Table of Contents
So to Speak podcast: Free speech, psychology, and madness
![Stetson University Professor of Psychology Christopher J. Ferguson.](/sites/default/files/styles/379x213/public/2021/07/15092541/STS_Featured-5.jpg?h=252f27fa&itok=18Ug2tx_)
![](/sites/default/files/styles/833x469/public/oembed_thumbnails/2022-08/w2_CtXBvye-Du97yYK8KbrYmE5cAKIKSP7cQ-NmqAOQ.jpg?h=144d094f&itok=ngxpF_Tr)
On today’s episode of So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast, we are joined by Stetson University Professor of Psychology Christopher J. Ferguson for a wide-ranging conversation about the psychology of censorship, the role of madness and eccentricity in shaping history, the effects of social media, the growing polarization and politicization of modern institutions, including academia, and more.
Ferguson is the author of the new book “How Madness Shaped History: An Eccentric Array of Maniacal Rulers, Raving Narcissists, and Psychotic Visionaries.” He has also co-authored “Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games is Wrong,” which was the subject of a past So to Speak episode.
Show notes:
- Transcript
- “Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies” by Jared M. Diamond
- “Repressive Tolerance” by Herbert Marcuse
- “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness” by Richard H. Thaler and Cass Sunstein
You can subscribe and listen to So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher, or download episodes directly from SoundCloud.
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Have questions or ideas for future shows? Email us at sotospeak@thefire.org.
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