Keep Talking

Greg Lukianoff is a journalist, an attorney, the co-author of "The Coddling of the American Mind," and the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). During our conversation, Greg talks about freedom of speech in America, how social media has affected our propensity to speak openly, and the threats to free expression on modern university campuses.As Greg mentions, while the legal support for free speech is strong in the U.S., it isn't in our culture. A citizen's right to free speech is the counterintuitive exception to the rule in human history. Free speech societies tend to be societies that are peaceful and prosperous. Cancel culture societies seem to be societies that lead to self-censorship, a zeitgeist of fear and suspicion, and an inability to rigorously pursue the truth.The work of people like Greg and organizations like FIRE are crucial to the continuance of our sacred inheritance: a free civilization and a free people. And their noble mission reminds me of two quotes to be considered, one from James Hollis, the other from Václav Havel:"Wherever there is a hysterical certainty, and there is much in our land, it is because doubt has already planted its black flag inside the soul and the ego is running away like a child.""In everyone there is some willingness to merge with the anonymous crowd and to flow comfortably along with it down the river of pseudo-life."------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (02:29) Greg's interest in free speech (08:06) Free speech: "the eternally radical idea" (12:26) What happens in societies without free speech (18:45) How free speech creates a more peaceful society (25:48) Key observations from "The Coddling of the American Mind" (36:03) Social media's effect on free speech (45:06) Examples of cancel culture (51:53) Respect for free speech must begin early in one's life (59:13) What is the point of education?(01:05:07) Antifragility and the importance of growth through struggle (01:10:19) How overcoming mental health struggles informs Greg's beliefs

Richard Reeves is a writer, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and the author of "Of Boys and Men." During our conversation Richard presents data detailing how boys and men are falling behind in education and employment, that men represent three out every four "deaths of despair," and the confusion over what is good about being a man and what it means to be a man as gender roles have significantly changed.Richard also talks about the phenomenon of both Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate, why Peterson and Tate have gained such an audience, his primary concern of "checked-out" rather than "acting-out" men, the influence of video games and pornography, the effect of divorce on men, the evolutionary point and purpose of the male sex, and what can be done to help problems of modern men.I think Richard's book will be a seminal work of our era. It puts the data to what is already known by millions of men: the isolation, the detachment, the loneliness, the disconnection, the feeling of being unnecessary, the silent despair. A healthy civilization encourages, designs, and incentivizes all of its citizens to flourish, and Richard's book should help raise our consciousness to the reality of the lives of so many men.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro(02:24) How Richard realized men are falling behind(06:00) The data re: men falling behind in education(09:20) The structure of education helps women's natural abilities(13:44) A response to the indifference of male decline(18:24) Stories of suffering of modern men(21:48) Men are "opting out" not "acting out"(27:00) What would men be doing without porn and video games?(28:37) Big stats and small stats that reveal the decline of men(32:14) A sense of agency is crucial for men who are struggling(38:49) Jim Hollis' work for men(40:04) Jordan Peterson is a gigantic listening ear for men(45:24) The Andrew Tate phenomenon(52:49) Jordan Peterson's rage and empathy (58:27) Divorce and its effect on men (01:03:02) What is the evolutionary purpose of men? (01:08:04) Children need positive relationships with their fathers; married parents less so (01:16:57) Solutions to increase male flourishing

