Anti-Woke American philosopher hosted by Free Speech Union at New Zealand Universities.

Abbi Maidment

An anti-woke US influencer brought to New Zealand got a small but appreciative university crowd in Wellington last week.

Peter Boghossian was one of two “anti-woke” international speakers hosted at Te Herenga Waka’s Pipita Campus on Friday, 20 March. 

Brought to Aotearoa by the Free Speech Union New Zealand and hosted at the university by Generation Screwed (a subsidy of the taxpayers' union), Boghossian and Marian L. Tupy spoke to a group of around 30 people, including students, staff, and members of the public.

The aim of the event was to “Challenge pessimism about young people’s future and to create space for rigorous, good-faith debate on the ideas that shape it.” 

Marian L. Tupy is both an author and the founder and editor of Human Progress. In his writings and public appearances, Tupy has expressed his belief that overpopulation is a myth and aims to promote optimism about humanity's future.  

Peter Boghossian describes himself on his Substack as a philosopher and author who aims to “restore free speech” and “reveal the implications of far-left ideological takeover”. 

He has amassed over 700,000 followers across his social media platforms, with some of his most popular YouTube content receiving over 2 million views.

His YouTube videos consist of him conducting thought experiments on the streets by asking people to share their opinions on controversial topics such as “Should trans women compete in female sports?" and “Is America racist?” and engaging in debates about these subjects. He has coined the term street epistemology to describe these encounters.   

Topics of discussion included the censorship of discourse on subjects such as race, gender, and ideology, the progress of humankind, and avoiding ‘over-correcting’ on issues like climate change.  

Attendees showed broad agreement with the pair’s ideological beliefs and shared concerns about a rise in public censorship of viewpoints that are not currently considered “morally fashionable”.

Tupy concluded the event by encouraging attendees to remain hopeful about humanity's future, emphasising that all challenges can be overcome through human ingenuity.  

Tupy and Boghossian attended another event hosted by the New Zealand Free Speech Union and Generation Screwed on Tuesday, 24 March at the University of Auckland. 

It is expected that Boghossian filmed one of his street epistemology videos on Cuba Street while in Wellington.