The following bonus episode was previously available only to paying Substack subscribers. We’re now releasing it to the public. 0:00 Identitarianism in the medical profession 5:13 The (exaggerated) psychiatric toll of Covid 7:31 Why were psychiatrists publicly diagnosing Trump? 12:29 Sally’s quest for a kidney donor 23:30 How the kidney donation system works and why it doesn’t 29:30 The ethics of selling a kidney 34:42 Can we put a price on the human body? 43:44 Would paying donors exploit the p...
Jun 25, 2023•59 min
0:00 Why Jonathan’s course “Culture in America” got canceled 9:07 The fragility of liberal arts education 17:24 Managing “CRT zealots” in the classroom 27:44 Is there a future for free inquiry? 35:03 John: Black middle-class students don’t need affirmative action 44:57 Is diversity the problem, or is it elitism? 52:35 The virtues (and virtue signaling) of Randall Kennedy Recorded June 17, 2023 Links and Readings Alex Morey and Nadine Strossen’s FIRE article about Jonathan, “Who’s Allowed to Teac...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 3 min
0:00 Bob’s new book, The State of the Black Family: Sixty Years of Tragedies and Failures—and New Initiatives Offering Hope 7:02 Bob: “Liberals have given up” on changing black family dynamics 15:02 Two-parent families are preferable, but single-parent families need help 22:01 Do children help women organize their lives more effectively than men? 29:14 Is community college helping or hurting young black men? 38:38 How Bob thinks police and communities should deter violence 45:42 Work requirement...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min
0:00 Inside the mind of a crack columnist 4:19 The blowback from Norman Finkelstein’s TGS appearance 15:27 Is it enough to be a “happy warrior” for your cause? 28:45 How did MLK become MLK? 37:37 What’s in a name when that name is “Woodrow Wilson”? 49:10 Glenn: “Clarence Thomas’s name should be on public school buildings” Recorded May 30, 2023 Links and Readings John’s NYT archive Norman Finkelstein on TGS Norman Finkelstein’s book, I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Come to It: Heretical Thoughts on ...
Jun 09, 2023•1 hr 9 min
0:00 Charles’s argument for emphasizing education over systemic racism 5:21 Donique: Teaching African American history doesn’t require critical race theory 15:36 Charles: We are the 97%! 18:48 How Donique balances oppression and triumph in black history 24:02 What does Florida’s Stop WOKE Act actually say? 33:30 What’s wrong with integrating LGBT history and black history? 44:19 Sexuality’s ever-shifting Overton window 49:40 Why Donique, a public school teacher, advocates for homeschooling 54:30...
Jun 02, 2023•59 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com
Jun 01, 2023•11 min
0:00 John: “I love linguistics, but it no longer loves me” 9:44 How Glenn and John are getting written out of their fields 19:27 Jordan Neely didn’t deserve to die … 27:28 … but the New York subway is getting scary 37:45 Glenn: Reparations would be “impractical, unfair, and divisive in the extreme” 50:50 A possible left-wing objection to reparations 57:22 Glenn goes ham on reparations Recorded May 18, 2023 Links and Readings Steven Pinker’s book, The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Langu...
May 26, 2023•1 hr 2 min
0:00 Why YouTube censored a TGS episode 6:25 How can YouTube justify censoring matters of opinion? 15:15 Why there’s no such thing as free speech 26:00 Nikita’s notes on Substack Notes 39:53 Democratizing content moderation 46:11 Creating better, community-centered comments sections Recorded May 4, 2023 Links and Readings Nikita’s Substack, Psychopolitica The censored TGS episode, “I Feel, Therefore I Am” Glenn’s paper, “Self-Censorship in Public Discourse: A Theory of ‘Political Correctness’ an...
May 21, 2023•1 hr 4 min
0:00 Has Norman been shut out of mainstream political debates? 7:54 Norman’s conflict with Alan Dershowitz 16:50 Is Israel an apartheid state? 19:25 Identifying with Paul Robeson 33:08 Norman’s new book, I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It! 44:42 Norman: Wokeness is a “triple scam” 53:28 What’s become of Angela Davis? 1:00:05 Cornel West's chosen path 1:09:01 Obama’s self-proclaimed “neat trick” 1:24:38 The political intelligence of Carter, Clinton, and Obama 1:38:10 South Carolina 2020: a ca...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 59 min
In this week’s episode, John and I return to a familiar character: Omar. For those of you unfamiliar with “Omar,” he’s our invented surrogate for the kind of young black man whose behavior is wreaking havoc on Chicago and St. Louis. Omar is economically disadvantaged. He was more than likely raised by a single mother. He underperforms academically, and he may have dropped out of high school. He’s involved in illegal activity of one sort or another. If there is some kind of large-scale disorderly...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 1 min
0:00 Heather’s new book, When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives 8:20 Are racial disparities in medical school the result of racism or skills gaps? 20:03 Do we really know what causes racial disparities? 32:23 Closing racial achievement gaps begins at home 40:39 Will black doctors necessarily provide better care to black patients? 50:26 Canceling Western art 1:00:37 Heather: Colonialism cannot explain the development of art 1:...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 43 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Glenn and John answer questions from the Substack community.
