Conversations with Peter Boghossian - podcast cover

Conversations with Peter Boghossian

“No dogma. Just dialogue.” Conversations with Peter Boghossian features candid, intellectually rigorous dialogues with leading thinkers, dissidents, and public figures on today’s most divisive cultural, political, and philosophical issues.
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Episodes

The High Cost of Luxury Beliefs | Peter Boghossian & Rob Henderson

Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Writer Rob Henderson coined the term “luxury beliefs,” an apt description of empty slogans that signal high status among the elite. Proclaiming “Defund the police!” may confer status on students at Columbia, but do they understand the cost such a policy would inflict on the poor? (Spoiler Alert: No.) Rob attended Yale, earned his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Cam...

Sep 06, 20231 hr 15 min

Anti-Racism & Disempowerment | Peter Boghossian & Erec Smith

Erec Smith is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric at York College of Pennsylvania. Although he has eclectic scholarly interests, Smith’s primary work focuses on the rhetorics of anti-racist activism, theory, and pedagogy. He is the president of the Foundation for Free Black Thought . Smith’s recent books include A Critique of Anti-Racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment (2020) and The Lure of Disempowerment: Reclaiming Agency in the Age of CRT (2022) . He tweets here . Do...

Sep 06, 20231 hr 8 min

The Wrong Kind of Black Person | Peter Boghossian & Tabia Lee

Dr. Tabia Lee is a longtime educator, pedagogist, and a founding member of Free Black Thought. In 2021, Tabia was hired at DeAnza College in California as the Faculty Director for the Office of Equity, Social Justice, and Multicultural Education. Tabia attempted to reform the toxic campus atmosphere characterized by many faculty and staff members as “too woke.” DEI colleagues at DeAnza rejected Tabia’s efforts to promote a “pro-human” approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative...

Aug 30, 20231 hr 24 min

The Science of Happiness | Peter Boghossian & Gad Saad

Bestselling author and evolutionary psychologist Gad Saad is a pioneer in the application of evolutionary psychology to consumer behavior. He is a Professor of Marketing at Concordia University where he held the Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption for a decade. As a leading public intellectual, Gad writes and speaks about a wide range of ideas, including “idea pathogens” destroying logic, science, reason, and common sense. He hosts "The Saad Truth" podcas...

Aug 30, 20231 hr 22 min

The Meaningful Life | Peter Boghossian & Glenn Loury

Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Glenn Loury, one of the leading public intellectuals in the Anglosphere, is known for his astute observations and forthright delivery. He does not disappoint in this conversation with Peter Boghossian during the University of Austin’s Forbidden Courses program. Glenn and Peter discuss pressing social, racial, and economic topics of our era, including affirmative action, stude...

Aug 28, 20231 hr 10 min

Trans Ideology vs. Biology | Peter Boghossian & Luana S. Maroja

Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Luana S. Maroja is a renowned evolutionary biologist, Professor of Biology, and Chair of the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Program at Williams College. She was taken aback when the Society for the Study of Evolution released a statement promoting sex as a spectrum and declaring the validity of “lived experience” in sexual identity. What would inspire such a misguided, ...

Aug 28, 202348 min

Language, Race, and the Woke Religion | Peter Boghossian & John McWhorter

Bestselling author John McWhorter is a linguistics professor at Columbia University, host of “Lexicon Valley,” and a regular guest on “The Glenn Show” with Glenn Loury. John’s writing has been published in many venues, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New Republic, City Journal, Time Magazine, and Forbes. He writes a weekly opinion column for The New York Times. John’s most recent book is “Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America.” He has authored mor...

Aug 22, 20231 hr 24 min

Vandals of Culture & History | Peter Boghossian & Michael Lind

Author Michael Lind is co-founder of the New America Foundation and co-author of its manifesto, “The Radical Center.” He is a columnist for Tablet and has been an editor or staff writer for The New Yorker, Harper’s, The New Republic, and The National Interest. He is a contributor to The New York Times, Politico, The Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Salon, The International Economy, Forbes, UnHerd, and many other publications. Michael has authored nearly 20 books, including “The New Class War: Sa...

Aug 21, 20231 hr 4 min

Why Audiences Hate Modern Movies | Peter Boghossian & The Critical Drinker

Scottish author and critic Will Jordan, aka The Critical Drinker , offers biting, insightful, and often hilarious critiques of modern cinematography. His straightforward analysis of plots, characterization, dialogue, and ideological narrative in modern film has earned him over 1.7 million YouTube subscribers. The Critical Drinker is the author of the “Ryan Drake” novel series and co-authored “Deadly Cargo” with James Patterson. He is also Peter’s favorite movie and TV critic. Books by Will Jorda...

Aug 18, 20231 hr 2 min

The Cost of Unmasking Antifa | Peter Boghossian & Andy Ngo

Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Journalist Andy Ngo has been in the news regarding the conclusion of his civil lawsuit against Rose City Antifa. Members of the Portland “anti-fascist” group assaulted Andy multiple times since 2019, putting him in the hospital with a brain hemorrhage. Despite a plethora of video evidence, the jury cleared the assailants of responsibility on August 8. Andy and one of his lawy...

