a new preface will be released on September 26, 2023. Follow Miriam on Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube.