Best Jacob Mchangama Podcasts (2024)

1
Special Edition - Suzanne Nossel 51:15

3+ y ago51:15

51:15

In this Special Edition, we will zoom in on current challenges to free speech – specifically in the US. With me to discuss this timely subject, I have CEO of PEN America, Suzanne Nossel, who has just published her new book Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. The conversation evolves the main conclusions of Suzanne's book including matters…

1
Special Edition - Daphne Keller & Kate Klonick 38:57

4y ago38:57

38:57

“Internet Speech Will Never Go Back to Normal,” declared the headline of a recent Atlantic article by law professors Jack Goldsmith and Andrew Keane Woods. The piece argues that the U.S. must learn from China in regulating the internet. “[S]ignificant monitoring and speech control are inevitable components of a mature and flourishing internet,” the…

1
Special Edition - Dunja Mijatović 32:04

4y ago32:04

32:04

Since the coronavirus became a pandemic, governments around the world have adopted a wide range of measures affecting basic human rights. This includes many of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe all of whom are legally bound by the European Convention on Human Rights. Most states have limited the freedoms of assembly and movement, some h…

1
Special Edition - Monika Bickert 37:10

4y ago37:10

37:10

The coronavirus has disrupted life as we know it. Billions of people across the world are caught in varying degrees of lockdowns with severe restrictions on their freedom of movement. But while our physical world has shrunk, cyberspace remains wide open. And there is no shortage of information as the internet overflows with torrents of data, news, …

1
Episode 40 - The Age of Human Rights: Tragedy and Triumph 1:15:34

4y ago1:15:34

1:15:34

In 2014, Saudi Arabian blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam by promoting secular values on his blog Free Saudi Liberals. Raif Badawi’s fate would have been familiar to Soviet refusenik and human rights activist Natan Sharansky, and many other dissidents in the Soviet Bloc, who also faced long …

1
Episode 39 - The Totalitarian Temptation – Part II - Der Untergang 1:03:16

4y ago1:03:16

1:03:16

In November 2019 German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave a passionate speech to the German Bundestag. Merkel said “We have freedom of expression in this country…. But freedom of expression has its limits. Those limits begin where hatred is spread … where the dignity of other people is violated”. Merkel grew up under a stifling communist dictatorship a…

1
Episode 38 - The Totalitarian Temptation – Part I 52:17

4+ y ago52:17

52:17

In George Orwell’s 1946 work, “The Prevention of Literature,” he wrote: [O]rganised lying … is … integral to totalitarianism, [and] would … continue even if concentration camps and secret police forces had ceased to be necessary. … A totalitarian state is in effect a theocracy, and its ruling caste, in order to keep its position, has to be thought …

1
Episode 37 - Expert opinion: The History of Mass Surveillance, with Andreas Marklund 50:24

4+ y ago50:24

50:24

In 2013 the NSA contractor Edward Snowden sent shockwaves through the American government when he leaked information exposing a number of vast mass surveillance programs providing the US Government and allies access to global digital communication networks. The harvesting of data has been aided by the vast data collection by big Tech Companies like…

1
Episode 36 - Expert opinion: Thomas Healy on how Oliver Wendell Holmes changed the history of free speech in America 55:18

4+ y ago55:18

55:18

On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson, the newly elected president, gave his first inaugural address. Jefferson eloquently dismissed the logic behind the Sedition Act of 1798, which had sent Republican critics of then-Federalist President John Adams to prison: We are all republicans: we are all federalists. If there be any among us who would wish to d…

1
Episode 35 - White Man´s Burden: Empire, Liberalism and Censorship 54:14

4+ y ago54:14

54:14

During the mass protests that have rocked Hong Kong since June 2019 pro-democracy protestors have waved Union Jack flags and been singing God Save the Queen. A clear rejection of the authoritarian political system of mainland China in favor of the political system inherited from the British colonial past based on the rule of law and political liber…

1
Episode 34 – The Age of Reaction: The fall and rise of free speech in 19th century Europe 1:07:35

4+ y ago1:07:35

1:07:35

The 18th century ended with free speech in full retreat. With the French Revolution, the call for “Enlightenment Now!” was no longer seen as the harbinger of humanity’s inevitable march toward progress. It had become synonymous with radical forces of destruction drowning monarchy, tradition, and religion in the blood of kings, aristocrats, and nuns…

1
Special Edition - A conversation with Professor David Kaye, UN Special Rapporteur 49:44

4+ y ago49:44

49:44

In this special edition of Clear And Present Danger we leave the past and jump into the present for a discussion on how international human rights standards are relevant to the burning question of where to draw the limits of free speech online". With me to discuss this issue is Professor David Kaye, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion…

1
Episode 33 - Counter-Revolution: Dutch Patriots, Tom Paine´s Rights of Man and the campaign against Seditious Writings 42:41

4+ y ago42:41

42:41

Faced with bloody terrorism democratic Europe has often reacted with tough measures. The UK Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act of 2019 criminalizes expressing an opinion that is “supportive” of a proscribed organization if done in a way that is “reckless” as to whether it encourages support of terrorism. This makes it rather unnerving to jum…

1
Episode 32 - Policing opinion in the French Revolution with Charles Walton 1:04:08

4+ y ago1:04:08

1:04:08

On Aug. 26, 1789, France’s National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Article 11 of the Declaration proclaimed: The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man. Every citizen may, accordingly, speak, write, and print with freedom, but shall be responsible for such…

1
Episode 31 - The Old Regime 1:05:56

4+ y ago1:05:56

1:05:56

In Nov. 2018, French President Emanuel Macron declared war on “offensive and hateful content” on the internet. Subsequently, France adopted strict laws against both online hate speech and fake news, which is thought to threaten France’s liberal democratic values. But this is not the first time in history that France has sought to combat supposedly …

1
Episode 30 - Northern Lights, The Scandinavian Press Freedom Breakthrough 53:15

4+ y ago53:15

53:15

In the 1760s and 1770s, Sweden and Denmark-Norway shortly became the epicenter of press freedom protections in Enlightenment Europe. In 1766, the Swedish Diet passed the Press Freedom Act, making Sweden the first country in the world to provide constitutional protection to both the principles of press freedom and freedom of information. In 1770, De…

1
Episode 29 - The Philosopher King - Enlightened Despotism, part 2, Prussia 49:28

4+ y ago49:28

49:28

In his famous essay “What is Enlightenment?” the Prussian philosopher Immanuel Kant declared: “[E]nlightenment requires nothing but freedom … to make public use of one’s reason in all matters. Now I hear the cry from all sides: ‘Do not argue!’ … Only one ruler in the world says: ‘Argue as much as you please, but obey!’” That ruler was Frederick the…

1
Episode 28 - Writing on Human Skin - Enlightened Despotism, part I, Russia 1:01:50

5y ago1:01:50

1:01:50

The Enlightenment´s emphasis on science, progress, tolerance and rationality not only attracted philosophers. Even absolute monarchs dreamt of “Enlightenment Now.” But how do you combine enlightenment without undermining the traditions and ideas that legitimate absolute rule in the first place? Fortunately for Europe´s modernizing rulers, some of E…

1
Episode 27 - How Enlightening 40:34

5y ago40:34

40:34

data-contrast="auto">After a brief detour into the present, we return to Ground Zero of the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe, with this recap of past episodes and a brief overview of the themes and countries to be explored in the upcoming episodes as rationality and secularization sweep the continent turning tradition and authority upside down.…

1
Episode 26 – Oslo Freedom Forum Special with Megha Rajagopalan and Yuan Yang 46:43

5y ago46:43

46:43

June 4th, 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the bloody culmination of the Chinese government´s Tiananmen Massacre of pro-democracy students and activists. But all public discussion and memories of the massacre have been erased within China itself. In our second episode from the Oslo Freedom Forum we will take a trip behind the Great Firewall into …

1
Episode 25 – Oslo Freedom Forum Special with Larry Diamond 35:42

5y ago35:42

35:42

Today´s episode is going to be a radical departure from the chronological timeline of the general podcast so far. I´m currently in Oslo for the annual Oslo Freedom Forum, organized by the Human Rights Foundation. The Oslo Freedom Forum is a unique gathering of human rights and democracy activists from all over the world joining forces to connect, s…

1
Episode 24 – Expert Opinion: Stephen Solomon part two - The Sedition Act 50:44

5y ago50:44

50:44

In 1787, the newly authored U.S. Constitution was sent out to the states for ratification. Despite fierce objections from Anti-Federalists, the Constitution did not include a bill of rights protecting freedom of speech and the press. The Anti-Federalist newspaper the Independent Gazetteer published an ironic comment on what the future of free speec…

1
Episode 23 – Expert Opinion: Stephen Solomon part one - The First Amendment 51:12

5y ago51:12

51:12

The First Amendment of the US Constitution was adopted as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791. This “Great bulwark of liberty” provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemb…

