Podcast Episode
What is Censorship: What Isn't and Why Self Censorship May Sometimes Be A Good Thing
Good Is In The Details·Gwendolyn Dolske, PhD & Rudy Salo | Philosophy & Education Podcast·8 October 2026·49 min

About this episode
The First Amendment protects you from the government, not from your boss, your university, or a social media platform. J.P. Messina, philosophy professor at Purdue and author of Private Censorship (Oxford University Press), joins us to untangle what "free speech" actually means when most modern censorship isn't coming from the state at all. We dig into cancel culture, the difference between government censorship and private consequences for speech, why professors increasingly self-censor in the classroom out of fear of public backlash, and what John Stuart Mill's On Liberty still has to teach us about the value of open inquiry. A conversation about philosophy, ethics, and free speech in the age of deplatforming. Hosted by Gwendolyn Dolske, Ph.D. and Rudy Salo Click here to learn more about Professor Messina's work. Philosophy Resources, books, media, and more at GoodIsInTheDetails.com