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The Lonely Work of a Free-Speech Defender

December 05, 2025 • 52m

Summary

⏱️ 10 min read

Overview

In this episode, Natalie Ketro-Eff interviews Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), about the state of free speech in America. Lukianoff, a self-described free speech absolutist, discusses his journey from defending controversial cases on both left and right, his battles with progressive campus culture, and his current fight against Trump administration overreach. The conversation explores the philosophy of free speech, its relationship to mental health, and why both political sides repeatedly betray its principles despite claiming to champion it.

Origins of a Free Speech Warrior

Greg Lukianoff traces his commitment to free speech back to childhood, describing a formative Christmas memory at age four when he was torn between British politeness and Russian honesty. This early tension between being polite versus authentic shaped his life's work. He explains his definition of free speech as the radical idea that people should be able to think what they will and say what they think, with viewpoint discrimination being the worst form of censorship and compelled speech being even worse than that.

  • Lukianoff's second earliest memory involved being torn between his British mother's emphasis on politeness and his Russian father's emphasis on brutal honesty
  • He defines freedom of speech simply as 'to be able to think what you will and say what you think'
  • The worst form of censorship is viewpoint discrimination, while compelled speech is even more totalitarian
  • Lukianoff has a genetic discomfort with conformity and authoritarianism, feeling profoundly uncomfortable in crowds like sports stadiums
" Freedom of speech is to be able to think what you will and say what you think. Like just that radical, you know, just that expansive. "
" The purest form of speech is expression of your opinion. And the worst form of censorship is called a viewpoint discrimination, saying that everyone else is allowed to make their arguments. But if you have this viewpoint, you are forbidden. "

Building FIRE and Defending Unpopular Speech

After graduating from Stanford Law in 2001, Lukianoff joined FIRE when it was just six people with diverse political views. His first major case involved defending University of South Florida professor Sammy Al-Aryan, who had said 'death to Israel' and was later indicted for terrorist ties. The case cost FIRE donors and brought death threats, but taught Lukianoff that defending the First Amendment would inevitably make more enemies than friends, foreshadowing the personal toll his work would take.

  • FIRE's original six-person staff included a Marxist, evangelical Christian, conservative Catholic, and left-leaning atheist Burning Man attendee
  • Lukianoff's first major case defended Professor Sammy Al-Aryan's right to say 'death to Israel,' though Al-Aryan was later indicted for terrorist ties
  • The case cost FIRE donors and brought death threats, serving as 'trial by fire' for a young First Amendment lawyer
  • The diverse staff at FIRE challenged Lukianoff's prejudices, especially his friendship with an evangelical Christian who encouraged open debates about God's existence
" It was me, who was almost like a boringly stereotypical left-leaning atheist Burning Man attendee, you know, back when it was cool. "

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