Democracy and Political Ignorance with Prof Ilya Somin

Prof Ilya Somin discusses the current state of antisemitism, exploring its salience in both left-wing and right-wing ideologies. He analyzes the historical roots of anti-Zionism, the influence of foreign money on campus protests, and the ideological underpinnings of antisemitism across the political spectrum. The discussion also touches on the role of government in academia and the implications of political interventions in educational institutions. Prof Ilya Somin is an American legal scholar and professor of law at George Mason University. He holds the B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute and is a blogger for the Volokh Conspiracy. From 2006 to 2013, he served as co-editor of the Supreme Court Economic Review. His research explores constitutional law, property law, migration rights, and the role of popular political participation in constitutional democracy. Prof Somin is the author of several books, including Democracy and Political Ignorance: Why Smaller Government Is Smarter (2013, 2nd ed. 2016), The Grasping Hand: Kelo v. City of New London and the Limits of Eminent Domain (2015), Free to Move: Foot Voting, Migration, and Political Freedom (2020), and Lawless: The Obama Administration’s Unlawful Executive Actions and the Supreme Court (2024).