The Dissidents

Mar 20 2025 236 ep. 62 mins 4

The Dissidents Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Dissidents podcast from the Institute for Liberal Values (formerly the Counterweight Podcast), where we talk about how we can strive for a world in which freedom and reason are at the forefront of all human society.

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S5 E7 | Games People Play: Eroding the Foundations of Public Trust

Mar 20 2025 80 mins

In this week's episode Mike and Elizabeth discuss an article that provides a brief history of how tyrants break confidence in democracy by destroying public trust in institutions, and attacking the government as wasteful and incompetent. The author (Anthony Brunello) describes the tactic of cutting government to ensure it is less effective, thus making it easier to sell the ide

FSF Ep. 23: Free Speech, Effective Communication, & the Value of Civil Discourse | Erec Smith

Mar 19 2025 20 mins

“Modeling civil discourse is crucial”. In this episode of the Free Speech Forward podcast, Chris and Joia engage with Erec Smith, an expert in Rhetoric, discussing the critical role of free speech in society. Smith emphasizes the importance of effective communication skills, the concept of Defensive Confidence, and the need for resilience in the face of criticism. He shares ins

S5 E6 | Top of the Class: Attractive Teachers with Lenient Grading Get High Marks

Mar 14 2025 64 mins

In this week's episode frequent contributors Mark Horowitz, Nafees Alam join Elizabeth to discuss quality college teaching and how it is measured. University students typically complete one of several commercially available evaluation forms at the end of each semester. Administrators use responses to evaluate faculty for reappointment, tenure, and for other forms of recognition

S5 E5 | Give the Devil His Due: Open Mindedness for the Sake of Serenity

Mar 06 2025 61 mins

In this week's episode Elizabeth and Matt start by discussing an Op-Ed about the dangers of demonizing Donald Trump. The author (David Scharfenberg) reminds us that when we label a person or group as evil we tend to look away. We may focus on fighting against an enemy, dehumanize, and become more afraid than proactive. We also do not learn. Elizabeth reveals that she chose the

FSF Ep. 22: “Think of Free Speech as a Sort of Release Valve for Society” | Brent Hamachek

Mar 06 2025 22 mins

“Check your premises, always.” In this episode of the Free Speech Forward podcast, Brent Hamachek joins with Chris and Joia to discuss his journey as an advocate for free speech and individual liberty. He introduces several initiatives he is involved in, including The Common Ground Campus Program, The Free Society Coalition, and The American 250. Brent emphasizes the importanc

S5 E4 | We Are All Miracles: A Faith and Liberalism Series with Angel Eduardo

Feb 27 2025 68 mins

This week Jennifer Richmond and Angel Eduardo continue their conversation on faith and liberalism. The main question we tackle in this conversation is: do we need religion? Jennifer credits her faith to her “upward aim” and “striving” and doubts that she would approach life with such a conviction without her faith. Angel says that he can accomplish this same quest for moral

Developing Democratic Citizens with Ellie Avishai | Liberal Approaches to Diversity & Inclusion Podcast Series

Feb 20 2025 54 mins

In 2022 Counterweight, the organization that Helen Pluckrose founded and that was absorbed into the Institute for Liberal Values had a virtual conference on Alternatives to Diversity and Inclusion. Starting in 2025, we will be rolling out one talk a month that was presented at the conference. We sit down with the original presenters throughout 2025 to see what has changed since 202

FSF Ep. 21: Free Speech, Religion, & Living Authentically | Sangeetha Shankar

Feb 18 2025 21 mins

"Speak up. Your voice is important." In this episode of the Free Speech Forward podcast, Chris and Joia speak with Sangeetha Shankar, who shares her journey as an advocate for free speech, a journey rooted in her upbringing in India and her experiences as a homeschooling mother. Sangeetha discusses the challenges faced by Hindu communities, particularly in light of the SB 403 bill

S5 E4 | Truth Will Stand Under Scrutiny

Feb 14 2025 70 mins

This week Jen & Wink speak with Susanna McIntyre about her transformation from Catholicism to Atheism, Antifa to Dissident, and an alignment with Preference Falsification that turned into a Preference Cascade. Susanna claims that her journey towards critical thinking was an “accident” but we find inspiration in Susanna’s very intentional search for truth and the embrace o

Series | Bring Back the Social: The Perils of Narrow Ideology in the Field of Social Work

Feb 06 2025 68 mins

Respect for human diversity is inherent in social work education, practice, and is an essential element of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Yet many social workers and others are unaware that political and religious diversity are referenced several times in the Code. Is social work becoming ideologically intolerant, illiberal, orthodox, and incompat