May 04, 2023•7 min
0:00 Mark Goldblatt’s recent book, I Feel, Therefore I Am: The Triumph of Woke Subjectivism 10:55 Wokeism’s roots in postmodern thought 15:05 The “mysticism” of woke thinking 17:44 Learning from Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations 26:29 John breaks his silence on transgender issues 35:13 The political consequences of subjectivism 41:46 Why Mark thinks transgender people are mentally disordered 50:07 What does the T have to do with the LGB? 58:09 Mark: Transgender people deserve respect 1:02:39 D...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 10 min
0:00 The gigification of academia 8:26 Is education just another commodity? 18:14 What do historians do? 26:22 Daniel: The university system is an unregulated cartel 35:08 The liberalism (not the leftism) of the university 38:22 Using (and getting used by) new technology 43:19 An alternate history of global economic development 47:29 The end of the American century 54:27 Daniel’s critique of US support for Ukraine Recorded February 7, 2023 Links and Readings Daniel’s NYT op-ed, “The Dangerous De...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 1 min
0:00 Al Sharpton’s National Action Network still exists, apparently 5:00 MLK’s understanding of America’s contributions to democracy 12:58 Are the “people with three names” grifters or merely limited in their racial vision? 21:07 How do you change the minds of black voters? 30:13 The national black leadership vacuum 36:30 The under-recognized success of the black middle class 41:30 Ian’s got a four-point plan … 47:38 … but what’s the best way to disseminate it? (It’s podcasts.) 51:37 The paradox...
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr 7 min
0:00 What’s wrong with cancelation? 13:28 A defense of Charles Murray 21:24 Cancelation and the closet 28:08 Jonathan’s book, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth 39:35 Jonathan: “The marketplace of ideas” is a necessary but insufficient metaphor 42:51 Is Trump an agent of disinformation? 54:22 What the woke and MAGA crowds have in common 59:41 Why Jonathan is hopeful about the constitution of knowledge Recorded February 6, 2022 Links and Readings Jonathan’s latest book, The Constit...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 12 min
0:00 The disruption of Judge Kyle Duncan’s speech at Stanford Law School 9:33 Why did people have a problem with Duncan? 13:51 Will the current Supreme Court overturn Obergefell v. Hodges 16:37 The necessity of free inquiry and reasoned discourse 26:44 What it’s like being a FedSoc conservative at Stanford Law 34:30 The fallout from the Duncan protests 41:30 The vulgarity of the insults hurled at Duncan 50:00 The role of conservatives at Stanford Recorded March 26, 2022 Links and Readings Video ...
Mar 31, 2023•1 hr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com Glenn and John respond to questions from Substack subscribers.
Mar 30, 2023•10 min
0:00 John’s recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher 7:23 The rigors of the lecture circuit 10:29 The difference between equity and equality 22:10 How do we know that African Americans are just as smart as everyone else? 30:59 The new black bourgeoisie 38:33 Standards in the arts are relative. But how relative? 51:15 John sets the record straight on his dancing skills Recorded March 19, 2022 Links and Readings John’s most recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher Glenn and John April ...
Mar 24, 2023•57 min
My guest this week is the distinguished physicist Sylvester “Jim” Gates. Jim was my colleague at Brown for years (he’s now at the University of Maryland), and we’re both alumni of MIT. Jim has made pathbreaking contributions to areas of physics that laymen like me can barely understand—he’s a deep, deep guy. He’s also got some thoughts on race and diversity in the sciences that give us an opportunity for some friendly debate. Jim begins by introducing supersymmetry , a subfield in physics he hel...
Mar 17, 2023•59 min
0:00 John’s awkward run-in at the farmer’s market 5:40 Will people be reading Ibram X. Kendi in 2043? 17:03 Regret, doubt, and going against the tide 28:12 How Glenn and John negotiate their public profiles 40:50 Did Scott Adams deserve to get canceled? 52:47 What’s going on beneath the Scott Adams controversy? Recorded March 5, 2023 Links and Readings Ibram X. Kendi’s Zora Neale Hurston adaptation, Magnolia Flower Melissa Harris Perry’s radio show, The Takeaway Ishmael Reed’s novel, Reckless Ey...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 6 min
0:00 Oded's new book, The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality 7:58 How inequality and growth emerged over the course of human history 18:52 Breaking free of a 300,000-year-old stagnation cycle 27:24 Humanity's phase shift into modernity 33:39 Inequality and the formation of institutions 44:18 The deep links between geography and institutions 50:38 Africa, Asia, and the trials of diversity Recorded January 21, 2023 Links and Readings Oded’s new book, The Journey of Humanity:...
Mar 03, 2023•1 hr 11 min
0:00 Woke religion or woke cult? 8:59 Does suffering confer authority on the sufferer? 12:47 A world without “anti-black domination” 21:27 Is there an alternative to the criminal justice system? 34:42 Domination and the purpose of the university 42:47 How Vincent’s Telluride Association seminar blew up 50:45 The narrowness of the social justice framework 54:14 Glenn and John’s encounters with fans 59:49 Should Black Studies exist? Recorded February 19, 2023 Links and Readings Vincent’s latest bo...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Glenn Loury & Delano Squires (Blaze Media) 0:00 Why Delano is a conservative 7:06 Delano’s critique of Raphael Warnock and the “Afristocracy” 19:26 Delano: “The designer is the definer” 27:43 Abortion and black lives 41:44 Are abortion rights necessary to protect women’s rights? 47:53 Delano: Government is no substitute for fatherhood 53:48 Can we reweave the social fabric? Links and Readings Delano’s writing at Blaze Media The Woodson Center’s 1776 Unites Black and Married with Kids Ian Row...
Feb 17, 2023•1 hr 7 min
0:00 The “utter horror show” and incompetent policing of the Tyre Nichols killing 7:52 The relatively peaceful reaction to the killing 15:25 What set off the cops? 21:53 Why Peter thinks police units like SCORPION should not be disbanded 27:25 Should we get rid of qualified immunity? 30:21 Policing and white supremacy 40:45 Peter: We on the left have ceded law and order to the Trumpian right 46:00 Tyre Nichols’s funeral 53:59 John: I disagree with Sharpton, Crump, and Dyson, but they’re sincere ...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 7 min
0:00 Ernie’s work as an organizer 5:45 Tension, polarization, and reconciliation 12:49 The drama of organizing 18:21 The definition of power 27:52 Ernesto’s work getting running water and sewers to border communities 31:26 Market activity vs. market ideology 41:31 What’s wrong with meritocracy? 56:12 Does identitarianism stand in the way of reconciliation? Recorded January 19, 2023 Links and Readings Industrial Areas Foundation My recent debate with Richard Wolff Arthur Okun’s book, Equality and...
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 10 min
0:00 Glenn and John go to Cambridge 9:25 The Hamline University Prophet Muhammad controversy 14:38 John: “Physics is physics” 18:45 The Harlem Renaissance and Black Studies 26:35 Is “getting past race” more trouble than it’s worth? 36:51 Is Joe Biden patronizing black people? 42:59 How a black musical changed the sound of Broadway Recorded January 20, 2023 Links and Readings The Equiano Project Arnold Rampersand’s biography of Langston Hughes John’s 2002 City Journal piece, “The Mau-Mauing at Ha...
Jan 27, 2023•52 min
0:00 Steven’s best-selling book, Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters 2:38 Steven: Concerns about catastrophic climate change “beggar belief” 9:43 The complexities of climate change models 15:07 Should we worry about rising sea levels? 24:54 Hurricanes, tornados, and other extreme weather events 29:59 Is a zero-emissions goal worth the cost? 38:05 How to fix climate science 45:02 Are the Paris Accords viable? 48:13 The coming climate backlash Recorded Jan...
Jan 20, 2023•58 min
0:00 A brief intro from Glenn 1:03 The lionization of the lightweights 5:45 The unified field theory of non-whiteness 19:16 An honest conversation about crime 27:51 Glenn’s birthday menu 30:46 It’s time to choose a side 41:46 Clarence Thomas, black icon 44:54 Policing Joe Rogan 51:56 By any means necessary? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 14 min
This week I’m very pleased to have with me the political philosopher Michael Sandel. I’ve been an avid reader of Michael’s work for decades, ever since coming across his first book, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice in the 1980s. Michael’s latest book, 2020’s The Tyranny of Merit , couldn’t be more timely. In it, Michael elaborates a critique of the meritocratic ideology that divides society into winners and losers, each of which has earned the fate that has befallen them. In our conversation...
Jan 06, 2023•1 hr 2 min
