Celebrating two years of The Eternally Radical Idea on Substack!
Featuring a new — and very shareable — introduction to what ERI is all about.
You may have noticed that in the last few weeks we’ve been making small updates and changes to ERI — both on the front and back end — to give it a more polished look and feel. In particular, you may have noticed our nifty new banner and avatar graphics, courtesy of FIRE’s graphic designer Jackson Fleagle.
In keeping with that, and in anticipation of ERI’s upcoming second birthday next month, we also decided to give our About page an overhaul. Now it’s chock full of useful information about me, my work, my fantastic team, and a few of our most popular (and some of my favorite) ERI posts!
The page turned out so beautifully that I wanted to share it as its own post here this week. This way, you can more easily share it with friends, family, and potential new subscribers to ERI.
Enjoy — and please share it far and wide! In the immortal words of Diamond David Lee Roth, “If you like us, tell a friend. If you hate us, tell an enemy!”
Welcome to The Eternally Radical Idea. My name is Greg Lukianoff (pronounced luke-yanov).
I’m a First Amendment attorney with a particular interest in the intersection between free speech, psychology, and science. You may know me as the president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, better known as FIRE (also be sure to check out FIRE’s own Substack newsletter, Expression).
For the fastest-ever summary of what I believe about freedom of speech, I recommend checking out my 2025 TED Talk, “Let’s Get Real About Free Speech.”
Another thing about me is that I’m a huge sci-fi and comic book nerd, which will explain a lot of the art you’ll see adorning our work here.
And I say “our work” because I’ve got a fantastic team at ERI who help me produce the content you see from week to week. That team includes my fantastic assistant
(without whom I would be lost, both figuratively and literately), FIRE’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives (a world class First Amendment lawyer and fellow nerd, who is also primarily responsible for our awesome artwork), and FIRE Senior Writer & Editor (one of the most versatile writers I’ve ever met, and perhaps the world’s biggest Superman fan).We also often feature guest posts from other FIRE staff and colleagues, whose expertise I’m thrilled to share with ERI readers whenever I have the chance.
Our content runs the gamut, but it generally includes long-form articles on free speech-related news, history, psychology, sociology, and research. We also have book reviews and recommendations, as well as a weekly Weekend Free Speech Update — which aggregates work from FIRE staffers, advisors, and fellows, as well as interesting articles and podcasts in our orbit. Additionally, every long-form post will feature a Shot for the Road, where I’ll share something cool, fun, or important I want to make sure you see.
It’s not all written material, either. We also periodically do Substack live interviews featuring the ERI team, along with many friends, colleagues, and heroes of mine, where we discuss free speech and current events, answer your questions, and drop obscure comic book and sci-fi references for good measure.
So why is it called The Eternally Radical Idea?
In every generation, there are always brave individuals who stand up to fight for human freedom. And generally speaking, they are on the losing side. This is because in every generation, there are also people who predictably stand up to demand that others have less freedom — namely, less freedom of speech and thought.
It’s easy to forget that sometimes. And that is why I coined the term, “the eternally radical idea,” to describe the true nature of freedom of speech: It’s not liberal. It’s not conservative. It is, in fact, radical — in every generation.
Human beings are natural-born censors. Throughout millennia, the authorities, state and religious alike, have silenced or eliminated dissenters through ostracization or banishment. At other times, it’s been arrest, torture, beheadings, burnings at the stake, crucifixion, or drinking hemlock.
FIRE Senior Fellow
’s fabulous book Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media is a highly recommended play-by-play of this phenomenon, tracking it from ancient Greece all the way to today.Mere toleration of dissenters is surely a difficult thing to get people to accept. Indeed, I believe it’s a pretty radical notion all on its own. But the idea that, beyond merely resisting the urge to jail or kill dissenters, we should listen to them instead? That we should argue with them? That we should consider the possibility that we, individually and as a society, along with all our received wisdom, might be wrong?
That’s eternally radical.
Although many of us are lucky enough to have grown up in a time where the value of free speech was largely taken for granted, it really is deeply counterintuitive. The instinct we all have is something like, “Of course I should be able to say whatever I want to say, but them? No no no.”
Free speech has always been and will always be opposed by the forces of conformity. It rubs up against the censorial inclinations of human nature, and it will continue to from now until the end of human civilization.
