Uncertain Things

Robin Hanson is an economics professor who kept running across conundrums of human behavior in his research. Why do we spend so much of our GDP on medicine — even when studies show that more medicine does not lead to better health outcomes? Why have we spent years perfecting methods of instruction — yet educational institutions keep resisting the very reforms that would help us learn better? Along with his colleague, Kevin Simler, Hanson went to evolutionary biology to find a theory that helps explain all the contradictions, which he describes in their book The Elephant in the Brain. In this conversation, we dive deep into his findings and dwell in the not-so-flattering corners of human psychology. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ blog and ‘Uncertainty’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Clothing Emperors, Dropping Schmeckles [0:00-12:52]* Inefficient Evolution, Inspirational Speakers [12:53-20:04]* Medicine: WTF? Part 1 [20:05-31:44]* Evolutionary Psychology, Motives, and Norms [31:45-45:46] * Medicine: WTF? Part 2 [45:47-50:39]* Marriage, Parenting, and Education [50:40-56:56]* Institutions and Mobs [56:57-1:04:17]* Comedic Statutes of Limitations [1:04:18-1:12:54]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Eli Lake — host of The Re-Education Podcast, contributing editor to Commentary, and columnist for the New York Sun — is a Neo-Conservative, Neither-Trumper as comfortable talking about the FBI as the musical genius of Ye. Eli was game to debate ideas, have his opinions challenged, and cover a wide-range of topics — from the Israeli elections and American midterms, to the legitimacy (or lack thereof) of artist’s political opinions, to the merits of Love in the Time of Cholera, to the importance of letting cultural norms settle over time. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ blog and ‘Uncertainty’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Israel's Red Wave - What is it and why is it here? [05:39-27:25]-The Genius and Folly of Ye [27:26-46:14]-The Moral Dimension of Art [46:15-50:39]-KANtreversYE [53:04-1:04:32]-Short-Circuiting Norms and Influencing Elections [1:04:33-1:13:29]-On being offended and partisan soul-searching [1:13:30-1:21:32]-Ode to Robert Caro [1:21:33-1:23:55]-On Neo-Conservatives and the FBI [1:23:56-1:31:07]-Blindspots & talking about sexuality [1:31:08-[1:39:30] -Midterms Post-Script [1:39:31-1:53:55]Go deeper:-Bibi’s Back, Baby (Dispatch) -Red Wave Over Israel (Re-Education)-In for a Kanye. In for a Pound.(Re-Education)-The Feminist Critique (Re-Education)Artwork by Kasiq Fashion.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew Heaton, host of The Political Orphanage and our favorite “tepid grab bag” of political punditry, returns to the pod to help us understand the big issues at stake before the midterm elections: abortion, inflation, and culture war stuff. Along the way, Heaton explains why having sex on the hood of a car isn’t always a good idea, why dating in our era of partisan politics is exhausting, and why we need electoral reforms (like rank choice voting and multi-party systems) to save us from ourselves. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ blog and ‘Uncertainty’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Heaton and housekeeping [00:00-7:35]-The arts of engaging celebrities and podcasting [7:36-14:07]-Tribalism Games [14:08-25:13]-Two party vs. Multi-party systems [25:14-38:03]-Punditry part 1A: Abortion and Inflation [38:04-48:19]-A tangent on expertise and authority [48:20-58:16]-Punditry part 1B: Abortion, continued [58:17-1:09:25]-Punditry part 2: Partisanship and Ron DeSantis [1:09:26-1:21:14]Go deeper:-Adaam’s newsletter about why everything feels so broken-Andrew’s Uncertain Things debut-Adaam on The Political Orphanage: cognitive dissonance FTWUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Scientist-turned-historian Peter Turchin is best known for a dire prediction he made in 2010: we were headed for serious unrest, circa 2020. Peter came to this (as-so-happened) accurate prediction by treating the soft science of history like a hard one — what he calls cliodynamics. He and his team quantified indicators of social unrest in previous historical periods, generating a database of information, and then created a structural-dynamic model that could determine the biggest drivers of social violence and societal collapse. Peter, who’s currently serving as the Project Leader at the Complexity Science Hub in Vienna, talks to us about his approach to history, the factors that are most responsible for our current period of unrest, and the actions that could, just maybe, divert us from Civil War II. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ blog and ‘Uncertainty’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Peter pre-amble and Vishaan post-script (0:00-7:01)-How cliodynamics work? (07:02-17:21)-Quantifying instability, locating gaps, and making predictions (17:22-28:33-The state of our present-day empire (28:34-38:28)-The trouble with too many elites (38:29-51:34)-How to stop an unfolding trainwreck (51:35-1:02:44)Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Urbanist, architect, and professor Vishaan Chakrabarti joins us to explain how the f*** cities got so expensive — and, while we’re at it, ugly. Vishaan is both a doer and a thinker — he’s the founder and creative director of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism as well as a writer of books, talker of TEDs, and a collaborator of journalists (see: "Not Your Car"). In this conversation, we dig into the affordability crisis, why Progressives keep running cities into the ground, and what we need to do to have better cities — and lives. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Prelude [0:00-7:05]-The Uncertainty Newsletter! [7:06-8:29]-A History of Housing: The Arms Race and Race [8:30-22:27]-Bubblegum, shoestring, and vicious circles [22:28-27:31]-The many ramifications of Reagan [27:32-34:28]-When cities became safe and sexy [34:29-43:48]-Progressive cities' misguided policies [43:49-47:49]-The absurdity and cruelty of San Francisco (see: Nellie Bowles’ “How SF Became a Failed City”) [47:50-52:53]-The aftermath of Jane Jacobs [52:54-1:00:40]-Community engagement conundrums [1:00:41-1:11:48]-On gentrification, cars, and future urbanites [1:11:49-1:20:37]-The national vs. the urbanist conversation [1:20:38-1:26:14]-NYC vs. SF [1:26:15-1:36:01]-Why are cities so depressing? [1:36:02-1:44:34]-Blindspots [1:44:35-1:47:22]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Foreign policy expert Walter Russell Mead’s new book — The Arc of a Covenant — kept Adaam up at night with its unique insight into the American-Israel relationship and its gripping historical anecdotes (Stalin! Truman! Roosevelt, oh my!). In this conversation, we investigate the culpability of “THE JEWS,” explore why gentiles catalyzed the creation a Jewish nation-state, discuss the ways anti-Semites keep accidentally helping Israel, and break down the specter of Orientalism that keeps haunting American foreign policy. Plus, we get into the Iran deal and some good old-fashioned geo-politics, by way of a Matt Yglesias tweet.Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Debunking the Israel myth [7:57-15:00]-Antisemitism: long-rooted and occasionally helpful [15:01-29:44]-Orientalism [29:45-36:16]-Shaping the world in America's image [36:17-49:58]-The Cold War, Stalin, and Truman (or The Randomness of History) [49:59-1:07:28]-The history of the craziest, most practical, idea [1:07:29-1:15:57]-Matt Yglesias, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and geopolitics today [1:15:58-1:26:49]-Liberal Democracy: Nothing's set in stone [1:26:50-1:29:47]Follow WRM at @WRMead.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Christine Rosen is the best kind of opinion writer — one we love to disagree with. Senior fellow at AEI, senior writer at Commentary magazine, and co-host of the Commentary podcast, Christine joined us for a conversation ostensibly about trauma, a word/concept that is proliferating in art and life (and getting dangerously diluted in the process). However, this fun conversation sprawled over much contentious ground: history in public discourse, eugenics, human nature, the doomsaying of liberal media, the arrested development of conservative media, Mar-a-Lago, and the mutually assured destruction of marriage.Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-On history, humility, and human nature [4:45-12:56]-The Atlantic, panic porn, and conservative media [12:57-34:15]-Mar a Lago raid and our eroding trust [34:16-40:52]-Defining trauma down [40:53-1:11:12]-Losing the trauma plot [1:11:13-1:21:16]-On marriage, kids, and mutually assured destruction [1:21:17-1:30:18]-Blindspots [1:30:19-1:32:12]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