Pano Kanelos is an educator, a Shakespeare scholar, and is the founding President of the University of Austin. During our conversation, Pano talks about the problems within modern universities, the principles that have and will guide the creation of the University of Austin, why Austin, Texas was chosen as the location of this new university, the timeline for the rollout of the school, and what success would look like for UATX.UATX received 3,500 inquiries in its first week of existence from professors at other universities about career opportunities. From prior conversations on this podcast, I'm persuaded that censorship, self-censorship, monoculture, a lack of tolerance for minority opinions, a lack of academic diversity, and a lack of courage are real problems at modern universities.Pano has called universities the "beating heart of a free society," and I think he's right about that. If we are a society that aims to remain democratic, tolerant, and pluralistic, that's committed to civil discourse and resists dogma, that's fearless in its aim to seek the truth, we should applaud the lofty ambitions of the University of Austin, and hope that it influences and improves our broader culture and our exceptional institutions of higher learning.------------Support on SubstackSupport via VenmoSupport via PayPalSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Intro (02:25) From Shakespeare scholar to University of Austin President (04:42) Why UATX matters (06:34) What has happened to modern universities? (13:06) UATX principle: the fearless pursuit of truth (14:07) Modern university's monoculture has led to our culture's polarization (17:02) The University of Austin's principles (23:54) Stories of censorship on university campuses (30:55) AUTX received 3,500 faculty inquiries in its first week (35:35) The timeline rollout of UATX over the next few years (41:12) A new financial philosophy for higher education (46:28) What does UATX need to succeed? (49:50) The UATX is about possibility and optimism (55:29) UATX success involves other university's self-correcting through imitation (52:58) Which current universities are honoring its principles? (1:01:52) Why Austin, Texas? (01:07:02) What should students interested in UATX do? (01:10:50) When will on-campus classes take place? (01:13:06) What additional professional skills does UATX need to success? (01:16:03) The Polaris Center at UATX: developing skills for a flourishing life

Jeff Rediger is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and a medical director at McLean SouthEast Adult Psychiatric Programs, who holds a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. Jeff is the author of the book "Cured," which details and explores examples of spontaneous remission, and discusses various aspects of human health.During our conversation, Jeff talks about what qualifies as a spontaneous remission, what might be causing diseases that had been deemed incurable to disappear, and his four pillars of healing: nutrition, healing your immune system, healing your stress response, and healing your identity and beliefs.Jeff also discusses what may be causing many environmentally-influenced diseases, how chronically-stressful relationships and environments can cause life-threatening illnesses, and the importance of love and community in a healthy life.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes

Stephen Kinzer is a former "New York Times" correspondent, is a Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs at Brown University, and is the author of "Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control."During our conversation, Stephen talks about the goals of the MK-Ultra program, its leader Sidney Gottlieb, its record of physical and psychological torture, its secrecy from the public, how it brought LSD into America, and how its existence was revealed to the public.The MK-Ultra program started in 1953 and the public was unaware of it and its abuses for more than 20 years. Because so much of its documentation was destroyed, we'll likely never know the full extent of MK-Ultra's activity and its abuses of power. But, we can learn that it existed, it was real, and it was fully rationalized in its time.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Introduction(02:17) Sidney Gottlieb: the most powerful, unknown American of the 20th century(06:51) What is the CIA’s MK Ultra program?(14:01) The nefarious aspects of MK Ultra’s experiments(16:52) Gottlieb’s interest in clinical experiments with LSD(22:14) Charles Manson and the MK Ultra program(24:44) MK Ultra’s two-step program to first blow out, then control, people’s minds(32:51) How hepatitis patients react to LSD(37:29) MK Ultra was above of the law(44:32) The personal life of Sidney Gottlieb(51:03) Scientific conclusions from the MK Ultra program(53:11) How the public learned about MK Ultra(55:27) Is something like MK Ultra going on today?(59:46) Don't swallow the narrative you're fed by government and power

Josh Chin is the China Deputy Bureau Chief for "The Wall Street Journal" and is the co-author of the book "Surveillance State: China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control."During our conversation, Josh talks about China's use of surveillance technology in Xinjiang, how it is using that technology to monitor and send Uyghurs to modern gulags (places the Chinese government calls "re-education camps"), and how the Chinese are exporting this technology around the world.Josh also talks about being kicked out of China in 2020, how China could unleash this technology on dissidents in the future, and how he would respond to those who are ambivalent to government surveillance because "they have nothing to hide."------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Introduction(02:10) Josh's interest in China(07:07) The rise of China's surveillance technology(11:18) The surveillance of the Uyghurs(15:46) What triggers a Uyghur being sent to a gulag?(18:35) The arbitrariness of which Uyghurs disappear is intentional(23:57) The abuse and torture of Uyghurs in Chinese gulags(25:46) Possibly 20-30% of the Uyghur population has been sent to gulags(26:47) China's official statement about what's happening to Uyghurs(27:46) The details of facial recognition technology(31:58) Why do the findings of "Surveillance State" matter?(33:57) A response to "I have nothing to hide"(38:44) How can surveillance information be used against people?(43:19) Who is Xi Jinping?(45:46) Where is China exporting its surveillance technology?(50:12) Is the Uyghur experiment a prototype for future totalitarianism?(56:10) Josh's expulsion from China in 2020(59:38) Are China's human rights abuses, on balance, warranted?(1:08:02) China and TikTok(1:12:08) Thoughts on the future of China and the West

