The Dissidents

In the first of two podcasts about personality, Mike and Elizabeth discuss a group of traits often referred to as the “dark triad” (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy) and their potential relationship with authoritarian political correctness and alt-right attitudes. We talk about the validity of the dark triad as a construct and a correlational study suggesting that dark triad traits may be...

This is Letters in Black & White, a short series of the Dissidents Podcast, introducing ideas from the newly released book, Letters in Black and White: A New Correspondence on Race in America. The following is the fourth in a series of podcast conversations with interesting people on the topic of race in America. Today's guest is Mary Burkey Owens, a prominent attorney in Chesterfield Coun...

In this week's  Dissidents Podcast  Mike Burke and Elizabeth Spievak speak to Winkfield Twyman, Jr. & Jennifer Richmond about their new book Letters in Black and White. We discuss what it means to be both authentic and a dissident in an age of mass conformity. References: Letters in Black & White To see the original documents from the book, visit Truth In Between

This is Letters in Black & White, a   short series of the Dissidents Podcast, introducing ideas from the book, Letters in Black and White: A New Correspondence on Race in America. The book comes out TODAY. As a bonus for anyone who purchases the book this week, we will send you Wink's manuscript - On the Road to Oak Lawn. Send an email to richmond@truthinbetween.com with proof of purchase...

In this week's  Dissidents Podcast  Jennifer Richmond and Mike Burke speak with geopolitical guru and bestselling author, Peter Zeihan. We discuss illiberalism in places like China and Russia and how it is shaping illiberal trends throughout the Western World, especially the United States. References: https://zeihan.com/ The End of the World is Just the Beginning

This is Letters in Black & White, a   short series of the Dissidents Podcast, introducing ideas from the forthcoming book, ⁠Letters in Black and White: A New Correspondence on Race in America. The following is the second in a series of podcast conversations with interesting people on the topic of race in America. Today's guest is Maya Valmon, a sophomore at Stanford University who is an im...

This week's  Dissidents Podcast is a crossover with the Reformation Radio Podcast . Mike Burke and Jason Littlefield break down concepts of "Liberalism" and "Conservatism" in hopes a critical mass will come together to conserve Liberalism. They also get into how there's a growing sense of "good vs. evil/light vs. dark" in the world today.  Finally, the importa...

This is Letters in Black & White, a   short series of the Dissidents Podcast, introducing ideas from the forthcoming book, Letters in Black and White: A New Correspondence on Race in America. The following is the first in the series of podcast conversations with interesting people on the topic of race in America. Today's guest is Sahil Handa, a young graduate of Harvard College who has wri...

In this week’s Dissidents Podcast , cohosts Mike and Elizabeth talk about applications of the Overton Window, which is a model for describing the slow evolution of societal values and norms.  The Overton Window suggests that we are all more followers than we are leaders and that our social institutions are more important to shaping our politics than we typically credit them for.  The Overton Windo...

In this week’s Dissidents podcast, cohosts Mike and Elizabeth talk about the lure of unfalsifiable arguments over testable scientific data, particularly when motives like maintaining positive self-worth or preserving group membership overtake accuracy motives.  The authors of the article we will discuss conducted 4 studies on religion and political ideological beliefs and speculate about whether u...

Welcome to the The Dissidents Podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, Winkfield Twyman, Jr. and Jennifer Richmond speak with author Matt Johnson on his new book How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-enlightenment. We discuss themes in hi...

Welcome to the The Dissidents Podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week's podcast, in honor of National Librarian Day (April 16 in the United States) Mike Burke & Elizabeth Spievak talk with academic librarian Pamela Hayes-Bohanan about banned books, contemporary challenges in the field, an...

Welcome to the first episode of The Dissidents Podcast, a continuation of the Counterweight Podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week's podcast Mike Burke & Elizabeth Spievak discuss academic mobbing and critical social justice. https://ilvalues.org/ Reference: Khoo, S. (2010). Academic mob...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, we have Eric Smith as a guest co-host. We speak with Ildi Tillmann, a writer, photographer, immigrant from Hungary, and a professor of Africana Studies at SUNY, Stony Brook. She shares with us both her challenges and...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, our hosts Mike Burke and Elizabeth Spievak discuss activism as a heroic quest for symbolic immortality, terror management, the COVID-19 pandemic, and how and why critical social justice and woke activism absolutely ex...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, our hosts Mike Burke and Elizabeth Spievak talk about “groupthink” and its application to cancel culture.   Groupthink article: Hart, P. T. (1991). Irving L Janis’ victims of groupthink. Political Psychology, 12(...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, we speak with Amiel Handelsman. Amiel shares his ideas on how we can expand on diversity to find our commonalities.     Read our new mission: https://counterweightsupport.com/counterweight-manifesto/&nb...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, we speak with Spencer Case about patriotism and its malcontents.    Spencer Jay Case website: https://www.spencercasephilosophy.com/  Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/956725  Case, S. Political...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, we speak with Greg Thomas and Carlos Hoyt. Carlos and Greg share with us their efforts to move beyond race in their diversity initiatives, including their latest effort, moving beyond just lip service to real action i...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, we speak with Ellie Avishai, Director of Strategy and Programmes for The Mill Institute. We discuss how we can teach leaders to innovate around complex socio-economic challenges.   The Mill Institute at UATX: htt...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, our host Jennifer Richmond speaks with attorney Jon O’Brien and his clients Richard and Rebecca Yuengling. We cover their freedom of speech lawsuit against a school in Florida and its implications for larger issues ar...

Welcome to the Counterweight podcast, where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society. In this week’s podcast, our hosts Elizabeth Spievak and Mike Burke discuss shame, its impact on social life, and a recent article in which the authors found that expressions of shame broadcasted signals about social norms, and that people ad...

In this week’s podcast, we speak to Niel Thin, a very recently retired senior lecturer of Cultural Anthropology at The University of Edinburgh. We cover the culture of victimhood, social wellbeing, gross national happiness, personal strategies and the potential consequences of a critical social justice movement on communal wellbeing.     @NeilThin   @Mike_Burke_UK   Thin,...

In this week’s podcast, we speak with Eric Vieth, an academic, trial lawyer and host of The Jury is Out podcast. We discuss Brandolini's law, strange bedfellows, listening to people, and the importance of community.    Erich Vieth’s attorney website: https://www.erichviethattorney.com Erich’s podcast for trial attorneys: https://simonlawpc.com/podcasts/the-jury-is-out/ Erich’s...

In this week's podcast, we speak to Lee Jussim, a professor of psychology at  Rutgers University who has recently started the Society of Open Inquiry in Behavioural Sciences. We discuss the nature of critical social justice, the corrosive effects of political bias, the lack of evidence for implicit bias in daily interactions, and the need to play the long game.    Society for Open I...