In his latest book, Matthew Continetti — the right’s pre-eminent intellectual historian — traces the rich history of America’s 20th century conservative moment. In this conversation, we don’t dive into the details of history itself (for that, pick up a copy of The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism), but rather discuss the origins and repercussions of some of the right’s more unsettling trends — from post-liberalism to populism to religious authoritarianism. As is our wont, we debate, disagree, and dunk on Biden, too.Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Analyzing the Right from the Right [0:00-7:26]-The Post-Liberals of the New Right [7:27-18:38]-Culture vs. Capitalism [18:39-32:46] -Rediscovering The American-ness of Conservatism [32:47-42:06] -Turning back the clock, but to when? [42:07-45:31] -Discussing Dobbs v. Jackson [45:32-52:11] -The Monster Within [52:12-1:05:49] -Blindspots on the Left & Right [1:05:50-1:07:34] Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

The yin to David French’s yang, lawyer Kreesa Lancaster gives us her perspective on how and why the Supreme Court came to the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling. Along the way, Kreesa breaks down the legalese, explaining such terms as substantive due process, stare decisis, and strict constructionism / originalism, for good measure. But we also discuss why all the legal wonkery can be a distraction from what’s really at play here — and what Americans need to be paying attention to. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Why we’re having this conversation now [0:00-4:07}-On leaks and legal disclaimers [4:08-7:09]-Substantive due process. What the f**k? [7:10-11:03]-Privacy: an unenumerated right [11:04-14:28] -Understanding originalism / strict constructionism [14:29-25:24]-Stare decisis and Roe’s impact [25:25-30:43] -Silver (or grayish?) linings [30:44-36:06] -Dissecting Dobbs v. Jackson [36:07-38:57] -The Supreme Court's five-prong test [38:58-50:29] -The veneer of legitimacy [50:30-1:01:43] -In Alito's shoes [1:01:44-1:09:50] -Deciding to come on the podcast [1:09:51-1:13:26]-What Dobbs means in practice [1:13:27-1:25:46]-Creating a culture of choice [1:25:47-1:41:35] -Other rulings in peril [1:41:36-1:50:02]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

David French, conservative thinker, podcaster, and author of Divided We Fall, returns to the pod to talk about friendship, or the lack thereof, and why Americans are so goddamn lonely. David unpacks the link between loneliness and the rise of radical and authoritarian groups, and we ponder why Americans just don’t seem to prioritize friendship and connection (including in the built environment — bars that blare music, we’re looking at you). Stick to the end, and listen as we put our cross-partisan friendship to the test, throwing David some soft balls on topics as warm and fuzzzy as guns and abortion.Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:- Vanessa’s baaaaaccckk [0:00-4:54]- The rise of factional friendship [4:55-14:16]- Friendship infrastructure [14:17-32:33] - Accountability & social cohesion [32:34-41:15] - Gendered approaches to intimacy [41:16-48:41] - The ways we wall ourselves off [48:42-53:11] - Polarizing topic: Abortion [53:12-1:19:11]- Polarizing topic: Guns [1:19:12-1:27:49] - Friendships Lost [1:27:50-1:31:00]- Blindspots [1:31:01-1:32:51]Reading list:* Divided We Fall (duh!)* Bowling Alone (Robert Putnam)* Alienated America (Timothy P. Carney)* The Great Experiment (Yascha Mounk)Fourth of July bonus:Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Back from a delicious month-long detachment from the news cycle, Adaam sits down with political vagabond and comedian Andrew Heaton, host of The Political Orphanage podcast, to relearn how to do audio rambling. In a more light-hearted discussion than normal (still need to warm up!), we talk the subtle art of political comedy, the glory (and pains) of arguing, and the implacable hardships of having a euphonious voice like Andrew’s.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-The fundamentals of Uncertain Things-Marriage, an atavism-The guy who may own a blimp-Drawing the line between stand up and shouting at each other-Having debates like a human-Something about the JewsUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Angel Eduardo, author and co-host of the Fair Perspectives podcast, insists that we can rise above this polarized moment and have real – difficult but vitriol-free – debates with each other. Steelmaning is for beginners. We’re talking starmanning! How to do that is what we try to figure on this episode. Adaam and Angel argue about the merits of compassion versus cognitive dissonance and how best to make people more comfortable about being wrong. Meanwhile, Vanessa worries that too much open-mindedness could lead to inaction – or even apathy. She also gets a good laugh from Angel’s diatribe about the word LatinX.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Seeing through the Matrix-Compassion and humility or just cognitive dissonance?-Censorship is in the air and the Harper’s Letter-The art of being wrong (or: it’s ok to fight… verbally)-Who’s this ‘We’ we keep talking about?-Engineering language and Stalin’s hyphenation fascinationUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

We’ve been wanting to have political theorist, writer, and podcaster Yascha Mounk on the show for a while now, and the wait was so worth it: his new book, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure, is not only timely, it’s quite Uncertain Thingsy. He explains the three main ways that diverse democracies fall apart — and to what extent the U.S. is already under their influence. Plus, we dunk on elites, bemoan our political status quo, and ask: could oppression be good for us?Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda: - Intro to Yascha [0:00-9:56]- Shout out to IRL pod encounters [9:57-11:38]- Humans: Naturally predisposed to difference [11:39-25:50]- How to Make Diverse Democracies Work [25:51-33:12]- The Problem of Fragmentation [33:13-45:29]- The Danger of Elites [45:30-54:30] - The Gerrymandering Arms Race [54:31-1:01:51]- The Secret Sauce of Oppression [1:01:52-1:19:41]- On Patriotism & Blindspots [1:19:42-1:25:18]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

When writer and podcaster Meghan Daum released her book The Problem with Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars in 2019, she didn’t get canceled, per se. But its reception among her liberal friends was… frosty. Readers charged that Meghan had been captured by the IDW; reviewers painted her as out of touch; event organizers sent nary an email. Meghan has since made a new media home for herself, interviewing people and broaching topics on her “Unspeakable” podcast. Her fellow “heterodox” listeners love her for it. And we loved chatting with Meghan about some of her (and our!) favorite topics: what the left and right won’t talk about, feminism, book clubs, podcasts, humor, self-censorship, and more.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our ‘Inscrutable’ newsletter for thoughts and rants. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Feminism and the problem with everything [7:25-14:44]-Victim narratives and the “injustice” of biology [14:45-24:12]-“The most miserable writing experience of my life” [24:13-31:17]-Not canceled [31:18-39:07]-Unspeakable topics [39:08-43:57]-What the left and right control [43:58-48:40]-Media Divides [48:41-53:19]-Closing ranks around ideologies [53:20-59:46]-Loneliness, book clubs, and the women of the IDW [59:47-1:12:40]-A tangent on peace privilege [1:12:41-1:16:03]-Meghan’s journey into the heterodox universe [1:16:04-1:25:51]-Funny in the backchannels [1:25:52-1:34:15]-Blindspots. Stereotypes, and self-censorship [1:34:16-1:42:10]-Heterodoxy 2.0 [1:42:11-1:45:50]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

After covering the 2016 elections, podcaster and journalist Jody Avirgan (FiveThirtyEight, 30 for 30) was tired. Damn tired. Of the news cycle, the click bait, the politics. He felt pulled to history as a way of making sense of the present in a more complex, thoughtful way — and so he reached out to Nicole Hemmer, a historian who studies right wing media and occasional opinion writer/cable. The two created the podcast “This Esoteric Day in History,” and eventually recruited Kellie Carter Jackson, a historian who studies the abolitionist era and the theme of violence, to round out their trio. We invited all three on the pod (an Uncertain Things record) to dig into the upsides of bringing history into public discourse, the perils of pushing historians onto social media, and the possibility that podcasts could save us all. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Three journos and two historians walk into a pod [0:00-9:35]-How the podcast came to be [9:36 -12:05]-Intellectual first responders [12:06 - 18:56]-Progress isn’t Inevitable [18:57-22:44]-How progressives and conservatives use history [22:45-29:59]-Out of the ivory tower, into the tweet storms [30:00-52:04]-Media: making the world worse, every day (podcasts exempted) [52:05-1:00:35]-The CRT Monkey’s paw [1:00:36-1:05:16]-An honest conversation about violence [1:05:17-1:24:00]-On democracy and our fundamental values [1:24:01-1:34:47]By the way… We, Jody, Kellie, Nicole, and a bunch of other podcasters have joined the Pro-Democracy Podcast Coalition, in partnership with a nonpartisan organization called RepresentUs, to raise awareness and preserve, bolster, and protect democracy. Get informed and get active at represent.us/podcastUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Jacob Mchangama — author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, lawyer, and founder and director of the Copenhagen-based think tank Justitia — has uncovered an unfortunate, though not too surprising, historical pattern, across cultures and societies: the second we feel under threat in a society, free speech (that supposedly sacrosanct value) goes swiftly by the wayside. In this conversation, Jacob takes us back in time and traces the history of free speech all the way from Ancient Greece to the EU’s recent banning of Russian propaganda — and we unpack a whole lot of hypocrisy along the way. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Adaam’s big mistake [0:00-7:44]-Self-censorship and its consequences [7:45-14:51]-The pro-democracy podcast coalition [14:52-20:15]-On cartoons and Milton’s curse [20:16-25:13]-Free speech through the ages: Greece & Rome [25:14-37:51]-Free speech through the ages: the Middle Ages [37:52-44:18]-Free speech through the ages: from Reformation to Revolution (stopping on Spinoza along the way) [44:19-55:47]-American culture vs. American law [55:48-1:09:21]-A golden age or a free speech recession? [1:09:22-1:13:26]-Banning Russian propaganda [1:13:27-1:22:22]-Liberal democracy: why does it matter? [1:22:23-1:29:30]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

