What exactly is “cancel culture”—and is it really a new phenomenon?

In this Higher Ideals Audio Edition, Edward A. Wilson examines the long American tradition of protest, boycotts, public pressure, political retaliation, and collective efforts to punish or isolate those considered to be on the wrong side of an issue.

From the nation's founding through the Civil War, Reconstruction, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, and into the social-media age, Americans have repeatedly used their economic and political power to challenge people, institutions, and ideas.

But the history raises a harder question: when does exercising our own freedom begin to interfere with someone else's?

And perhaps the most uncomfortable question of all: are we willing to defend the same principle when the other side is using it?

Cancel Culture: Why You May Not Know It’s an American Tradition explores the history behind today's debate—and asks whether cancel culture is something new at all, or simply an old American tradition with a new name.

Higher Ideals presents an audio edition of “America 250: Yo America! We Did It! (Sort Of) — A Birthday Greeting from Philadelphia,” written and narrated by Edward A. Wilson.

In this spirited birthday letter, Philadelphia — the city where the American experiment began — speaks directly to America on its 250th birthday. It’s a candid, sometimes tough-love, celebration of our journey together: the ideas, the ideals, the mistakes, the progress, and the unfinished work that still lies ahead.

Part history. Part reflection. All heart.

Written and narrated by Edward A. Wilson for Higher Ideals.

Higher Ideals presents an audio edition of Edward A. Wilson’s essay, “The Electoral College: An Institution Built for a Different America?” The essay examines the origins, evolution, and modern implications of the Electoral College, asking whether an institution designed for an earlier America still serves the nation’s democratic ideals today.

From the Founding through the Civil War, Reconstruction, the 1876 election, and into the modern era, the essay explores how the Electoral College has shaped presidential elections—and what its history can teach us about democracy, political power, and representation.

Written and narrated by Edward A. Wilson for Higher Ideals.