Quillette

Quillette

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Where Free Thought Lives. 📧 subscribe: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup

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Quillette
@quillette.bsky.social

Podcast host Jonathan Kay discusses the underlying societal factors that caused his country's journalists, politicians, and academics to uncritically accept false claims that the bodies of 215 Indigenous children had been found on the grounds of a former school.

quillette.comCanada’s Unmarked-Graves Social Panic (2021-26) ExplainedPodcast host Jonathan Kay discusses the underlying societal factors that caused his country's journalists, politicians, and academics to uncritically accept false claims that the bodies of 215 Indigenous children had been found on the grounds of a former school.
Quillette
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Canada’s Unmarked-Graves Social Panic (2021-26) Explained | Jonathan Kay

youtube.comCanada’s Unmarked-Graves Social Panic (2021-26) Explained | Jonathan KayIn May 2021, a First Nation in British Columbia announced it had confirmed the remains of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Canada’s prime minister repeated the claim on national television. More than five years later, no graves or remains have been found. In this talk, adapted from a speech to the University of Wyoming chapter of Heterodox Academy, Quillette editor Jonathan Kay explains how Canada’s politicians, journalists and academics accepted the unmarked-graves claims without checking them. He covers what ground-penetrating radar can and cannot show, why no one has excavated the site, the role of Justin Trudeau’s 2021 election campaign, the wave of church arsons, and the Globe and Mail’s 2026 admission that its reporting failed. Read the essay: https://quillette.com/2026/09/30/canadas-unmarked-graves-social-panic-2021-2026-a-primer-for-foreign-scholars/ Subscribe to Quillette: https://quillette.com/ Chapters 00:00 Kamloops Unmarked Graves: How Canada’s Social Panic Began 01:39 Justin Trudeau and the “215 Children Found” Claim 03:31 Why Trudeau’s Canada Was Primed for Panic 04:54 Canada’s Residential Schools: The Documented History 08:35 Residential School Deaths vs the Unmarked Graves Narrative 11:21 Chief Rosanne Casimir’s 2021 Announcement: What Was Found 13:10 Hoax or Folklore? Kevin Annett and the Origins of the Claims 15:13 Why Journalists, Politicians and Academics Didn’t Fact-Check 17:00 Trudeau, the 2021 Election and Cancelled Canada Day 19:43 How CBC, CTV, Toronto Star and Global News Reported “215 Graves” 21:07 Canadian Universities Mourn Graves That Weren’t Found 23:14 Church Arsons and the Unmarked Graves Moral Panic 25:54 Quiet Walk-Backs and “Residential School Denialism” 28:48 No Excavation at Kamloops and the Globe and Mail’s 2026 Admission 31:40 What Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Can and Can’t Show 35:06 “A Knowing”: Indigenous Ways of Knowing vs Journalistic Scepticism 38:04 The Canadian Anthropology Society and Academic Activism 40:07 Dorchester Review, National Post, Quillette and Marc Miller 42:38 Trump, Patriotism and the Lasting Damage to Media Trust #Kamloops #UnmarkedGraves #Canada --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Effective Altruism and AI Doom

youtube.comEffective Altruism and AI DoomIt started with malaria nets. It ended with saving the future of humanity. 🌍 Claire Lehmann traces how effective altruism’s simple idea, to do the most good with your money, led its followers to existential risk, AI doom, and a belief that they’re doing the most important work in the world. 🎥 Full video on our YouTube channel, link in bio. #EffectiveAltruism #AI #AISafety #Philosophy #Ethics #Quillette
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Check out Quillette's latest video, How Identity Politics Took Over Feminism | Julie Bindel

youtube.comHow Identity Politics Took Over Feminism | Julie BindelA lesbian bar in Massachusetts tried to stay afloat by letting unmasked customers in on Saturday nights, and was accused of fascism and eugenics. To Julie Bindel, it all felt very familiar. In this narrated essay, Bindel recalls her years in British lesbian feminism from 1979 onward. She covers the militant Sisters Against Disablement and their 18-point access code, conferences derailed by disputes over who counted as disabled, the "environmental illness" contingent, the 1989 Fat Liberation Conference, and the endless contest over who was the most authentic, most oppressed lesbian. It's a first-hand history of identity politics long before anyone called it intersectionality, and a case that the Last Ditch Bar mask row is the latest chapter rather than a new story. 📖 Read the essay on Quillette: https://quillette.com/2026/09/28/lesbian-fragility-then-and-now/ ✍️ Written and presented by Julie Bindel Julie Bindel is a UK-based writer and activist. In 1991 she co-founded Justice for Women, which provides legal assistance to women accused of killing violent male partners. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Last Ditch Bar and a Sense of Déjà Vu 02:01 Sisters Against Disablement and the SAD Code 04:07 The Oppression Olympics 06:09 Geneva, 1986, and "Environmental Illness" 08:11 The Women's Health Movement and Section 28 10:19 Eat, Eat Enterprises: Lesbian Politics at the Stall 12:21 Lifestyle Feminism and the Wombyn 14:35 Hierarchies of Authenticity #Quillette #JulieBindel #LastDitchBar #IdentityPolitics #Feminism --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Is AI Doom a Millenarian Movement?