After studying neurobiology in college, Daniel Roy became a professional sleight-of-hand artist slash YouTube magician. He joined us to explore how illusionists exploit our innate psychological and social tendencies in order to make us unwillingly suspend our disbelief. In this in-person conversation, we dive into the topics of misdirection, deception, and illusion — and the ways they resonate with politics, tech, and media today. But it wasn’t all intellectual debate: Daniel also graced us with some real life magic, which you can visually enjoy on our YouTube page.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Getting seriously into magic [5:20-14:12]-Inattentional blindness and the illusion of impossibility [14:13- 27:21]-The magician as social manipulator [27:22-40:56]-When mistakes (and hecklers) happen [40:57-47:10]-The conflict of psychological surrender [47:11-54:44]-Attention capture and the media parallel [54:45-1:05:38]-Magic in the YouTube era [1:05:39-1:24:01]-The mental and ethical challenges of magic [1:24:02-1:53:33]-An audio magic trick! [1:55:29-2:15:31]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Author and political philosophy professor Mark Lilla joined us to debate morality (what makes something good, and how much of it is enough?), innocence vs. ignorance, reactionary passions and nostalgia, the importance of maintaining a private sphere of moral inquiry, and the psychoses of current American politics. We usually ask our “blindspots” question at the end. This time, it captured the entire talk.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Wisely choosing Vico [5:06-6:49]-Losing faith, gaining skepticism, and seeking the goodness of knowledge [6:50-7:56]-Ignorance and bliss [11:59-17:32]-The pros and cons of American populism and dogmatism [17:33-29:12]-How much morality is enough? [29:13-30:06] -Why our government's so dysfunctional [30:07-37:58]-Elitism and activism in the academe [37:59-46:09]-The productive anxieties of American life [46:10-49:36]-The nostalgia party of the right [49:37-1:01:39]-The unserious, crusading left [1:01:40-1:10:54]-The case for indifference [1:10:55-1:15:24]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

You’d think author and speaker Helen Russell — whose professional obsession for the past few years has been happiness — would be loathe to discuss the topic of sadness. Au contraire. As she’s learned more about what it takes to be happy, she’s discovered it relies on perfecting the lost (at least in America) art of being sad. We talk with Helen about her book How to be Sad, discuss why American culture is particularly bad at embracing melancholy, and discover what we could all learn from those strapping Danes.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Making Space for Sadness, in all its flavors [3:51-9:14]-Cross-Cultural Comparisons [9:15-12:54]-Gender and the emotions we're allowed to access [12:55-17:54]-The emotional burden of an artless life [17:55-23:48]-Our atrophied social connections [23:49-29:24]-Inequality, addiction, and social media [29:25-36:54]-Raising kids and deciding to have them in the first place [36:55-44:21]-Sadness taboos and rituals [44:22-48:33]-Diagnosing Brexit (and other dark times) [48:34-53:58]-Sadness Post-Script [54:28-1:24:32]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