Joe Henrich is a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and is the author of the book "The WEIRDest People in the World."During our conversation, Joe talks about his interest in human nature, how cultures change people biologically, how the mating laws of the Roman Catholic Church and the literacy imperatives of Protestantism changed Western civilization, cultural limitations on the Big 5 Personality traits, monogamy and polygyny, modern dating, objective truth, right and wrong, and what UN parking ticket data tells us about different countries in the world.WEIRD stands for "Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic," and if you're listening to this episode, you likely fall in that category. Joe is an encyclopedia of information about human beings, who we are, how we're different, and how we got this way. He offers advice for struggling young men, political leaders contemplating foreign intervention, and on how to think clearly about ethics and moral relativism.------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackPatreon------------Show notesRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) Introduction(03:04) Interest in evolutionary biology and human culture(04:50) The effect of culture on humans(08:04) Culture changes people biologically(11:21) WEIRD vs. non-WEIRD people(13:34) How the structure of the family effects Han Chinese(14:26) The effect of the Catholic Church in Germany(15:08) Scotch-Irish segmentary lineage culture(18:56) How the Catholic Church's rules unwittingly fueled Europe's rise(21:53) How Protestantism's work and word ethic drove Europe's prosperity(25:20) What a kin-based society looked like before the Catholic Church(27:49) Ways that culture changes people's brains(32:26) Testosterone does not go down post-fatherhood for men in polygynous cultures(39:01) Failing young men, dating technology, and modern dating(41:48) What can go wrong in polygynous societies?(43:56) How can we help young men prosper?(47:36) The Big 5 personality traits may be culturally-specific to WEIRD people(51:54) Making sense of human nature(54:16) Evolutionary psychology and human culture(56:46) The future of dating and mating in the West(59:46) Different cultures and American foreign policy mistakes(1:02:56) Joe's advice on American foreign policy(1:04:36) China's male gender imbalance and future societal problems(1:06:28) Advice for struggling young men(1:09:46) United Nations parking tickets data(1:13:51) Moral relativism and Ayaan Hirsi Ali(1:19:41) Truth and science colliding with postmodernism(1:22:26) What's next for Joe

Huw Price is an author, was the Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and is the co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk.During our conversation, Huw talks about meeting Jaan Tallinn of Skype, learning about lesser-known existential risks of artificial intelligence and catastrophic new biological threats, the founding of the Centre in 2012, what an existential threat is, a near-existential event in 1962, and what an average citizen can do to mitigate the probability of an extinction event.There is no more important subject than the prevention of our own annihilation and the continuation of the human story. It is harrowing to learn how close we have already come to ending human existence on Earth, and it behooves all of us to learn a bit about what our x-risks are and align our priorities, knowledge, wisdom, and resources to lessen its likelihood.------------Support this podcast via VenmoSupport this podcast via PayPalSupport this podcast on Patreon------------Show notesLeave a rating on SpotifyLeave a rating on Apple PodcastsFollow "Keep Talking" on social media and access all episodes------------(00:00) Introduction(02:47) Getting involved in x-risk(13:27) What is existential risk?(19:10) What would an existential event look like?(23:23) The x-risk of AI(26:40) The x-risk of biological threats(30:30) "The Precipice"(31:28) How Vasili Arkhipov likely saved humanity(37:28) The Future of Life Institute(40:35) The x-risk of nuclear weapons(44:12) The risks of climate change(50:55) 1 in 6 chance of human extinction this century(53:35) Is it unethical to have children?(1:00:28) Actions people can make to mitigate x-risk(1:02:14) Do x-risk issues cause Huw depression?(1:04:13) Should people become "preppers"?(1:06:40) Huw's advice to deal with x-risks(1:10:25) Leaders in the x-risk community(1:12:30) Advice for mindset and attitude(1:15:20) Sources of hope and optimism

