Inspire Us Podcast

Fixing the Polarisation: Politics, Free Speech & the Future of the West | Robert B. Talisse | S8EP5 Robert B. Talisse is a Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and one of America’s leading thinkers on democracy, political polarisation, and public reason. He has authored over fifteen books including Overdoing Democracy, Sustaining Democracy, and A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy, exploring how democracies can thrive amid deep disagreement, belief polarisation, and public ignorance. In this podcast we cover free speech, belief polarisation, government policies, and the future of the west Full link to podcast here: youtu.be/ohguQPQ_K1E?si…

We had the privilege of attending a panel on free speech and academic freedom at the House of Commons. A topic close to our hearts having a podcast where we platform conversations and try to keep the flame of critical thinking alive. Brought together by Lib Dem MP @PaulKohlerSW19 and Professor Alison Scott-Baumann and her team at SOAS, the room was filled with remarkable minds: @AdHabb, Dr Agnes Kaposi, and Smita Jamdar. Great to also meet Prof Deborah Johnston MBE, Deputy Vice Chancellor at LSBU, in her final week before stepping up as Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Bedfordshire. One voice that stayed with us was Dr Agnes Kaposi MBE, a Holocaust survivor and engineer. Agnes reminded us what it looks like when the law itself is the instrument of oppression. It made us deeply grateful for the institutions and liberties we so often take for granted in the UK. This panel took place against the backdrop of new legislation introducing a complaints system where universities face serious financial penalties for failing to uphold free speech. Smita Jamdar raised her concerns: this complaints procedure is going to complicate matters significantly and it’s not clear how judgement will be used. There’s not enough regulatory clarity. Adam Habib, Vice Chancellor of SOAS was brilliant, breaking down the issues point by point. Academics are terrified to publicly debate race, trans issues, Israel-Palestine, not out of ideology, but fear of what follows on social media. Self-censorship is the real problem, and to manage the tension between empathy and academic freedom you need an institutional climate to enable that. We asked him whether the new legislation might create more institutional fear than freedom. His answer: yes. But the gap we felt in the room was this: Unfortunately, universities have lost their role as shapers of culture around free speech. Students now arrive already formed by algorithms, group identity, and content designed to provoke reaction, not reflection. Mob thinking is coming from the bottom up. No tribe has a monopoly on groupthink and it’s finding its way into the far right, the far left, and even the far centre. To continue the discussion, we sat down with Robert Talisse yesterday on our podcast, Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, who has authored over a dozen books on how democracies can thrive amid polarisation. He notes: the more we surround ourselves with like-minded people, the more extreme we become. His insight on free speech: it doesn’t just protect the speaker, it serves the listener. Exposure to unfamiliar ideas is necessary for cognitive health. And his warning: top-down free speech policies risk backfiring. The solution to polarisation isn’t the same as what would have prevented it. So what do we do now? Full conversation with Robert Talisse drops Monday 🎙️ “The simple act of the ordinary brave man is not to participate in the lies.” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008)

S8EP4 with Ehireme Alexis Uddin — Nigeria's Green Energy Transition: Climate Finance, Oil & Poverty Alexis is a PhD researcher at SOAS University of London whose work examines the state of climate change and climate finance in Nigeria and the role of institutions in ensuring climate governance is effective and equitable. Her work sits at the intersection of climate finance, climate governance, and development policy. In this episode, Alexis breaks down what it really takes to finance and deliver a green transition in an oil-dependent economy like Nigeria. Can Nigeria realistically transition while still relying on oil? Key Topics Covered: Nigeria’s 2060 Net Zero Target – Realistic or Wishful Thinking? Oil Dependency vs Renewables: Why Nigeria Struggles to Transition How Nigeria Is Financing Its Energy Transition (and Why It’s Risky) Solar, Dams, Bitcoin Mining & Alternative Energy Solutions Iran War Impact on Nigeria’s Oil & The Future of Renewables in Africa Watch / Listen now — youtube.com/watch?v=_1MsgM…

Today we did public interviews at the Unite the Kingdom March and we also covered the Pro Palestine Nakba counter protest to cover all sides of the story. It was great to speak to all kinds of different people and we even got to speak with Tommy Robinson. The UK is now a deeply fractured society and this event is a materialisation of that. We believe conversation is essential for peace. We had some great conversations today and we are happy that people are still willing talk about difficult topics. We asked people about: Recent local elections Keir Starmer Reform and Restore Surveillance state Tommy Robinson And the future of the UK Video coming soon!

