Conversations with Peter Boghossian

Like most honest people, Morgan Marietta, formerly Dean of Economics, Politics & History at the University of Austin (UATX), is repulsed by the dishonesty that’s consumed our academic institutions. I’m sure you’ve heard most of the reasons why academies need open inquiry and honest conversation before, but I particularly liked Morgan’s comment, “There’s a conformist answer and those answers are boring, monochrome, and humorless.” He’s right. When there’s a set of prescribed opinions and responses to issues in general, and moral issues in particular, you’re no longer educating students. You’re indoctrinating them. Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

Danny Kaplan is a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at The University of Austin. Danny has forgotten more about math and statistics than I will ever know, and I found it wondrous and delightful to explore my ignorance with him. Indeed, advanced math or even basic math is almost never something I think about, and I’ve been unclear whether not knowing it hindered me in any way. I now have a clearer answer to that question.  Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

It’s critically important that what you want to be true does not influence your beliefs about what is actually true. I found this happening to myself in this sobering conversation. I don’t want to believe much of what philosopher Benedict Beckeld says about a majority of Muslims or his claim that we should abandon the term “Islamism.” We discuss the West, Islam, Jews, and more in this fascinating conversation. Benedict's website: https://www.benedictbeckeld.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

In the aftermath of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a savage assault on Jews and ignited a global bonfire of hatred, we’ve witnessed a surge in attacks against Jews. Synagogues have been defaced, Jewish students harassed on campus, Jews assaulted and even lit on fire, and online bile spewed endlessly. These are manifestations of an enduring plague. Prolific author and public intellectual Adam LeBor joins me for a sober conversation about the rise of Jew hatred.  Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

Dr. Calum Nicholson has become a close friend. We first met in Hungary in 2021. Since then, we’ve had countless spirited dinners together while hashing out the world’s problems over bottles of wine. He’s sincere, thoughtful, and not afraid to question assumptions. With neoliberalism being all the rage, a key question in this conversation was: Is the neoliberal order collapsing? Similar to a recent conversation I had with Philip Pilkington ,understanding the end of the prevailing world order and what comes next is, if I may say so, a tad ahead of the curve. As the existing global order becomes increasingly disrupted, we’ll see more discussions like this (but perhaps with less informed conversants).  Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

This is one of the best and most important conversations I’ve ever had. Dr. Ralph Schoellhammer is an Austrian political scientist, Head of Center for Applied History at MCC Budapest, scholar, and a terrific person. He’s forthright in his speech, incredibly well read and knowledgeable, thoughtful, open to criticism, and intellectually nimble. This episode features discussions on economics, touching on world news and the idea of an economic bloc being formed. It compares the US military comparison against others, debating economic power versus military might, and more. Find my two previous conversations with Ralph here and here. Watch this episode on YouTube. Follow Peter Boghossian

“Fantasy politics” is the best descriptor of what we’re currently witnessing in Western political discourse. That phrase is from my interview with author, public intellectual, and Danube Institute fellow Philip Pilkington. Philip has numerous zingers in this interview, like: “Now they’ve created a roach motel in Britain,” “The West is in terminal decline,” and “68% of the people in Britain think the country is fundamentally broken”. This is my second interview with Philip. (The first interview was only released as a podcast due to filming issues.)  Philip is a thoughtful, knowledgeable, and smart guy. He’s also sincere. Not in spite of but because of this, I find our conversations sobering and his arguments compelling: The decline of the West has been obvious for some time now, and it’s evident in nearly every aspect of life. This is not only obvious to Philip, and to other economists, but it’s obvious to anyone who’s paying attention.  Watch this episode on YouTube. Follow Peter Boghossian

Gavin Haynes is a good dude. Smart, too. He’s a fellow at the Danube Institute, which is how we met. This is far more of a conversation than an interview. And for the record, every time I’ve been with Gavin he’s used at least three words which are not in my active vocabulary. I love that! We talked about Dominic McKenzie Cummings, the OODA loop, culture, and more. Watch this episode on YouTube. Follow Peter Boghossian

