Quillette Podcast
Quillette
The Quillette Podcast is a platform for rigorous, academic discussions rooted in common sense and free inquiry. Non-dogmatic and grounded in liberal values, the podcast serves as a beacon for thoughtful conversation on science, politics, philosophy, and culture. Quillette prides itself on intellectual honesty, avoiding ideological extremism in favor of evidence-based reasoning and progress. Hosted by leading voices in academia and journalism, past guests include evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, and journalist Douglas Murray, among others. Expect candid conversations that promote common sense and challenge anti-science and conspiratorial narratives from both the far left and right.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 9, 2021 • 43min
Andrew Doyle—The Brain Behind Titania McGrath—on His New (And Very Serious) Book, ‘Free Speech And Why It Matters’
Jonathan Kay interviews comedian, social critic, and book author Andrew Doyle on why he thinks government censors are a bigger threat to a free society than the bigots they’re seeking to cancel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 1, 2021 • 44min
Literary Critic (and Sopranos Cameo Actor) Leon Wieseltier on His New Magazine, the Meaning of Forgiveness, and His Favorite Car-Chase Movies
Host Jonathan Kay talks to long-time New Republic literary editor Leon Wieseltier about ‘Liberties,’ the ambitious literary journal he founded after getting Me-Too’d—and many other subjects besides, including the future of journalism, the innocence of Woody Allen, the allure of jazz music, and Nicolas Cage’s underrated cinematic masterpiece, 'Gone In 60 Seconds' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 22, 2021 • 31min
Sociologist Nathalie Heinich on French Academics' Opposition to America's Race-Based Ideologies
Quillette's Jonathan Kay speaks to eminent French sociologist Nathalie Heinich, founder of a new organization that opposes the spread of America's race-fixated academic movements into French campuses. While many conservatives have traditionally complained about the excesses of "French theory," Prof. Heinich argues, many harmful ideas are now crossing the Atlantic in the opposite direction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 15, 2021 • 39min
Social Media Network Creator Brian Amerige: If You Could Create a New Network from Scratch, What Would It Look Like?
Quillette’s Jonathan Kay talks to Brian Amerige—a former team leader at Facebook, and now the CEO of Thoughtful—about the content-moderation lessons he’s learned from established social-media giants, and how we can create something better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 4, 2021 • 40min
Minds.Com CEO Bill Ottman on Censorship, ‘Algorithmic Transparency,’ and the Post-Trump Social-Media Landscape
Quillette’s Jonathan Kay speaks with Bill Ottman, co-founder of the Minds social-media network, about the challenges facing Silicon Valley communications giants Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 19, 2021 • 1h 5min
John McWhorter on the Ideological Excesses of the Social-Justice Movement
Columbia University professor and Atlantic Magazine writer John McWhorter speaks with political satirist and TV presenter Josh Szeps about the transformation of radicalized progressive politics into a religious-style belief system Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 13, 2021 • 33min
Cheri Jacobus on How Donald Trump Used Twitter to Destroy People’s Lives (Including Hers)
Jonathan Kay speaks with Cheri Jacobus, a veteran Republican Party worker and conservative media figure who was mobbed and deplatformed after she called out Donald Trump for his abusive rhetoric and dubious campaign tactics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 6, 2021 • 43min
Philippe Lemoine on the Case for Lockdown Skepticism
Jonathan Kay speaks to Philippe Lemoine about problematic assumptions embedded in the models used to support COVID lockdown policy. Yes, separating people helps reduce virus transmission and saves lives. But forced isolation also can generate serious (and often life-threatening) risks. Moreover, how much of the beneficial effects attributed to lockdowns are the result of disease-avoidant behaviours that most of us would engage in anyway? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 2, 2021 • 45min
Professor Tania Reynolds on the Controversy Over Female Mentorship in Academia
University of New Mexico social psychologist Tania Reynolds speaks with Jonathan Kay about Nature Communications' questionable decision to retract a controversial article, the intrusion of ideology into scholarship about academic mentorship, and the principles of evolutionary biology that may affect female professional relationships Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 24, 2020 • 45min
Toby Young on the Free Speech Union, and His Campaign Against Cancel Culture
Jonathan Kay talks to colleague Toby Young about the fine line between journalism and activism, the politics of censorship, and his start-up year at the Free Speech Union Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
