Reading Fictions Helps You Understand the World | Clay Greene

I love science fiction (fantasy's a distant second), but reading fiction always gnaws at me with guilt. That changed after talking with Clay Greene, Assistant Professor of Literature at the University of Austin (UATX). Clay dismantled my doubts, proving literature is far more than an escape. It is ammunition for the War. By helping me reflect on some of my favorites, Joe Haldeman's The Forever War and Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Clay changed my view. Fiction tackles civilizational woes directly, and it is one of the many things worth fighting and dying for. Thanks to our conversation, I'm dusting off my sci-fi stack. Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

James Klug and I had wide-ranging conversation at the Center for Inquiry in Los Angeles. James is behind some of the most viral clips that expose ideological inconsistencies on the left and right, though these have targeted inconsistencies across the political spectrum, including the identitarian left. We talk about immigration, left vs right beliefs, and more. Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

Carlos Carvalho, President of the University of Austin (UATX), recently told me, "UATX is Navy Seals training for the mind". It's no surprise, then, that when I ask 19-year-old UATX student Merrick Meardon difficult philosophical questions, he was more than capable of sustaining a high level of discourse about concepts of "abiding significance". (Hat tip to the late philosopher Dan Dennett who popularized this phrase.) Merrick and I didn't know what we'd talk about when we sat down together, but we both knew the unspoken assumptions: You will be held to task for your ideas; our conversation will likely not be intellectually easy; if I detect a mistake in your reasoning you'll know about it, and I expect the same courtesy from you; there are no limits on the content or how deep the conversation will go. Merrick attends the University of Austin, and that's the normative expectation. Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

Young people are having less sex. There are a lot of speculations as to why, e.g., digital distractions, increasing mental health issues, delayed independence and increased economic pressure, rising autism rates, changing cultural norms, etc., but ultimately, we don't really know why. Helping me unpack these issues is none other than Rikki Schlott, best-selling author, New York Post columnist, and friend of the show. Rikki is writing her next book about sex and dating, and I found it fascinating to learn about how sexual and dating norms were shifting.  Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

Glen Weyl is an economist, researcher, and social technologist known for his work on political economy, technology, and democratic innovations. In this conversation, we talk about religion, tech, AI, and more. Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

Frances Widdowson is a former professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. She was attacked by indigenous activists during a Spectrum Street Epistemology session at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. She tells her story in this episode of Conversations with Peter Boghossian.  Watch this episode on YouTube.  Follow Peter Boghossian

Should you fuck your first cousin? This most idiotic of questions now directly confronts us at scale. Instead of talking about myriads of other problems society faces, we are reduced to have a conversation about inbreeding. Why? Because this is standard practice among millions of people immigrating to Western countries. Dr. Colin Wright and I discuss inbreeding and its prevalence in different societies. Dr. Colin Wright is an evolutionary biologist and CEO/Editor-in-Chief of Reality's Last Stand.  Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

"Corey Feldman vs. The World" is the best documentary I've ever seen. It's a candid glimpse into how fame corrupts, twists, and damages one's perception of reality. Corey Feldman (born in 1971) is an American actor and "musician" who was once uber-famous. He rose to fame as one of the most prominent child stars of the '80s, forming the iconic duo "The Two Coreys" with Corey Haim. His blockbuster coming-of-age and adventure films include Gremlins (1984), The Goonies (1985), Stand by Me (1986), The Lost Boys (1987), License to Drive (1988), and Dream a Little Dream (1989). Documentary filmmaker Marcie Hume follows Corey and his "angels" on his musical tour, living on the tour bus and capturing every moment. It is a descent into… I don't even know what… a controlling, sex- and drug-fueled cult that gets darker and more fucked-up with each tour stop. Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian

Salih Hudayar, a politician and advocate for Uyghur independence, provides critical insight into the Uyghurs in China, explaining their history and the severe human rights violations they face. We discuss the ongoing oppression Uyghur people face under the Chinese Communist Party. Watch this episode on YouTube. Follow Peter Boghossian  

Adam Szetela finished his Ph.D. in the Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University. Before Cornell, he was a visiting fellow in the Program on the Study of Capitalism at Harvard University. He is the author of That Book Is Dangerous! How Moral Panic, Social Media, and the Culture Wars Are Remaking Publishing. In this episode, Adam and I discuss the death of the publishing industry, "sensitivity readers," the cancellation of authors, and more. Adam's site: Adam's book:  Watch this episode on YouTube and read the accompanying Substack post. Follow Peter Boghossian