Two for Tea with Iona Italia and Helen Pluckrose

Freddie DeBoer: The Cult of Smart General: Freddie's Substack: https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/ Freddie's website: https://fredrikdeboer.com/ The Cult of Smart available here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250224491/thecultofsmart Follow: On X: https://twitter.com/freddiesubstack?lang=en References: Freddie's essay: https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/education-doesnt-work-20 Timestamps: 1.04 Intros: A little on Freddie's background. 2.05: Iona reads from The Cult of Smart. 4.05: Freddie expands on the issues addressed in the book: the problems behind modern educational ideology and philosophy, how America compares to the rest of the world and within a historical context. 12.03: Why is the education system not achieving its aims and how might these issues be addressed? The introduction of tech and various policies and interventions and how these have failed to have an impact. 21.18: Iona reads the widget analogy from the book. They discuss the change in blame for poor results from the pupil to the teacher. 27.32: Freddie highlights our obsession with academic success and with a failure to acknowledge that certain characteristics are heritable. He and Iona discuss the merits and desirability of different skillsets. 40.45: The difficulty of predicting which skills will be most valuable in the future and on how technology plays a role. 44.20: Freddie explains how, even within a Marxist framework, individual differences in aptitudes are still important and excellence is still valued. 49.47: Wage gaps between academics, middle-management administrators, and trades people. 57.17: Iona argues for the inherent value of elite institutions and highlights how the UK model differs from the US model in terms of admissions and funding. 1.04.07: Freddie expands on the enrollment crisis in the US and on how college is largely sold as a recreational experience versus the elite Ivy League colleges where endowments motivate a different admissions pathway. 1.09.30: The difficulties of discussing IQ on a group basis, specifically regarding race. 1.20.42: Freddie sums up his argument that educational interventions and policy cannot solve inequality and that insisting we are all capable of academic excellence is neither a compassionate nor useful goal. Schools should still be well-funded and be valued beyond chasing test score. 1.22.48: Thanks and outro. Sound editing: Justin Ward Shownotes: Nicola Muir

Podcast notes: Tom Nash General: Tom's website: https://www.tomnash.com/ Tom's TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_nash_the_perks_of_being_a_pirate_jan_2019?language=en Follow: Twitter: https://twitter.com/DjHookie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djhookie/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomnash/ References: The Curb-Cut Effect: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_curb_cut_effect The CRISPR twins: https://time.com/5466967/crispr-twins-lives/ Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Antifragile.html?id=5fqbz_qGi0AC&redir_esc=y#:~:text=Antifragile%20is%20a%20standalone%20book,world%20we%20don't%20understand. Timestamps: 1.00 Introductions. Tom's visible disability. Why Tom doesn't consider himself an inspirational speaker. 6.36 The interplay between Tom's personality and his disability and the role of humour in putting people at ease. 13.16 The origins of Tom's disability and his experiences over 18 months in hospitals. Design and creativity and the development of his DJ brand. 27.38 How adaptations to improve accessibility often benefit wider society; the curb-cut effect, door levers and subtitles. 35.25 Why Tom prefers hooks to electric hands. How his prosthetics operate. Potential developments in tissue regrowth technology. 39.57 Disability activists online. The role of genetic modification and human wellbeing. 47.32 The impact of technology on all our lives, especially smartphones. The value of doing things the hard way sometimes. 51.35 Relationships and intimacy. How being dependent on a partner can feel. 56.25 Psychology and being anti-fragile. 58.20 Tom's choice to live. The opportunities of post traumatic growth. 1.01.07 Pity and the soft bigotry of low expectations. The solitude of being a DJ. How might AI impact the role of the DJ? 1.14.13 Praise for the Australian Health System and gratitude for the support of friends and family. Tom's book is being published in September 2023. 1.16.16 Tom's happiness with his life. 1.17.58 Thanks and outro. Sound engineering by Justin Ward Shownotes by Nicola Muir

General: Find Christoph on Twitter @Halalcoholism https://twitter.com/Halalcoholism?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor References: Johnathan Haidt on the podcast. https://www.stitcher.com/show/tea-for-two-with-iona-italia-and-helen-pluckrose/episode/06-jonathan-haidt-and-greg-lukianoff-the-coddling-of-the-american-mind-57029667 The Rise of Victimhood Culture by Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning. https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9783319703282?gC=5a105e8b&gclid=CjwKCAiA3KefBhByEiwAi2LDHCYRp7wprYJObCLEvQSjckvGmR1-nEU52lW-n-_j6kurXNE3JhvSfRoCOcoQAvD_BwE Campbell and Manning on the podcast. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/04-bradley-campbell-and-jason-manning-victimhood-culture/id1417717946?i=1000421234132 Tomiwa Owolade in Unherd. https://unherd.com/2022/05/black-british-lives-dont-matter/ Timestamps: 01.06 Introduction. Some descriptions of Christoph from Twitter. Iona and Christoph discuss how he moved from blogging, via Facebook to Twitter. 22.02 How online culture functions and the way in which extreme views can be the most visible. 25.23 Iona discusses her own behavior on Twitter and our impulse to protect our reputations. 40.10 Is “woke” still a useful term? Victimhood culture and the idea that disagreement is harmful. 52.12 How both the right and left wing behave online. The left's obsession with managing speech instead of addressing more complex, meaningful problems. 1:00:01 Class, including the way it relates to Indian nationalism and the caste system. How the left is eating itself instead of fighting common enemies. The American-centric nature of online discourse. Modern British leftist distaste for the white working class. 1:15:20 How “woke” can get in the way of more meaningful change. 1:25:02 What are the positives of Twitter? Some iconic tweets. 1:33:30 Thanks and outro. Sound engineering: Justin Ward Shownotes: Nicola Muir

Riding Out the Media Storm: Claire Lehmann General: Claire's writing for Quillette: https://quillette.com/author/clairelehmann/ And for The Australian: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/author/claire-lehmann Follow: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairelehmann/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clairequillette/ References: Eoin Lenihan on Antifa: https://quillette.com/2019/05/29/its-not-your-imagination-the-journalists-writing-about-antifa-are-often-their-cheerleaders/ On the Weinsteins and Ivermectin: https://quillette.com/2022/03/22/on-darkhorse-ivermectin-and-vaccine-hesitancy/ Iona's Substack: https://drionaitalia.substack.com/ Information on contributing to Quillette: https://quillette.com/contribute/ Timestamps: 1:20 Introductions. Claire's background studying forensic psychology and why she left academic life and founded Quillette. 5:12 The psychology of political views. 10:10 Quillette's place in the political landscape. The publication's most controversial pieces; Antifa, Ivermectin, the heritability of intelligence. 21:35 What happened to the Intellectual Dark Web? 30.28 The capture of the heterodox sphere by American culture and politics. How and why Australia, the UK and Canada differ from the US. 41:35 Claire's pushback against the use of Australia's covid policies as a political football in the American culture war. 47:22 Quillette's controversial reporting on the role of genetics and intelligence. 53:52 Claire's admiration of Paglia and critiques of post-structuralism. 57.12 The positives and negatives of Substack. 1:02:00 Claire's decision to leave Twitter and how that has benefited her. 1:05:22 Summing up and outro. Sound engineering by Justin Ward. Shownotes by Nicola Muir.

General: Kat's latest novel, You Must Remember This, from Harper Collins. https://www.harpercollins.com/products/you-must-remember-this-kat-rosenfield?variant=40371773407266 The novel will be released in the UK on the 2 March 2023 and can be pre-ordered here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/you-must-remember-this/kat-rosenfield/9780063207394 Kat's website https://katrosenfield.com/ Kat's novels available here https://katrosenfield.com/books/ Kat's writing from Unherd https://unherd.com/author/kat-rosenfield/ and for Spectator World https://thespectator.com/author/kat-rosenfield/ Feminine Chaos podcast https://femchaospod.substack.com/ Follow Kat: Twitter https://twitter.com/katrosenfield?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Instagram https://www.instagram.com/katrosenfield/?hl=en References: Iona's guest appearance on Feminine Chaos https://femchaospod.substack.com/p/mad-about-the-boys#details Kat's previous appearances on Two For Tea: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/106-kat-rosenfield-mistress-of-murder https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/68-kat-rosenfield-dating-in-the-digital-age The writer Rebeca Christiansen at Areo https://areomagazine.com/author/rachristiansen/ and her appearance on the podcast: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/86-rebecca-christiansen-making-mayhem Timestamps: 00:00 Opening and introductions. 03.24 Iona reads a passage from Kat's new novel. 15.14 Kat and Iona discuss what made Kat pivot to adult novels from her previous Young Adult titles. How Kat's characters got older and their stories developed darker, more adult themes. 17.18 What led Kat to write for teenagers. Her work as a journalist for MTV and writing at the time of huge successes such as Twilight and The Hunger Games. She and Iona discuss what was available to younger readers in their own teens. The coming-of-age novels that felt more advisory than instructive, such as Judy Blume titles. Iona's enjoyment of Austen, Tolkien, memoirs and diaries. 26.50 Iona and Kat talk about how women are drawn to reading and writing true crime and murder mystery. How murder mystery novels require the reader's attention and allow us to experience danger at a safe distance. 36.00 The blandness and anachronism of some modern romance writing and screen writing. 38.00 The two timelines in Kat's new novel; Miriam's last Christmas, set in the present, and the other in her youth. 39.59 Iona reads a passage in which young Miriam plays hide and seek. 47.18 How Kat got into writing, 15 years ago. 49.08 Iona asks if the YA fiction scene became too restrictive in terms of social justice and the “own voices” movement. How YA publishing lends itself to moral panic. The way in which that can be misused for reasons of professional jealousy and how the phenomenon is hopefully on its way out. 55.00 Can reading be harmful? Kat relays a story of her own unpleasant experience reading Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. How conflating discomfort with harm shuts off the chance for growth and resilience. 1.03.24 Maine as a setting for Kat's books. Her influences including Stephen King, Daphne Du Maurier and Shirley Jackson. 1.06.45 Thanks and outro. Sound engineering by Justin Ward Shownotes by Nicola Muir

General: Murder In Old Bombay. Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries Book One. From Macmillan books. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250269546/murderinoldbombay And on audio https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Murder-in-Old-Bombay-Audiobook/1250775043?qid=1673616961&sr=1-2&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_2&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=YJ45A8E0Q4ZC1DX4Y7RN&pageLoadId=5U11lQEHJx2bK4W0&creativeId=41e85e98-10b8-40e2-907d-6b663f04a42d Peril At the Exposition. Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries Book Two. From MacMillan books https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250855046/perilattheexposition And on audio https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Peril-at-the-Exposition-Audiobook/B09GC69JCB?qid=1673616961&sr=1-1&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=YJ45A8E0Q4ZC1DX4Y7RN&pageLoadId=5U11lQEHJx2bK4W0&creativeId=41e85e98-10b8-40e2-907d-6b663f04a42dhttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250855060 The Spanish Diplomat's Secret. Book Three in the series, to be released later this year: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250855060 Nev March's website: https://nevmarch.com/ Follow: Follow Nev on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nevmarch On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NevMarch/ References: Nev's previous appearance on the podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/116-nev-march-murder-in-old-bombay/id1417717946?i=1000548023723 The Chicago World's Fair legacy site https://worldsfairchicago1893.com/ John Mullan's book on Dickens https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/artful-dickens-9781408866818/ John Mullan's interview with Iona https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/136-john-mullan/id1417717946?i=1000587632804 Vaseem Khan's website and books can be found at https://vaseemkhan.com/ Time stamps: 1.01 Opening and introductions. 2.25 The Chicago World's Fair 1893 as a setting for the novel. Nev describes how the events provide a background for the beginnings of the political polarization that we see today. 6.00 Iona alludes to the influences of writers such as Dickens and Wilkie Collins on the novels with additional reference to John Mullan's work on Dickens. 14.08 Iona reads an excerpt from the book. 21.22 The real-life events featured in the book. The plight of poor and immigrant workers at the time and the complex morality of their employers in a precarious financial market. The way in which current situations across the world and within the USA itself are reflected in the challenges faced by the protagonists in the novel. 28.40 The immigrant experience in real life and for the protagonists, Diana and Jim. 32.55 Identity and belonging as separate. How the character Jim's maturity is evident in this second novel when compared to the first. 44.06 Iona reads another passage. 47.51 Nev discusses her desire to portray Diana and Jim's sex life through a historically accurate lens. The dangers of childbirth for women, both historically and in present day America and across the world. 57.20 How ahistorical representations of sexual relationships in novels and media produced today can be jarring. The way in which Jim's background and experience as an illegitimate child informs his behavior around sex and demonstrates his moral character. 1.02.20 Nev's third book of the series, The Spanish Diplomat's Secret, will be released in Autumn / Winter 2023. This time, the couple will be on board a liner sailing across the Atlantic towards Liverpool. 1.07.02 Nev gives some advice for budding writers including reading a variety of genres and using lists to free up brain space, allowing room for joy in writing. 1.10.37 Final reading from Iona. 1.12.18 Thanks and outro.

