Quillette Podcast
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.
101
'How We Form Our Political Beliefs' with Oliver...
Iona Italia talks to Oliver Traldi about his new book, ‘Political Beliefs: A Philosophical Introduction.’
90 min
102
'Language vs. Reality' with Nick Enfield
Iona Italia interviews linguistic anthropologist Nick Enfield about why language is good for lawyers and bad for scientists.
69 min
103
The Freedom to Blaspheme
Jonathan Kay speaks to fellow podcast host Kushal Mehra about the ‘eerie similarities’ between censorship campaigns in India and Canada.
32 min
104
'Life on Mars' with Robert Zubrin
Iona Italia talks to Robert Zubrin, who argues that Mars offers an extraordinary wealth of social and intellectual opportunities.
80 min
105
Protest? Polite Pass
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with New York Times columnist Pamela Paul about why she’s got better ways to change the world than standing around yelling slogans
33 min
106
'Parsi Bombay Then and Now' with Nev March
Iona Italia talks to Nev March about her novel, Murder in Old Bombay, and about the Zoroastrians of Bombay, past and present.
89 min
107
Justin Trudeau’s Ominous Online Harms Act: ‘Min...
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to Atlantic Magazine staff writer Conor Friedersdorf about an alarmingly censorious government bill that would allow officials to punish Canadians for things they haven’t done yet.
18 min
108
Supporting Trans People Without Denying the Fac...
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to Duke University law school professor (and former U.S. National Collegiate athletic champion) Doriane Lambelet Coleman about her new book, “On Sex and Gender”
39 min
109
Technology Is Not the Problem
Iona Italia talks to Timandra Harkness about her new book, on our ambivalent relationship with personalised technology.
64 min
110
The (Culture) War Diaries of Nellie Bowles
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with ‘Morning After the Revolution’ author Nellie Bowles about her tragicomic journalistic adventures amid progressive true believers—from the offices of The New York Times to the streets of San Francisco
50 min
111
'Recovery from Rape' with Larissa Phillips
Quillette podcast host Iona Italia talks to Larissa Phillips about the best ways to prevent rape and promote victims' recovery
58 min
112
Experiencing Autogynephilia
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to self-described 'Transsexual Apostate’ Debbie Hayton about the link between sexual self-attraction and transgender self-identification.
49 min
113
Fighting Back Against Progressive ‘Neo-Racism’
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to writer Coleman Hughes about his acclaimed new book, ‘The End of Race Politics Arguments for a Colorblind America’
41 min
114
Creating a Safe Space for ‘Problematic’ Women
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with fellow podcaster Meghan Daum about The Unspeakeasy.
39 min
115
Is Israel Really Committing Genocide in Gaza?
University of Florida historian Norman Goda tells Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay why he isn’t persuaded by South Africa’s claims against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
45 min
116
Leaving MAGA
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Rich Logis, a one-time fervent Donald Trump supporter who’s now renounced his MAGA beliefs—and is trying to help others do the same.
30 min
117
The Fine Line Between Denouncing ‘Settler Colon...
Atlantic magazine writer Michael Powell talks to Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay about his latest article—‘The Curious Rise of Settler Colonialism and Turtle Island’—in which he explains how activists are weaponizing fashionable academic doctriness to delegitimize the existence of Israel, the United States, and other Western societies.
32 min
118
How ‘Intersectional Feminism’ Got Hijacked by Men
Veteran feminist activist, author, and pundit Julie Bindel talks to Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay about the need to protect hard-won women’s rights from gender ideologues.
45 min
119
The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Justinian
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to Cambridge University historian Peter Sarris about Justinian the Great, the lowborn sixth-century Byzantine emperor who remade Roman law, suppressed Christian heresies, built architectural wonders, and reconquered lost lands.
66 min
120
The October 7 Terrorist Attacks, in Historical ...
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to influential Israeli historian Benny Morris about Hamas’ acts of mass murder, the Israeli response, and the future of Gaza.
25 min
121
Eric Kaufmann’s New ‘Centre for Heterodox Socia...
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with academic Eric Kaufmann about cancel culture, switching universities, and why academics need to have honest conversations about the down side of immigration.
37 min
122
The Extraordinary Life of Tom Nash aka DJ Hookie
Quillette editor and podcast host Iona Italia talks with speaker, DJ, and quadruple amputee Tom Nash about his new book, ‘Hook, Line, and Sinner.’
66 min
123
Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans-Id...
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to psychotherapist and book author Stella O’Malley, and parent ‘Josie A.,’ about the need to heed parents’ voices before ‘affirming’ a child’s desire for gender-transition therapies
44 min
124
Tracing the Roots of the Ideological Movement (...
Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Johns Hopkins University professor Yascha Mounk about the role of Karl Marx, Michel Foucault, Edward Said, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in shaping today’s illiberal, identity-fixated political mantras—and how we can help lead progressives back to their liberal roots.
58 min
125
Journalist John Colapinto on the Tragic Tale of...
Journalist John Colapinto on the Tragic Tale of David Reimer, The Boy Who Was Raised a Girl
57 min