Aug 15, 20231 hr 51 min

Tyranny of Zealots and Spirals of Silence | Peter Boghossian & Jonathan Rauch

Award-winning author Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor of The Atlantic. Jonathan defends objective truth and free inquiry in his latest book, “ The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth .” He is the author of eight books on public policy, culture, and government, including “Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought” and “Beyond Queer: Challenging Gay Left Orthodoxy.” Jonathan's Website: https://www.jonathanrauch.com/ Braver A...

Aug 14, 20231 hr 1 min

Peter Boghossian & Kathleen Stock: Lesbians Don’t Have Penises

Special thanks to Birch Gold Group for sponsoring today's episode. Text "PETER" to 989898 for your FREE info kit on gold. Kathleen Stock is a British philosopher, author, and gender critical feminist who recently left mainstream academia. She resigned her professorship at Sussex University at the end of 2021 due to ideological censorship and death threats from trans activists. Like Peter Boghossian, Kathleen is a Founding Faculty Fellow at the University of Austin, Texas (UATX). Peter and Kathle...

Aug 06, 20231 hr 26 min

Counter-Revolution: Abolishing DEI, CRT, & Other Woke Menaces | Peter Boghossian & Christopher Rufo

Filmmaker and writer Christopher Rufo is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Chris has produced documentaries for PBS, Netflix, and international television. He’s also a contributing editor at “City Journal,” where his articles address critical race theory, gender ideology, homelessness, addiction, crime, and the decline of American cities. Chris just published his first book, “ America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything ,” an instant New York Times bestsell...

Aug 05, 20231 hr 17 min

Trust Science, Not Scientists | Peter Boghossian & Brian Keating

Cosmologist Dr. Brian Keating a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of California, San Diego and the Associate Director of the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination. He is the author of "Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Science's Highest Honor" and "Into the Impossible: Thinking Like a Nobel Prize Winner." Keating hosts the "Into the Impossible" podcast. "Losing the Nobel Prize: A Story of Cosmology, Ambition, and the Perils of Sc...

Aug 04, 20231 hr 31 min

The Poetry of Reality | Peter Boghossian & Richard Dawkins

Peter Boghossian has been inspired by the work of preeminent evolutionary biologist, author, and atheist Richard Dawkins for years. In this conversation, they discuss various impingements of delusional thinking on rationality. Richard is unsettled by the substitution hypothesis—the proposal that as one religion fades, another will take its place. Yet, he recognizes the transfer of religious structures into Woke dogma, including the replacements of white privilege for Biblical original sin and tr...

Jul 31, 202352 min

Civilizational Decline Through Self-Contempt | Peter Boghossian & Benedict Beckeld

Dr. Benedict Beckeld is a philosopher and author. He explores the denigration of social customs, history, and values in his latest book, “Western Self-Contempt: Oikophobia in the Decline of Civilizations.” Beckeld’s writing can be found in Quillette, City Journal, The American Conservative, and the Salisbury Review, among other publications. “Western Self-Contempt: Oikophobia in the Decline of Civilizations” by Benedict Beckeld https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501763180 Website http://www.benedictbeck...

Jul 31, 20231 hr 4 min

The Reality of Gender Affirming Care | Peter Boghossian & Stephanie Winn

Stephanie Winn is the host of the You Must Be Some Kind of Therapist Podcast. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist based in Portland, Oregon. She also appears in the upcoming documentary film, "No Way Back: The Reality of Gender Affirming Care". Watch this episode on YouTube .

Jul 27, 20231 hr 13 min

Woke Subjectivism: Feelings Over Facts | Peter Boghossian & Mark Goldblatt

Mark Goldblatt is an author, essayist, and theologian. In his recent book “I Feel, Therefore I Am: The Triumph of Woke Subjectivism," Goldblatt examines the tension between subjective belief and the inescapable demands of reality. Goldblatt is an education professor at SUNY's Fashion Institute of Technology. His other books include “Might as Well Be Dead,” the "Twerp" series, and "Bumper Sticker Liberalism." Goldblatt's essays can be found in The New York Times, Newsday, The New York Post, USA T...

Jul 27, 20231 hr 16 min

The American Cultural Revolution | Peter Boghossian & James Lindsay

James Lindsay is a bestselling author, mathematician, and a leading expert on the ensuing culture war. He is the founder of “ New Discourses, ” a website and podcast analyzing the theory behind, effects of, and solutions to "Woke Marxism". James speaks widely on language, education, and Social Justice ideology. In May, he spoke to the European Union Parliament about this evolved form of Marxism in Western culture. James' books include “ Cynical Theories ,” which he wrote with Helen Pluckrose, “ ...

Jul 19, 20231 hr 45 min

UFOs (and more): Examining the Evidence | Skeptic Michael Shermer & Peter Boghossian

The world’s leading skeptic, author Michael Shermer , explains what it would take for him to believe claims of extraterrestrial visitation. Michael follows Pierre-Simon Laplace’s principle, popularized by Carl Sagan: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Michael has bet $1,000 that irrefutable evidence of human contact with aliens will not materialize by the end of next year. So far, he has no takers. Peter and Michael discuss the brain as “an engine of belief” and how the human...

