Quillette Podcast
Quillette Podcast
Quillette
Long-form conversations with scientists, writers, historians, and public intellectuals on the ideas shaping — and dividing — the Western world. Mostly hosted by Jonathan Kay — Canadian journalist, author, and Quillette editor whose books include Among the Truthers, a landmark investigation into conspiracy culture. Kay brings a rare combination of intellectual range, genuine curiosity, and willingness to push back, whether the subject is evolutionary biology, cancel culture, geopolitics, or the philosophy of free speech. Non-dogmatic, evidence-driven, and unafraid of controversy.
Politicising the Humanities: Sociology as Case Study
Jonathan Kay speaks with University of Hawaii professor Ashley Rubin, co-author of the recently published Special Commission Report on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and the Humanistic Social Sciences. 00:00 Introduction: the Vanderbilt report 02:30 Do professional associations speak for the field? 05:35 What gets on the conference programme—and what doesn't 06:10 Why everyone picks on sociologists 08:05 The variables you're not allowed to test 11:15 "Prisoner resistance": how a concept got out of hand 14:00 A Marxist editor and the fear of seeming conservative 17:25 What the report does and doesn't claim 18:50 The Yale trust report and grade inflation 22:40 Activists, ringleaders and the silent majority 25:50 Inside the ASA boycott 28:45 Should sociology split into parties? 31:50 Durkheim on why disciplines need shared rules 34:30 Authoritarianism from your own side Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 4
38 min
The ‘Sex Recession’ is Real
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to Debra Soh, author of Sextinction: The Decline of Sex and the Future of Intimacy, about neuroscience, hypergamy, elephant seals, politicised sex research, the perils of polyamory, and the sex-repellent scourge of ’phubbing.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 26
1 hr 2 min
First Nations Chief, Podcast Pundit, Indigenous Gadfly
Jonathan Kay speaks with Aaron Pete, leader of the Chawathil First Nation in British Columbia, about his community’s socioeconomic challenges, intra-Indigenous politics, the legacy of residential schools, and progressive taboos surrounding of “unmarked graves.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 7
50 min
The Great Canadian Unmarked-Graves Social Panic (2021-2026)
Mia Hughes and Stella O'Malley of the Beyond Gender podcast interview Quillette's Jonathan Kay about the progressive ideological manias spawned during the Justin Trudeau years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 22
55 min
Why the Enlightenment Matters
Iona Italia talks to lawyer and historian Adam Wakeling about the enduring importance of Enlightenment values and how to defend them today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 10
58 min
The Case Against State-Sanctioned Euthanasia
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Kathleen Stock about her new book, Do Not Go Gentle—in which she argues that governments should be denied any institutional role in facilitating the death of their citizens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 1
34 min
An Ivy League University Looks Inward
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Yale Law School professor Sarath Sanga, co-author of a surprisingly candid new ⁠report⁠ explaining why the American public is losing trust in the country’s colleges and universities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 21
46 min
The Last Straight Woman
Senior Writer and Podcast Producer Iona Italia talks to writer Phoebe Maltz Bovy about her latest book: 'The Last Straight Woman: On Desiring Men.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 8
44 min
Is Fighting Antisemitism a Waste of Time?
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, who encourages Jews to focus on bolstering their community instead of lecturing right-wing bigots and progressive political extremists who can’t be reasoned with. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 2
32 min
Load more