Discourse Lab – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode the boys are joined by Dr. Joe Duarte. Joe is a Social Psychologist who's work centers on political diversity, open inquiry, and methodological rigor in the behavioral sciences. He is perhaps best known for being the lead author of the 2015 paper Political diversity will improve social psychological science. Joe has been a prominent voice on how political bias undermines research outcomes and erodes public trust in science.

Listen to this episode if you want to hear what Joe thinks of the current state of social psychology, his opinions on so-called "microaggressions," why he believes most academics are scumbags, and much more!

Don't forget to follow us on social media, and subscribe on YouTube and Substack!

If you want to support Ukraine please donate to Ukrainian Relief Fund.

In this episode the boys are joined by Sam Nahins. Sam is a writer and former Air Force drone operator. He is currently pursuing an MFA at Columbia University. Sam has been featured on Fox News, Newsmax, French 24, and other programs, where he has been outspoken about his views on Israel, Ukraine, and campus protests. In the Summer of 2025 he spent a month traveling around Ukraine to get a better sense of what life is like for soldiers and civilians alike.

Listen to this episode to hear about Sam's experience in Ukraine, his hot take on who the leader of Russia should be, his thoughts on the war in Gaza, and much more!

You can read Sam's writing on The Line, where you'll find pieces such as Stage Names and A Choir of Crickets.

You can follow Sam on...

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• Instagram
• Substack

Oh, and here is the article Clay wrote that features Sam and covers the tragic passing of Brandon Christie.

In this Episode the boys are joined by Daniel Idfresne. Daniel is a moderate-conservative thinker and commentator who’s writing has been featured in Real Clear Politics, The Free Press, and The New York Post, among others. He’s also a native New Yorker and rising senior at Syracuse University. 

Tune in to hear Daniel’s opinion on NYC Charter Schools, rent control, Zohran Mamdani’s primary victory, and much more!

You can check out some of his writing here:

• Mamdani’s Trump-Proof New York: Safe Haven for Criminal Migrants?
• Zohran Mamdani: ‘Working-Class’ Mayor for Upper Class Voters
• A $20 Mistake: At-Risk Teens Will Pay for Cuomo’s Wage Hike
• Companies Test Apple’s Playbook To Dodge Trump’s New Tariff Regime

Apologies for Anthony’s bad audio quality! He had some unexpected technical difficulties.

In the first part of this episode Clay flies solo. He humbly requests guest suggestions, and also offers a good faith response to some very critical instagram comments. In the second part the lads discuss the "Big Beautiful Bill" (finally!), or at least the parts of it that they found particularly interesting. This one is a bit long, so bonus points to anyone who makes it all the way to the end.

Please DM us on Instagram at @the_discourselab or email us at contactdiscourselab@gmail.com for guest suggestions (especially left-leaning ones)!

In this episode the boys are joined by Jonas Du, a Free Press Fellow and founder of Sundial, Columbia University's newest, most ideologically diverse student publication. Jonas shares his personal experience as a young conservative surrounded by mostly left-wing peers, and talks about what lead him to found Sundial. He also shares details about his latest article,Young, Hot, and Triumphant: Welcome to MAGA Summer. Tune in to get Du's takes on the rise of conservatism in Gen Z, the takeover of journalism by elites, and much more!

If you want to hear/read more from Jonas, you can follow him on...
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- Instagram
- Substack

In this episode of Discourse Lab, the boys dive into how ideology distorts research, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of moral foundations theory, and struggle (but ultimately succeed!) to explain P-values and P-hacking. 

In this episode the boys explain why you're not getting a full length episode this week. Stay to the end to hear what Anthony and Clay love about the good ol' US of A! 

In this episode, Anthony and Clay discuss NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's socialist platform. Listen to this episode if you want hear about the merits of rent control (or lack thereof) , the psychological predisposition of the authoritarian left, the nuggets of gold in Zohran's platform, and much more! Sincerest apologies to Mr. Mamdani for mispronouncing his name on a number of occasions.

Oh, and the boys squeeze in a quick discussion about the innate differences between men and women in the last twenty minutes. Clay explains why he's recently become a bit more sexist, so listen until the end!

In this intro episode co-hosts Clay and Anthony introduce themselves and explain what they hope to do with Discourse Lab. Expect to learn why they stopped making The Columbia HxA Podcast, when new episodes will drop, why they chose the name "Discourse Lab," and more!

In this episode the boys are joined by Dr. Luke Conway. Luke is a social psychology researcher, professor, and author who has over a hundred pieces on the psychology of politics and culture. He has served as an associate editor for the Society for Personality in Social Psychology's flagship journal and is an elected fellow of that journal and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology. He is currently a Professor of Psychology at Grove City College, and the author of Liberal Bullies: What Psychology Teaches Us about the Left's Authoritarian Problem—and How to Fix It. More recently, Dr. Conway co-authored a fascinating new study titled An Adversarial Collaboration on the Rigidity-of-the-Right, Rigidity-of-Extremes, or Symmetry: The Answer Depends on the Question.

Listen to this episode to learn about how cognitive rigidity is not an especially conservative trait, get Luke's take on whether social psychology has become irredeemably woke, hear his surprisingly controversial opinion about a beloved fast food franchise, and much more!

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Our Book Recommendations

• The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech – And Why They Fail - Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff
  • A short, easy read that will arm you with the rhetorical weapons you need to fight against censorship. 
• Psychobabble: Viral Mental Health Myths & the Truths to Set You Free - Joe Nucci
  • A fascinating look at all the mental health BS you see on your social media feeds. Joe does a great job of setting the record straight. 
• Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class - Rob Henderson
  • A beautiful, insightful, and heartbreaking memoir that highlights why a stable, loving family is something that every child deserves.
• Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World - Tom Holland
  • A phenomenal and eye opening account of how Christian philosophy shaped western culture and thinking.
• Meditations - Marcu Aurelius
  • History's greatest self help book. Penned by one of Rome's greatest emperors. A must read for anyone interested in Stoicism.
• The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization - Peter Zeihan
  • The best explanation of the post-war American lead global order, and how it's falling apart.