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Freedom versus

‘Freedom versus’ is a podcast series that uses the value of freedom as a lens through which to examine perennial topics such as religion, identity politics and censorship. While the show is rooted within a South African context, the discussions are of a universal nature. This series is hosted by Gwen Ngwenya and Mark Oppenheimer, and brought to you by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.
Weekly English South Africa Society & Culture · Philosophy
8 Episodes

Freedom versus Identity Politics

Are we free to define our own identity and the way we are perceived by others? Race, gender, purported lived experiences, privilege, victimhood - who decides whether or not we form part of a particular social group? What purpose does social group classification serve? And does a person’s alleged affiliation…
19 Oct 2017 26 min

Freedom versus Social Welfare

Is taxation theft and slavery? Is the state justified in taking away resources that appear to belong to someone effectively to redistribute these to someone else or to society as a whole? Or is taxation better thought of as a kind of social due, which goes toward contributing to the…
12 Oct 2017 26 min

Freedom versus Closed Borders

Should we be free to move across national borders as and when we please, without any restrictions? Or should states be free to decide who may and who may not enter their respective territories? How do we resolve the tension between these conflicting freedoms? Brought to you by the Friedrich…
5 Oct 2017 26 min

Freedom versus Land Reform

If land was wrongfully seized from a person, justice would seem to demand appropriate compensation for such a transgression. Evidently, this kind of scenario is of great relevance to South Africa given its long history of land dispossession. How has South Africa fared in its land reform efforts? What, if…
28 Sep 2017 24 min

Freedom versus Drugs

Should the state be able to decide what substances we may or may not put in our bodies? Or should we be free to make such decisions ourselves? What do we do about the tension between the freedom to decide to take a drug in the first place and the…
21 Sep 2017 25 min

Freedom versus Religion

Freedom of religion is taken to be a foundational kind of freedom. What role, if any, should the state play when it comes to religion? And how, if at all, should religion be incorporated in schools? Gwen Ngwenya and Mark Oppenheimer consider these questions by carefully examining the relationship between…
14 Sep 2017 27 min

Freedom versus Affirmative Action

What does justice require in terms of wrongs committed in the past or in terms of inequality of opportunity? If justice demands compensatory or corrective measures, is there any tension at all between affirmative action and freedom? Gwen Ngwenya and Mark Oppenheimer explore different affirmative action models and how these…
7 Sep 2017 26 min

Freedom versus Censorship

Should there be any limits on free speech? If there should be restrictions, how do we determine where these ought to be placed? In this episode, Gwen Ngwenya and Mark Oppenheimer offer nuanced discussion around these questions. They also examine why we should value free speech in the first place…
31 Aug 2017 25 min