FREEDOM IN FOCUS

In today’s episode, I discuss some extraordinary developments in the Canadian government’s standoff with the Freedom Convoy, in particular Prime Minister Trudeau’s invocation of emergency powers.

What does this mean for the future of Canadian freedom, and what does it mean for the growing Freedom movement across the world?

You can also find this episode on Spotify and Youtube.

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For those of you who are interested in the theoretical foundations of a free and open society, I am posting this academic lecture that I gave on Thursday, 10th February 2022 to the Justus Lipsius student association at the University of Leiden’s Law School in Leiden, Netherlands, on the topic, “How Social Complexity Supports Human Flourishing.”

This talk may be of special interest to those who want to understand the deeper philosophical roots of social and institutional pluralism and its importance for a well-ordered society. Below, you can find an abstract of the paper the lecture is based on:

How Social Complexity Supports Human Flourishing

Legal and social pluralists, multiculturalists, public choice theorists, political economists, and virtue theorists, have each contributed different pieces to the case for cherishing social and institutional complexity and steering clear of overly simplified models of order and governance. Rather than merely reiterating these parallel and often complementary arguments, the aim of this paper is to offer a more penetrating ethical account of the value of social complexity than what we currently find in the literature, and to draw some preliminary conclusions from this account about responsible and effective methods for coordinating and governing social order. The aim of good governance and sound social coordination, on the approach I defend, is not to monopolise the functions of social governance, but to cooperate with other relevant actors in facilitating the expansion of opportunities for human flourishing, while fostering and protecting the integrity of the complex social infrastructure of flourishing.

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In numerous writings, I have highlighted the failure of public officials to ground policies in scientific evidence. But there is a bigger issue at stake, namely the type of society we want to live in. In this episode of Thunder Off Script, I suggest that a large chunk of the West is in real danger of being overtaken by collectivism for the foreseeable future.

Now is the time to fight hard to preserve a free and open society.

You can also find this episode on Spotify.

If you enjoyed this podcast, you might consider sharing it on Twitter, Gettr, Facebook, Telegram, etc.

Please find below a video version of this podcast:

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thanks for listening!

A free subscription to the Freedom Blog ensures you stay up-to-date with unlocked content, including blog posts and Thunder Off Script podcasts.

A paid subscription (50 EUR per year or 5 EUR per month):

* is a way of supporting the work I do to share ideas with my readers about the conditions that favour a free and open society.

* gives you access to the full archive of blog posts, including exclusive content.

* gives you exclusive access to occasional livestreamed podcasts, where you can post live questions and comments.

Here is some of the exclusive content a paid subscription will open up for you:

* Here's Why Covid Measures Are Jeopardising the Future of Free and Open Societies

* Are Western Democracies on the Brink of a Regime Change?

* Mask Mandates Sum Up All that is Wrong with the New Covid Regime

* Freedom is Good for your Health

* How Dutch Windows Represent the Fine Line Between the Public and Private Spheres

* A Warrior Must Care for his Soul Too

* If you’d like to give an extra push to the Freedom Blog and some of its start-up costs, like studio equipment for improving the quality of my podcasts, you also have the option of signing up as a Founding Member.

* Some of my emails occasionally land in the Spam folder. If you haven’t heard from me for a while, you might check your Spam inbox and re-categorise as “not Spam.”

In today’s episode of Thunder Off Script, I’m delighted to share with you my first ever livestream podcast (recorded on Monday, 31st January 2022), in which I respond to listeners’ questions in real time.

In this livestream session, I discussed

* calls to censor the Joe Rogan show

* the lifting of vaccine passes and mandates in England and Ireland

* the scientific futility of the EU’s Green Travel Pass

* the Freedom Convoy in Canada, and more.

Don’t forget that you can also find this episode on Spotify.

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thanks for listening!

A free subscription to the Freedom Blog ensures you stay up-to-date with unlocked content, including blog posts and Thunder Off Script podcasts.

A paid subscription (50 EUR per year or 5 EUR per month):

* is a way of supporting the work I do to share ideas with my readers about the conditions that favour a free and open society.

* gives you access to the full archive of blog posts, including exclusive content.

* gives you exclusive access to occasional livestreamed podcasts, where you can post live questions and comments.

Here is some of the exclusive content a paid subscription will open up for you:

* Here's Why Covid Measures Are Jeopardising the Future of Free and Open Societies

* Are Western Democracies on the Brink of a Regime Change?

* Mask Mandates Sum Up All that is Wrong with the New Covid Regime

* Freedom is Good for your Health

* How Dutch Windows Represent the Fine Line Between the Public and Private Spheres

* A Warrior Must Care for his Soul Too

You can also find me on on Youtube, Telegram, Spotify, and GETTR.