youtube.comIs AI Doom a Millenarian Movement?For centuries, millenarian movements have believed the old world was about to end, and that they’d been chosen to usher in the new one. Claire Lehmann argues today’s AI doom movement fits the same pattern.⁠ ⁠ 🎥 Full video on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/5YVKD1fdmlQ ⁠ #AI #History #Millenarianism #EffectiveAltruism #Philosophy #Quillette
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Check out Quillette's latest video, The Hidden History of Religious Antisemitism #shorts

youtube.comThe Hidden History of Religious Antisemitism #shortsGemma Tognini uncovers a neglected chapter of history: the systematic persecution of Jewish people during the Crusades. Despite its scale, this violent reality remains missing from modern education and discourse. Understanding the roots of this long-standing racism is essential for historical clarity. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/6qkMHbbjevY #GemmaTognini #HistoryFacts #SocialCommentary #Antisemitism #HistoricalTruth
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Australia’s Populist Revolt: Gemma Tognini on One Nation

youtube.comAustralia’s Populist Revolt: Gemma Tognini on One NationWhy are Australians abandoning both major parties, and why are so many turning to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation? Claire Lehmann speaks with columnist Gemma Tognini about a government she argues will not take responsibility for its mistakes, the spending and regulation she says are driving investment offshore, and the rise in antisemitism that, in her view, political leaders failed to confront before the Bondi terror attack. They also discuss why conservatives lost their reputation for compassion, why social programmes work better when run locally, what Claire saw as a graduate in Australia’s federal Department of Health, the case for nuclear power, and how to attract better people into politics. Gemma Tognini is a columnist for The Australian and the founder of a corporate affairs firm. She spent more than a decade in broadcast journalism, including as chief of staff at the Seven Network. Read her Alboverse article in The Australian here: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/in-the-alboverse-mistakes-belong-to-everyone-else/news-story/fcbbec4c52d1d5a0e68bd6a0395dbb89 📖 Read the full transcript: coming soon 🔗 Mentioned in this episode: Bondi Was Not a Surprise: https://quillette.com/2025/12/15/bondi-was-not-a-surprise/ The Party of the Worker Is Now the Party of the Bureaucrat (Claire Lehmann): https://quillette.com/2026/06/19/the-party-of-the-worker-is-now-the-party-of-the-bureaucrat/ The 7 Deadly Myths by Alex Ryvchin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFXWMXQL?tag=quillette-20 00:00 Intro 00:26 Podcast begins, Albanese and a government that won’t take responsibility 02:15 Labor’s factions and the shift to One Nation 04:36 Paying for the demands of a wealthy society 06:54 Compassion that actually reaches vulnerable people 09:11 Why welfare works better when run locally 11:28 Fiscal management and the Treasurer 13:45 Bondi as a political turning point 15:52 Antisemitism among educated Australians 18:09 The forgotten history of European antisemitism 20:01 What schools don’t teach about antisemitism 22:35 The ABC, media trust and Gemma’s career 25:24 Why policymakers need real-world experience 28:16 Capital flight and Australia’s doom loop 30:45 How to sell spending cuts 33:16 Claire’s year inside the Department of Health 35:24 Service NSW and the power of political will 37:44 Nuclear power, data centres and state competition 40:17 Payroll tax and the case for small business 41:38 Getting better people into politics 45:20 Why the centre-right cedes culture 47:37 The personal cost of speaking out 50:00 The government’s biggest vulnerability Subscribe for more conversations from Quillette. Read more at https://quillette.com ---- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, UBC Galloway Case: Apology and Settlement Before Trial #shorts

youtube.comUBC Galloway Case: Apology and Settlement Before Trial #shortsAn investigation by a retired judge cleared Galloway of all allegations, revealing a pattern of coerced testimonies. What started as an informal effort to gather claims ended in an unequivocal apology and settlement, proving the accusations lacked factual foundation. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/lhdEtNdfrwE #TrueStory #LegalInvestigation #UBC #JusticeSystem #Accountability
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Why Are AI Doomers Racing to Build AI?