Jul 18, 20231 hr 28 min

The Epistemology of UFOs & Lab Leaks | Michael Shellenberger & Peter Boghossian

Michael Shellenberger appreciates the challenge skeptics offer regarding the existence of UFOs (also termed UAPs, "Unexplained Aerial Phenomena"). Skeptics, true believers, and everyone in between have taken note of Michael’s reporting on the topic. In this conversation with Peter Boghossian, Michael explains his level of confidence about visitations by non-terrestrial spacecraft. (Peter says the verified discovery of alien spacecraft would be a revolution comparable to humanity’s domestication ...

Jul 12, 20231 hr 10 min

“Mother Nature is a TERF” | Helen Joyce & Peter Boghossian

Helen Joyce is causing a lot of trouble. YouTube recently removed her conversation with Jordan Peterson (due to vague accusations of “hate speech” and “inciting violence”) and the BBC doesn’t invite her on air anymore. Among her heresies, she is guilty of believing there are two sexes and saying it out loud. Helen, an Irish journalist, bestselling author, and director of advocacy at Sex Matters , spoke to Peter Boghossian about the differences between men and women. In many arenas, the differenc...

Jul 03, 20231 hr 10 min

The New Pride | Andrew Doyle & Peter Boghossian

“Is the trans movement anti-gay?” In honor of Pride Month, Peter Boghossian begins this conversation with an investigation into the increasing rejection of trans ideology by the LGB (without the T) community. Peter’s guest is Andrew Doyle, acclaimed author, comedian, and host of Free Speech Nation on GB News. Here’s an important piece of information to better understand this conversation: Andrew is gay. Andrew explains the impact the trans movement has inflicted on gay people over the last sever...

Jul 02, 20231 hr 34 min

Med School, Merit, and Discrimination | Kenny Xu & Peter Boghossian

According to journalist and author Kenny Xu, progressives fail to grasp the importance of merit in academic admissions and degree conferral, particularly in medicine. While Xu supports the long-held liberal ideal of equal opportunity through education, he argues that the university is not the place to address group achievement gaps. Instead, educational interventions need to begin much earlier—ideally in kindergarten. In this conversation, Peter Boghossian and Xu discuss holistic admissions vs. ...

Jul 02, 202350 min

Escaping the Cult of Illiberalism | Keri Smith & Peter Boghossian

Keri Smith says she was in a cult for twenty years. It wasn’t NXIVM, Peoples Temple, or Heaven’s Gate, but something more widespread and insidious. Keri was a self-described Social Justice Warrior. Peter Boghossian talks to Keri about how Women’s Studies classes at Duke University provided the gateway to her conversion through new words, new definitions, and exposure to oft-repeated axioms. Keri describes her former self as a “woke evangelist,” spreading newfound truths about the patriarchy and ...

Jun 29, 20231 hr 17 min

"Pretendians" (Indigenous Frauds) in Academia | Jacqueline Keeler & Peter Boghossian

There is an epidemic of primarily white people—and white women in particular—who are pretending to be Native Americans for professional gain. Dubbed “Pretendians,” these individuals are predominantly active in academia and hold tenured faculty positions or even department chairs. To help make sense of this institutionally supported fraud, Peter Boghossian spoke with Jacqueline Keeler, a Native American author and journalist who’s an expert on the phenomena of Pretendians. Keeler names names and ...

Jun 26, 202357 min

Moving the Needle on Gender Ideology | Conversations with Peter Boghossian

You can watch this episode on YouTube ! Billboard Chris is a child protection advocate who travels the world talking to people about gender ideology. When Chris came to Oregon, Peter Boghossian joined him for street conversations at Portland State University (PSU) and the University of Oregon. The night before their visit to PSU, Peter hosted a meeting with Chris, journalists Andy Ngo and Savanah Hernandez, author Matt Thornton, and activist Honey Badger. Videographer Reid Nicewonder filmed the ...

May 31, 20231 hr 34 min

"When Race Trumps Merit" with Heather Mac Donald & Peter Boghossian ("Mr. Lefty")

This conversation can be viewed on YouTube When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives is the latest book by bestselling author Heather Mac Donald. Mac Donald sounds an alarm about the erosion of meritocracy through “disparate-impact” ideology in science, medicine, jurisprudence, and art. While concerns about civilizational decline are not a laughing matter, Peter Boghossian injects a playful element to this interview by taking on...

May 23, 20231 hr 19 min

Kellie-Jay Keen (Posie Parker) & Peter Boghossian: Gender Ideology Unhinged

This conversation can also be viewed on YouTube ! Peter Boghossian had the good fortune to be in Australia in March, the same time Kellie-Jay Keen brought her Let Women Speak (LWS) tour to Australia and New Zealand. They were scheduled to meet, but Kellie-Jay’s tour was cut short when a violent mob of TRAs (trans rights activists) threatened her life. On March 25, Kellie-Jay was at Albert Park in Auckland for a planned LWS event. These gatherings have a very simple structure: women are invited t...

Apr 07, 20231 hr 3 min
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