Who has the power to silence, punish, or pressure others? And does our answer change depending on who holds that power?

In Part II of “Cancel Culture: Why You May Not Know It’s an American Tradition,” Edward A. Wilson examines the present-day controversies surrounding cancel culture and the power individuals, crowds, corporations, political movements, and government institutions wield over others.

From Nixon and Watergate to modern controversies involving public figures, political protests, and freedom of speech, this Audio Edition explores the distinctions between protest and coercion, private consequences and government retaliation, and accountability and the suppression of dissent.

The central question is one of consistency: Are we willing to defend the same principles when the political sides are reversed?

Cancel culture is not simply a question of who gets canceled. It is a question of who holds the power, how that power is exercised, and whether Americans can disagree without treating their opponents as enemies who no longer belong.

Written and produced by Edward A. Wilson.

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Keep questioning. Keep challenging assumptions. Keep pursuing the higher ideals.

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.