Podcast Notes: Alice Dreger General: The Index Case by Molly Macallen, the first novel in the Maddy Shanks series. Published on Lulu. Visit Alice's website: https://alicedreger.com/ Follow: Follow Alice on Twitter https://twitter.com/AliceDreger?s=20&t=CDzQ-0LkFfFGhqph0trBOQ Articles and books: Alice's non-fiction books: https://alicedreger.com/books/ Alice's writing https://alicedreger.com/writing/ References: Visiting Your Leg Alice's essay on the politics of anatomy. One of Us Alice's book on anatomy and political and social identity. Dr Oz can't afford me Alice's essay on exploitation by the entertainment industry. Lavish Dwarf Entertainment Alice's essay on the entertainment agency. The New England Journal of Medicine. Altered Carbon the novel by Richard Morgan. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Alice's paper on the J Michael Bailey controversy. Alice and Colin Wright take part in a discussion about biological sex. Alice in Genderland by Richard Novic. Iona's essay on age gaps and relationships. Timestamps: 00.00 Opening and introductions. 4.17 Why a pseudonym for novel writing? 7.56 The themes of the book. 9.17 Alice reads the blurb from the novel. 11.26 Iona reads an excerpt from the novel. 16.46 Alice discusses how she and her protagonist's areas of study echo each other; the politics of anatomy, how the body interacts with the world, the history of science and of medicine. How science has dealt with “interesting” bodies over the course of modern history. 21.57 How power works in relationships between doctors and people with “interesting” bodies. Alice discusses how her non-fiction book One of Us addresses this, with reference to Eng and Chang Bunker, the original “Siamese twins”. 26.58 Alice talks about the historical and contemporary exhibition of bodies; how some individuals are exhibited and exploited and how some with “unusual” bodies make money from their own bodies. 30.13 Iona reads more. Alice discusses the shift of science away from storytelling to depersonalised, anonymised specimens. 35.09 The New England Journal of Medicine as an outlier to this phenomenon. 36.55 Iona refers to Altered Carbon, the novel, and the ethical and philosophical questions about what it means to be a person and about bodily intergration. 40.00 Iona and Alice talk about eugenics, disabilities and autism research and about anatomy and identity and what personhood is. How identity has changed over time away from the body and towards external signifiers. How this is explored in the novel. 43.16 Who has the right to use dead bodies? How the government may control bodies, eg: dying people isolated during the covid pandemic. 47.00 How the order of the books in the series came about. The Difficult Subject, book two, will be coming out soon. Themes around sexuality. 48.35 Alice's enjoyment of fiction writing vs. enjoyment of non-fiction writing. 51.13 Michael Bailey and his writing on autogynephilia and transgender identities. Do we have an innate sense of gender? Alice's recent debate with Colin Wright. How The Difficult Subject relates to these themes. 58.41 The unethical relationship in the novel. How power works in this relationship. Sex scenes and sexuality in the novels. 1.01.45 The abusive relationship in the series and Alice's own experience. Controversy around the framing of trauma. 1.08.45 More on the development of the series. The Worst Thing will be book three. Reception of the first novel. 1.15.00 Why self-publish? Published via Lulu. 1.19.55 Summing up and outro.

137 - Akiva Cohen: The Great Chess Cheating Scandal by Iona Italia

Information about Rio: https://www.queermajority.com/about-the-editor-sub/about-the-editor-rv https://areomagazine.com/author/rioveradonir/ Bi Foundation: https://www.bisexuality.org/ Queer Majority: https://www.queermajority.com/ Bi.org: https://bi.org/en amBi: https://www.ambi.org/

General Visit John's academic webpage for more information on his publications: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/english/people/john-mullan John's book ‘What Matters in Jane Austen: Twenty Crucial Puzzles Solved': https://www.amazon.com/What-Matters-Jane-Austen-Crucial/dp/B00BNI1Z8Y Jane Austen's books: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/68 References Iona's Areo article ‘Writing Wrongs: Why Academics Write So Badly and How That Hurts Them': https://areomagazine.com/2020/07/06/writing-wrongs-why-academics-write-so-badly-and-how-that-hurts-them/ Timestamps 0:00 Opening and introduction, with some remarks on obscurity and lucidity in academic writing. 3:30 Austen as revolutionary literary stylist: Iona reads from John's book on her. 8:15 Iona reads a passage from Austen's ‘Persuasion'. 12:11 John discusses Austen's techniques in this passage, particularly her innovation in creating free indirect style. 21:03 Iona reads the next couple of paragraphs of ‘Persuasion'; further discussion of Austen's subtle techniques and themes follows. 30:20 The importance of male sexuality in Austen (“in want of a wife”). 38:46 Austen's underrated comic genius. 47:00 More on Austen's men: rakes, celibates, and premarital sex. 54:25 Marriage, sex, and finality in Austen (and marriage as permanent fate in literature more generally). 1:05:00 Idiolects and character in Austen (and the controversy over Austen on the ten pound note). 1:14:20 Austen's writing is both very simple and richly complex. 1:18:31 The importance of “impossible!” in Austen. 1:19:21 John's advice for re-reading Austen and some final reflections on her work. 1:23:11 Last words and outro.

General Visit Brett's website, where you can find his blog and much more: https://www.bretthall.org/ Follow Brett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tokteacher Subscribe to Brett's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCmP5H2rF-ER33a58ZD5jCig?sub_confirmation=1 References Iona's Substack essay, in which she previously described Brett as a philosopher—a description with which Brett disagreed: https://drionaitalia.substack.com/p/knots-gather-at-the-comb Karl Popper's philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/popper/ Massimo Pigliucci's Two for Tea appearance: https://m.soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/55-massimo-pigliucci David Deutsch's ‘The Beginning of Infinity': https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0143121359/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1658005291&sr=8-1 Daniel James Sharp's Areo review of Ord's ‘The Precipice': https://areomagazine.com/2020/05/11/we-contain-multitudes-a-review-of-the-precipice-existential-risk-and-the-future-of-humanity-by-toby-ord/ David Hume and the problem of induction: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/induction-problem/ Natural selection and the Neo-Darwinian synthesis: https://www.britannica.com/science/neo-Darwinism Richard Dawkins's ‘The Extended Selfish Gene': https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01MYDYR6N/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1658008393&sr=8-3 Theory-ladenness: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory-ladenness Ursula K. Le Guin's ‘The Left Hand of Darkness': https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1473221625/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1658010065&sr=8-1 The Popperian ‘paradox of tolerance' cartoon: https://images.app.goo.gl/MEbujAKv2VSp1m4B8 For the Steven Pinker Two for Tea interview on ‘Rationality', stay tuned to the Two for Tea podcast feed as it's coming soon for public listening: https://m.soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast Brett's critique of Bayesianism: https://www.bretthall.org/bayesian-epistemology.html Brett on morality: https://www.bretthall.org/morality Steven Pinker's book ‘Rationality': https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0525561994/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1658012700&sr=8-1 Timestamps 00:00 Opening and introduction. What, exactly, is Brett? What does he do? 4:58 Free speech and Popperian thought (and what is Popperian thought, anyway?). 12:24 Brett's view on existential risk and the future; how he differs from the likes of Martin Rees and Toby Ord. 22:38 How can we overcome ‘acts of God'? (With reference to Iona's syphilitic friend.) The dangers of the unknown and the necessity of progress. 26:50 The unpredictability of the nature of problems, with reference to fear of nuclear war and nuclear energy. The nature and history of problem solving, particularly as regards energy. 37:02 The Popperian/Deutschian theory of knowledge—guesswork, creativity, and the reduction of error. 46:50 William Paley's watch, Darwinism, selfish genes, and the embedding of knowledge into reality. 54:15 On theory-ladenness, the necessity of error correction, the power of science, and the impossibility of a final theory—all is approximation and continual improvement. 1:01:10 The nature of good explanations, with reference to the invocation of gods vs scientific accounts and the nature of the atom. 1:07:24 How the principle of the difficulty of variability is important in art as well as science, with reference to Ursula K. Le Guin's ‘The Left Hand of Darkness.' ‘Aha' vs ‘what the fuck?' surprise. 1:15:30 The nature of critical thinking and Brett on education: the misconceptions inherent in the current fashion for teaching critical thinking. 1:26:10 A question for Brett from Twitter: what did Popper really think about tolerance and intolerance (see the famous cartoon on the paradox of tolerance)? 1:36:24 Is there anything else Brett would like to add?

General Visit Richard's website to find out more about him and how to buy his books, including the main subject of this conversation, Richard's award-winning 2002 novel ‘Altered Carbon': https://www.richardkmorgan.com/ References About Richard: https://www.richardkmorgan.com/about-the-author/ Ewan Morrison's Areo article ‘Why We Must Walk Away from Omelas: The Problem with Utopias': https://areomagazine.com/2020/08/27/why-we-must-walk-away-from-omelas-the-problem-with-utopias/ Timestamps 0:00 Opening and introduction (and a confession from Iona): the great weight of ‘Altered Carbon' in Richard's career. 6:01 Iona reads a passage from ‘Altered Carbon'. 12:30 Richard and Iona discuss the passage, the underlying premises of the novel, and Richard's visual imagination and writing style over the years. 27:30 ‘Re-sleeving' and ‘download central' in ‘Altered Carbon' and the themes and inspirations behind them. 30:29 Iona's ambiguity towards the Netflix adaptation of ‘Altered Carbon': comparisons with the novel. 37:23 More on the ‘sleeves' in ‘Altered Carbon': how the rich and powerful get the best from the system and what this tells us about the nature of wealth and capitalism and the trajectory we're on. “The endless co-option of life and all its pleasures” by the wealthy. 47:18 The theme of identity in ‘Altered Carbons' (compared to Iain M. Banks' treatment of it in his ‘Culture' novels). Richard's dystopian vision vs. Banks's utopian vision. Can technology take us to the sunlit uplands or, as Richard says, does the fact that we will always ultimately be “violent apes” constrain the possibilities of progress? The need for eternal Enlightenment vigilance. 1:03:13 Arguing with a Buddhist about karmic balance: the origins of ‘Altered Carbon'. 1:06:31 Sci fi traditions: is ‘Altered Carbon' genre fiction or literary fiction? 1:08:36 Which authors have most influenced Richard? Who are his favourites? Plus: Iona on what influences she saw in ‘Altered Carbon' and some reflections on Ursula K. Le Guin. 1:25:02 Some more debate on optimism, the future, and human nature. 1:31:25 Is there anything Richard would have liked to discuss but didn't get the chance to? The noir tradition, Richard's argument with trans rights activists over ‘Altered Carbon' and J.K. Rowling, the misunderstanding of his novel as championing essentialism/the existence of souls, and the death of the author. 1:37:25 Iona reads another passage from ‘Altered Carbon'. 1:40:42 Last words and outro.

General Visit Louise's website: https://www.louisemperry.co.uk/ Buy Louise's book ‘The Case Against the Sexual Revolution: A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century': https://www.amazon.com/Case-Against-Sexual-Revolution/dp/1509549994 Follow Louise on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Louise_m_perry References ‘Lady Windermere's Fan' by Oscar Wilde: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/790/790-h/790-h.htm Rachel Moran's ‘Paid For: My Journey Through Prostitution': https://www.amazon.com/Paid-My-Journey-Through-Prostitution/dp/0393351971 ‘Aella - Sex Work in the Digital Age' Two for Tea episode: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/82-aella-sex-work-in-the-digital-age Timestamps 0:00 Opening and introduction. 4:11 Iona reads a passage from Louise's book ‘The Case Against the Sexual Revolution'. 9:33 Iona argues against the view that conservative mores protect women from harassment and rape better than liberal ones; discussion ensues on this, the promiscuity double standard, the Madonna/Whore complex, and more. 17:22 Does the sacralisation of sex protect women? Does desacralisation improve things for women? Is sex special? Plus: why women are choosier and the perils of prostitution. 27:40 The trouble with universalising, Gen Z's (lack of?) sex lives, porn, and the rise of OnlyFans. How does this all tie into/effect Louise's thesis? 34:32 Does a more public sexual culture help or hinder women? Does sexually violent porn make for sexually violent men? 42:17 Are some desires wrong? Why would anyone agree to or seek out, for example, sexual relationships involving subservient BDSM? Is liberalism enough to understand and resolve such issues? 53:00 Last words and outro.

General Visit Andrew's website: https://www.andrewscurran.com/ Find out more about Andrew's books, including ‘The Anatomy of Blackness: Science and Slavery in an Age of Enlightenment' and his co-edited, with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., volume ‘Who's Black and Why? A Hidden Chapter from the Eighteenth-Century Invention of Race', which are the focus of this podcast: https://www.andrewscurran.com/books-gallerypage Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewscurran References Andrew's previous appearance on Two for Tea discussing Diderot: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/42-andy-curren-diderot-intellectual-libertine Olaf Stapledon's novel ‘Sirius': https://www.amazon.com/Sirius-Olaf-Stapledon/dp/0575099429/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1656949127&sr=8-2 Theory-ladenness: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory-ladenness David Deutsch's ‘The Beginning of Infinity', in which he discusses theory-ladenness: https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Infinity-Explanations-Transform-World/dp/0143121359 Coleman Hughes's conversation with Charles Murray on race, science, and IQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE5QcD_12fQ David Deutsch's Edge essay on the link between the factual understanding of reality and morality: https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Infinity-Explanations-Transform-World/dp/0143121359 Sunil Khilnani's book ‘Incarnations: A History of India in Fifty Lives': https://www.amazon.com/Incarnations-History-India-Fifty-Lives/dp/0374175497 Timestamps 00:00 Opening and introduction. 3:24 Andrew reads from the introduction to ‘Who's Black and Why?' on the Bordeaux Academy's interest in African anatomy and ‘scientific' race theorising. 9:08 Why did a focus on racial physiognomy arise in the middle of the 18th century? Plus background on the Enlightenment and the radical shift in ways of thinking about the world. 14:19 The Biblical narrative of the origins of race - Noah's sons and the ‘snowflake' Old Testament God - and 18th-century theories of degeneration. Monogenesis vs. polygenesis. Implications of these views and their place in the Enlightenment paradigm - the world is not fixed, but has a history of development and change. 23:38 ‘Theory-laden observations' as related to 18th-century thinking about race and humanity. 26:30 Iona reads an excerpt about Diderot and Voltaire's views on race and slavery from ‘Who's Black and Why?'. 33:45 Continued discussion of the link between racial theorising and racism. 46:27 Iona on the instability of being anti-slavery while being racist, with reference to Olaf Stapledon's novel ‘Sirius'. Ensuing discussion of this theme by Andrew as related to the 18th-century - the legal and then scientific reality of categorising people. 54:54 Iona's relief that her Enlightenment hero Samuel Johnson is, as far as she knows, untainted by racial theorising. 1:03:02 The contemporary debate on race and IQ. Can we really divorce the is from the ought? Iona's changing view on this after reading ‘Who's Black and Why?'. Nature vs nurture and Charles Murray. 1:09:59 The Deutschian idea that a better understanding of reality is linked to better morality. 18th-century thinkers on race and their blindspots - many of their assertions could easily have been disproved just by looking - black blood, black semen, black brains. 1:15:35 The literal obsession with colour - skin colour must be reflected in interior anatomy. The disturbing and telling 18th-century view of albinism - ‘white negroes' - and vitiligo and racial voyeurism. 1:23:30 Racial essentialism vs the many mixed-race people. Again - how close so many 18th-century thinkers got to the truth, yet how far. 1:26:52 Is there anything Andrew would like to say that hasn't been covered in this conversation? 1:27:27 Andrew's upcoming book - a biographical history of race. 1:33:11 Last words and outro.

General Visit Steven's website, which includes information about all his books, including his latest, ‘Rationality', and how to purchase them: https://stevenpinker.com/ Follow Steven on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sapinker Timestamps 00:00 Opening and introduction. 2:17 The conventional wisdom that humans are irredeemably irrational is wrong: rationality is actually prevalent and innate. Iona reads passages from Steven's newest book ‘Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters' about the “scientific mindset” of hunter-gatherers. 8:09 The evolution of human rationality - our “environmental/ecological rationality.” The “premature consensus” that humans are fundamentally irrational. But why are we so bad at dealing with logical problems in the modern world? How to reconcile this apparent paradox - a new conceptualisation of human rationality: we become expert logicians when logical problems are presented in concrete, human-relevant ways and when we are pursuing goals. 18:32 William James's example of Romeo and Juliet as rational actors pursuing a goal (as opposed to iron filings attracting each other). 20:07 An analogy with quantum theory's unintuitiveness. The mismatch between our ancestral environment(s) and our modern environment(s): we didn't evolve to apply the tools of science. The roots and varieties of irrationality. 24:18 How does ‘Rationality' relate to Steven's other work? What is the common thread throughout all of his work? 34:30 On lightly held irrational beliefs - distal vs. testable beliefs, the “willing suspension of disbelief”, and indulging in irrationality. Why do we hold such beliefs? Why does fiction appeal to us? The Enlightenment paradigm of verifying one's beliefs - revolutionary and almost unique in history, a mindset that we are not adapted to. 45:47 The real meaning of David Hume's famous statement that “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.” 47:57 How do we get an ought from an is? How can morality be derived from rationality? Iona reads a passage from ‘Rationality' dealing with these questions. Steven explains his view of how reason relates to ethics. 53:55 How can reason be justified in the first place? Isn't it circular to justify reason using reason? 58:19 Base rates and group differences - does a contradiction between rationality and morality lie here? 1:06:29 Difficulties in defining categories and the family resemblances solution. Iona reads a passage about pattern-finding, stereotypes, and fairness from ‘Rationality.' Using abstract rules to set aside stereotypes for purposes of law, morality, etc. Logic vs. rationality. 1:12:48 Rationality's relationship to progress. Many social justice movements have begun with appeals to rationality and logical coherence: how can a society claim, for example, to be against absolute monarchy yet allow men to have total power over their wives? How rationality is a good guide to which movements for change deserve support. 1:19:01 How highfalutin methods of logic and reasoning are in fact at the centre of our everyday lives - we just formalise them and we need to apply them more at all levels. 1:24:07 The current “pandemic of poppycock” - is Steven optimistic about the future of rationality? 1:27:18 Iona reads a passage from the end of ‘Rationality.' 1:28:55 Last words and outro.

General Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattjj89 Some of Matt's previous writing and speaking about Ukraine: https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium-forget-nato-ukraine-s-problem-is-russian-imperialism-1.10576686 https://areomagazine.com/2022/02/25/putins-pointless-war/ https://www.callin.com/episode/matt-johnson-how-to-view-the-war-in-ukraine-MVpYFsdASZ https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/why-tucker-carlson-hates-ukraine-so-much-1.10746934 References Two for Tea episode featuring Matt, Daniel, and Ben Burgis on Christopher Hitchens: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/113-about-chris-hitchens Some of Taras Bilous's writings from the frontlines of the war: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/a-letter-to-the-western-left-from-kyiv/ https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/self-determination-and-the-war-in-ukraine https://twitter.com/ahatanhel/status/1517440088879284224?s=20&t=yZ9bkeaWalWYIKSClWy3Eg Timestamps 00:00 Opening and introduction. 2:05 Iona reads a passage from Matt's Areo essay ‘Putin's Pointless War' on the origins and causes of the Ukraine war. 5:00 Matt discusses the history and ideology behind the invasion of Ukraine. 7:10 Matt discusses the more immediate background to the Ukraine war, from 2013 on: Ukraine's desire for closer relations with the EU, the Revolution of Dignity, the annexation of Crimea, and more. Why Putin is a 19th-century leader. 10:38 The religious aspect of the war and Putin's warped view of history. Why so many fail to understand that Putin is just an imperialist and miss the mark by talking about Russian security interests and NATO expansion. 15:22 Wouldn't the US be angry if Mexico joined a Chinese version of the Warsaw Pact? Why blaming NATO expansion for the war is wrong. 20:00 What the Glenn Greenwald-style anti-imperialist left and the Tucker Carlson-style isolationist right get wrong about Ukraine and why (and how they overlap). 25:44 Isn't Ukraine corrupt and authoritarian? Aren't Russia and Ukraine just as bad as each other? Isn't Zelensky illiberal? 28:58 What about the Azov Battalion? Isn't Ukraine riddled with fascism and neo-Nazism? 31:40 How the usual suspects on the anti-imperialist left deny agency to Ukrainians, who want arms. Plus: The Ukrainian socialist Taras Bilous, on the frontlines and for western arming of Ukraine. Could Ukraine be a turning point for the left? 38:01 The war and the news cycle. What's actually happening on the ground now? What does the future of the war look like? 42:24 Has Putin lost his edge? Has the invasion backfired on him? Has he united the west again? And if so, how long will that unity last? Has the western reaction to Russian expansionism come too late? Should the west's aim be to degrade Russia's capability to wage such wars? Is a Ukrainian victory possible? 51:23 What should the west be doing about Ukraine? Will Europe put up with skyrocketing energy costs to help Ukraine? Will this lead to an upsurge in support for politicians like Le Pen? 53:31 Could Putin use nukes? Might he escalate the war? 58:18 A strange question about elites from Twitter for Matt. 1:03:08 The effects of the war on energy in Europe and attitudes to nuclear power. The war as an advertisement for nuclear power. Plus: the intransigence and greed of the oil companies and OPEC countries. 1:06:16 An aside: the grotesque mystery of America selling its soul to Saudi Arabia. 1:08:00 Is there anything Matt didn't get the chance to say but wanted to? Yes! Matt on the flaws of realism in the study of international relations: why political culture matters. 1:12:10 Last words and outro.

General Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattjj89 Some of Matt's previous writing and speaking about Ukraine: https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/.premium-forget-nato-ukraine-s-problem-is-russian-imperialism-1.10576686 https://areomagazine.com/2022/02/25/putins-pointless-war/ https://www.callin.com/episode/matt-johnson-how-to-view-the-war-in-ukraine-MVpYFsdASZ https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/why-tucker-carlson-hates-ukraine-so-much-1.10746934 References Two for Tea episode featuring Matt, Daniel, and Ben Burgis on Christopher Hitchens: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/113-about-chris-hitchens Some of Taras Bilous's writings from the frontlines of the war: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/a-letter-to-the-western-left-from-kyiv/ https://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/self-determination-and-the-war-in-ukraine https://twitter.com/ahatanhel/status/1517440088879284224?s=20&t=yZ9bkeaWalWYIKSClWy3Eg Timestamps 00:00 Opening and introduction. 2:05 Iona reads a passage from Matt's Areo essay ‘Putin's Pointless War' on the origins and causes of the Ukraine war. 5:00 Matt discusses the history and ideology behind the invasion of Ukraine. 7:10 Matt discusses the more immediate background to the Ukraine war, from 2013 on: Ukraine's desire for closer relations with the EU, the Revolution of Dignity, the annexation of Crimea, and more. Why Putin is a 19th-century leader. 10:38 The religious aspect of the war and Putin's warped view of history. Why so many fail to understand that Putin is just an imperialist and miss the mark by talking about Russian security interests and NATO expansion. 15:22 Wouldn't the US be angry if Mexico joined a Chinese version of the Warsaw Pact? Why blaming NATO expansion for the war is wrong. 20:00 What the Glenn Greenwald-style anti-imperialist left and the Tucker Carlson-style isolationist right get wrong about Ukraine and why (and how they overlap). 25:44 Isn't Ukraine corrupt and authoritarian? Aren't Russia and Ukraine just as bad as each other? Isn't Zelensky illiberal? 28:58 What about the Azov Battalion? Isn't Ukraine riddled with fascism and neo-Nazism? 31:40 How the usual suspects on the anti-imperialist left deny agency to Ukrainians, who want arms. Plus: The Ukrainian socialist Taras Bilous, on the frontlines and for western arming of Ukraine. Could Ukraine be a turning point for the left? 38:01 The war and the news cycle. What's actually happening on the ground now? What does the future of the war look like? 42:24 Has Putin lost his edge? Has the invasion backfired on him? Has he united the west again? And if so, how long will that unity last? Has the western reaction to Russian expansionism come too late? Should the west's aim be to degrade Russia's capability to wage such wars? Is a Ukrainian victory possible? 51:23 What should the west be doing about Ukraine? Will Europe put up with skyrocketing energy costs to help Ukraine? Will this lead to an upsurge in support for politicians like Le Pen? 53:31 Could Putin use nukes? Might he escalate the war? 58:18 A strange question about elites from Twitter for Matt. 1:03:08 The effects of the war on energy in Europe and attitudes to nuclear power. The war as an advertisement for nuclear power. Plus: the intransigence and greed of the oil companies and OPEC countries. 1:06:16 An aside: the grotesque mystery of America selling its soul to Saudi Arabia. 1:08:00 Is there anything Matt didn't get the chance to say but wanted to? Yes! Matt on the flaws of realism in the study of international relations: why political culture matters. 1:12:10 Last words and outro.

General Buy Katy and Jeremy's book ‘Guilty Pigs: The Weird and Wonderful History of Animal Law': https://www.amazon.com/Guilty-Pigs-Wonderful-History-Animal-ebook/dp/B09CGQDNGD Katy's academic webpage: https://law.unimelb.edu.au/about/staff/katy-barnett Follow Katy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrKatyBarnett Jeremy's academic webpage: https://law.unimelb.edu.au/about/staff/jeremy-gans Follow Jeremy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremy_gans Opinions on High, a legal blog that both Kate and Jeremy contribute to: https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/opinionsonhigh/ References Katy's Areo article ‘Perverse Incentives in Academic Publishing': https://areomagazine.com/2021/06/23/perverse-incentives-in-academic-publishing/ Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introductions (with a diversion on Katy's “adventures in walking”). 5:24 Katy reads a passage from her and Jeremy's book ‘Guilty Pigs: The Weird and Wonderful History of Animal Law'. 7:10 Jeremy reads a passage from ‘Guilty Pigs'. 9:46 How did Katy and Jeremy come to work together on this book and what initially sparked their interest in the subject? 13:21 How has the status of animals in law changed over time and in space and what does this tell us about our attitude to animals? 22:51 The Isbester dog case. 27:59 The ethical and legal issues raised by the Isbester case. Plus: other cases involving dogs. 35:08 Comparison of these cases with the Daniel Brighton case and discussion of the ethical/legal issues thrown up by it. 44:07 The 19th-century British case involving cattle that influenced the modern legal understanding of ‘animal cruelty'. Iona reads relevant parts of ‘Guilty Pigs'; discussion ensues. 48:50 The strange legal history of swans, queens, and nobles (and sturgeons). 53:07 On the legal eccentricties of bee-owning. Plus: Iona tells the Argentinian tomcat's tale; and other troublesome felines. 1:01:14 Project Acoustic Kitty. 1:03:45 Crimesolving parrots? 1:06:13 Why you should never, ever pat a zebra. 1:07:35 The Toronto Ikea monkey. 1:11:20 The photographer octopus, the posing macaque and Happy the elephant. 1:19:43 How do Katy and Jeremy see animal law developing in the future and are there legal provisions that aren't in place that they think should be (or provisions in place that should be abolished or altered)? 1:25:28 Closing words and outro.

General Arvid's website: https://arvidagren.com/ Buy Arvid's book ‘The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution': https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-genes-eye-view-of-evolution-9780198862260?cc=us&lang=en Follow Arvid on Twitter: https://twitter.com/arvidagren References Daniel's Areo review of Arvid's ‘The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution': https://areomagazine.com/2022/02/28/selfish-genery-j-arvid-agrens-the-genes-eye-view-of-evolution/ Two for Tea episode featuring Sean B. Carroll: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/77-sean-b-carroll-revolutionising-our-understanding-of-evo-biology?in=twoforteapodcast/sets/evolutionary-biology-on-two Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introductions. 4:59 Why Arvid wanted to write his book ‘The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution'. 5:57 Daniel reads a passage from Arvid's book. 9:00 The sociological aspects of the gene's-eye view. How did Arvid become interested in evolutionary biology and the gene's-eye view? Evolutionary biology's links with history and philosophy. 13:50 Similarities between Richard Dawkins and Arvid's background interest in evolutionary biology. Arvid outlines the selfish gene theory and its intellectual history. 18:47 Are some of the arguments over the gene's-eye view terminological rather than substantial? What if ‘The Selfish Gene' had been called ‘The Immortal Gene'? 19:58 Stephen Jay Gould vs. Dawkins: critiques of selfish genery. What questions were Gould and Dawkins separately interested in, and what does this tell us about their disagreements? 27:18 Evolutionary developmental (evo devo) biology and its relationship to selfish gene theory. 31:01 Is the evo devo/selfish gene binary really valid? E.g. Dawkins' contributions to evo devo. 33:21 What are the most compelling critiques of the selfish gene view? What does Arvid think of the alternative ways - evo devo, the extended synthesis, etc - of looking at evolution? Why is the selfish gene view valuable? In which senses is the selfish gene view incomplete? Pluralism and preferences in science. 44:38 The empirical consequences of the gene's-eye view: extended phenotypes and selfish genetic elements. Plus: Salman Rushdie and W.D. Hamilton's “eternal disquiet within.” 58:40 Why should scientists study the history of ideas? 1:01:37 The role of metaphorical thinking in science. 1:06:32 The sociological reception of the selfish gene view. 1:10:04 What is the current standing and future of the gene's-eye view? 1:14:30 The extended evolutionary synthesis: is the Modern Synthesis outdated? 1:19:32 Is there something Arvid would have liked to say but didn't get the chance to? 1:20:31 Last words and outro.

General Visit Simon's website for information about him and to buy his book ‘SPEECH! How Language Made Us Human': https://www.simonprentis.net/ Follow Simon on Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/memesovergenes References Two for Tea interview with Sean B. Carroll: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/77-sean-b-carroll-revolutionising-our-understanding-of-evo-biology The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_relativity Simon's Areo article on Ukraine and the United Nations: https://areomagazine.com/2022/03/25/ukraine-why-arent-we-talking-about-the-un/ Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introduction. 2:25 Simon reads from his book ‘SPEECH! How Language Made Us Human'. 13:00 Animal sounds vs. human language. Simon's theory of the key to and origins of language: the “digitisation of noise.” 17:25 The evidence for Simon's theory. 22:07 Nature and language as digital; an analogy with DNA and evo devo. 26:04 The revolutionary power of language for humanity. Iona reads from Simon's book—language as an act of transportation, both connecting us with others and distancing us from the immediate basis of experience. Plus: the dangers of being trapped by language (“the trap of identity”, “the trap of culture”, etc.) and a Babylonian diversion. 37:27 Japanese enka music and Jero, the black American enka singer: a cautionary tale against feeling one's culture is special and unique. This is true at the individual level, too. This is an illusion caused by language. Further discussion and examples of this illusion and how it (sometimes dangerously) misleads and divides us. The artificiality of culture: our natures are all calibration, stemming from language and culture. Simon's Japanese experience. 49:48 Simon's views on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity). 55:01 The power of music and its (lack of?) relation to language. Did language drive the growth of the brain? 1:04:36 Do books offer a kind of vicarious experience? Can we really communicate experience and thought to others via language? Is the world headed in the direction of a universal culture (but not a monoculture!)? 1:07:06 Using language and argument instead of violence. Is democracy an evolutionarily stable strategy? How do we apply this at the global level, not just the national level? Why the United Nations fails at this. 1:14:04 Last words and outro.

General Follow Arjun on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juicemoorthy The Factual: https://www.thefactual.com/?lp=new References Matthew Walker's ‘Why We Sleep': https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324/ Timestamps 00.00 Opening and intro. The Factual: credibility grading of news articles/stories. 2:33 The Factual's history, its mission and ethos, its process of evaluating articles/stories, and the technology behind it. 6:25 Iona on Areo and the foundation of all good commentary—the facts. Opinion/commentary vs. news reporting. Arjun: The Factual's algorithm and AI tries to ensure that commentary is scored according to how well-grounded in fact it is. 9:00 How the technology behind The Factual works and the methodology of assigning rankings to the four different categories that The Factual rates to come up with an overall credibility score for a piece. 13:51 The conflation of credibility with popularity in science and news. The “herd mentality” in news. Plus: why The Factual's algorithm can't tell you if something is true or false, only if a piece has characteristics that mark it as credible and factual—it provides a rubric, with rules of thumb, applicable with or without the algorithm. Ultimately: no easy answers to big issues in the news. 19:59 A discussion of the adversarial nature of politics—does this give it an advantage over (mostly popular) science because everything is “subjected to a ferocious scrutiny” (Iona) by political opponents with vested interests? Pros and cons of this. Challenging popular narratives in science and politics. Adversarialism in politics and journalism. 24:49 Arjun's father and the simple, core principle of The Factual's algorithm: read multiple sources/viewpoints. Give people the tools to decide for themselves. The Factual's commenting methodology. How to cure polarisation. 29:42 The perils of internet discourse in the social media age: Facebook comments and the end of friendships and the flaws of the Twitter algorithm. An age of polarisation and bitter division, online and offline. How can The Factual help us move beyond this? 34:20 Why are people interested in the news? Why is knowing the news and reading good journalism good for people? Where did Arjun's interest in the news come from? Why reading the news should be enjoyable rather than anxiety/anger-inducing. Why news shouldn't take over your life. The Factual's business model. 41:23 Metric obsession and how The Factual is different. 45:21 Arjun's colleague Alex and the importance of double-checking and questioning the algorithm. 47:07 The erosion of free speech—big tech algorithms, social media, and censorship. How we all engage in curation and why curation is better than censorship. How best to deal with cranks and mis/disinformation—and how the tech giants get it wrong. The poisoning of discourse by cancel culture and how social media enables cancel culture. 1:00:34 Polarisation and the continual subdivision of people into smaller and smaller groups and the effects of all this on public discourse. Twitter is NOT representative of the world. Why a multiplicity of platforms is good and why we must learn how to best use them. 1:04:43 How does Arjun think news might be consumed in the future, or how does he hope it will be consumed? 1:09:09 Last words and outro.

Visit Oliver's website: https://www.oliverburkeman.com/ Follow Oliver on Twitter: https://twitter.com/oliverburkeman Oliver's most recent book ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals': https://www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/ Oliver's book ‘The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking': https://www.amazon.com/Antidote-Oliver-Burkeman-author/ Oliver's book ‘HELP!: How to Become Slightly Happier and Get a Bit More Done': https://www.amazon.com/HELP-Become-Slightly-Happier-More-ebook/ References Samuel Johnson's 1751 essay on procrastination, ‘Idleness and anxious and miserable state': https://www.johnsonessays.com/the-rambler/no-134-on-procrastination/ Iona's Letter correspondence with Nir Eyal on technology and distraction: https://letter.wiki/conversation/266 Nir's book ‘Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life': https://www.amazon.com/Indistractable-Control-Your-Attention-Choose/ Visakan Veeraswamy's appearance on Two for Tea: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/76-visakan-veerasamy-a-friendly-ambitious-nerd Ethan Strauss's article ‘Pity the Zoomer Athlete': https://houseofstrauss.substack.com/p/pity-the-zoomer-athlete?s=r ‘How to Live on 24 Hours a Day' by Arnold Bennett: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Hours-Day-Literature-ebook The Pomodoro Technique: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introduction. 1:47 Iona reads from Samuel Johnson's 1751 essay on procrastination, ‘Idleness and anxious and miserable state'. How it relates to Oliver's book ‘Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals'. 8:45 Procrastination as a timeless phenomenon, though technology and social media make it worse. Our desire to “not focus”. 9:46 A précis of ‘Four Thousand Weeks'. What leads us astray in our relationship with time? Do we try to avoid the unpleasantness of “finitude” - the knowledge that our time is limited? Are we just trying to avoid discomfort? 14:15 The feeling of “irreparable loss” when we waste time - and the cycle of feeling guilt at this, thus leading to more avoidance and procrastination. How do we navigate this cycle of distraction? 20:53 What is the escape from this cycle? Is there one? Or must we just accept its absurdity to gain liberation? 24:29 The pleasures of doing versus the pleasures of having done (dance vs academia). Do we vacate value from the present to the future? And: a diversion on the proprietary and Nir Eyal on distraction. How has our attention changed over the decades and centuries - has it gotten better or worse? 39:01 Is the self a “road to hell”? Self-improvement and efficiency vs absorption in something larger. Is the self overrated? 44:00 The problem with productivity hacks and self-improvement. The real route to freedom. One of Iona's mantras: you don't have to wait until tomorrow. 50:10 On neglecting the right things. 52:24 On FOMO, being a generalist vs a specialist, and trade-offs. 1:01:35 More on procrastination and how to beat it: theory vs practice. The Pomodoro Technique, setting maximums, and more. But beware: never think of such exercises as allowing you to transcend limitation - this is impossible. 1:07:47 Oliver reads a passage from ‘Four Thousand Weeks'. 1:10:42 Last words and outro.

General Buy Matt and Alina Chan's book ‘Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19': https://www.amazon.com/Viral-Search-COVID-19-Matt-Ridley/dp/006313912X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GSU5N0P40R26&keywords=matt+ridley&qid=1648046232&sprefix=matt+ridley%2Caps%2C253&sr=8-1 Matt's website, where you can find out more about him and his other books and work: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/ Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattwridley References Some of Michael Worobey's work on the origins of Covid-19: https://twitter.com/MichaelWorobey/status/1497607313397481472?s=20&t=_ov6duwWi7DQZDRa5t9q4A Two for Tea episode with Azra Raza on fighting cancer: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/64-azra-raza-a-better-way-to-fight-cancer Two for Tea episode with Brian D. Earp on circumcision: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/13-brian-earp Iona's Areo article on circumcision: https://areomagazine.com/2019/09/24/a-wrong-against-boys-an-impossible-conversation-about-circumcision/ Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introduction: the debate over the origins of Covid-19, the reception of and controversy over ‘Viral', and why the origins debate matters for everyone. 8:40 Will the origins debate ever be settled? 18:58 What we know for certain plus some possible scenarios of how Covid-19 spread. Matt explains why the ‘lab-leak' hypothesis is plausible. 25:28 Objections to the lab-leak hypothesis and Matt's responses. 42:30 Here be technical scientific stuff: the cutting edge of knowledge in molecular biology—how furin cleavage sites work. Plus: the duties of writing about science. 49:25 More objections to the lab-leak hypothesis and Matt's responses. 1:11:50 The benefits and risks of gain-of-function research. Plus: circumcision and the problems with the World Health Organization. 1:21:32 Does ‘Viral' underestimate the dangers of zoonotic transmission of diseases? Plus: the deforestation/ecological argument about Covid's origins. 1:24:31 Developments since the publication of ‘Viral' and the plans for the paperback. 1:27:50 Last words and outro.

General Alex's website: https://alexkorbphd.com/ Follow Alex on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexkorbphd Buy Alex's book ‘The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time': https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1626251207/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=gs2&linkId=TQYPHQ6B534LQ4PZ&creativeASIN=1626251207&tag=alexkorbphd-21&creative=9325&camp=1789 Buy Alex's book ‘The Upward Spiral Workbook: A Practical Neuroscience Program for Reversing the Course of Depression': https://www.amazon.com/Upward-Spiral-Workbook-Neuroscience-Depression/dp/1684032423/ref=sr_1_3?qid=1647360558&refinements=p_27%3AAlex+Korb&s=books&sr=1-3 References Iona's book ‘Our Tango World Vol. 1': https://www.amazon.com/Our-Tango-World-vol-1-Community/dp/1999755189/ref=sr_1_1?crid=33Z83DRW14VH6&keywords=iona+italia&qid=1647360598&s=books&sprefix=iona+itali%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C130&sr=1-1 Iona's book ‘Our Tango World Vol. 2': https://www.amazon.com/Our-Tango-World-vol-2-Milonga/dp/1999755197/ref=pd_sim_1/138-2548482-3504021?pd_rd_w=slzAZ&pf_rd_p=dee70060-7c6d-4721-a321-50a27281cd22&pf_rd_r=J6DTTMK1E0GSZSFYK31S&pd_rd_r=7df296cd-2d08-40e6-8586-2af4d7b9472c&pd_rd_wg=KEJIt&pd_rd_i=1999755197&psc=1 Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introduction. 1:57 How Alex became interested in neuroscience, addiction, and depression. 4:44 Alex's own experiences with depression and the nature of depression. Depression, diagnosis, and the brain. 13:16 Why we should stop obsessing over the diagnosis of depression and start treating diagnosis as a starting-off point to do something about the issue. Depression as a continuum. Iona's experiences of depression. 21:59 The artificial distinction between “real chemical depression” and “situational depression” and how life experiences affect you at the level of the brain. Why medication is just one of many ways to combat depression. 27:01 A discussion of the relationship between life circumstances and depression. 42:16 The small, positive steps one can take to overcome depression and find fulfilment. 45:11 Iona's two different forms of pleasure/satisfaction (of doing and of having done) and ensuing discussion on how individuals' brains differ. 52:37 On the tools and habits that will help you gain greater fulfilment (and a diversion on sharing the same lab as Sam Harris). 1:02:11 The benefits and hazards of faking it till you make it when it comes to depression. Taking actions rather than being hamstrung by feelings. 1:10:13 Some questions for Alex from listeners. Is depression evolutionarily adaptive? Does anti-depressant medication lead to long-term dependency? How would you reach out to a friend who has withdrawn into depression? 1:21:39 What does Alex think is the most underrated thing a person who is depressed can do to help themselves? 1:23:55 Last words and outro.

General Follow Nicholas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAChristakis The Human Nature Lab at Yale University, of which Nicholas is the director: https://www.humannaturelab.net/ Buy Nicholas' books, including his latest, ‘Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live': https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B001HCYWRM?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&searchAlias=stripbooks&sort=author-sidecar-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader References Nicholas' previous appearance on the podcast: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/25-nicholas-christakis-a-blueprint-for-universal-liberal-humanism Timestamps 0.00 Opening and introduction. 2:10 The history of plagues and the typical three-phase cycle (immediate, intermediate, and post-pandemic) of respiratory pandemics—and how Covid has conformed to that pattern. Have we reached “the end of the beginning” (i.e. the end of the immediate phase) rather than “the beginning of the end” of this pandemic? What will the intermediate and post-pandemic phases look like? What if there is a new, vaccine-resistant, more lethal variant? 11:36 Is the lifting of all Covid restrictions in England premature? How vaccination/exposure rates affect whether or not it is wise to lift restrictions. 18:22 What might the long term effects of infection with Covid be? Could there be long term disabling effects on those who survive a Covid infection? What are Nicholas' views on “long Covid”? 23:34 How effective are masks in preventing Covid infection/transmission? 28:34 Which countries have been worst affected by the pandemic? Why? 31:06 Which countries fared best? Why? 36:41 Whence distrust in health authorities during the pandemic? How should public health messaging be communicated? Plus: how Covid hit us at an already very vulnerable moment and exploited pre-existing social, cultural, and economic issues. How should we encourage vaccination uptake? 48:36 The psychological impacts of pandemics, historically and today: the search for meaning in religion, politics, and more. 52:35 How has Nicholas' own life changed because of the pandemic? Plus: biological vs social endings of pandemics. 56:38 Last words and outro.

General Discover Rob's writing, interviews, and other work on his website: https://www.robkhenderson.com/ Follow Rob on Twitter: https://twitter.com/robkhenderson References Rob's essay ‘America's Lost Boys and Me': https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/americas-lost-boys-and-me Rob's essay ‘Elite universities should stop prizing victimhood': https://unherd.com/thepost/elites-universities-should-stop-prizing-victimhood/ Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introduction. 1:45 Rob's difficult upbringing and background: foster care, adoption, drugs, and alcohol. 6:59 Why social, emotional, and cultural variables matter enormously for kids' life outcomes—it's not all about economics. 16:00 More on Rob's personal background and how it has informed his views; Iona reads from Rob's article ‘America's Lost Boys and Me'. 24:47 What were the “lingering effects” of his upbringing on Rob? How his military experience helped him. 28:05 Iona's “more common or garden unhappy childhood” as related to Rob's upbringing and its effects on him. Some experiences and feelings in common, 32:18 Iona and Rob's very different experiences of university life. Plus: the ‘controversy' around one of Rob's teachers, Erika Christakis, and the origin of his concept of “luxury beliefs.” 41:53 Rob explains his concept of “luxury beliefs.” Signalling one's status as an elite: one can afford to worry about relatively trivial transgressions and impose such taboos on poorer people; their jobs are less worthy of concern than sticking to the elite's ever-changing taboos. Storms over “cultural appropriation”, use of the n-word, and using the OK hand symbol. Why cancel culture is real for blue-collar people. Middle-class ignorance of working-class people and the classism of cancel culture and luxury beliefs. 56:32 Rob's examples of luxury belief: all family structures are equal, downplaying the value of hard work and agency. Is being anti-vax a luxury belief? 1:03:13 Iona on the flip-side to downplaying hard luck: some successful people won't admit to the role of luck in their success and some hard work is thwarted by bad luck. Further discussion. 1:08:24 Discussion of the stable two-parent family structure as an ideal and why that idea receives pushback (and how such pushback is akin to arguments over ‘fatphobia'). Discussion of Iona's caveats about the desirability of the stable two-parent family structure: stability isn't everything (consider a stable but miserable situation). 1:15:47 Has Rob noticed different atmospheres in the U.K. vs. the U.S. regarding wokeness and luxury beliefs in university culture? What is the future of wokeness? The case of Jordan Peterson and Cambridge. 1:22:05 Rob's article ‘Elite universities should top prizing victimhood' and the case of Mackenzie Fierceton. Victimhood, disadvantage, and suffering as cultural currency in higher education. Plus: Iona and Rob's experiences and views of the university admissions process. 1:33:32 Iona's experiences of being accused of having had a privileged upbringing. A discussion of the narrowness of the concept of privilege as it is usually used today. How most people can frame their life stories either as ones of privilege or suffering. How prizing victimhood creates perverse incentives: the Mackenzie Fierceton story. 1:39:06 Race, victimhood, woke gatekeeping/race games, and gaming the system. 1:43:36 Last words and outro.

General Follow Alan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alan_davison Alan's academic profile: https://profiles.uts.edu.au/Alan.Davison Alan and Josh Szeps' special speaker podcast series ‘Permission to Think' homepage: https://www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-arts-and-social-sciences/partners-and-community/fass-industry-events/permission-think Josh Szeps' podcast series ‘Uncomfortable Conversations', of which ‘Permission to Think' is under the aegis: https://play.acast.com/s/uncomfortable-conversations-with-josh-szeps/ References Josh Szeps' appearance on ‘Two for Tea': https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/18-josh-szeps Interview with Alan in the ‘Times Higher Education': https://www.timeshighereducation.com/people/interview-alan-davison?mc_cid=4b6d8a0b62&mc_eid=1347a1c1c0 ‘Two for Tea' episode with Jesse Singal: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/84-jesse-singal-the-quick-fix-public-limited-version ‘Trans Ideology and the New Ptolemaism in the Academy' by Kathleen Rowley in ‘Archives of Sexual Behavior': https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-021-01950-9 ‘Should You Trust the Myers-Briggs Personality Test?' by Laith Al-Shawaf in ‘Areo Magazine': https://areomagazine.com/2021/03/09/should-you-trust-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/ ‘Two for Tea' episode with Tomiwa Owolade: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/85-tomiwa-owolade-racial-cultural-kaleidoscopes-public-limited-version Alan's paper ‘A Darwinian Approach to Postmodern Critical Theory: Or, How Did Bad Ideas Colonise the Academy?' in ‘Society': https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12115-020-00505-3 Alan's paper ‘Multiculturalism, Social Distance and “Islamophobia”: Refections on Anti‑racism Research in Australia and Beyond' in ‘Society': https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12115-021-00641-4 ‘Two for Tea' episode with Jonathan Rauch: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/93-jonathan-rauch-in-defence-of-truth-public-limited-version Timestamps 00.00 Opening and introduction. 2:36 Iona reads from Alan's interview in the ‘Times Higher Education' about the problems he sees in academia and asks him about the problem of ‘wokery' in academia and how it has affected his own institution, wider society, and academic science/tech. 6:45 Specific examples of wokery infecting academia: diversity training, no-go research areas, and censorship. Wokery within Alan's own discipline of music. 11:45 What is going wrong in Australian universities? The example of implicit bias training, based on the discredited implicit association test, being used in higher education. 16:02 Cultish mindsets in academia and the discouragement of scepticism. 18:25 The corporatisation and marketisation of academia. The “perfect storm”: the combination of identity politics and brand/risk-aware corporatisation in academia. 22:12 How is the culture of diversity training affecting universities? 26:30 Is testing for implicit bias simply workplace totalitarianism? The ‘who you are' over ‘what you do/say' mindset. Clumsy and counterproductive attempts to measure injustice and “redress the balance.” ‘Representation' in music, particularly orchestral music. Does dealing with economic inequalities earlier in the ‘pipeline' matter more? 40:30 Socioeconomic and cultural factors in inequalities. 44:25 Discussions of Alan's evolutionary psychological/memetic approaches to understanding the success and influence of postmodern critical theory and Iona's view that tribalism is a universal heuristic, including in the ‘anti-woke' circle. Alan: “Resist the heuristic!” The risk of orthodoxy taking over. 1:00:46 What universities should be and the decline of public trust in higher education. Alan's defence of universities. What are the risks to universities? 1:11:00 How has the atmosphere on campus changed since Alan began his academic career? 1:12:10 Last words and outro.

General Find out more about Meghan, her books, and articles, on her website: https://www.meghandaum.com/ Follow Meghan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/meghan_daum Buy Meghan's book ‘The Problem With Everything: My Journey Through The New Culture Wars': https://www.meghandaum.com/the-problem-with-everything Buy Meghan's book ‘The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects Of Discussion': https://www.meghandaum.com/the-unspeakable Listen to Meghan's ‘The Unspeakable Podcast': https://www.theunspeakablepodcast.com/ References Meghan's novel ‘The Quality of Life Report': https://www.meghandaum.com/the-quality-of-life-report The volume Meghan edited, ‘Selfish, Shallow & Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers On The Decision Not To Have Kids': https://www.meghandaum.com/selfish-shallow-self-absorbed Timestamps 0:58 Opening and introduction 1:55 Iona reads a passage from an essay in Meghan's ‘The Unspeakable' in aid of reflection upon the choice of subjects in non-fiction and the freedoms (and limits) the genre of the personal essay gives authors as opposed to memoirs and non-fiction. Including further discussion on Meghan's experience with fiction-writing. 16:51 Meghan's lack of fear in addressing difficult topics. Today's atmosphere for public thinking compared to earlier in Meghan's career. The very different reception accorded her most recent book ‘The Problem With Everything' compared to her previous writings. The radical cultural shift since 2014/15/16: the rise of ‘social justice' and the casting out of ‘the problematic.' 23:42 The origins of ‘The Problem With Everything': the problem with contemporary feminism and the rise of the ‘badass' trope. The “commodification of grievance” in recent years. How Meghan's book expanded from a discussion of feminism to become a much broader study of the culture wars. 29:42 The rise of the race discourse to prominence in the culture wars. Are there unspoken tensions between modern feminism and anti-racism? Has race superseded gender/feminism as a culture war flashpoint? The rise of the ‘Karen.' Where have all the thoughtful people gone? The hijacking of big issues by the least thoughtful among us. 35:05 Reflections on #MeToo. Has there been a “valorisation of victimhood”? Further reflections on the reception of ‘The Problem With Everything' and the radical culture shift since c. 2014. 52:37 Where are the ‘edgy' woke folk? Is there a risk of becoming obsessive about all of the woke inanity? 1:00:27 The politicisation of everything. The struggle not to constantly ‘harrumph.' Can we avoid being angry with people rather than ideas? How much certainty should we have in our beliefs? How do we find a balance between being unapologetic and being epistemically humble? Why is it so difficult to say “I don't know”? 1:08:10 The generational divide between those who grew up online and those who didn't. Meghan's view that hers is the last generation to have experienced an analogue world; her generation has gotten old/obsolete without being old; she sometimes feels closer to boomers decades older than her than millennials much closer to her age. 1:15:35 Iona reads from ‘The Problem With Everything'; a discussion on the role of women, childhood, and moral panics (child abductions, the Satanic panic, ‘the latchkey kid') ensues. The tension between safety and freedom in our personal lives (particularly in women's personal lives). 1:23:42 Iona's feelings about Meghan's ‘The Unspeakable' book: how it affected her more personally than Meghan's other books; the similarities she felt to Meghan's description of being involved as a volunteer in foster care. Iona's childhood relationship with her sister, who was a parent figure, growing up. Why Meghan and Iona couldn't wait to be done with childhood. Plus: on not wanting to have kids. 1:37:22 How did Meghan's serious freak illness and miraculous survival some years ago affect her views on life? 1:40:08 Last words and outro.

General Jacob's website: http://jacobmchangama.com/ Order Jacob's forthcoming book, ‘Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media': https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/jacob-mchangama/free-speech/9781541620339/ Jacob's podcast series on free speech, ‘Clear and Present Danger': http://www.freespeechhistory.com/ Follow Jacob on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JMchangama Discover more about Jacob's think tank, Justitia: http://justitia-int.org/ Timestamps 00:56 Iona introduces Jacob and his forthcoming book ‘Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media'. 2:28 Iona reads some passages from Jacob's book on the Nazis vs. free speech, including how Hitler hoisted the Weimar Republic by its own petard (or, why intolerance of intolerance doesn't work). 17:21 Does censorship of bigoted and authoritarian ideas work to prevent such ideas from taking hold? The “Weimar fallacy.” 23:18 Free speech as the guarantor of freedom: Trump's America compared to Putin's Russia and Modi's India. 31:44 The counterintuitive idea of free speech and its fragility in practice. “Milton's Curse”—selectivity about free speech, even among its greatest historical champions, from Milton to Voltaire. The need for a strong culture of free speech (without which legal protections are almost meaningless). 36:30 Iona's “footnote” on Milton, whose ‘Areopagitica', of course, is the namesake of ‘Areo'. Why, despite Milton being an imperfect champion of free speech, ‘Areo' is appropriately named! Plus: the history of free speech in Britain, the two ancient and competing conceptions of free speech (elitist and egalitarian), and Milton's more radical-on-free-speech (and oft-neglected) Leveller contemporaries. The tragic irony of Milton becoming a censor. How Milton's authorial intentions have been undercut by the radical implications of his arguments and the power of his language. 47:21 The historically influential antiquity-rooted elitist vs. egalitarian concepts of free speech (or, the Roman vs. Athenian concepts of free speech) and “elite panic” whenever a new form of disruptive and democratising communications technology, from the printing press and the radio to the internet and social media, arises. 54:50 On elite distrust of the lower classes—we can't trust them with new communications technologies or free speech! 1:00:18 Is the contemporary “golden age of free speech” in a process of decline? Are we seeing a “global free speech recession” alongside a “democracy recession”? Rising authoritarianism and the worrying loss of faith in free speech (and internet freedom) in liberal democracies. Many on both right and left now seem to prefer purging ideas to debating them. 1:03:52 What can be done about the free speech recession? Taiwan's tech-based g0v initiative—combatting disinformation and promoting new forms of democracy for the digital age without censorship. The tensions between the “Analogue City” and the “Digital City” and how we must find solutions for these without sacrificing free speech. Plus: how the lack of free speech in China made the Covid pandemic worse. 1:10:01 The worrying power of private social media and other internet companies over what we can say and hear. John Stuart Mill, George Grote, and the tyranny of the majority: the need for a culture of tolerance and openness to dissenting views. The problems with centralised platforms that are pretty much monopolies and the need for technological rather than legal solutions to these. The need for a “more decentralised social media ecosystem.” 1:16:30 Last words.

General Nev's website: https://nevmarch.com/ Follow Nev on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nevmarch Buy Nev's first novel ‘Murder in Old Bombay' here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/murder-in-old-bombay/ Pre-order the sequel ‘Peril at the Exposition' here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250855039/perilattheexposition The Rajabai Clock Tower deaths, upon which Nev's novel is based: https://www.livemint.com/Sundayapp/qrOhGQVncpDmnvio4RJx9O/The-mystery-of-the-clock-tower-deaths.html Sample Vikas Adam's reading of the book here: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Murder-in-Old-Bombay-Audiobook/1250775043 References Sujata Massey: https://sujatamassey.com/ Abir Mukherjee: https://abirmukherjee.com/ Iona's podcast with Dinyar Patel about the Indian independence pioneer Dadabhai Naoroji: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/99-dinyar-patel-dadabhai-naoroji-nationalist-pioneer Nev's account of visiting the Rajabai Clock Tower: https://nevmarch.com/visit-to-the-tower Interview with Nev by Marshal Zeringue, April 21 2021: https://writerinterviews.blogspot.com/2021/04/nev-march.html Sign up to Nazneen Engineer's Zoroastrian survey: https://survey.sogosurvey.com/survey1.aspx?k=RSsRQXYPPsTsPsPsP&lang=0 Timestamps 0:56 Introduction 3:04 Nev reads a passage from ‘Murder in Old Bombay'. 8:06 Nev discusses the historical details of the infamous Rajabai Clock Tower deaths and her knowledge of the story growing up. How the mysteriousness of the case intrigued her and inspired her to create a fictional detective and write a novel to ‘solve' this old crime. 12:15 Nev's love of the Sherlock Holmes stories and how this influenced her novel. Her other influences and the Easter eggs in the novel. Her protagonist, Captain Jim. 19:15 A comparison between Nev and other Raj-era historical fiction writers Sujata Massey and Abir Mukherjee. 24:33 Clashes of identity and problems of belonging in Nev's novel, particularly around Parsi identity - and how this relates to Iona and Nev's personal experiences. How dealing with such issues affected the novel. 32:29 Iona's reading experience and Nev's writing experience. The audio version of ‘Murder in Old Bombay'. 35:46 Nev's style. The panoramic, cinematographic nature of Nev's writing and scope. Comparison to Salman Rushdie - writers who span two cultures and who are concerned with hybridity. 37:27 Where/how did Nev plan and write the novel? Nev's visit to the Rajabai Clock Tower and Iona's memories of it from when she lived in Bombay. 45:22 Nev reads another passage from the book. 49:08 What did Nev mean when she said “Truly, we write to discover what we think” in an interview from last year? What did she discover she thought when writing her novel? Questions of identity and patriotism and Nev's ‘middle ground'. Complexities and contradictions in human behaviour. 54:41 Good novels explore moments of tension and ambivalences in human nature. 55:40 Nev reads another passage from the book. 1:00:00 Iona reads a passage from the book. 1:05:50 Nev discusses the forthcoming sequel to ‘Murder in Old Bombay', ‘Peril at the Exposition'. How the problems of the turn of the century period she sets her fiction in are reflected today. The types of historical events Nev is attracted to. 1:14:10 Nev reads another passage from the book. 1:19:50 Last words.