1
Episode 22 - Fighting Words - Free Speech in 18th Century America, Part II 1:01:25

5y ago1:01:25

1:01:25

In the second half of the 18th Century American, Patriots showed that freedom of the press was a potent weapon against authority. Not even the world´s most formidable empire could stop them from speaking truth, lies and insults to power. In 1765 the announcement of the Stamp Act kicked off a tsunami of dissent in colonial pamphlets, newspapers, tav…

1
Episode 21 - The Bulwark of Liberty - Free Speech in 18th Century America, Part I 59:39

5y ago59:39

59:39

18th century America was impacted and influenced by the so-called Glorious Revolution in the Motherland. And no-one had a bigger impact on American attitudes towards freedom of speech than Cato’s Letters written by the Radical Whigs John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon. Cato´s Letters created a powerful free speech meme, that went viral in the colonies…

1
Episode 20 - The Seeds of Enlightenment 57:59

5y ago57:59

57:59

1685 was a watershed year for events that would lead to what we call the Enlightenment. France´s Sun King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes and initiated a policy of religious persecution of Protestants. In England, the Catholic James II assumed the throne to the horror of the protestant majority in Parliament. From their exiles in the Dutch Re…

1
Episode 19 – Expert Opinion: Steven Nadler on Spinoza’s ‘book forged in hell” and the right to “think what you like and say what you think” 47:11

5+ y ago47:11

47:11

Baruch Spinoza (also known as Benedict de Spinoza) was born in Amsterdam in 1632. While his given name means “blessing” in both Hebrew and Latin, Spinoza’s “Theological-political treatise” from 1670 was condemned as “a book forged in hell.” Spinoza himself was denounced as a dangerous heretic or atheist by religious and secular rulers alike, and wa…

1
Episode 18 - Colonial Dissent: Blasphemy, Libel and Tolerance in 17th Century America 56:52

5+ y ago56:52

56:52

Americans are more supportive of free speech than any other people. 95 % of Americans think it’s “very important” to be able to criticize the government without censorship and 77% support the right to offend religious feelings. But in 17th Century colonial America, criticizing the government, officials or the laws was punishable as seditious libel …

1
Episode 17 - Global Inquisition 54:41

5+ y ago54:41

54:41

In the 16th Century Spain and Portugal globalized the inquisition by spreading the fight for religious orthodoxy and against heresy, blasphemy and apostasy to the Americas, Africa and Asia allowing inquisitors to pry into the souls of men on five continents. In Episode 17 we try to answer questions such as: How many people were affected by the inqu…

1
Episode 16: Expert Opinion - Michael Shermer 49:27

5+ y ago49:27

49:27

In this episode, we join up with historian of science Dr. Michael Shermer to investigate the cross-fertilization between science and free speech. Michael Shermer is a prolific writer on science, philosophy and morality and has appeared in numerous documentaries, talk shows, and TED talks. Among the topics discussed are: When did scientific freedom …

1
Episode 15 - Paper-bullets and the forgotten martyrs of radical free speech 56:23

5+ y ago56:23

56:23

Episode 15 returns to Europe and formative events in 17th Century England, where a mostly forgotten group of radicals demanded a written constitution guaranteeing free speech, liberty of conscience, and democracy. But who were the Levellers? What was the historical context of their radical demands and why were they ultimately crushed by former alli…

1
Episode 14 - ‘Universal Peace’: Religious tolerance in the Mughal empire 40:16

5+ y ago40:16

40:16

Episode 14 leaves the West and heads to 16th and 17th Century India and the Mughal empire. In particular, the rule of Akbar the Great. A century before John Locke’s “A Letter Concerning Toleration,” Akbar developed a policy of “Universal Peace” repudiating religious compulsion and embracing ecumenical debate. We’ll also discover why the history of …

1
Episode 13: Expert Opinion - Jonathan Haidt 51:41

5+ y ago51:41

51:41

In this episode, we do a bit of time travel and leave the 17th century for a discussion of free speech on American college and university campuses today. Our guest is New York University professor Jonathan Haidt, who is a co-author with FIRE’s Greg Lukianoff of “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a G…

1
Episode 12: Expert Opinion - Teresa Bejan 1:11:11

5+ y ago1:11:11

1:11:11

We enter the early modern age with an expert opinion featuring Teresa Bejan, associate professor at Oriel College, Oxford University and author of “Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration.” In this episode, Jacob and Teresa will discuss political thought on tolerance and the limits of religious speech in early modern England and co…

