Conversations with Peter Boghossian

In today's conversation, I am joined by Audrey Unverferth , a visiting Fellow at Hungary's MCC, whose research specializes in Soviet totalitarianism. Audrey draws parallels between Russian totalitarianism and current trends in the United States and across the Western world, highlighting how Russian history serves as a stark warning about the perils of totalitarianism and the fragility of democrati...

In this conversation with Wang Kai Chun (Steven), a foreign policy advisor at the Legislative Yuan R.O.C. in Taiwan, we discussed Taiwan-U.S. relations, military preparedness, foreign policy, and the implications of a potential Trump presidency for Taiwan. Watch this episode on YouTube .

I had a delightful conversation with Professor Walter Block, a prominent economist and staunch anarcho-capitalist. Renowned for his extensive publications and contributions to the field, Block offered insightful perspectives on anarcho-capitalism, explaining its core principles and their relevance to contemporary society. Watch this episode on YouTube .

In Taiwan, I sat down with Lin Fei-fan (DPP), the former Deputy Secretary-General of the DPP, who gained prominence as the leading student activist during the Sunflower Movement in 2014. This year marks the 10-year anniversary of a movement that changed Taiwanese politics for a generation. His activism has resulted in being barred from entering China and Hong Kong.  We discussed the resilience of...

In this intense conversation in Taiwan, I engage with one of the leading expert in military defense technologies responsible for Taiwan's security. My guest is anonymous due to fears of being targeted (read: murdered) by Chinese spy agencies. We explore the complexities of China-Taiwan relations, emphasizing that these dynamics extend beyond who happens to be in politics at any particular time. Ou...

In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Ralph Schoellhammer , Head of the Center for Applied History and IR Theory at MCC, Budapest, we explored the shifting dynamics of global power and its impact on the culture and values of nations. Our discussion spanned continents—from Africa to Asia, Europe to the Americas—covering the rise of BRICS, the future of the U.S. Dollar, migration, and the growing in...

In this two-part series, we sit down with Dr. Ralph Schoellhammer , Head of Center: Applied History and IR Theory at MCC, Budapest. Ralph specializes in the cultural dimensions of identity formation and its impact on social cohesion. He offers incredible insights on understanding the current political climate in America, especially in light of the shifting dynamics in the country's political lands...

Meet Alexander Huang , Chairman of Taiwan's Council on Strategic & Wargaming Studies. In this conversation, we focus on the geopolitical dynamics involving Taiwan, China, and the United States. Alexander emphasizes the critical importance of Taiwan's ties with the West due to its strategic location and its role as a major producer of 90% of the world's advanced semiconductors. He asserts that if T...

Wael Taji Miller is a Visiting Fellow at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium's School of Psychology. Taji's research focuses on the intersection of innovation, evolved psychology, and contemporary societal challenges. We discussed social and cultural evolution, particularly the implications of losing our capacity to engage differing viewpoints. We agreed that the erosion of the possibility of dialogue...

Mia Hughes is an Ottawa-based British journalist and researcher for Michael Shellenberger's nonprofit, Environmental Progress. Mia authored the WPATH Files report, which exposed widespread medical mistreatment of children, adolescents, and vulnerable adults in the realm of gender-affirming care. We were both in Lisbon, Portugal, for the Genspect conference—which uncoincidentally coincided with WPA...

StealthGPT can write academic papers. It can also write peer-reviewed papers and Ph. D. theses. And it can write them in such a way that they are undetectable by AI. In this conversation, I talk with Jozef Gherman, creator of StealthGPT. Jozef on X Watch this episode on YouTube .

In this conversation with author and consultant Africa Brooke , we discuss addiction, self-sabotage, and self-censorship. Africa shares her journey from Zimbabwe to the United Kingdom and how it shaped her understanding of the world and herself—including her struggle with a ten-year alcohol addiction. Writing became a lifeline as did helping others to understand and identify self-sabotage: what ar...

Dr. Jan Bentz is a lecturer and tutor at Oxford who specializes in the convergence of medieval and modern philosophy. We covered a wide range of philosophical themes, truth, delusions of utopia, applied epistemology, the importance of friendship, the nature of realism, and if we can claim to know something absent the "dogma" of the scientific method. How does caring for others influence our episte...

