The trial of Peter Boghossian

When James Lindsay, Peter Boghossian and I spent a year writing nonsense academic papers on topics such as ‘dog-park rape culture’ and ‘fat bodybuilding’ and submitting them to journals known for producing a similar standard of ‘scholarship,’ one question came up repeatedly: ‘What are they going to do to Peter?’ James and I were relatively safe because neither of us work in a university. We anticipated smear pieces and online abuse which is unpleasant, but ultimately survivable. Peter though, was much more vulnerable. Portland State University (PSU), where he works, is notorious for its Social Justice culture, its student protests and its Antifa presence. The surrounding city frequently features political protests and clashes between far-right and far-left groups that the mayor and local police have struggled to control. Portland is so infamous for its ideological eccentricities and extremes that it has inspired a hit comedy show, Portlandia. In the middle of this ideological volcano is professor Peter Boghossian, the philosopher who made his name with street epistemology, a Socratic method of engaging people with unsubstantiated beliefs.