Naomi Epps Best, a whistleblower who blew up the cesspool with a Wall Street Journal OpEd, has splattered the ideological sewage on her colleagues. I invited Best on my show to amplify the discharge. Subscribe for more in-depth conversations: @drpete@drpeterboghossian Follow Naomi Epps Best X: @naomieppsbest Substack: Clinically Incorrect   ⸺SUPPORT MY WORK⸺ Newsletter | https://boghossian.substack.com Donate | https://nationalprogressalliance.org/donate  ⸺LINKS⸺ "Conversations with Peter Boghossian" Podcast | https://rebrand.ly/ConversationswithPeterBoghossian Website | https://peterboghossian.com National Progress Alliance | https://www.nationalprogressalliance.org/ Resignation Letter | https://peterboghossian.com/my-resignation-letter ⸺BOOKS⸺ “How To Have Impossible Conversations” | https://rebrand.ly/impossibleconversationsbook “A Manual For Creating Atheists” | https://rebrand.ly/manualforcreatingatheists ⸺SOCIAL MEDIA⸺ Twitter | https://twitter.com/peterboghossian Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/peter.boghossian TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@peterboghossian All Socials | https://linktr.ee/peterboghossian __________  #peterboghossian #conversationswithpeterboghossian #freespeech #academic

"London is over. It’s so over." In this Conversation with Peter Boghossian, Peter and UK political commentator and GB News’ Matt Goodwin walk through Budapest while dissecting mass migration’s devastating toll on the UK’s economy, culture, and safety. From free speech clampdowns to integration failures, this raw, fact-driven talk exposes a nation on the brink of cultural collapse. Guest: Matt Goodwin —academic, writer, pollster, campaigner and GB News presenter. Follow Matt Goodwin on Substack: https://www.mattgoodwin.org/ Follow Matt Goodwin on X: @GoodwinMJ Subscribe to Matt Goodwin’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drmatthewgoodwin Books by Matt Goodwin: http://www.matthewjgoodwin.org/books.html  Subscribe for more in-depth conversations: @drpeterboghossian ⸺SUPPORT MY WORK⸺ Newsletter | https://boghossian.substack.com Donate | https://nationalprogressalliance.org/donate  ⸺LINKS⸺ "Conversations with Peter Boghossian" Podcast | https://rebrand.ly/ConversationswithPeterBoghossian Website | https://peterboghossian.com National Progress Alliance | https://www.nationalprogressalliance.org/ Resignation Letter | https://peterboghossian.com/my-resignation-letter ⸺BOOKS⸺ “How To Have Impossible Conversations” | https://rebrand.ly/impossibleconversationsbook “A Manual For Creating Atheists” | https://rebrand.ly/manualforcreatingatheists ⸺SOCIAL MEDIA⸺ Twitter | https://twitter.com/peterboghossian Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/peter.boghossian TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@peterboghossian All Socials | https://linktr.ee/peterboghossian __________ #london #uk #migration #mattgoodwin #peterboghossian #conversationswithpeterboghossian #freespeech #academic