That’s why the principles of free speech must be enumerated and defended tirelessly by its proponents with each new generation. That’s why freedom of speech is The Eternally Radical Idea. And that’s why this newsletter is named after it.
Other work you should know about
I’ve published several books on free speech, including Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate in 2012 and Freedom From Speech in 2014.
My most well-known book is probably 2018’s The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation For Failure, which I co-authored with the social psychologist
. It’s based on my and Jon’s 2015 article in The Atlantic, and is now the subject of a feature-length documentary of the same name.In 2023, I co-authored The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All—But There Is a Solution with the Gen-Z journalist
. As the title suggests, it’s both a companion to and continuation of Coddling, with a particular focus on the rise and impact of Cancel Culture in our institutions and society.In 2025, I had the pleasure of co-authoring The War On Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail with FIRE Senior Fellow, former ACLU president, and bonafide free speech hero
. The book compiles ten of the most common and annoying (Nadine, in her infinite patience and grace, would say “persistent”) myths, criticisms, and arguments against free speech, along with our thorough responses. It’s a must-have for any free speech defender — and any free speech critic!In addition to all of that, it’s worth sharing here that I’ve also produced two documentaries: 2015’s Can We Take a Joke? which explores the collision between comedy, censorship, and “outrage culture,” (what today we would call Cancel Culture), and 2020’s Mighty Ira: A Civil Liberties Story, an award-winning documentary about the life and career of ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser — directed by none other than FIRE Executive Vice President and
podcast host .Also in 2025, I had the honor and opportunity to give my first ever TED Talk in Vancouver, Canada. In it, I outline four truths about free speech that will help get us back to a culture that recognizes its value and fights to defend it:
Free speech makes us safer.
Free speech cures violence.
Free speech protects the powerless.
Even bad people can have good ideas.
Lastly, I’d like to share Speak Freely, Think Critically: The Free Speech Balance Act, an excellent massive open online course that I was thrilled to work on with pioneering educator Dr.
. It explores the intersection of free speech and neuroscience, and is available now on Coursera entirely free of charge!With this course, you’ll understand the neuroscience behind why free speech feels challenging and how our brains process opposing viewpoints, you’ll develop practical techniques for engaging in productive dialogue across differences — especially on emotionally charged topics, recognize modern threats to free expression, and explore innovative approaches to preserving meaningful discourse in the digital age. I can’t recommend it enough.
How to support our work at ERI and FIRE
The Eternally Radical Idea is committed to remaining free to all readers. Our regular content will never be paywalled or restricted (although we may occasionally experiment with offering additional perks to paying subscribers).
I know that some of you enjoy having the opportunity to show your support by making a financial contribution — and we really appreciate it! In our case, any and all support for The Eternally Radical Idea goes directly to my organization, FIRE. So if you’ve decided to become a paid subscriber, or would like to, just know that’s where your hard-earned money is going!
Alternatively, if you find the work we do on ERI or elsewhere valuable, I encourage you to make a tax-deductible donation to FIRE — or, better yet, become a FIRE member! You can also gift a FIRE membership to all those people in your life who value free expression.
Joining our movement with a gift of $25 or more today allows you to enjoy special insider perks, including:
An annual FIRE membership card.
Invitations to FIRE events and conferences in your area.
A one-year subscription to our FIRE Quarterly magazine.
There are also higher-levels, like FIRE’s Fahrenheit and Ember Club memberships, which afford you even more perks for your generous support. Find more details on our donation page.
FIRE staff work tirelessly, day in and day out, to defend both the principles and the culture of free expression in these here United States. It’s often very difficult and taxing work, but support from like-minded people makes it all worth it. We’d love to welcome you aboard the free speech movement. Join us!
Your amuse-bouche: a delectable selection of ERI content
Here are some of the most popular posts and content we’ve featured on ERI, along with some of my favorites, to give you an idea of the breadth of the topics we tend to cover and discuss.
First, a few videos
I had the surreal experience of being invited by my lifelong idol, John Cleese of Monty Python, for an interview about The Canceling of the American Mind. Of course I agreed immediately and aggressively because, my god, who could be more important than the genius John Cleese? (Also, when I first met John, I was actually naked. You can read about that in an ERI post from Nov. 2023 called “Meeting John Cleese while naked.”)
