Podcast Summary
Episode Overview
Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Ian Drake
Guest: Jacob Mchangama (author, legal scholar, and founder of Justitia)
Book Discussed: Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media (Basic Books, 2022)
Date: February 8, 2026
In this episode, host Ian Drake interviews Jacob Mchangama about his sweeping history of free speech, tracing its evolution from ancient Athens through to the digital age. The discussion examines how conceptions of free speech arose, the social and political forces that shaped them, and what the history of this right can teach us today. Key themes include the origins of free speech ideas, the impact of religion and technology, the dangers of selective application, and how history informs present debates.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Ancient Foundations of Free Speech
- Athenian Innovations ([02:34]–[04:52])
- Ancient legal codes protected rulers from the ruled, not individuals from rulers.
- Athens developed two key concepts:
- Isegoria: political equality in public speech for freeborn male citizens (participation in democracy).
- Parrhesia: uninhibited speech in cultural and philosophical spaces.
- Memorable Quote: "The litmus test is whether you're really able to criticize the political system under which you live." — Jacob Mchangama [04:49]
- Society lacked modern individual rights; rights were primarily collective or civic.
- Even in the trial of Socrates, there was no individual-based right to free speech ([05:16]).
2. Intellectual Freedom Beyond the West
- Islamic Golden Age Free Thinkers ([06:23]–[08:47])
- 9th–10th century Muslim thinkers like Al-Rawandi and Al-Razi espoused radical free thought, predating similar moves in Christian Europe.
- These figures often only survive as ideas via their critics but clearly challenged religious orthodoxy.
- Memorable Quote: "Reason was the ultimate authority which should govern and not be governed..." — Jacob Mchangama on Al-Razi [07:39]
- Islamic world in this era was less centralized, which allowed for more spaces of inquiry.
3. Medieval Christianity: Restriction and Curiosity
- Complexity of the Middle Ages ([08:47]–[11:26])
- The Middle Ages weren't simply "Dark Ages": the Inquisition coexisted with the founding of universities that nurtured debate and curiosity.
- Greek and Aristotelian philosophy entered via universities, despite initial resistance from the Church.
- Academic competition for scholars sometimes led to more freedom: universities would lure scholars by promising less censorship ([12:19]).
- Phrase highlighted: "A culture of poking around that becomes extremely consequential for what you might call Europe's collective brain." — Jacob Mchangama [11:49]
4. Decentralization and Flourishing of Free Thought
- Loose Authority as Fertile Ground ([14:08])
- Free speech prospered in places with decentralized authority:
- Athenian democracy (no centralized speech police)
- Abbasid caliphate (loose religious enforcement)
- Dutch Republic (printing hub with tolerance)
- Early American colonies
- Early internet ([14:27]–[16:20])
- Free speech prospered in places with decentralized authority:
5. Technological Shocks and Free Speech
- The Printing Press Revolution ([16:20]–[20:01])
- The printing press's impact dwarfed or parallels the internet's, vastly increasing the reach and affordability of ideas.
- Luther’s Reformation and vernacular publishing made religious debate accessible and widespread.
- Memorable Quote: "[The printing press] mixed with the Reformation...revolutionized what we might call religious populism." — Jacob Mchangama [18:36]
- Irony: Luther himself became a staunch opponent of blasphemy, showing early champions were rarely absolutist.
6. Heroes and “Milton’s Curse”
- Selective Application of Free Speech ([20:01]–[23:22])
- Milton championed unlicensed press only to restrict views he despised.
- Memorable Quote: "I term it...Milton’s curse, sort of the unprincipled and selective defense of free speech." — Jacob Mchangama [21:03]
- Early radicals like the Levelers prefigured more modern, thorough defenses of the right to expression.
7. The Weimar Fallacy: Censorship as a Double-Edged Sword
- Free Speech and Democracy’s Risks ([23:22]–[27:51])
- The idea that restricting speech saves democracy (the Weimar fallacy) is a recurring historical myth.
- Weimar Germany had extensive censorship laws, which Nazis and Communists turned into martyrdom and propaganda, not suppression.
- Tools designed to protect democracy (like Article 48) were repurposed by the Nazis to destroy it.
- Memorable Quote: "My argument is not that censorship...can explain the rise of Nazism, but...those who want to introduce restrictions on free speech in democracy should have the burden of proof that such policies...are actually effective" — Jacob Mchangama [27:19]
8. The Streisand Effect in History
- Censorship Can Backfire ([28:29]–[29:57])
- Attempts to suppress speech have often increased its audience — from ancient Rome to Nazi Germany to the digital age.
- Memorable Quote: "Only fools think that by banning such works they will be forgotten. Instead, they will be remembered by prosperity and their fame will only grow." — Cited by Mchangama from Tacitus [29:15]
9. Lessons for Today
- Enduring Debates and the Equality Argument ([29:57]–[32:35])
- Elite vs egalitarian models of speech recur throughout history; every new technology or democratizing advance reignites the debate.
- Expanding free speech rights to new groups often mirrors current worries about misinformation or populism.
- Memorable Quote: "Free speech might be the most powerful engine of human equality that we’ve ever stumbled upon as a species." — Jacob Mchangama [32:35]
- Restrictive speech policies may ultimately harm the minorities and the values they are intended to protect.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)
- Jacob Mchangama: "The litmus test is whether you're really able to criticize the political system under which you live." [04:49]
- On Al-Razi: "Reason was the ultimate authority which should govern and not be governed, should control and not be controlled, should lead and not be led." [07:39]
- On universities: "A culture of poking around that becomes extremely consequential for what you might call Europe's collective brain." [11:49]
- On the printing press: "[It] revolutionized what we might call religious populism, sort of, of writing in short, punchy German rather than dry theological treatises in Latin." [18:36]
- On Milton’s curse: "I term it...Milton’s curse, sort of the unprincipled and selective defense of free speech. Though to John Milton’s defense, it’s something that we very still see to this day." [21:03]
- On the Weimar Fallacy: "Those who want to introduce restrictions on free speech...should have the burden of proof that such policies are actually effective and likely to serve that purpose." [27:19]
- On ancient “Streisand effect”: "Only fools think that by banning such works they will be forgotten. Instead, they will be remembered by prosperity and their fame will only grow." [29:15]
- On free speech and equality: "Free speech might be the most powerful engine of human equality that we’ve ever stumbled upon as a species." [32:35]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Ancient free speech concepts: [02:34]–[06:23]
- Islamic world’s contribution: [06:23]–[08:47]
- Medieval Christianity & universities: [08:47]–[14:08]
- Decentralization and tolerance: [14:08]–[16:20]
- Printing press revolution: [16:20]–[20:01]
- Selective historical defenders: [20:01]–[23:22]
- Weimar fallacy explained: [23:22]–[27:51]
- Streisand effect in history: [28:29]–[29:57]
- Contemporary lessons: [29:57]–[33:04]
Conclusion
Jacob Mchangama’s interview provides a nuanced, global, and deeply historical exploration of free speech. He illustrates that the battles over who speaks, who censors, and how technology upends old certainties are as old as civilization itself. The selective and often self-contradictory defenses of free speech, the dangers of censorship, and the role of decentralization and technological innovation are perennial. Most importantly, free speech, while imperfectly realized, has been perhaps the greatest agent for equality and justice in human history—a lesson he urges us to take seriously as debates rage in our digital age.