Is liberalism collapsing under the weight of its contradictions? In this Conversation with Peter Boghossian, Peter sits down with economist and political thinker Philip Pilkington to examine the unraveling of liberalism, not as a policy failure, but as a philosophical dead end. From John Locke’s contract theory to the chaos of contemporary identity politics, Pilkington argues that liberalism has been stretched beyond its functional use and now teeters on the edge of absurdity. They explore what comes next: a return to civilizational roots, a post-liberal future shaped by ancient ethics, economic realism, and the re-emergence of pre-liberal norms. Peter pushes back on Christian nationalism, the legitimacy crisis in Western institutions, and the techno-optimism surrounding AI, while both wrestle with the future of Western civilization, if there is one. Liberalism is not evolving, it’s collapsing. And what replaces it may not be liberal at all.   Find Philip Pilkington: Host of the Multipolarity Podcast: @MultipolarPod. Follow Philip on X: @philippilk Follow Philip on Substack: https://substack.com/@macrocosm   ⸺SUPPORT MY WORK⸺ Newsletter | https://boghossian.substack.com Donate | https://nationalprogressalliance.org/donate ⸺LINKS⸺ "Conversations with Peter Boghossian" Podcast | https://rebrand.ly/ConversationswithPeterBoghossian Website | https://peterboghossian.com National Progress Alliance | https://www.nationalprogressalliance.org/ Resignation Letter | https://peterboghossian.com/my-resignation-letter ⸺BOOKS⸺ “How To Have Impossible Conversations” | https://rebrand.ly/impossibleconversationsbook “A Manual For Creating Atheists” | https://rebrand.ly/manualforcreatingatheists ⸺SOCIAL MEDIA⸺ Twitter | https://twitter.com/peterboghossian Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/peter.boghossian TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@peterboghossian All Socials | https://linktr.ee/peterboghossian  __________ #liberalism #ideology #peterboghossian #conversationswithpeterboghossian #freespeech #academic

What if the people shaping public policy are the most deluded among us? In this episode of Conversations with Peter Boghossian, Peter and Dr. Scott Scheall, Associate Professor of Philosophy & Economics at the University of Austin (UATX) dig into what happens when ideology overrides mission. From California’s literal wildfires to the metaphorical ones burning through our institutions, the two explore the delusion of competence, the psychological trap of "unknown unknowns," and the real-world consequences of electing leaders more obsessed with optics than outcomes. Guest: Dr. Scott Scheall, Associate Professor of Philosophy & Economics in the Center for Economics, Politics & History at the University of Austin (UATX) Follow Dr. Scott Scheall on Substack: policymakerignorance.substack.com  Don't forget to subscribe and hit the notification bell to never miss a new video! ⸺SUPPORT MY WORK⸺ Newsletter | https://boghossian.substack.com Donate | https://nationalprogressalliance.org/donate ⸺LINKS⸺ "Conversations with Peter Boghossian" Podcast | https://rebrand.ly/ConversationswithPeterBoghossian Website | https://peterboghossian.com National Progress Alliance | https://www.nationalprogressalliance.org/ Resignation Letter | https://peterboghossian.com/my-resignation-letter ⸺BOOKS⸺ “How To Have Impossible Conversations” | https://rebrand.ly/impossibleconversationsbook “A Manual For Creating Atheists” | https://rebrand.ly/manualforcreatingatheists ⸺SOCIAL MEDIA⸺ Twitter | https://twitter.com/peterboghossian Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/peter.boghossian TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@peterboghossian All Socials | https://linktr.ee/peterboghossian  __________ #ideology #dei #peterboghossian #conversationswithpeterboghossian #freespeech #academic

Mia Hughes and Peter Boghossian tackle the NYT’s "The Protocol," a six-part podcast that sanitizes the horrors of transgender medicalization and sterilization. They unpack its heavily filtered themes. Mia Hughes, leading expert and critic of The WPATH Files, revealed ghoulish medical abuse in "gender-affirming care" targeting kids, teens, and vulnerable adults.