1
Episode 11: The great disruption - Part II 56:42

5+ y ago56:42

56:42

In episode 11 we continue to survey the wreckage after hurricane Luther was unleashed on Europe with the Reformation. When the Reformation mutated and spread across the continent a burning question arose: Can people of different faiths live together in the same state? Should social peace be based on tolerance or intolerance? We look into questions …

1
Episode 10: The great disruption - Part I, the printing press and the viral Reformation 42:23

6y ago42:23

42:23

The disruptive effects of the internet and social media on the spread of information are unprecedented. Or are they? In episode 10 of Clear and Present Danger, we cover the invention, spread, and effects of the Gutenberg printing press: What significance did this new technology have for the dissemination of knowledge and ideas? Why was the printing…

1
Episode 9: Expert Opinion - Christine Caldwell Ames 58:20

6y ago58:20

58:20

Our last stop in the Middle Ages is an interview with professor Christine Caldwell Ames, who is an expert on medieval heresy and inquisition in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The discussion highlights the similarities and differences between Christianity, Catholic and Orthodox, Judaism, and Islam when it comes to defining and policing orthodoxy.…

1
Episode 8: The hounds of God - medieval heretics and inquisitors 51:59

6y ago51:59

51:59

From the High Middle Ages, Europe developed into a “persecuting society,” obsessed with stamping out the “cancer” of heresy. But questions about how this was accomplished — and the consequences of these developments — abound: Why did popes and secular rulers shift from persuasion to persecution of heretics? Why was human choice in matters of religi…

1
Episode 7: Expert Opinion - Peter Adamson 51:33

6y ago51:33

51:33

In our second expert opinion episode, Jacob Mchangama talks with Peter Adamson, who is a professor of philosophy at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and host of the podcast “History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps.” We’ll discuss medieval freethinking and freethinkers from both the Islamic world and the Latin West. Where was the soil most fert…

1
Episode 6: The not-so-Dark Ages, medieval intellectuals, and freethinkers 45:39

6y ago45:39

45:39

In episode 6, we get medieval! Find out why the Middle Ages were as much a period of reason and inquiry as inquisition and superstition. Why was the famous medieval intellectual Pierre Abelard castrated, forced to burn his works, and condemned to silence by the church? How did the combination of Aristotelian philosophy and the development of univer…

1
Episode 5: The Caliphate 48:31

6y ago48:31

48:31

Why did the medieval Abbasid Caliphs have almost all ancient Greek works of philosophy and science translated into Arabic? How did the long list of medieval Muslim polymaths reconcile abstract reasoning with Islamic doctrine? Who were the radical freethinkers that rejected revealed religion in favor of reason in a society where apostasy and heresy …

1
Episode 4: Expert Opinion - Paul Cartledge 59:59

6y ago59:59

59:59

In our first expert opinion segment, Jacob Mchangama talks to Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University Paul Cartledge. With his intimate knowledge of ancient Greece, we dive deeper into the concepts of free speech and democracy in Athens that were discussed in episode one. What are the differences between free speech in the Athen…

1
Episode 3: The Age of Persecution 52:03

6y ago52:03

52:03

Why did the polytheist Ancient Romans persecute the followers of the new Jewish sect of “Christians” in the first three centuries AD”? How high was the price that Christians had to pay for casting away their ancient religious traditions for the belief in salvation through Jesus Christ? Did Roman Emperor Constantine end religious intolerance with th…

1
Episode 2: Liberty or License - Free Speech in Ancient Rome 59:57

6y ago59:57

59:57

Rome was the most powerful empire in antiquity. But were the Romans free to speak truth to power? Did history’s first successful Women’s March take place in Rome? And who came out on top when the words of Cicero clashed with the ambition of Caesar and armies of Octavian? Why did historians and astrologers become endangered species when the Republic…

1
Episode 1: Who wishes to speak? - Free Speech in Ancient Athens 57:11

6y ago57:11

57:11

The democracy of Ancient Athens was the birthplace of equal and uninhibited speech. Or Isegoria and parrhesia to the Athenians. Jacob Mchangama guides you through how oratory was central to the idea and practice of Athenian democracy. What Athenian style free speech entailed for ordinary citizens, comedians, philosophers, and orators. How oligarchi…

1
Episode 0: Why free speech? 21:07

6y ago21:07

21:07

Only 13% of the world’s 7,4 billion people enjoy free speech. 45% live in countries where censorship is the norm. Still, more than half the world’s population across cultures and continents think free speech is very important. But why is that? Where does the principle of free speech come from? How has it been developed over time? Why have kings, em…

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Jacob Mchangama Podcasts

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