youtube.comWhy Are AI Doomers Racing to Build AI?They say AI could end humanity. So why are they racing to build it? 🤖 Claire Lehmann argues the answer is sociological, not technical. The culture around AI doom looks a lot like what historians call a millenarian movement. 🎥 Full video on our YouTube channel, link in bio.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YVKD1fdmlQ #AI #Anthropic #EffectiveAltruism #AISafety #Philosophy #History #Quillette
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Inside the Steven Galloway Defamation Trial | Amy Hamm & Jonathan Kay

youtube.comInside the Steven Galloway Defamation Trial | Amy Hamm & Jonathan KaySteven Galloway was once at the top of Canadian letters: author of The Cellist of Sarajevo and chair of UBC’s creative writing programme. In 2015, unproven sexual-assault allegations ended his career and split CanLit in two. A decade on, his defamation case is finally being heard in B.C. Supreme Court. Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with National Post writer and Quillette contributor Amy Hamm, who has been in the courtroom. They discuss why the principal defendant can only be called A.B., why she is not attending and no longer argues her allegations were true, the $30,000 bursary UBC paid her after graduation, Galloway’s testimony about losing the ability to write, and what the case says about British Columbia’s political culture. CHAPTERS 00:00 Galloway’s downfall and the collapse of the case against him 03:13 The literary community’s reaction and the ideological climate 05:25 Hannah McGregor on UBC Accountable and due process (2019 clip) 08:01 Galloway’s lawsuit, settlements and the return to court 10:05 Introducing Amy Hamm 11:28 Interview begins: the publication ban and A.B.’s artwork 12:10 A.B.’s absence from court and her changed position 14:00 How the accusations were expanded, and what the investigation found 17:10 Hamm’s connection to Rooney and her doubts about the campaign 19:55 The $30,000 bursary and the $3 million draft claim against UBC 22:00 The hiring incident and a disputed pattern of accusations 24:05 The boat allegations and the photographs 26:00 The personal toll on Galloway and his family 29:05 Has anyone at UBC been held accountable? 31:05 Hamm’s own cancellation and the parallels 33:40 Is British Columbia ideologically broken? 36:58 The rest of the trial and continuing coverage READ MORE ON QUILLETTE Payback Time for Steven Galloway (Brad Cran, 2026): https://quillette.com/2026/10/06/payback-time-for-steven-galloway/ A Literary Inquisition: How Steven Galloway Was Smeared as a Rapist (Brad Cran, 2018): https://quillette.com/2018/06/21/a-literary-inquisition-how-novelist-steven-galloway-was-smeared-as-a-rapist-even-as-the-case-against-him-collapsed/ The Growing UBC Scandal: No One Held Accountable (Jonathan Kay, 2018): https://quillette.com/2018/10/17/the-scandal-at-ubc-keeps-growing-but-no-one-has-been-held-accountable/ I’m Being Investigated by the BC College of Nurses Because I Believe Biological Sex Is Real (Amy Eileen Hamm, 2022): https://quillette.com/2022/04/08/im-being-investigated-by-the-british-columbia-college-of-nurses-because-i-believe-biological-sex-is-real/ Subscribe to Quillette: https://quillette.com/ Listen to the Quillette podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Note: the principal defendant is referred to as A.B. in accordance with a court-ordered publication ban. #StevenGalloway #CancelCulture #Quillette --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Steven Galloway and the Cancel Culture Scandal That Divided Canadian Literature

youtube.comSteven Galloway and the Cancel Culture Scandal That Divided Canadian LiteratureIn 2015, Steven Galloway was at the top of Canadian letters: author of the international bestseller The Cellist of Sarajevo and head of UBC’s creative writing programme. Then came rape allegations that an investigation by a retired judge later found unsubstantiated, and a campaign led by his own colleagues that split the Canadian literary world in two. Quillette’s Jonathan Kay tells the story of one of the founding epics of Canadian cancel culture: the mobbing at UBC, the attacks on Margaret Atwood and others who asked for due process, a 2019 podcast rant that captures the mood of the time, and the defamation trial now under way in Vancouver, where Galloway’s accusers are finally being held to account. This is the introduction to Jonathan Kay’s conversation with National Post writer Amy Hamm, who is covering the trial from the courtroom. ▶ Watch the full interview: coming soon CHAPTERS 00:00 How Steven Galloway fell from the top of CanLit 03:13 Due process, Margaret Atwood and the backlash 05:25 Hannah McGregor’s take on the affair (2019 clip) 08:01 The lawsuit, the settlements and the apologies 10:05 Why Amy Hamm is in the courtroom READ MORE ON QUILLETTE A Literary Inquisition: How Steven Galloway Was Smeared as a Rapist (Brad Cran, 2018): https://quillette.com/2018/06/21/a-literary-inquisition-how-novelist-steven-galloway-was-smeared-as-a-rapist-even-as-the-case-against-him-collapsed/ Payback Time for Steven Galloway (Brad Cran, 2026): https://quillette.com/2026/10/06/payback-time-for-steven-galloway/ The Growing UBC Scandal: No One Held Accountable (Jonathan Kay, 2018): https://quillette.com/2018/10/17/the-scandal-at-ubc-keeps-growing-but-no-one-has-been-held-accountable/ I’m Being Investigated by the BC College of Nurses Because I Believe Biological Sex Is Real (Amy Eileen Hamm, 2022): https://quillette.com/2022/04/08/im-being-investigated-by-the-british-columbia-college-of-nurses-because-i-believe-biological-sex-is-real/ Subscribe to Quillette: https://quillette.com/ Galloway’s accuser is referred to only as A.B. under a court-ordered publication ban. #StevenGalloway #CancelCulture #Quillette -------- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Why the Catholic Church Is AI Doom’s Most Formidable Foe | Claire Lehmann

youtube.comWhy the Catholic Church Is AI Doom’s Most Formidable Foe | Claire LehmannAnthropic warns that advanced AI could wipe out humanity, yet it races to build it anyway. Why? In this reading of her essay for The Dispatch, Quillette founding editor Claire Lehmann argues that the answer lies in sociology rather than technology. Tracing the path from effective altruism and the Rationalist movement to the founding of Anthropic, she draws on Norman Cohn’s classic study The Pursuit of the Millennium to show how today’s AI doom narrative echoes the medieval millenarian movements: an elect with special knowledge, an approaching reckoning, and the promise of redemption. It is a pattern the Catholic Church has recognised for two thousand years. 📖 Read the original essay at The Dispatch: https://thedispatch.com/article/catholic-church-artificial-intelligence-millenarian/ ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The paradox at the heart of AI doom 02:30 Millenarianism and the rise of effective altruism 04:35 Rationalists, moral duty and Anthropic 07:08 Apocalypse or utopia: a familiar story 09:27 The burden of saving the future 🎙️ Claire Lehmann is the founding editor of Quillette and a contributing writer at The Dispatch. 🔔 Subscribe for more essays, interviews and narrations from Quillette. 🌐 https://quillette.com #AI #EffectiveAltruism #Anthropic #CatholicChurch #Quillette ----- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Robert Lynch on Addiction, Recovery, and the Science of Humour

youtube.comRobert Lynch on Addiction, Recovery, and the Science of HumourRobert Lynch went from Wall Street to addiction to a PhD in anthropology, and then to substitute teaching, where an eighth grader defaced his prized fossil with a Sharpie. Zoe Sankey talks to him about status, humour and the apes we pretend not to be. Robert Lynch is a bio-cultural anthropologist who studies how biology, environment and culture shape human behaviour and social mobility. He teaches at High Point University in North Carolina and writes the Substack The Laughing Ape. Robert tells Zoe how recovery made him more resilient, and why being humbled by a room of fourth graders barely registers by comparison. They talk about the gap between knowing and doing, and what Andre Agassi’s father understood about it; why chimps and even mice laugh; why Robert argues comedy without risk isn’t really comedy; and why a sense of humour ranks so highly in what both men and women want in a partner. Robert also makes the case that America’s national religion is “You think you’re better than me,” and that not every difference is a rank. ▶ Watch Robert’s narrated essay, What an Eighth Grader Taught Me About Status: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z7QFzDy-as 📖 Read Robert Lynch on Quillette: https://quillette.com/author/robert-lynch/ The Ape in the Basement: https://quillette.com/2026/09/16/the-ape-in-the-basement-masturbation-jeffrey-toobin/ Naked in America: https://quillette.com/2026/09/01/naked-in-america-nudism-usa-culture/ What Is the Point of Anthropology?: https://quillette.com/2026/08/06/what-is-the-point-of-anthropology-robert-trivers-napoleon-chagnon-carolyn-rouse/ Why Is Funny? How America Lost Its Sense of Humor: https://quillette.com/2020/09/25/why-is-funny-how-america-lost-its-sense-of-humor/ The Laughing Ape: https://robertc12.substack.com/ Subscribe to Quillette: https://quillette.com/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Introducing Robert Lynch 00:47 Why biological differences matter 01:00 Evolutionary psychology and human nature 01:13 Sex drive differences, and taboo 01:23 Old ideas, modern culture 01:42 Cancel culture, shaming and where norms go next 02:00 From Wall Street to academia and recovery 03:53 The viral fossil essay 06:10 Status and social signalling 07:59 Classroom management and teaching culture 10:02 Adversity, addiction and resilience 11:57 Laughter across species 13:58 The cultural roots of humour 15:56 Why comedy needs risk 17:57 Humour as a fitness signal 19:58 Resilience and not taking yourself too seriously 21:57 How culture and adversity shape humour 24:07 Humour and suffering 26:01 Laughter in humans and animals 27:58 The evolutionary basis of humour 30:01 Humour, risk and social cohesion 32:02 Humour in human evolution 33:59 Why humour matters in life 35:59 Humour and relationships 38:02 Is a sense of humour inherited? 39:58 Talking openly about taboos 42:06 The future of humour in a changing world #Quillette #Anthropology #Humour ---- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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The Albanese government's proposed Digital Duty of Care laws would give regulators sweeping powers over online content, threatening free speech in Australia and setting a dangerous precedent for internet regulation worldwide.

quillette.comAustralia's Coming Censorship MachineThe Albanese government's proposed Digital Duty of Care laws would give regulators sweeping powers over online content, threatening free speech in Australia and setting a dangerous precedent for internet regulation worldwide.
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Josh Frydenberg on Antisemitism: Bondi, Leadership and the Royal Commission

youtube.comJosh Frydenberg on Antisemitism: Bondi, Leadership and the Royal Commission“The tragedy of Bondi was so preventable, because the writing was on the wall.” Since the Bondi Hanukkah attack of 14 December 2025, in which 15 people were murdered, former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has become one of the most forceful voices in Australia against antisemitism. In this clip from Claire Lehmann’s interview, he explains why the aftermath of October 7th drew him back into public life. He recounts what John Howard told him he would have done as prime minister. He also argues that leadership on antisemitism can be the difference between life and death. Frydenberg responds to claims by prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates that the Flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to crash a plane in Tel Aviv was radicalised in Melbourne, and asks why the red flags were missed. He sets out what he believes the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion must confront, including anti-Zionism, which he calls “the flip side of the coin of antisemitism”, and protests he sees as out of proportion to any other conflict. He also discusses campus chants and what he calls a lack of moral clarity among the most educated. Lehmann and Frydenberg discuss the leadership vacuum they see in Canberra, and why the protests at universities in Australia, the US and Britain are so alarming for the next generation of leaders. 🎥 Watch the full interview: https://youtu.be/SNIKl0hVKB4?si=VqXRumCXaxhvTzOS 📖 A Grateful Son by Josh Frydenberg (with Gideon Haigh): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6Y7RRQK?tag=quillette-20 📰 Read Quillette: https://quillette.com #JoshFrydenberg #Antisemitism #Bondi #RoyalCommission #AustralianPolitics ---- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Josh Frydenberg on Daniel Andrews, Lockdowns and the Victorian Election

youtube.comJosh Frydenberg on Daniel Andrews, Lockdowns and the Victorian Election“Daniel Andrews was wickedly able as a politician. He was great at deflecting blame.” Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg was federal Treasurer during the pandemic, while Victoria went through some of the longest lockdowns in the world. In this clip from Claire Lehmann’s interview, he explains why he sees the lockdowns as a failure of leadership. He points to curfews, the toll on young people’s mental health, and billions of dollars in lost economic output every week. He argues that Victorians are still paying the price for Andrews’ legacy. Ahead of the Victorian state election on 28 November, Frydenberg makes the case for Liberal leader Jess Wilson. He responds to the rise of One Nation and sets out why he believes Victoria needs a change of government, citing crime, hospitals, roads and the state’s finances. He also asks whether Victoria is a warning sign for the rest of the country, and whether young Australians will have the same reasons to be grateful in 30 years’ time. 🎥 Watch the full interview: https://youtu.be/SNIKl0hVKB4?si=VqXRumCXaxhvTzOS 📖 A Grateful Son by Josh Frydenberg (with Gideon Haigh): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6Y7RRQK?tag=quillette-20 📰 Read Quillette: https://quillette.com/2026/10/14/josh-frydenberg-on-bondi-antisemitism-and-a-grateful-son/ #JoshFrydenberg #DanielAndrews #VictorianElection #Lockdowns #AustralianPolitics ----- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Who Will Be Honest About the Deficit? Josh Frydenberg