In this episode of Conversations with Peter Boghossian, Peter speaks with Dr. Howland who traces how historical atrocities resurface in today’s progressive rhetoric. From the psychology behind Nazi youth and post-Holocaust Europe to the ideological alignment between liberal activism and Jew hating narratives, the discussion spans generations of hatred cloaked in “righteous” causes.  Jake shares how witnessing the wreckage of post-Soviet Eastern Europe - marked by crumbling infrastructure, cultural amnesia, and the lingering shadows of totalitarianism - shaped the course of his scholarly life. His experience serves as a sobering prelude to today’s rise in Jew hatred. Their conversation culminates in insights about scapegoating, identity politics, and moral confusion. Peter draws out Jake's insights about victimhood culture, the legacy media’s complicity, and the dangers of ignoring history’s warnings. What happens when critical thinking is replaced by propagandistic slogans  and moral clarity is abandoned for righteous activism? We know the answer. Nothing good. Howland reminds us that confronting these challenges demands honesty and intellectual rigor, not obsequiousness and ideological surrender. At UATX, Howland and colleagues are doing just this by equipping students to think clearly, carefully, and critically and to be forthright in their speech. Peter and Jake understand that the stakes —freedom and humanity—are too high to ignore. Guest: Jake Howland, Ph.D., Author, Holocaust Scholar, Provost at UATX Find Jake Howland Online: www.uaustin.org/people/jacob-howland Jake Howland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-howland-7565938/  

I had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Patrick Gray, Dean of the Center for Arts and Letters and Professor of Literature at the University of Austin (UATX). We spoke about issues of free speech as they pertain to college campuses.   Patrick brings a nuanced perspective: He’s a defender of free speech but insists it needs guardrails. Patrick argues that pushing universities to adopt the Chicago Statement (“Report of the Committee on Freedom of Expression”)—a blanket commitment to unrestricted expression—is a mistake. Students should be free to debate diverse, even controversial ideas, but within a framework of civil, respectful dialogue. He argues that the approach he advocates fosters real intellectual growth without descending into chaos.    Watch this episode on YouTube.

Harry Saul Markham, a 25-year-old recent graduate of University College London (UCL), takes a keen interest in addressing threats to democracy, social cohesion, and the rights of minorities. In his roles as a Junior Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy and an Advisory Board member of Academics for Academic Freedom, he has been involved in media interviews, discussions with policymakers, journalists, and other prominent public figures in advancing centrist, but bold approaches, to some of the major social issues facing Western Europe.  Watch this episode on YouTube.

I spoke with US commentator and author David Pakman, host of the wildly popular progressive YouTube channel, The David Pakman Show. David just published a new book, "The Echo Machine: How Right-Wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America". It’s extraordinarily rare for a left-leaning figure to accept my invitation to come on the show and have a conversation, and I’m grateful David did. Our conversation was civil, respectful, and engaging. We dove into the state of America, with David sharing his views on the left, right, and MAGA. We tackled major issues—from the Trump administration’s strategy to Elon Musk and the future Tesla stock. The David Pakman Show (TDPS) started as a radio show called Midweek Politics in the basement of community radio station WXOJ’s studio in Northampton, Massachusetts. Today, it is one of the most watched independent progressive podcasts and online shows.  Watch this episode on YouTube.

In a candid conversation with Dutch sociologist Dr. Eric Hendriks, we dive into the geopolitical currents shaping Europe, America, and China. From Europe’s identity crisis to the specter of a U.S.-China conflict, we wrestle with questions about immigration, power, and morality in a world in which the US is no longer the global hegemon. Watch this episode on YouTube.

In Budapest, US scholar Raymond Ibrahim and I hit the streets to confront the growing problem of Muslim immigration in Western countries and the cowardice of our leaders to be honest about the nature of the problems this creates. It is often claimed that Muslims and Christians have coexisted peacefully for centuries. Raymond dismantles this myth, tracing a history of Islamic doctrines that sow division. Beyond cultural practices like polygamy, he highlights laws targeting non-Muslims: The mandate to harbor hatred, even toward a Christian spouse, and the demand to convert or accept second-class status, paying tribute to Muslims. Watch this episode on YouTube.

I sat down with Australian science educator Brett Hall to tackle the claim: The universe is “queerer than we can suppose.” This idea stems from British scientist J.B.S. Haldane, who wrote in his 1927 book Possible Worlds and Other Essays, “The universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.” Haldane was struck by reality’s strangeness, esp. in light of early 20th-century science. He thought that our minds might hit a wall when facing the universe’s oddities.  Watch this episode on YouTube.