#263: Why Free Speech Matters with Greg Lukianoff

Themes: Freedom of Speech, Censorship, Social Media, Cancel Culture, Mental Health Summary: Join me for an insightful conversation with Greg Lukianoff: attorney, New York Times best-selling author, and President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Greg co-authored one of my all-time favourite books, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, with Jonathan Haidt. This New York Times best-seller expands on their September 2015 Atlantic cover story of the same name and is an absolute MUST read. In this episode, we discuss some main themes from the book, including free speech, why it matters, the dangers of censorship, and more. Discover: The importance of free speech and why diverse viewpoints are essential for growth, peace and a thriving democracy The dangers of censorship and why diverse thought, even when offensive, is necessary to develop critical thinking Why society tends to put someone in a box based on an opinion or belief (and why it’s lazy) 00:00 Intro 01:09 Why Greg is passionate about free speech 05:10 When is censorship okay? 08:15 Handling pushback to free speech 13:08 Being placed in a box for your beliefs 17:39 Moral certitude 19:54 Free speech and private companies 24:59 The noble lie 27:21 Lack of viewpoint diversity on campuses 29:52 The benefits of free speech 37:40 Disagreement and diverse thought 42:45 Biases in mainstream media 47:31 Conservative = evil? 53:38 Group polarization 56:39 Talking back to the voices in your head 1:00:34 Interpersonal trust 1:02:56 Conflicts and disagreements in relationships 1:08:01 How to be advocates of free speech Links: Website | thefire.org Book | The Coddling of the American Mind Instagram | @thefireorg Sponsors: Create the Love Cards | Use code CTLCARDS15 for 15% off at createthelove.com/cards Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands