Conversations with Peter Boghossian

In this conversation, Peter and Rajiv Malhotra discuss anti-Semitism at Harvard and other Ivy League universities, Harvard’s cancellation of Hindu speakers, collaboration between leftist and Islamic radicals to undermine various civilizations they label “oppressive,” how China uses Harvard to undermine the U.S. and India, and much more. Bestselling author Rajiv Malhotra is a physicist, computer scientist, and founder of Infinity Foundation, a Princeton-based non-profit specializing in civilization studies. His books include “The Power of Future Machines: Essays on Artificial Intelligence,” “Snakes in the Ganga” (with a foreword by Peter Boghossian), and “Being Different: An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism.” Watch this episode on YouTube.

Philosopher and writer Nina Power is senior editor and columnist at Compact Magazine. She is the author of “One Dimensional Woman” (2009) and “What do Men Want? Masculinity & Its Discontents” (2022). She left her position as Senior Lecturer of Philosophy at Roehampton University after more than a decade in academia.   Peter Boghossian spoke with Nina about the current manifestation of the “battle of the sexes,” where men have become a socially permitted target of hatred and blame. Nina discusses the curious ideal of a homogenous human being, an aim to un-gender the sexes to make men and women interchangeable. She says it is a mistake that traditional masculine virtues—strength, judgment, responsibility—are being coded as right-wing values that must be dismantled alongside “the patriarchy.”   Peter and Nina also discuss sex differences, male suicide, Nina’s break with the Labour Party, the state of philosophy, Aristotle’s categories of friendship, intellectual conformity, Ivan Illich, Rebecca Tuvel, activist attacks, leftism, the beauty of changing one’s mind, and more.   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 cohosts the podcast The Lack with Helen Rollins and Benjamin Studebaker.   More from Nina: “What do Men Want? Masculinity & Its Discontents” by Nina Power  Compact Magazine “The Lack” podcast  Nina on X  Nina on Substack  Watch this episode on YouTube.

Sall Grover is the Founder and CEO of “Giggle,” a social networking app “designed by women, for women.” She is currently battling a lawsuit from a trans-woman who calls himself “Tickle.” Tickle was kicked off the app in 2021 because he is a man.   The outcome of this lawsuit (Tickle vs. Giggle) will impact women’s rights and protected spaces in Australia.   Peter Boghossian spoke with Sall about the fundamental distinction between the sexes, why preferred pronouns must be rejected, free speech and cognitive liberty, the meaning of progress, and the future of the transgender fad. According to Sall, “women are not dickless men” and have the right to exclude men from their sports, prisons, and social apps.   Further info on the Tickle vs. Giggle case: fedcourt.gov.au  Quillette article   Watch this episode on YouTube.

In 2021, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) canceled a high-profile lecture by Dr. Dorian Abbot, a renowned geophysicist from the University of Chicago. The topic of the lecture was not the issue. Rather, Dorian was targeted by Social Justice activists because of his critique of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) ideology. MIT buckled to the demands of a handful of ideologues, inadvertently contributing to discussions about academic censorship.   MIT did not expect the blowback it received for hobbling scientific inquiry in favor of ideological conformity. MIT alumni formed the Free Speech Alliance and its faculty overwhelmingly voted to adopt a university statement regarding freedom of expression. Since then, Dorian has become a leading figure in the fight for academic freedom of thought, speech, and inquiry. In this conversation, Peter Boghossian and Dorian discuss the MIT fiasco, the proper aim of academia, the immorality of DEI, speech as “violence,” University of Chicago’s commitment to academic freedom, finding meaning through religion and naturalism, Dorian’s rejection of tyrannical “equality” mandates, and much more. Dorian Abbot is associate professor in the Department of the Geophysical Sciences at the University of Chicago. He has written more than 90 scientific papers on the climates of Earth and other planets. He is a member of the Council of the Faculty Senate, a co-founder of the faculty group U-Chicago Free, a founding member of the Academic Freedom Alliance, and a co-founder and moderator of the Heterodox Academy STEM Community.  Dorian won the 2021 “Hero of Intellectual Freedom Award” from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni and the 2022 “Courage Award” from the Heterodox Academy. Read the MIT Freedom of Expression & Academic Freedom statement. Watch this episode on YouTube. 

Wilfred Reilly, cultural critic challenging mainstream narratives on race, crime, and gender ideology, discusses the importance of evidence-based work and the left-right divide. The podcast explores perceptions of systemic racism and woke ideologies, the crisis of legitimacy in institutions, academic performance gaps, and the need to address bias. It also delves into debates on colonialism, the emergence of a conservative backlash against 'woke' ideology, and movements countering it.

Author and activist David Silverman is one of the best-known atheists in the United States. He has been a leading voice in the atheism movement for decades, previously serving as President for American Atheists and Executive Director for Atheist Alliance International. He broke ranks with these organizations when they were captured by the “religion of wokeism.” David is now the advisory board chair for Atheists for Liberty, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization promoting secularism, free speech, and enlightenment values. He is the author of "Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World." He recently published an article in Reality’s Last Stand expressing his concerns about atheists aligning with Christians in the fight against woke ideology.   More from David: Reality’s Last Stand: “Reflections of a Firebrand” by David Silverman  YouTube Atheists for Liberty Twitter  Watch this episode on YouTube.

Filmmaker Taylor Reece discusses 'Dead Name,' a documentary exploring the damage caused by gender-affirming care. They address concerns about child transgenderism, the irreversible nature of gender transition procedures, and the impact of social contagions. The discussion also touches on censorship and the importance of individual autonomy in decision-making.

Evolutionary biologist Colin Wright and Peter Boghossian discuss the impact of gender ideology on public discourse and debunk misconceptions about gender and sex. They explore the limitations of binary concepts of sex, the influence of sociology on beliefs, and the ability of anthropologists to determine the biological sex of a skeleton. They also address the shift in behavior and beliefs of YouTube atheists and the backlash faced when defending biological reality.

Peter Boghossian and Rob Henderson discuss luxury beliefs and the high cost they impose on society. They explore topics such as the reluctance to revise beliefs, the implications of digital currency, analyzing trans women in sports, overlapping distributions for strength, victim signaling and dark triad traits, secularism and radicalism, and analyzing the failures of the right and the left.

Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Erec Smith, discusses essentialism and the impact of racial assumptions, disparities in education, dealing with negativity, systemic challenges for black communities, the influence of environment on crime, and the importance of rhetoric and defensive confidence in this thought-provoking podcast.