William Davis is a cardiologist and an author who has written both the best-selling book "Wheat Belly" and his most recent, "Super Gut." During our conversation, Bill talks about the human microbiome, the role of the gut as the "second brain" in the human body, how a modern diet and a modern microbiome may be contributing to common ailments of civilization like inflammation and depression, his suggestions for healthy eating and lifestyle, and what supplements he suggests people consume to improve their microbiome.Nothing is more important to human flourishing than one's health, and Bill offers some original insights and under-the-radar options that people may want to consider. He discusses the role of antibiotics in our culture, bacteria and endotoxemia, and gives advice for healthy living.I know that outside-the-box tinkering with my own lifestyle has dramatically improved my own health through mitigating stress, getting adequate sleep, eliminating or significantly reducing certain foods, and doing daily rigorous exercise that includes heat or cold exposure. Healthy people are happy people and good citizens, and I think we should be open to tinkering with our habits and foods to maximize our well-being. And perhaps one or two ideas from this conversation might resonate with you, and help you in your own life.------------Support this podcast via VenmoSupport this podcast via PayPalSupport this podcast on Patreon------------Show notesLeave a rating on SpotifyLeave a rating on Apple PodcastsFollow "Keep Talking" on social media and access all episodes------------(00:00) Introduction(02:47) Getting involved in x-risk(13:27) What is existential risk?(19:10) What would an existential event look like?(23:23) The x-risk of AI(26:40) The x-risk of biological threats(30:30) "The Precipice"(31:28) How Vasili Arkhipov likely saved humanity(37:28) The Future of Life Institute(40:35) The x-risk of nuclear weapons(44:12) The risks of climate change(50:55) 1 in 6 chance of human extinction this century(53:35) Is it unethical to have children?(1:00:28) Actions people can make to mitigate x-risk(1:02:14) Do x-risk issues cause Huw depression? (1:04:13) Should people become "preppers"?(1:06:40) Huw's advice to deal with x-risks(1:10:25) Leaders in the x-risk community(1:12:30) Advice for mindset and attitude(1:15:20) Sources of hope and optimism

Jim Fadiman is an author, an educator, and is America's leading expert on the science of microdosing. During our conversation, Jim talks about his relationship with his favorite Harvard professor, Richard Alpert (later Ram Dass), his first psychedelic experience, and why he decided to dedicate so much of his career to the study of psychedelics and microdosing.Jim also discusses The Fadiman Protocol for microdosing, what microdosing is and proper dosing and frequency of use, microdosing's potential for human well-being, creativity, and to combat mental illness, and how a healthy society might wisely integrate such practices into its civilization.Jim believes that our culture is growing more open to the potential promise of psychedelics, and I think he's right. Documentaries like Netflix's "How to Change Your Mind" and books like his, "The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide," offer knowledge that has been suppressed and demonized to be more accurately detailed and publicly available.------------Support this podcast via VenmoSupport this podcast via PayPalSupport this podcast on Patreon------------Show notesLeave a rating on SpotifyLeave a rating on Apple PodcastsFollow "Keep Talking" on social media and access all episodes------------(00:00) Introduction(02:48) Interest in psychedelics and microdosing(04:19) Life as a graduate student(07:28) Richard Alpert and Bill Richards(10:59) The link between theology and psychedelics(15:01) Inspiration from a psychedelic experience(17:32) Religious views prior to psilocybin experience(21:33) The 1970s-1990s as era of lost opportunities in psychedelic research(24:32) Spiritual unwellness in modern people(28:00) “Flump'ing” in the 1960's(30:14) Psychedelic research during its illegality(33:07) How Jim's transcendent experience affected him(37:27) Resistance to psychedelic research(42:04) Quotes by Jim on psychedelics(49:05) What is meant by microdosing?(50:58) Some positive affects of microdosing(52:54) The "sweet spot" quantity and frequency for microdosing(01:05:10) Possible psychedelic dosage mistakes and their impact(01:07:38) Psilocybin as a "nootropic vitamin" for healthy living(01:12:53) Microdosing for intellectual or creative pursuits(01:21:40) Francis Crick, LSD, and the DNA double helix discovery(01:23:47) Microdosing and alleviating human suffering(01:30:21) The role of psychedelics in a healthy, flourishing society and culture