Navigating Freedom of Speech in a Diverse Society With Greg Lukianoff

Culture Stew

Navigating Freedom of Speech in a Diverse Society With Greg Lukianoff

In this episode of Culture Stew, we delve into the complexities of free speech in a diverse society with Greg Lukianoff. This episode explores how American society can encourage and preserve a marketplace of ideas while being mindful of the impact, opportunities and potential consequences of unfettered free expression. This episode also addresses the challenge of fostering free expression on university campuses and understanding the potential impact on underrepresented and/or marginalized individuals and groups.

An unconventional perspective is introduced—the "Pure Informational Theory of Freedom of Speech." This viewpoint challenges traditional notions by emphasizing the value of understanding diverse perspectives and questioning the efficacy of banning offensive speech in a multicultural society. Join us as Maria and Roger talk with Greg about the following themes!

Collective Identity and Threat Perception

• Individuals' varied perceptions of threats are examined with a focus on historically marginalized groups. Who determines what constitutes a threat, and should speech ever be seen as such?

Speech, Mental Habits, and Censorship

• The discussion shifts to exploring the impact of speech on mental habits, emphasizing the importance of careful messaging.

Challenges on College Campuses

• The conversation delves into the challenges faced on college campuses, particularly concerning the clash between free expression and protecting marginalized groups.

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Learn more about Greg and his organization, FIRE, here: https://www.thefire.org/about-us/our-team/greg-lukianoff?category=1575

Bio:

Greg Lukianoff is an attorney, New York Times best-selling author, and the President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). He is the author of Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate, Freedom From Speech, and FIRE’s Guide to Free Speech on Campus, and he co-authored The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure with Jonathan Haidt. Most recently, he co-authored The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Destroys Institutions and Threatens Us All—But There Is a Solution with Rikki Schlott. Greg is also an Executive Producer of Can We Take a Joke? (2015), a feature-length documentary that explores the collision between comedy, censorship, and outrage culture, both on and off campus, and of Mighty Ira: A Civil Liberties Story (2020), an award-winning feature-length film about the life and career of former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser.