Podcast for Inquiry S01E06: James Turk on Free Expression: A Defense with Limitations

I speak with James Turk (@jameslturk), Director of the Centre for Free Expression at Ryerson University, in Podcast for Inquiry's sixth episode. James and I discuss the importance of free expression in a democratic society, the futility and counterproductive nature of censorship, and what limits on expression are reasonable and justified. We also talk about the “marketplace of ideas” and how it informs free expression, and the surprising connection between monopolies and the stifling of speech.

Listen to our conversation here:

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S01E05: The State of Democracy in the World with Mariam Mufti

I speak with Dr. Mariam Mufti, an Associate Professor of political science at the University of Waterloo, in the fifth episode of Podcast for Inquiry. We discuss the various waves of democracy in the past century, and the backlash to them. We talk about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and how most democratic countries have united against it (at least so far). We also look at what has led to the recent decrease in trust in public institutions, and why democratic voters support authoritarian leaders like Bolsonaro, Modi, Erdogan, and Duterte. Mariam provides suggestions on what citizens and countries can do to protect democracy, and discusses whether there is an inherent contradiction between Islam and democracy. Miriam does her best to convince me that, despite recent setbacks, democracy is not a lost cause around the globe.

Listen to our conversation here:

The episode is also available on YouTube (due to a technical glitch, video is not available):