Glenn Loury on totalitarianism and why no speech is free.
Distinguished economist and writer Glenn Loury is the host of The Glenn Show, where he covers race and inequality in the U.S. and throughout the world. He is the author of the book Self-Censorship (July, 2025).
This is episode 4 of The Uncaptive Mind, hosted by UATX Digital Editor Audrey Unverferth. It was recorded on May 22, 2025.
00:00 — Preview
01:07 — Glenn's favorite students
02:51 — What mentorship should be
07:56 — UChicago's void
10:00 — Vaclav Havel's Power of the Powerless
10:50 — Suffering in Chicago
11:17 — COVID mass hysteria
12:47 — The rise of the paranoid regime
13:49 — Social isolation and atomization
16:22 — Glenn's advice
19:51 — Does AI render intellect obsolete?
20:24 — The meaning of life
23:07 — What is success?
25:08 — Glenn reacts to UATX's Merit-First admissions policy
28:30 — Would you send a robot to a dinner party?
31:08 — Glenn's new book
35:58 — How self-censorship works
38:58 — No speech is free
44:44 — Glenn's reading recs