Dr. Staley has taught computer science at UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, and Principia College. He has also built software, managed development projects, and co-founded several small software companies. We explored the age-old question of how to measure right and wrong, especially in the context of advancing technology, AI, and robotics. We also discussed the philosophical implications of AI and...

I had the pleasure of conversing with Kirsten Hall Herlin , an Assistant Professor at UATX , a distinguished scholar of literature, and the managing editor of the Genealogies of Modernity Journal. We discussed the intricacies of writing and the role of literature in shaping our lives and understanding the world. Kirsten and I explored the impact of AI and Critical Social Justice on the humanities....

I had a conversation with Joesph Henrich , a distinguished anthropologist and evolutionary biologist at Harvard. Renowned for his interdisciplinary research on cultural evolution and the origins of WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies, Joseph is a deep dude. We had a wide-ranging discussion on topics such as cultural learning, social contagion, and the WEIRD ph...

Yasmine Mohammed and Peter Boghossian discuss women's oppression under Islam and Western Feminism's silence on the issue. Follow Yasmine: Free Hearts Free Minds Yasmine Mohammad Podcast   Yasmine's book , "Unveiled: How the West Empowers Radical Muslims" Clarity Coalition Yasmine on Instagram , Facebook , and X Watch this episode on YouTube .

While in Denver with the University of Austin for the Life of Mind Tour, I had a deep conversation about philosophy with Alex Priou . Alex is a professor, philosopher, author, and contributor to The New Thinkery podcast. We talked about the fragility of civilization, what constitutes a good life, and what happens when one's beliefs have been hijacked by ideology.  Alex on X Watch this episode on Y...

Greg Lukianoff (FIRE organization) is doing crucial work in promoting free speech and defending the rights of individuals who have faced repercussions for their speech. We discussed schools on FIRE's Free Speech List and the associated violators as well as the teacher's unions' ideological capture. The conversation took an unexpected turn when we began talking about people we know in the public sp...

Alan Davison is one of the leading international scholars in the field of cultural history of the long nineteenth century, focusing on the intersection of music and visual culture, portraits of musicians and the reception and representation of the famous Hungarian composer-pianist Franz Liszt. In this episode, Alan and Peter discuss Critical Theory, the ideological capture of universities, and why...

Jeremy Carl is a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and has had a varied career, primarily in the public policy arena. His work at Claremont examines nationalism, immigration, technology, and a variety of other subjects. Prior to joining Claremont, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior under President Trump. In this episode, Peter and Jeremy discuss Jeremy's new book, The U...

Clint Chavarria, aka Classic Liberal , American patriot and family man, posts on X about Classic Liberalism, Scottish Realism and Anti-Communism. Peter and Clint discuss these topics and more.  Links to charts mentioned:  https://coggle.it/diagram/Zr2IjPq-Gy45wX-M/t/christianity https://i0.wp.com/authortomharper.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Dialectical-Synthesis-of-Critical-Race-Theory.png Watch...

Writer Rupa Subramanya and Peter Boghossian discuss Canada's current affairs, the 2024 US Election, the "Right to die" movement, and more. Rupa Subramanya is a writer based in Ottawa, Canada. She began her writing career at the Wall Street Journal India with a weekly column focusing on the intersection of economics, politics, and public policy. Her work has been cited in the New York Times, Financ...

Peter and Erik talk about therapy, masculinity, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Erik Anderson is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice located in Los Angeles, California. He holds a third degree black belt in BJJ under Chris Haueter.  More from Erik: Erik's Therapy Practice Train BJJ with Erik  Watch this episode on YouTube .

In a recent conversation with Naomi Riley , a senior fellow at AEI and child welfare expert, Christina Buttons and I dived into a deeply disturbing topic: the factors damaging child welfare. Riley argues that the emphasis on anti-racism has inadvertently harmed child protection efforts in the United States. Antiracist ideology has led to the wholesale corruption of social work institutions (and in...