Is liberalism collapsing under the weight of its contradictions?

In this Conversation with Peter Boghossian, Peter sits down with economist and political thinker Philip Pilkington to examine the unraveling of liberalism, not as a policy failure, but as a philosophical dead end. From John Locke’s contract theory to the chaos of contemporary identity politics, Pilkington argues that liberalism has been stretched beyond its functional use and now teeters on the edge of absurdity.

They explore what comes next: a return to civilizational roots, a post-liberal future shaped by ancient ethics, economic realism, and the re-emergence of pre-liberal norms. Peter pushes back on Christian nationalism, the legitimacy crisis in Western institutions, and the techno-optimism surrounding AI, while both wrestle with the future of Western civilization, if there is one.

Liberalism is not evolving, it’s collapsing. And what replaces it may not be liberal at all.

Find Philip Pilkington:

Host of the Multipolarity Podcast: @MultipolarPod.

Follow Philip on X: @philippilk

Follow Philip on Substack: https://substack.com/@macrocosm

What if the people shaping public policy are the most deluded among us?

In this episode of Conversations with Peter Boghossian, Peter and Dr. Scott Scheall, Associate Professor of Philosophy & Economics at the University of Austin (UATX) dig into what happens when ideology overrides mission. From California’s literal wildfires to the metaphorical ones burning through our institutions, the two explore the delusion of competence, the psychological trap of "unknown unknowns," and the real-world consequences of electing leaders more obsessed with optics than outcomes.

Guest: Dr. Scott Scheall, Associate Professor of Philosophy & Economics in the Center for Economics, Politics & History at the University of Austin (UATX)

Follow Dr. Scott Scheall on Substack: policymakerignorance.substack.com

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Mia Hughes and Peter Boghossian tackle the NYT’s "The Protocol," a six-part podcast that sanitizes the horrors of transgender medicalization and sterilization. They unpack its heavily filtered themes.

Mia Hughes, leading expert and critic of The WPATH Files, revealed ghoulish medical abuse in "gender-affirming care" targeting kids, teens, and vulnerable adults.

In this episode of Conversations with Peter Boghossian, Peter speaks with Dr. Howland who traces how historical atrocities resurface in today’s progressive rhetoric. From the psychology behind Nazi youth and post-Holocaust Europe to the ideological alignment between liberal activism and Jew hating narratives, the discussion spans generations of hatred cloaked in “righteous” causes.

Jake shares how witnessing the wreckage of post-Soviet Eastern Europe - marked by crumbling infrastructure, cultural amnesia, and the lingering shadows of totalitarianism - shaped the course of his scholarly life. His experience serves as a sobering prelude to today’s rise in Jew hatred. Their conversation culminates in insights about scapegoating, identity politics, and moral confusion. Peter draws out Jake's insights about victimhood culture, the legacy media’s complicity, and the dangers of ignoring history’s warnings. What happens when critical thinking is replaced by propagandistic slogans and moral clarity is abandoned for righteous activism? We know the answer. Nothing good.

Howland reminds us that confronting these challenges demands honesty and intellectual rigor, not obsequiousness and ideological surrender. At UATX, Howland and colleagues are doing just this by equipping students to think clearly, carefully, and critically and to be forthright in their speech. Peter and Jake understand that the stakes —freedom and humanity—are too high to ignore.

Guest: Jake Howland, Ph.D., Author, Holocaust Scholar, Provost at UATX Find Jake Howland Online: www.uaustin.org/people/jacob-howland Jake Howland LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-howland-7565938/

Harry Saul Markham, a 25-year-old recent graduate of University College London (UCL), takes a keen interest in addressing threats to democracy, social cohesion, and the rights of minorities.

In his roles as a Junior Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy and an Advisory Board member of Academics for Academic Freedom, he has been involved in media interviews, discussions with policymakers, journalists, and other prominent public figures in advancing centrist, but bold approaches, to some of the major social issues facing Western Europe.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

I spoke with US commentator and author David Pakman, host of the wildly popular progressive YouTube channel, The David Pakman Show. David just published a new book, "The Echo Machine: How Right-Wing Extremism Created a Post-Truth America". It’s extraordinarily rare for a left-leaning figure to accept my invitation to come on the show and have a conversation, and I’m grateful David did. Our conversation was civil, respectful, and engaging.

We dove into the state of America, with David sharing his views on the left, right, and MAGA. We tackled major issues—from the Trump administration’s strategy to Elon Musk and the future Tesla stock.

The David Pakman Show (TDPS) started as a radio show called Midweek Politics in the basement of community radio station WXOJ’s studio in Northampton, Massachusetts. Today, it is one of the most watched independent progressive podcasts and online shows.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

In a candid conversation with Dutch sociologist Dr. Eric Hendriks, we dive into the geopolitical currents shaping Europe, America, and China. From Europe’s identity crisis to the specter of a U.S.-China conflict, we wrestle with questions about immigration, power, and morality in a world in which the US is no longer the global hegemon.

Watch this episode on YouTube.