Next up, a toast I gave at the FIRE’s gala in New York City 2023, which I titled “Fight the Guardians.”
I’d also like to share a toast I gave to FIRE staff during our retreat in 2024. Special shout-out to
, who helped me put it together — and who gave me the great idea of looking at C.S. Lewis’ book “The Four Loves” for inspiration.Finally, the commencement address I was honored to give at the University of South Florida’s medical school (which Bob Ewing also helped me with):
And now, a by-no-means-comprehensive list of ERI posts to get you started:
Abigail Shrier versus the Perfect Rhetorical Fortress
Back in 2020, just for fun, I started a monthly book review in the old version of ERI on FIRE’s website. My Book of the Month in each installment would receive what I dubbed the Prestigious Ashurbanipal Award — named after the Assyrian king who established “the first systematically organized library in
The mental health consequences of social justice fundamentalism
In their 2015 article and 2018 book, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” Greg and Jonathan Haidt argue that cognitive distortions (practices like catastrophizing, black and white thinking, overgeneralizing, discounting positives, and emotional reasoning) and overprotecting children results in an external
Professor Mike Adams’ suicide still haunts me
It's been more than three years since former University of North Carolina Wilmington professor Mike Adams killed himself after being pushed into early retirement for offensive tweets. My friend David French and my colleague Robert Shibley wrote powerful articles about it at the time, but I also wanted to say my pie…
The fall of the AAUP
One of the great disappointments of my professional life has been watching the decline of the American Association of University Professors, formerly the gold standard for defense of academic freedom on campus. Of course, there have always been and still are good, principled AAUP members and chapters out there. But since the beginning of my career back …
Why the ‘words are violence’ argument needs to die
I have a rule: Those of us who have been in a fair number of fights growing up shouldn't discuss them with people who haven't. It makes them uncomfortable. Even if you’re just trying to convey a story, and even if it’s one you’re not proud of, people with no experience being in a fight either think you’re bragging or being threatening.
The misinformation crisis isn’t about truth, it’s about trust
Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.
More tips for being non-partisan in a partisan age
Over the past couple of months, I’ve explored how (despite numerous, contradictory, and ridiculous accusations to the contrary) FIRE has been able to remain non-partisan even in an era punctuated by intense partisanship. I also tried to turn that reflection into advice for others on how they can do the same. The first lesson was, basically, that we shou…
Lesson 1: Be willing to drive the bus into a wall
In a recent article on “How Free Speech Failed at Harvard — and How to Rescue It” in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Ryan Enos wrote, “It is important to note, though, that not all organizations failed to defend free speech during the recent on-campus turmoil. FIRE, for example, has been constant in its content-neutral defense of free speech and acad…
No, the Constitution is not a suicide pact — but it’s also not a blank check for panic
In free speech discourse, there’s a line that gets thrown around a lot when the going gets tough (or when someone really, really, really wants to censor something): “The Constitution is not a suicide pact.”
The Unholy Alliance: How college administrators and students unite to silence speakers
Last month Olivia Krolcyzk, a women’s rights advocate and ambassador with the Riley Gaines Center, was scheduled to give a talk at the University of Washington titled “Protect Women from Men: The Threat of the Trans Agenda,” at an event organized by the campus Turning Point USA chapter.
Yes, the last 10 years really have been worse for free speech
ACLU National Legal Director David Cole has a review of my and Rikki Schlott’s book, “The Canceling of the American Mind,” coming out in the February 8 edition of the New York Review of Books. Overall I thought it was quite positive, but Cole made some arguments — which we actually hear quite often — that I think need addressing.
Cancel Culture vs. McCarthyism: the data is in
AUTHOR’S NOTE: In our book, “The Canceling of the American Mind” (which is now out in paperback!), my co-author Rikki Schlott and I make the argument that Cancel Culture is occurring on the scale of many of the worst “mass censorship” events in U.S. history. This series expands on that research from the Sedition Act of 1798 to 9/11.
Thanks for bringing me back to reality. I can already tell on my free speech journey that I won't be making many friends. My mom said, so you are conservative now? ...Do they give out cards? Is there a joining fee? Kidding. But consider my mind blown beyond blown that being for free speech is conservative.