Christopher's website: https://www.christopherjferguson.com/ Follow Christopher on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CJFerguson1111 Christopher's Amazon page, with links to his books, including ‘Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong', ‘Suicide Kings', and ‘How Madness Shaped History: An Eccentric Array of Maniacal Rulers, Raving Narcissists, and Psychotic Visionaries': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Christopher-J-Ferguson/e/B0034NGO00/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_2 Christopher's Substack: https://grimoiremanor.substack.com/ Christopher's Areo articles: https://areomagazine.com/author/cjferguson1111/ References Christopher's article ‘My APA Resignation' in Quillette: https://quillette.com/2021/12/31/my-apa-resignation/ More on the ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders The Goldwater rule: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater_rule Timestamps 00.57 Introduction. 2:36 Christopher discusses the flaws of the American Psychological Association (APA) and his association with and resignation from it. 7:22 The new groupthink and monoculture among organisations and associations, including and specifically the APA, on ‘systemic/structural racism': instead of focusing on their original missions, such theoretical and scientific organisations seem to be very focused on this newly fashionable issue (it is important to note that this is a separate issue from the truth or falsehood of systemic/structural racism itself). The problem of ‘institutional capture'. 12:39 The victory of politics and politicking (‘political correctness') over scientific investigation. The flaws of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings: how the promulgation of these is based on business and profit rather than science. 16:52 Iona reads from Christopher's Quillette piece on his resignation from the APA; discussion on the problem of political correctness over scientific integrity ensues, including how rapidly this has become an issue. How this will damage psychology and how it is perceived as a discipline. 21:58 The task of psychology, especially clinical psychology, with particular reference to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), versus this new consensus. Iona reads from Christopher's ‘How Madness Shaped History'. Christopher discusses the problems, from a psychological point of view, with ‘lived experience' and ‘safetyism'. 30:37 The differences between dealing with issues, both contentious and banal, on a societal level versus an individual, psychological level, with reference to sexual assault and obesity. 38:55 A discussion of more problems in psychology, with particular reference to the ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'. 49:12 How effective are pharmaceuticals in treating mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia? 54:28 The bureaucracy of mental health care and the relation of problems like homelessness, criminal violence, and police shootings to mental health issues. Why we need to return to some kind of state-sponsored asylum-like system (but one which is humane and rational) 1:01:02 The connections between mental health problems and violence and why we are so hesitant to talk about these. How do we deal with such issues? 1:06:25 A discussion of science denialism and opportunism by ideologues on both left and right: people adopt scientific positions that support their views and ignore ones that contradict their views. 1:13:57 Political tribalism in the pandemic versus science (on all sides). 1:22:05 The Goldwater rule. 1:28:34 Last words.

Mónica's Link Tree with links to preorder her upcoming book ‘I Never Thought Of It That Way', her website, and more: https://linktr.ee/moniguzman Follow Mónica on Twitter: https://twitter.com/moniguzman Braver Angels website: https://braverangels.org/ References John R. Wood Jr's previous appearances on Two for Tea: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/19-john-wood https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/58-john-r-wood-jr-and-roderick-graham-black-lives-and-the-george-floyd-protests Buster Benson's appearance on Two for Tea: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/57-buster-benson Timestamps 3:05 Iona reads from Mónica's upcoming book ‘I Never Thought Of It That Way', leading to a discussion of the complexities of identity and expressing oneself and the temptation to use membership of certain groups as a shield in arguments. 12:53 Our interpersonal “internal assumption assistant”: positives and negatives. 14:38 Mónica's lens when writing her book. What angle on polarisation and having better conversations does Mónica's book have that other such books lack? The problem of “chaining.” “It's all people.” 20:24 How our attitudes and beliefs arise from our particular experiences across time rather than rational cogitation. Why we must learn to ask where other people are coming from instead of arguing with people's conclusions directly. 24:41 The process of changing minds: again, experiences and relationships matter most. 30:28 The benefits of listening to and learning from and being interested in other people. Mónica's idea of “respect.” The importance of being curious and open. Mónica - reframing the way we interact with others. 36:55 The dangers of making assumptions about other people's views when we interact with them. The dehumanising and destabilising effects of social media on our discourse: do we spend too much time in virtual reality? 42:41 The benefits of being surprised. 44:13 Mónica's experience as a journalist and how this has informed her worldview. Her love of conversation. 48:48 The kinds of questions that are good to ask people, that they respond well to. The difference between questions that inspire openness vs. clamming up - specifics or the way in which we ask the question/who is asking us? 54:13 Iona's main problem with Twitter: you don't just talk to people, you can see, at the same time, what they're saying *about* you to others. “Chaining” and the failure to be curious. How to be more open: small steps. 59:54 Our attachments to our beliefs and the ‘zealotry of converts' paradox. The pain of changing our beliefs on big issues. Opinions as “snapshots.” How to loosen those attachments in conversation - and why we should do this. Listening to other people doesn't mean you endorse their views. 1:05:40 Do our conversational difficulties come from a deep fear of being wrong? [‘Editorial' note: the gif Iona mentions is from the British comedy Peep Show, not Inglourious Basterds!] How do we overcome this fear? The long, slow process of changing one's mind - the distant and often unintended consequences of arguments. 1:11:52 Twitter question: are there any guests Mónica would refuse to have on the Braver Angels podcast and if so, on what criteria? 1:22:29 Twitter question: What had to be trimmed from Mónica's book that she would have liked to have kept in? Is she planning a second book? 1:27:14 Is there anything Mónica wishes Iona had asked her or that Iona didn't give her a chance to talk about?

Ben's website: https://benburgis.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenBurgis Buy ‘Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters' by Ben Burgis: https://redemmas.org/titles/36536-christopher-hitchens--what-he-got-right--how-he-went-wrong--and-why-he-still-matters Follow Matt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mattjj89 Daniel's LinkTree (contains links to his website, Substack, and more): https://linktr.ee/DanielJamesSharp Follow Daniel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DJtotheS Daniel's article ‘Naming the Unnameable: Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens and the Defence of Free Speech' in Areo Magazine: https://areomagazine.com/2021/05/17/naming-the-unnameable-salman-rushdie-christopher-hitchens-and-the-defence-of-free-speech/ References Christopher Hitchens bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens_bibliography Channel 4 News report on Hitchens's death, December 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4yvPSZN5ZQ Hitchens's Vanity Fair essay on J.G. Ballard and sci-fi, ‘The Catastrophist', 2010: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/01/the-catastrophist/307820/ The Brothers Hitchens debate God and Iraq, 2008: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngjQs_QjSwc The New Philosophers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Philosophers Hitchens's Vanity Fair essay on ‘Why Women Aren't Funny', 2007: https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2007/01/hitchens200701 Timestamps 1:07 Introductions 4:34 Daniel reads from his Areo article ‘Naming the Unnameable: Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens and the Defence of Free Speech'. 10:29 Matt reads from his forthcoming book ‘How Hitchens Can Save The Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment'. 13:34 Ben reads from his forthcoming book ‘Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters'. 18:40 Ben discusses why he was attracted to Hitchens in the first place and why he decided to write a book about him: rehabilitation of what Ben believes to be Hitchens' best parts. 28:15 Matt answers the same question. Hitchens as a “first principles thinker”. 34:02 Daniel answers the same question. His seduction by Hitchens and subsequent maturation as an admirer. Some of Hitchens's flaws from Daniel's point of view. 39:29 A discussion of Hitchens the literary critic and how his literary views relate to his political and moral views. Iona's disappointment in Hitchens's dismissal of the sci-fi genre. 44:49 Ben talks about how Hitchens was and remains a figure who needs to be written about and argued with and the reason for writing a book about him: the story of someone who goes badly wrong is more interesting than someone who was right. 46:49 Matt on the irreconcilability of and tensions within some of Hitchens's positions. 43:04 Daniel asks Ben and Matt their views on what Hitchens got right and what he got wrong/how he went wrong and an ensuing discussion on Hitchens's politics, especially on Afghanistan, Iraq, and interventionism (and a comparison of Peter Hitchens's views on the same). 1:05:57 Matt discusses Hitchens on the New Philosophers and the evolution of liberal interventionism. 1:09:14 Iona discusses the feasibility of communism some of Hitchens's foundational (and consistent) values: universalism, liberalism, humanism, anti-authoritarianism, and the defence of free speech (and freedom in general). Hitchens's “trollish” side: uncowed by political correctness or consensus. 1:14:14 Daniel talks about Hitchens on the civil war within Islam. An ensuing discussion on the relevance of this today: arguments over the hijab and the concept of ‘Islamophobia'. Ben compares the misuse of ‘Islamophobia' with the misuse of ‘anti-Semitism'. Hitchens and Israel/Palestine. Plus: Ben discusses his upcoming book defending the radical left economic view in response to Iona's points above. and more.

Dorian's academic profile: https://geosci.uchicago.edu/people/dorian-abbot/ Follow Dorian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DorianAbbot References Dorian's article ‘MIT Abandons Its Mission. And Me.', in Bari Weiss's ‘Common Sense' Substack: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/mit-abandons-its-mission-and-me Dorian's ‘Wall Street Journal' article, ‘The Views That Made Me Persona Non Grata at MIT': https://www.wsj.com/articles/cancel-culture-college-mit-dorian-abbot-university-chicago-representation-equity-equality-11635516316? Watch Dorian's cancelled lecture, ‘Climate and the Potential for Life on Other Planets': https://jmp.princeton.edu/events/climate-and-potential-life-other-planets ‘Life on Mars: The Ethical Implications of Colonizing the Red Planet' by Thomas Cortellesi in ‘Areo Magazine': https://areomagazine.com/2018/07/02/life-on-mars-the-ethical-implications-of-colonizing-the-red-planet/ ‘Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe' by Peter D. Ward and Donald Brownlee: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rare-Earth-Complex-Uncommon-Universe/dp/0387952896 Timestamps 2:24 What makes a planet habitable and how we find exoplanets. 8:18 Dorian's research on the cloud effects on tidally locked planets - and how these effects suggest these planets might be more habitable/Earth-like than previously thought. 14:10 How some exoplanets and their clouds provide a model for the possible future of climate change on Earth. 15:31 Dorian's views on the Fermi paradox - where are the aliens? Why Dorian believes extraterrestrial life is more likely than not. 20:23 Why we should hope to find no life at all on exoplanets rather than finding lots of extinct civilisations. 21:10 Twitter question: what does Dorian think a realistic time scale and strategy for colonising exoplanets would be? 22:39 Twitter question: how useful is the Drake equation? 24:08 Twitter question: what are Dorian's views on von Neumann self-replicating probes? (And a digression on ‘decolonisation' and the possible impacts of us colonising other planets.) 27:50 Dorian's views on the ‘Rare Earth' thesis, which posits that complex life is very unlikely to be found elsewhere in the universe. 29:32 What does Dorian's exoplanet work tell us about climate change? What does Dorian think are the main misconceptions about anthropogenic climate change? What we don't know: the future of climate change 32:21 Dorian's work on rogue planets - could these harbour life? 35:20 Has the atmosphere in physics departments changed recently? Is there pressure from the woke left and climate denialist right? Academia, cancel culture, and chilling. 39:52 Why science should be based on merit, not politics. 40:22 Who does Dorian think Iona should interview?

Jack's chess blog: https://chessgospinny.blogspot.com/ Follow Jack on Twitter: https://twitter.com/imjackrudd Jack's Lichess account: https://lichess.org/@/JackRudd Mansa's Medium blog: https://medium.com/@rasmansa Follow Mansa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rasmansa Mansa's Lichess account: https://lichess.org/@/rasmansa References Lichess, free online chess website: https://lichess.org/ Information about AlphaGo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaGo Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy by John Watson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Modern-Chess-Strategy-Nimzowitsch/dp/1901983072 Ludek Pachman's Modern Chess Strategy: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pachmans-Modern-Chess-Strategy-Pachman/dp/4871874966/ Timestamps 2:32 Jack and Mansa relate how they started playing chess and how it has affected their lives. How Iona recently got into chess. 7:46 How can studying chess benefit people? Does chess provide you with transferable skills? What can it teach you? 12:02 Favourite players both historically and currently. 13:26 How have computers impacted chess-playing? What has the impact of AlphaGo been? What are computers good for in chess? 17:06 Where do beginners go wrong? Mansa's tips for beginners. 19:43 A question from Twitter: what is your favourite chess piece and why? 21:03 Advice on how to study and play chess. Jack's current favourite chess book. 25:46 Another Twitter question: is chess computationally solvable? Is chess now doomed to always end in draws at the highest level? 30:04 The upcoming World Championship: will there be a draw or will it be more messy and exciting? 31:35 Another Twitter question: if it was up to you, what would the format of the World Championship be? 33:08 Thanks to computers, there are no longer adjournments in chess: what has been the effect of this on how games are played? 35:50 Blunders in chess. 38:34 Another Twitter question: will our increasingly short attention spans affect chess? 40:30 Another Twitter question: why is there a paucity of women in chess? 46:08 Another Twitter question: why has such a slow, cerebral game become popular in drama as a backdrop? 46:58 Would you encourage others to play chess. Why or why not? 48:10 Mansa: chess as escapism, as a unifier, as egalitarian, as meritocratic, as a demonstration of personal responsibility; the beauty of chess.

Rob's website: https://www.robbrooks.net/ Rob's academic profile: https://www.bees.unsw.edu.au/our-people/robert-brooks Follow Rob on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brooks_Rob Rob's column for The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/columns/rob-brooks-1343 Buy Rob's first book, Sex, Genes & Rock 'n' Roll, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sex-Genes-Rock-n-Roll/dp/1611682363 Buy Rob's new book, Artificial Intimacy: Virtual friends, digital lovers and algorithmic matchmakers, here: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/1742236855 References Rob's Areo article, ‘How Virtual Friends Can Influence People': https://areomagazine.com/2021/10/19/how-virtual-friends-can-influence-people/ Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814 Timestamps 2:04 Iona reads an excerpt from Artificial Intimacy 7:58 An outline of the book; its themes and genesis. 13:39 ‘Digital lovers'—virtual reality porn, sex robots, smart sex toys &c. Iona and Rob debate: love, sex, and deception—are all relationships in some sense illusions? Is sentience essential for real relationships? Could all elements of ‘genuine' human relationships be replicated by machines—could human/machine relationships become ‘genuine'? 27:26 More debate on sex, friendship, and companionship in light of the artificial. Can there be ‘real intimacy' between humans and machines? 33:31 Digital friends. Dale Carnegie's ‘likeability algorithm': can AI also manipulate us in this way? Iona reads a ‘chilling' passage from Rob's book: how much do algorithms influence us, and how much more influential will they become in time? If Carnegie with his limited vantage point was able to codify how to effectively influence people, just think about what omnipresent AI algorithms could do! 44:08 Could machines get us to like them more than we like other people by using everything they know to be nice and appeal to us, by giving us the ‘tastiest' parts of a relationship without the downsides? Case study: Eliza the chatbot. Can we be fooled/deceived by such machines? 55:42 The most controversial view in Rob's book: if we assume that machines are going to get better at faking human interactions, especially regarding sex and relationships, to the extent that this is enough for a lot of people, then that could potentially be a very good thing. More debate/discussion on/of this and the dominance in our lives of the online. 1:07:30 A shocking plot twist. (And: Slavoj Žižek's sex robots.)

Jamie's academic profile: https://iash.uq.edu.au/profile/2151/jamie-freestone Jamie and Matthew McGann's joint website/blog: http://www.mcgannfreestone.com.au/ Jamie's Areo articles: https://areomagazine.com/author/jamiemiltonfreestone/ References Jamie's ‘The meaning of science' blog post (about his upcoming book): http://www.mcgannfreestone.com.au/?p=1984 Jamie's paper ‘Contemporary Darwinism as a worldview': https://www.academia.edu/56111417/Contemporary_Darwinism_as_a_worldview Jamie's paper ‘Narrative: Agents Acting at a Distance': https://www.academia.edu/44253572/Narrative_Agents_Acting_at_a_Distance Jamie's Areo article ‘Climate Change: A Very Simple Story': https://areomagazine.com/2021/06/24/climate-change-a-very-simple-story/ R. Scott Bakker's article ‘What is the Semantic Apocalypse?': https://rsbakker.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/what-is-the-semantic-apocalypse/ Timestamps 3:30 Iona reads an excerpt from a blog post by Jamie about ‘the meaning of science': how it fundamentally challenges everyone's view of the world. 7:08 Jamie discusses his approach to science, how it differs from other approaches, and his upcoming book on the meaning of science in/for our lives. How his literature background and interest in science are strongly linked. 10:51 Jamie's (and others') outlook versus the ought-is rule and the gatekeeping philosophers. Jamie on now being out and proud about science's applicability to all aspects of life: is-ought and fact/value as false dichotomies and red herrings. 16:28 The twin dangers of projecting morals onto the world and using science to justify eugenics, for example, and how these differ from Jamie's approach of using science to inform morality. 20:22 Narrative in fiction and how it is understood by cognitive science and what it tells us about the evolution of cognition: the evolution of narrative and narratives of evolution. Jamie's ‘grand theory' of what narrative actually is and where the previous study of this has gone wrong. The importance of coherence in narrative and our use of ‘mental time travel' when following narratives. 29:08 Theory of mind and mental time travel together give us our ability to comprehend narrative and explain the two key ingredients of a satisfying narrative (coherence and agent- led actions). 30:04 Foreshadowing and the accretion of meaning: earlier parts of a narrative illuminate later parts and, crucially, vice versa. The nature of skilfully constructed narratives: re-readability, a different story on each reading. 35:30 The difference between whodunnits (and other ‘popular' genres) and ‘great literature'. 41:03 Jamie's views on how narrative evolved. Jamie's speculative views on the evolution of consciousness as being late-arriving: theory of mind is primitive and more widespread among species, whereas full consciousness with mental time travel is unique or rare. And: extrapolation in narrative. 50:48 The failure of scientists to create a compelling narrative on climate change (and Exxon Mobil's and other ‘bad guys'' spectacular successes in the opposite direction). Why we need to change this and how. 57:12 A digressive discussion of individual vs. national/corporate responsibilities to combat climate change. Plus: techno/Deutschian-optimism and resurrecting extinct species. 1:09:08 Jamie argues that even seemingly-abstract ideas like the many-worlds interpretation of quantum physics have huge impacts on our lives and our ideas of meaning and purpose and morality. Could all fiction that doesn't contravene the laws of physics be literally true somewhere in the multiverse? 1:19:48 Jamie on being at bottom a literary theorist and his advice on what and how to read. His ‘reading experiments' and most controversial literary opinion. Plus: should we read translated works? 1:29:40 Why podcast hosts should always read the work of their guests. 1:31:53 Jamie's recommendation on who Iona should interview.

Faithless Hijabi website: https://www.faithlesshijabi.org/ Faithless Hijabi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FaithlessHijabi Support the work of Faithless Hijabi: https://www.faithlesshijabi.org/support-us/ Follow Zara on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zarakayk References: Zara's offending Facebook post featuring a photoshop of two men kissing in front of the Kaaba in Mecca: https://www.facebook.com/zara.kayk/posts/3550692608358194 Zara and Nick's Medium piece on their work and Mariam Oyiza, a Nigerian ex-Muslim who now fights for women's rights, ‘On being a Faithless Hijabi': https://medium.com/@nickforbes_74938/on-being-a-faithless-hijabi-fa73f8827901 Mariam's website: https://letsaii.com/mariam-aliyu/ Iona's Two for Tea conversation with Sadia Hameed: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/94-sadia-hameed-separatist-communities-in-the-uk-public-limited-version Timestamps: 2:04 Zara's ethnic background and her upbringing in Tanzania as part of the closed minority Khoja Shia community. 4:47 A tea-based interruption and interlude; Iona lays down the tea-law. 5:19 Zara continues discussing her upbringing. 6:36 The links between the Khoja community and Shiism in Iraq and Iran. 7:22 Zara's languages and education. 8:19 Zara on the social life of the community growing up: religious and ethnic segregation and family networks. The Khoja community as a “parallel community.” 11:08 Zara discusses breaking away from the community and moving abroad; her desire to pursue higher education. Her feeling of liberation in Malaysia: a place where you could be a Muslim and not wear a hijab and meet people of other ethnicities and religions. 13:38 Zara on meeting a “flamboyant” gay man for the first time and Islamic homophobia. Her first argument with her brother was about his homophobia. 15:03 Zara on the “culture shocks” of coming out of the community bubble and her family's relative liberalism. Moving to Australia. 17:58 Zara's recent return to Tanzania on family business: weird experiences, harassment, and detention and questioning by police for 72 hours about her opinions and posts (including a photoshop of two men kissing in front of the Kaaba in Mecca) on social media. Nick's role: he and others formed a group to make noise about Zara's disappearance. 31:26 Zara's difficulty getting out of Tanzania and back to Australia after her detention. The Australian government's reluctance to help. 36:08 The bigger picture in Tanzania: police and political corruption, brutality, and repression of activists. 39:38 Nick talks about his conservative Christian background, leaving his faith, becoming woke, becoming un-woke after Charlie Hebdo, and becoming involved in ex-Muslim issues. and Faithless Hijabi: what it is and how he got involved. 41:39 How Nick got involved with Faithless Hijabi. What Faithless Hijabi is and what it does: supporting ex-Muslims with mental health issues. 43:38 Zara describes the origins, evolution, and work of Faithless Hijabi. The plight of ex-Muslims and the issues they face. 51:19 Nick tells the story of Mariam, a Nigerian woman who was helped by Faithless Hijabi after she left her conservative Sunni community. 52:08 Faithless Hijabi's therapist vetting process. Risks and trust issues with seeking therapy as an ex-Muslim/apostate. 56:19 The left's failure to support ex-Muslims and apostates. ABC's cutting of an interview with Zara because she spoke about being an ex-Muslim activist. 57:18 Zara talks about what people can do to best support ex-Muslims: we need free and open and nuanced debate between people of all backgrounds about sensitive issues like the hijab rather than caving to claims of offence or prevaricating with cultural relativism.

Will's website: https://willstorr.com/ Follow Will on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wstorr References Will's two previous Two for Tea appearances: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/17-will-storr https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/30-will-storr-the-psychology-of-stories Buy Will's book Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Selfie-How-West-Became-Self-Obsessed/dp/144728366X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1551697010&sr=1-1&keywords=selfie+will+storr Buy Will's book The Science of Storytelling: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Storytelling-Will-Storr/dp/0008276943 Buy Will's novel The Hunger and the Howling of Killian Lone: https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-Howling-Killian-Lone-ebook/dp/B00B73VMCE Buy Will's book The Heretics: Adventures with the Enemies of Science: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B7N26DS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3 Buy Will's latest book The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Status-Game-Will-Storr/dp/0008354634 The Rise of Victimhood Culture by Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rise-Victimhood-Culture-Microaggressions-Spaces/dp/3319703285/ ‘Who Is the Bad Art Friend?' - by Robert Koller New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/magazine/dorland-v-larson.html ‘Tight and Loose Cultures: A Conversation with Michele Gelfand' - by Dave Nussbaum, Behavioral Scientist: https://behavioralscientist.org/tight-and-loose-cultures-a-conversation-with-michele-gelfand/ Timestamps 2:03 Iona waxes lyrical over Will's reading voice. 3:16 Iona reads an excerpt from The Status Game on “the tyranny of the cousins”. 6:18 The three different types of ‘status games': dominance, virtue, and success. How these still influence our social life today. How we share these games with other animals. 10:23 How Will's concepts link with Jason Manning and Bradley Campbell's delineation of three types of culture: honour, dignity, and victimhood. How different types of status games have been dominant at different periods of history. How we have returned to virtue games after a period dominated by success games. 13:14 The Bad Art Friend controversy and its relation to the ideas in Will's book. Why status matters to us as much as food and water. Why we become annoyed when other people claim status: the relativity of status. 19:52 Will further explains the concept of “the tyranny of the cousins”. How this applies to today's social media and cancel culture. Social media just changes the landscape within which our instincts act. 26:10 Have we improved morally over time? The Pinkerian view à la Will: progress as a story of our overcoming how beholden we are to primitive status games. The Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution replaced virtue games with success games: status rewards for knowledge. Success games = progress. Status-seeking in science. 30:08 Michele Gelfand's ‘tight' vs. ‘loose' cultures and how Will applies these concepts: tight vs. loose games. Tyrannies and cults as tight games. ‘Tight virtue games' on Twitter: conformist, punitive. 34:34 Do we need tight games such as religion to function as a society? Has there been a decline in the quality of the kinds of status we can aim for today? Lack of pride and dignity as a hidden form of deprivation in the post-religious world. Is our obsession with virtue nowadays a result of the lack of meaning in our capitalistic lives? 41:52 The shift away from in-person interactions to online interactions. ‘Being listened to' as a form of status that we now seek online. ‘Inflation' of online status in this regard. How the online world negates our brains' complex, evolved social systems. 45:52 Why do smart people believe stupid things? Why do ordinary, decent people do evil things? And how does all this relate to status? How does the status game perspective explain the Nazis? and more on full version.

Follow Kat on Twitter: https://twitter.com/katrosenfield Kat's website: https://katrosenfield.com/ Some of Kat's non-fiction writing, for UnHerd and Spectator World: https://unherd.com/author/kat-rosenfield/ https://spectatorworld.com/author/kat-rosenfield/ Purchase Kat's new book, No One Will Miss Her, here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/no-one-will-miss-her-kat-rosenfield Listen to Kat's podcast, Feminine Chaos, here: https://shows.acast.com/femininechaos Support Feminine Chaos here: https://www.patreon.com/femininechaos References: Who Is the Bad Art Friend? - New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/05/magazine/dorland-v-larson.html Feminine Chaos episode discussing the Bad Art Friend controversy: https://shows.acast.com/femininechaos/episodes/conflict-is-stored-in-the-kidneys Papers in the Wind by Eduardo Sacheri: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Papers-Wind-Eduardo-Sacheri/dp/1590516427 Timestamps: 2:20 Kat introduces and reads an excerpt from her new novel, No One Will Miss Her. 7:03 Kat discusses her previous novels in comparison to her new one. 7:45 Why are women attracted to murder mystery novels? Is it because women constantly feel at risk from men and want to take control? Why was Kat drawn to the genre? 11:43 The historical and current associations between women and the novel—both in general and with murder mystery/whodunnits in particular. The particular expectations of women writers/readers vs. male writers/readers. 14:27 The connection between the novel of manners and the murder mystery. 15:43 Kat's literary (and musical) influences and inspirations. 19:58 Is there a difference between the way men and women write in this genre or is the individual's approach more important? 20:58 Kat's experiences of the differences between writing YA fiction and adult fiction. What restrictions and freedoms are there in these genres? The passing of the early 2010s ‘YA moment' and YA now—the current constricting focus on identity in YA and literary fiction. 25:03 Is there a real distinction between ‘literary fiction' and other forms of fiction? ‘Literary fiction' as a social scene or community rather than a distinct mode of writing. Pulpy fiction vs. literary fiction. The Bad Art Friend controversy. 30:43 Is fiction by and for women devalued because of its femininity? Male novels vs. female novels in the 18th century. ‘Trashy' masculine novels. ‘Chick lit' and ‘dick lit'. 34:22 Have there been surprising reactions to Kat's new novel? One maddening review. How to construct mysteries and twists effectively. The pleasures of reading well-constructed plots. 37:08 The importance of plotting and how literary fiction is often lacking in this regard. The difficulty of coming after Agatha Christie, the master of construction and plotting. Good surprises in fiction vs. bad ones. The pleasures of re-reading well-constructed plots. 42:47 Kat's feelings on her new novel being finished and ‘out there'. Her anxiety over surpassing herself in her next novel. 44:55 Kat's choices about the ‘left-behind town' setting of No One Will Miss Her. The challenges of writing mystery in the age of the internet and constant interpersonal connection. 49:15 Connections between Kat's fiction and non-fiction: exploring the same questions via different angles. 50:00 Is there a specific theme running through Kat's writing that she sees as ‘her own'? What are the subjects and questions that interest Kat? How women's traditional social skills give them an advantage in the digital age. 52:08 The differences between male and female violence/aggression. 53:50 Kat discusses why she loves the process of writing.

Follow Gurwider on Twitter: https://twitter.com/G_S_Bhogal You can find all Gurwinder's Areo articles here: https://areomagazine.com/author/gurwinderbhogal/ Articles referenced here: How Not to De-Radicalize a Twitter Neo-Nazi - Areo: https://areomagazine.com/2017/10/28/how-not-to-de-radicalize-a-twitter-neo-nazi/ Alex Jones Was Victimized by One Oligopoly. But He Perpetuated Another: https://quillette.com/2018/09/30/alex-jones-was-victimized-by-one-oligopoly-but-he-perpetuated-another/ The Best Cure for Fake News is Fake News - Rabbit Hole: https://rabbitholemag.com/the-best-cure-for-fake-news-is-fake-news/ Further References You can find all the articles published as part of Areo's free speech fortnight here: https://twitter.com/AreoMagazine/status/1394704394189479939?s=20 My interview with Ayishat Akanbi: https://soundcloud.com/twoforteapodcast/63-ayishat-akanbi-styles-of-identity Ayishat's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ayishat_Akanbi My article on the involuntary nature of belief: Can We Make Ourselves Believe? A Letter Exchange - Areo: https://areomagazine.com/2019/08/18/can-we-make-ourselves-believe-a-letter-exchange/ I misspoke during the podcast. The original letter exchange was between Peter Boghossian and Maarten Boudry: Unbelievable: Can You Believe Something You Know is False? - letter.wiki: https://letter.wiki/conversation/22 Bret Weinstein - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi5N_uAqApEUIlg32QzkPlg AARON Z. LEWIS: www.aaronzlewis.com Timestamps 3:09 Fake news 11:55 Learning and heuristics, signalling, status games 18:08 Social media, virality and the oligopoly of perspectives 33:43 Listening as a persuasive technique 51:26 Conspiracy theories as a spandrel, mithridatism of false information, why it should be freedom of opinion, not freedom of information, how do we solve the problem of conspiracy theories? 57:38 The lab leak hypothesis and the mainstream echo chamber 1:02:18 The Woozle effect 1:10:08 Hypernovelty 1:13:43 Predictive coding

For more of James' related thoughts on free speech, representation and democracy see: https://antigonejournal.com/2021/04/two-concepts-of-free-speech/ https://areomagazine.com/2019/05/16/two-concepts-of-representation/ https://proandepimetheus.blogspot.com/2020/08/harsh-but-unfair.html https://freespeech.buzzsprout.com/370355/5178406-episode-30-dr-kierstead-on-ancient-greek-values-of-free-speech-and-diversity-of-thought-at-our-universities https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2021/08/04/dr-james-kierstead-dr-michael-johnston-why-the-new-hate-speech-legislation-should-be-scrapped/ Follow James' podcast Free Kiwis, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjc1cT_a9JM Follow James on Twitter @Kleisthenes2 1:00 Introduction 3:12 The difference between the two values of parrhesia and isegoria. 7:52 Why some people feel that defending free speech requires silencing certain voices 14:16 The Areopagus 25:22 Milton's Areopagitica 27:53 Free speech absolutism 38:44 The futility of attempting to rectify manners 41:41 The two different types of representation 48:10 Representation in the arts and fiction compared with representation the political arena 58:33 Controversy over the death of Socrates. Socrates' views on democracy 1:05:41 The state of free speech at New Zealand universities

Lee's book with Lyudmila Trut, How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog): Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution (2017) can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Tame-Fox-Build-Dog/dp/022644418X I also highly recommend Behind the Crimson Curtain: The Rise and Fall of Peale's Museum (2020): https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Crimson-Curtain-Peales-Museum/dp/1941953727 Follow Lee on Twitter @LeeDugatkin Timestamps 1:27 Behind the Crimson Curtain and other books 2:59 The silver fox breeding project 14:13 When you select for tameness, you get a suite of other changes; evolution through changes to gene expression, rather than changes to the genes themselves. 22:36 Evo devo 24:51 The cascade of apparently unrelated changes which appear when you select for one trait. Neural crest cells. Why do tame animals often have floppy ears? 32:18 Other changes associated with domestication; cross-fostering experiments 40:08 Humans as self-domesticated apes 46:46 The amazing people working on the fox domestication experiments 54:34 More thoughts on early human–wolf interactions

David has created a series of films on this controversy on his Rebel Wisdom channel. You can find them here: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/42-film-content/vaccines-ivermectin/842-vaccines-dark-horse-final-word David and I talk about the responsibilities of independent media with regard to this issue here: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/42-film-content/vaccines-ivermectin/837-dark-horse-journalism-with-iona-italia David's article for Areo can be found here: https://areomagazine.com/2021/08/12/on-bret-weinstein-alternative-media-ivermectin-and-vaccine-related-controversies/ David's deep dive article on the scientific background to these issues can be found here: https://medium.com/rebel-wisdom/on-vaccine-safety-ivermectin-and-the-dark-horse-podcast-an-investigation-f32491d4c970 Follow David on Twitter @fullydavid

Nicholas's book, Drones and Terrorism: Asymmetric Warfare and the Threat to Global Security (2018) can be found here: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/drones-and-terrorism-9781838608439/ Subscribe to Arc Digital: Arc Digital For more relevant writing by Nicholas, see the following articles: https://www.arcdigital.media/p/every-option-in-afghanistan-was-bad https://medium.com/arc-digital/americas-predictable-avoidable-unnecessary-syrian-disaster-f0e1292e9449 https://warontherocks.com/2019/04/trump-cancels-drone-strike-civilian-casualty-report-does-it-matter/ https://medium.com/arc-digital/el-paso-was-terrorism-dayton-wasnt-and-why-that-matters-9b01a2ed2d94 https://medium.com/arc-digital/the-forever-war-keeps-going-76844f9ae16e https://medium.com/arc-digital/qanon-woke-up-the-real-deep-state-72bbfcb79488 Follow Nicholas on Twitter: @Ngrossman81 Timestamps 0:56 Intro 3:08 Background to the situation; Trump's handling of the withdrawal from Syria 7:48 Have the Taliban reneged on their agreement with Trump 8:59 The nature of the US presence in Afghanistan 18:08 20 years of at least some Afghans having a freer life; treatment of women in Afghanistan 21:00 What is your explanation for the evacuation flights being mostly men? 28:08 The connections between the Taliban and Al Qaeda 35:49 The Taliban is not simply "local culture"!; but what extent are the Taliban aided by local sympathisers? 44:52 More on the withdrawal; why weren't people working with the west taken out earlier? 53:58 What are your viewpoints on reluctance to issue visas to Afghans 1:06:51 Thought on US withdrawing from everywhere possible; did the US create the Taliban? 1:16:29 What is your sense of the short and medium term future of Afghanistan?

To find out more about Angel: http://angeleduardo.com/ Follow Angel on Twitter @StrangelEdweird 0:55 Introduction 2:18 Starmanning 7:58 David Fuller's Areo piece and Majid Nawaz 13:00 Daryl Davis 14:28 Is starmanning civility porn? Does it create false equivalences? 16:23 Steve Sailer 21:20 Changing our minds; an intellectual ship of Theseus 23:45 Signalling in more productive ways 27:45 Vitriol on social media 30:58 My boyfriend's brother looked me up on Twitter 32:52 What are you trying to achieve when you use social media? 34:08 We don't need to vent emotions 35:08 If Taleb had been around in the eighteenth century 36:59 Westworld 39:08 Twitter's new "are you sure you want to say this?" feature 41:56 Free speech, the Areo article and the euphemism treadmill 50:15 Terms becoming taboo, changing societal attitudes 55:19 A passage from teaching creative writing 58:08 A public shaming 1:04:13 Summing up

For more about Dinyar: Dinyar Patel – Assistant Professor of South Asian History: https://dinyarpatel.com/ Dinyar's book, Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism (2020), can be found here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Naoroji-Pioneer-Nationalism-Dinyar-Patel/dp/0674238206 Follow Dinyar on Twitter @DinyarPatel Timestamps 3:18 Why Naoroji was important: an excerpt from Dinyar's book 9:15 Why Naoroji is so much less well known than other Indian nationalists 12:45 Economic drain theory 16:35 Indianising the Indian Civil Service 21:00¬- Naoroji's career in the UK Parliament 29:09 Lord Salisbury's notorious remarks about the “black man” running for Parliament and other racist attacks 36:45 The latter part of Naoroji's life: greater radicalisation, a more international focus and changes to the direction of Indian nationalism 41:27 How is Naoroji viewed by other modern Indian historians? 46:47 How did Naoroji's Parsi background affect his life, his approach, his experiences? 50:08 Two final points: the difficulties inherent in researching this material; Indians in Victorian era Britain

You can find full details of Adrian's fiction here: https://www.panmacmillan.com/blogs/science-fiction-and-fantasy/adrian-tchaikovsky-books-in-order. Follow Adrian on Twitter @aptshadow. Timestamps 0:57 Introduction 1:58 Children of Time optioned 3:24 Passage from Doors of Eden 7:53 Alternative evolutionary scenarios 9:55 Gould and the Burgess shale 12:13 Intelligence without sentience 14:10 What are the defining characteristics of intelligence? 19:38 A.I., Shards of Earth and adapted humans 22:48 The singularity 29:03 Networked intelligences And a debate on the latest Star Trek! 31:53 Ursula Le Guin 33:23 Oher favourite SF writers 36:06 Why did you become a fiction writer? 38:33 Passage from Doors of Eden 45:27 Why Adrian is especially drawn to SF/Fantasy 48:53 Writing Neil de Grasse Tyson style proof 50:48 Two types of research 53:57 Research and Wolf Hall 55:02 Ursula Le Guin/ Left Hand of Darkness 56:46 Twitter questions - 3rd book of Children of Time 57:32 Titles being changed 59:16 Putting oneself in the place of a hive mind 1:00:38 Role playing games 1:01:53 Final thoughts - Dogs of War, Bear Head and Adrian reads from Children of Time.

You can find a complete bibliography of David's work here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/David-M.-Buss/e/B000AP5RSU David's book, Bad Men: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment and Assault (2021): https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1472146336/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 (US title: When Men Behave Badly) The Buss lab at the University of Texas: https://labs.la.utexas.edu/buss/ Follow him on Twitter @ProfDavidBuss Other References Tina Turner and Kurt Loder, I, Tina (1986), adapted in 1993 as the film What's Love Got to Do with It Timestamps 1:42 David Buss reads a short passage. Introduction to the book. 3:08 The origins of intersexual conflict in the evolution of sexual reproduction 8:55 Men's greater desire for sexual variety 11:21 What kinds of men are most likely to be rapists? 14:08 The mate deprivation hypothesis debunked 21:13 Women's evolved fear of strangers 30:23 Predictors of intimate partner violence 32:28 Mate value discrepancies 38:17 Why women are unfaithful 43:08 Online dating 50:27 The MeToo movement 53:34 Defending evo psych

Jerry's book Why Evolution Is True (2010) can be found here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/300564/why-evolution-is-true-by-jerry-a-coyne/ Faith vs Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible (2016) can be found here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/312382/faith-versus-fact-by-jerry-a-coyne/9780143108269/ Speciation (2004) by Jerry Coyne and H. Allen Orr can be found here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/speciation-9780878930890?cc=gb&lang=en& Jerry's blog: https://whyevolutionistrue.com/ Follow Jerry on Twitter @Evolutionistrue Further References Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now (2018); The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011) Timestamps 3:30 Why Jerry wrote Why Evolution Is True 5:45 Public misperceptions of evolution 8:52 Evolution as a tinkerer: the example of hernias 11:08 Turtles, rhinos and tradeoffs 14:38 How mutation works 16:33 How speciation works (with an excerpt from Why Evolution Is True) 23:46 What people (including Darwin) misunderstand about speciation 28:38 Faith vs. Fact: why evolutionary biology has become the main political battleground of religion vs. science 33:42 A creationist road trip. 36:36 Scientists allying with religious groups. The work of the Templeton Foundation. 42:08 Belief in belief. 46:36 The biggest threats to rationality other than religion. 47:10 The argument from evil; rejection of vaccines 49:59 A reading from Evolution Is True

You can find Andrew's books here (among other places): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-Doyle/e/B001K8AWRC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Andrew's show, Free Speech Nation, can be found here: https://www.gbnews.uk/shows/free-speech-nation For Jonathan Pie (co-written with Tom Walker) see: https://www.youtube.com/user/tomwalker78 Follow Andrew on Twitter: @andrewdoyle_com Further References For more on Marcus Meechan (Count Dankula): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFraBEwucEY Helen Pluckrose's review of Free Speech and Why It Matters for Areo Magazine: https://areomagazine.com/2021/03/03/defending-the-key-liberal-value-andrew-doyles-free-speech-and-why-it-matters/ Greg Lukianoff, Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate (2014) Nigel Warburton, Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction (2009) Nadine Strossen, HATE: Why We Should Resist it With Free Speech, Not Censorship (2018) Jeonmi Park's interview with Jordan Peterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yqa-SdJtT4 Jordan Peterson, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (1999) Michel Foucault, The History of Sexuality (1976) Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness (1928) Compton Mackenzie, Extraordinary Women (1928) E. M. Forster, Maurice (1971) Guy Deutscher, Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages (2010) https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/how-british-cops-became-the-literal-speech-police (Your host, Iona, on UK hate speech laws) Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning, The Rise of Victimhood Culture: Microaggressions, Safe Spaces, and the New Culture Wars (2018) Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (2018) Timestamps 9:41 A primer on free speech 14:10–22:42 The new conformity: excerpt from Andrew's book 22:52 Cancel culture vs. political correctness 24:53 Consequentialist arguments vs. human rights arguments for free speech 27:10 How easily influenced are we by media? 36:20 The influence of postmodern ideas of language as power on the free speech debate 38:45 Homosexuality: a social construct? 49:16 Censorship from the left 55:26 Self-censorship 56:28 Censorship by the Tory government, including social media censorship 01:08:43 Trade offs of free speech. The dangers of restricting freedoms. The Scottish Hate Speech Bill.