"You don't need government regulation. There is already a regulatory mechanism that takes care of that — common law." Full episode on YouTube and all podcast platforms S8EP3 | John Hasnas

Common Law Liberalism: The Case Against Government Made Rules | John Hasnas Inspire Us podcast S8EP3 John Hasnas is a Law Professor at Georgetown University Law Center and the McDonough School of Business, and the author of Common Law Liberalism, a bold and original contribution to political and legal philosophy that challenges how we think about law, order, and the role of government in society. Available on YouTube and all Podcast platforms

Common Law Liberalism: The Case Against Government Made Rules | John Hasnas Inspire Us podcast S8EP3 John Hasnas is a Law Professor at Georgetown University Law Center and the McDonough School of Business, and the author of Common Law Liberalism, a bold and original contribution to political and legal philosophy that challenges how we think about law, order, and the role of government in society. youtu.be/sygYRTqW0kU?si…

“As long as there are questions, there are going to be surprises.” The electron doesn’t move in one direction, it moves in both simultaneously. Contemporary physics doesn’t just challenge what we know, it obliterates it. Stanford physicist Michael Peskin on why physics is far from over. Full episode on YouTube link in bio. #physics #quantumphysics #particlephysics #science #inspireuspodcast

S8EP2: Why Does Mass Exist w/Michael Peskin Michael Peskin is a theoretical physicist and Professor at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University, one of the world’s leading centres for particle physics research. He is the co-author of An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, widely considered the definitive graduate-level textbook in the field and used by physicists across the globe. This episode is a full breakdown of particle physics as simply explained as it gets, by one of the best in the field. We explore one of the deepest questions in all of science, why does anything have mass at all? We unpack the Standard Model of particle physics, the discovery of the Higgs boson, and what the Higgs field actually is and why it matters. We also get into what the Standard Model still cannot explain, how the Large Hadron Collider works and why it discards 99% of its data, and how AI is now being used to push the boundaries of particle physics discovery. This is a conversation about the frontier of human knowledge where our best equations break down, what lies beyond them, and why physicists like Michael Peskin believe the biggest surprises are still ahead. Let us know in the comments what you think! Hope you enjoy!

The universe is accelerating… but why? S8EP1: Professor Bharat Ratra is the cosmologist who co-proposed the first theory of dark energy in 1988. Full episode out now! Link in bio/comments

🎙️ New Episode: Expanding Universe with Physicist Bharat Ratra We’re kicking off Season 8 with Professor Bharat Ratra, one of the most influential cosmologists alive today. Bharat Ratra is a distinguished Professor of Physics at Kansas State University and co-proposer of the first dynamical dark energy model in 1988, one of the foundational ideas explaining why the universe is accelerating. What are your biggest questions about the universe? Episode is live now on YouTube and all podcast platforms. Link in bio / comments 👇

Inspire Us x London Marathon 2026!!! Had the absolute pleasure to run the London Marathon and raise money for Refugees @inspireusaid with a strong performance of 3hrs28mins !! London Marathon is one of the most iconic races in the world. The atmosphere is unbelievable filled with cheering, singing and good vibes. On top of that, you get to run through the beautiful city of London. It’s even more iconic today as someone broke the marathon world record running it under 2 hours ! It’s important to promote being active especially in this day and age where it’s become so easy to do nothing! Super grateful for the opportunity. London Marathon thank you!

I am an economist, not a political commentator. But what is happening right now sits at the exact intersection of geopolitics and economic collapse that I have spent my career studying.

@InspireUsPod has now been going for 2 years and we’ve reached 200k views. Thank you!

Celebrations erupt as news of Head of IRGC spreads, defying government restrictions on New Year gatherings. A stark display of public sentiment. #Protest

Culture is visual. For many in Iran, the US 'bombing' of Tehran wasn't seen as an attack, but a 'rescue mission'. Even weeks later, amid ongoing 'bombings', there's a surprising happiness. #PersianCulture #GlobalPolitics

A significant majority of Iranians are reportedly calling for a change in government. Support is voiced for King Reza Pahlavi to lead a transition period. #Iran #RegimeChange