132 - How To Have Impossible Conversations About Gender with Peter Boghossian
Summary
In this thought-provoking episode, Peter Boghossian delves into the devastating personal and societal costs of the culture war, highlighting how ideologies often insulate themselves from criticism. He explains the Socratic method of 'Street Epistemology' and its application to contentious topics like gender, demonstrating how to lower defensiveness and foster understanding. The episode culminates in a powerful role-play where Boghossian, acting as a parent, navigates a challenging conversation with a child requesting puberty blockers, providing an inspiring example of empathetic and evidence-based dialogue.Episode description
In this thought-provoking episode, Stella and Sasha engage in a powerful conversation with the brilliant Peter Boghossian, known for his controversial public resignation from Portland State University and his critical stance on academia.
Dr. Peter Boghossian is a Founding Faculty member at the University of Austin and the director of National Progress Alliance. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 25 years that focuses on the Socratic method, scientific skepticism, and critical thinking. Peter’s dissertation explored increasing the moral reasoning of prison inmates and aiding their resistance to crime. His most recent book is How to Have Impossible Conversations, and his writing can be found in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, Time Magazine, National Review, and elsewhere. His work is centered on bringing the tools of professional philosophers to a wide variety of contexts to help people think through what seem to be intractable problems.
The highlight of this episode is a role-playing exercise where Peter assumes the role of a concerned parent, while Stella and Sasha take on the roles of 13-year-old kids seeking puberty blockers. You'll witness Peter's exceptional ability to lower defensiveness and foster understanding in the midst of a challenging conversation. His calm, patient, and curious approach shines through, setting an inspiring example for parents facing similar challenges.
We highly recommend exploring Peter's YouTube channel where he posts his street epistemologies. His work, as seen in his book "How to Have Impossible Conversations," has been featured in respected publications like Scientific American, Time Magazine, and National Review.
Don't miss this enlightening episode where Peter Boghossian shares his expertise in navigating difficult conversations and sheds light on the importance of approaching the topic of gender exploration with intention, understanding and empathy. Peter's extensive experience and wisdom provide a fresh perspective on an issue many listeners grapple with.
Join us for this remarkable conversation that may change the way you engage in impossible conversations.
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Links:
Find Peter Boghossian
Linktr.ee - https://linktr.ee/peterboghossian
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@drpeterboghossian
Substack - https://boghossian.substack.com/
Buy Peter’s Book
https://www.amazon.com/How-Have-Impossible-Conversations-Practical/dp/0738285323
Confrontation at Portland State University: https://youtu.be/zxvyeZa1YSI?si=13rStQrj4yl962jB
If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:
Episode 7 - Collective Collusion
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