What if the next frontier of human rights isn’t out in the streets but inside your own head? We talk with Dr. Simon McCarthy-Jones, Associate Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, about the modern fight for freedom of thought.
Simon unpacks how everything from social media algorithms to brain-reading technologies are reshaping not just what we think, but how we think. We explore the psychological and legal implications of a world where our inner lives are no longer entirely private—and where even a simple Google search might be treated as a window into your mind.
We also discuss:
Why freedom of thought is an absolute right under international law—and why it’s so underdeveloped
The blurred line between thought and speech in the age of ChatGPT, Google, and digital diaries
Whether persuasive tech and personalized AI are eroding mental autonomy
What you can do to protect and reclaim your inner cognitive space
Simon also offers practical strategies for thinking more freely, from managing your attention to cultivating reflective habits—and why real thinking might be more social than solitary.
📚 Resources & Books Mentioned
Freethinking: Protecting Freedom of Thought Amidst the New Battle for the Mind by Dr. Simon McCarthy-Jones
Spite: The Upside of Your Dark Side by Dr. Simon McCarthy-Jones
Research by Michal Kosinski on predicting personality from Facebook likes
🌐 Connect with Simon McCarthy-Jones
Website: simonmccarthyjones.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simonmccarthyjones
Twitter/X: @simonmcdj
🔖 Episode Themes
Freedom of Thought vs. Freedom of Speech
Brain-reading tech and neuroethics
AI, search history, and digital selfhood
Mental autonomy and cognitive hygiene
Thinking as a collaborative act