youtube.comWho Will Be Honest About the Deficit? Josh Frydenberg“Populists are pretty good at diagnosing problems. They’re not great at solving them, whether they’re on the left or the right.” Claire Lehmann puts the challenge to former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg: who’s going to be honest with voters about the deficit? 🎧 Full interview: https://youtu.be/SNIKl0hVKB4 #ClaireLehmann #JoshFrydenberg #Populism #AustralianPolitics #Economy
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Two centuries before the claimed discovery of non-existent ‘unmarked graves’ in British Columbia, a wave of bestselling ‘convent exposés’ purported to detail mass rape and child murder among priests and nuns.

quillette.comAnti-Catholic Social Panics, Then and NowTwo centuries before the claimed discovery of non-existent ‘unmarked graves’ in British Columbia, a wave of bestselling ‘convent exposés’ purported to detail mass rape and child murder among priests and nuns.
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Navi Pillay’s appalling treatment of Hamas’s sexual violence provides ample reason to deny her any prestigious honours. But she is also dangerous to the very international legal system that she pretends to uphold.

quillette.comA Dishonest (and Dangerous) Nobel LaureateNavi Pillay’s appalling treatment of Hamas’s sexual violence provides ample reason to deny her any prestigious honours. But she is also dangerous to the very international legal system that she pretends to uphold.
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Check out Quillette's latest video, Josh Frydenberg: ‘The Tragedy of Bondi Was So Preventable’ | Antisemitism in Australia

youtube.comJosh Frydenberg: ‘The Tragedy of Bondi Was So Preventable’ | Antisemitism in Australia“The tragedy of Bondi was so preventable, because the writing was on the wall.” Josh Frydenberg was Treasurer of Australia from 2018 to 2022, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, and for 12 years the member for Kooyong. His mother was born in Budapest in 1943 and reached Australia as a stateless refugee. Since the Bondi Hanukkah attack of 14 December 2025, he has become one of the most forceful voices in Australia against antisemitism. In this episode, Claire Lehmann talks to Frydenberg about his new memoir, A Grateful Son, and the social and economic state of Australia. They discuss: - the legal campaign against his citizenship and why it brought back dark memories of the Holocaust - why he believes leadership on antisemitism can be the difference between life and death - what he says the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion must confront, including anti-Zionism, campus protests and what he calls a lack of moral clarity among the most educated. They also turn to the economy: whether economic malaise is fuelling social toxicity, the rise of populists like Zohran Mamdani, Australia’s budget deficit and capital gains tax changes, ending JobKeeper, Daniel Andrews’ COVID lockdowns, the coming Victorian election, and whether young Australians will have the same reasons to be grateful in 30 years’ time. 📖 A Grateful Son by Josh Frydenberg (with Gideon Haigh): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6Y7RRQK?tag=quillette-20 📰 Read Quillette: https://quillette.com #JoshFrydenberg #Antisemitism #Bondi #AustralianPolitics #Quillette #ClaireLehmann 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Grateful to Whom? 02:00 Losing Kooyong 04:00 The Campaign Against His Citizenship 07:00 Bondi and the Return to Public Life 09:00 Why Leadership Is Life and Death 12:00 The Flydubai Co-Pilot Case 13:00 What the Royal Commission Must Do 18:00 Anti-Zionism, Campuses and Moral Clarity 21:00 Is Economic Malaise Fuelling Hate? 24:00 Mamdani and the Rise of Populism 26:00 Deficits and Honesty Over Reassurance 28:00 Capital Gains Tax and Ambition 31:00 Where to Cut Spending 32:00 Ending JobKeeper 34:00 Daniel Andrews and the Lockdowns 36:00 The Victorian Election 39:00 Will Young Australians Be Grateful? --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91