The Disappearance of a Liberal Civilization

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The speaker reflects on the disappearance of a liberal civilization characterized by norms of free speech, free thought, and toleration. While pockets of freedom still exist, there is a pervasive fear among professionals like reporters, professors, comedians, poets, and writers about how their statements may be interpreted, leading to self-censorship to avoid career-ending reactions and silencing by others.

Sam Harris speaks with John Gray about the possibility of moral and political progress. They discuss historical and current threats to freedom of thought, the limits of law, the spread of dangerous technology, failures of convergence on norms and values, Arthur Koestler, de-industrialization in Europe, fellow travelers and the progressive embrace of barbarism, Bertrand Russell, the absurdity of pacifism, utilitarianism, the moral landscape, George Santayana, moral and scientific realism, pragmatism, atheism, Schopenhauer, liberalism as an historical accident, and other topics.

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