In today's episode of Thunder Off Script, I offer some reflections on the political psychology of involuntary mask-wearing.

While ostensibly, mask mandates are justified by public health goals, their scientific rationale is highly contested, and many citizens wear them out of fear or against their own better judgment. Consequently, mask mandates tend to produce irrational conformism with weakly justified social and legal rules, and an atmosphere of distrust between citizens and public officials.

You can also find this episode on Spotify.

If you enjoyed this podcast, you might consider sharing it on Twitter, Gettr, Facebook, Telegram, etc.

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thanks for listening and sharing!

A free subscription to the Freedom Blogensures you stay up-to-date with unlocked content.

A paid subscription (50 EUR per year or 5 EUR per month):

* is a way of supporting the work I do to share ideas with my readers about the conditions that favour a free and open society.

* gives you access to the full archive of blog posts, including exclusive content.

* gives you exclusive access to occasional livestreaming events, where you can post questions and comments in real time.

In this episode of Thunder Off Script, I discuss UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement of the end of most Covid measures in England; the unravelling of the case for vaccine passes; and the ongoing persecution of unvaccinated citizens. 

This episode can also be found on Spotify.

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In today’s “deep dive” episode of Thunder Off Script, I interview Liam (a fake name, to preserve his anonymity), an Irishman in his early 40s working in IT, who feels it is increasingly unacceptable to openly question the official Covid narrative. Liam tells me how he feels about mask mandates, the social pressure to vaccinate, and the growth of authoritarian and technocratic forms of governance.

Don’t forget that you can also find this podcast on Spotify. Follow me on Spotify to get these podcasts delivered directly to your Spotify account.

If you like this episode, consider sharing it on Twitter/Linkedin/Facebook/Whatsapp. Those of us who seriously question the rational basis for pandemic policies are usually shut out from mainstream media, so we rely heavily on word of mouth to build our audience.

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

OTHER PODCAST NEWS:

* In this 5 minute interview with Donal Lynch of Spirit FM, I explain why I launched the Thunder Off Script podcast series.

* You can click here to tune into my 10 minute podcast on on the rise of collectivism in the West; also available on Spotify

* Or click here to listen to an episode in which I debunk five official Covid myths.

* In future episodes of Thunder Off Script, I plan to interview experts and ordinary citizens about their experiences and insights concerning the strange times we are living through. Stay tuned for more!

In today’s episode of Thunder Off Script, I debunk five officially sanctioned Covid myths, that you will hear on the lips of many government officials and advisors on a regular basis.

Don’t forget that you can also find this podcast on Spotify. Follow me on Spotify to get these podcasts delivered directly to your Spotify account.

OTHER PODCAST NEWS:

* In this 5 minute interview with Donal Lynch of Spirit FM, I explain why I launched the Thunder Off Script podcast series.

* You can click here to tune into my latest 10 minute podcast on the rise of collectivism in the West; also available on Spotify.

* In future episodes of Thunder Off Script, I plan to interview experts and ordinary citizens about their experiences and insights concerning the strange times we are living through. Stay tuned for more!

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thanks for listening! If you already have a free subscription to The Freedom Blog, you will occasionally receive free content like this into your inbox.

If you would like to hear more of my analysis on issues related to a free and open society, you also have the option of upgrading to a paid subscription on a monthly (5 EUR/month) or annual (50 EUR/year) basis.

A paid subscription…

* gives you access to the full archive of blog posts and podcasts, including exclusive content such as “Does Mandatory Masking Promote a Culture of Conformism?” (podcast), “Six Ways to Keep Citizens in the Dark Without Telling an Outright Lie” (blog), and “Democracy Is More Precarious Than Many of Us Realise” (blog).

* gives you exclusive access to occasional Author Meets Readers Zoom chats, which will kick off in January 2022.

* is a way of supporting the work I do to share ideas with my readers about the conditions that favour a free and open society.

Many thanks to Donal Lynch of Spirit Radio, who had me on to explain the reasons behind my new podcast series.

In this episode of Thunder Off Script, I explain why I started this podcast series, and discuss the rise of collectivism in the West.

Don’t forget that you can also find this podcast on Spotify.

THE FREEDOM BLOG is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Thanks for listening! If you already have a free subscription to The Freedom Blog, you will occasionally receive free content like this into your inbox.

If you would like to hear more of my analysis on issues related to a free and open society, you also have the option of upgrading to a paid subscription on a monthly (5 EUR/month) or annual (50 EUR/year) basis.

A paid subscription…

* gives you access to the full archive of blog posts and podcasts

* gives you exclusive access to occasional Author Meets Readers zoom chats, which will kick off in January 2022.

* is a way of supporting the work I do to share ideas with my readers about the conditions that favour a free and open society.