People Love Dead Jews. That's the title of novelist and literary scholar Dara Horn's provocative book, which explores the ways in which non-Jewish societies exploit Jewish histories and atrocities to "flatter" themselves and erase Jewish realities. In an episode filled with more ghoulish humor than usual, we follow Dara’s journey of uncovering a troubling (and often truly absurd) history. We also can’t help ourselves and go meta: not only raking on the media (as we’re wont to do) but also nerding out about the difference between Jewish and Western literary narratives.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Memorializing dead Jews, erasing living Jews [9:44-26:35]-Why does empathy require similarity? [26:36-30:33] -Jews disrupting historical narratives [30:34-34:54] -Anti-semitism, assimilation, and Jewish agents of erasure [34:55-42:38] -"I spent 20 years not writing this book" [42:39-49:29] -How I'm Supposed to Respond to Anti-Semitism [49:30-53:23] -Victim Blaming to Feel Good [53:24-58:46]-Holocaust museums have failed [58:47- 1:05:56]-What Readers Want (Resolution not Ambiguity) [1:05:57-1:20:00]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Taibbi thrives on the absurd. He used to revel in journalism's culture: caustic, independent, collaborative, and adversarial to those in power. Now, the former Rolling Stone writer and author of Hate Inc. sees little to love in the toxic, "credentialist" media world. We discuss Matt's transition to Substack (the future!), the psychotic break Trump inspired in "mainstream" media, and the future of our broken industry.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Journalism cultures, past and present* [3:38-20:22] -Protest subscriptions, absurdism, and economic anxiety [20:33-37:14]-Gerrymandering hate and victimhood [37:15-45:39]-The pernicious chaos of totalitarianism [45:40-50:01]-A Trump-induced psychotic break [50:02-1:01:54]-Tech troubles [1:01:55-1:05:35]-What's Next for Media? [1:05:36-1:09:05]-The Blindspots Q [1:09:06-1:14:25]For more media musings……check out our conversations with Batya Ungar-Sargon, Nancy Rommelmann, Matt Welch, and Katie Herzog.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Anthony Gottlieb is a historian of ideas, the former executive editor of The Economist, the author of The Dream of Reason and The Dream of Enlightenment, and the George R.R. Martin of the history of philosophy. He tells us why he kept a poster of Wittgenstein in his dorm, how journalism forced him to unlearn the bad prose of academia, what is the quality that defines a successful philosopher, and why he thinks the liberal foundations of the West remain firm (Adaam is less certain).Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreonfor behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Coming up at the Economist [3:55-10:00]-Bertrand Russell, boyhood idol [10:01 - 15:34]-On Hume and Religion [15:35 - 21:24]-Philosophizing in Uncertain Times [21:25 - 28:21]-The Power of Charisma [28:22 - 39:10]-Wrestling with Wittgenstein [39:11- 44:12]-The Enlightenment Project's Legacy [44:13 - 56:16]-On Skepticism, Self-Awareness, and Philosophy Today [56:17 - 1:04:26]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Film critic, YouTube influencer, and sci-fi author Lindsay Ellis joins us to talk about her new novel and the complexities of human-alien relationships. But, in typical Uncertain Things fashion, we couldn't help but ask Lindsay about the f*ed up nature of today's social media landscape — one that cripples artists and rewards very bad behavior indeed. Plus, Lindsay gives us her guide for distinguishing between good and bad faith criticism, diagnoses Hollywood's TV problem, and hints that the future is books.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreonfor behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Aliens vs. transhumanism [06:33-11:10]-Dealing with bad faith critics [11:11-19:04]-The algorithm effect [19:05-22:51]-The artist/audience disconnect [22:52-28:11]-Hollywood's TV problem [28:12-30:35]-Scarred by the content machine [30:36-35:07]Check out Lindsay’s novels Axiom’s End and Truth of the Divine. And as promised, here’s Lindsay’s take on Mel Brooks and satire and The Beauty and the Beast remake.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Nancy Rommelmann is a fiery (but mostly peaceful) writer and reporter. She’s also the co-founder (along with Matt Welch) of Paloma Media — a home for "the growing number of misfit creators who no longer fit neatly in our cramped categories of media, politics, and culture." Nancy made the trek to Queens for an in-person (!) conversation where she shared her journalism war stories, her ire about Donald MacNeill, Jr., and her musings on beauty as a commodity.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Intro to Nancy [00:00 - 4:00]-Our anti-natalist debate w/ Jacob Siegel, to be continued [4:01 - 6:00]-Settling in [6:01-16:27]-Deconstructing Portland [16:28 - 35:40]-The NYT vs. The Donalds [35:41 - 1:02:06]-Creating Things in the Chaos [1:02:05 - 1:11:14]-The Beauty Blindspot [1:11:15 - 1:32:09]-Blindspots on the Left & Right [1:32:10 - 1:39:24]-People Will Surprise You [1:39:25 - 1:44:17]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

We live in a society enamored with divisions, but Nicholas Christakis lives by the outlandish idea that humans are fundamentally similar — and has devoted much of his career to uncovering the universals of social experience. (He's a lumper, not a splitter.) The Yale professor and author of many books — including Blueprint and Apollo's Arrow — unpacks his fascinating findings in evolutionary biology, describes the price we pay for the spread of ideas (namely, germs), and reflects on that now infamous moment on the Yale quad six years ago.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-The asymmetry of celebrity [5:46-13:41]-The perception and reality of inequality [13:42-23:24]-Against the ascendant emphasis of difference [23:25-43:21]-Lumpers and splitters [43:22-49:50]-The social suite: How genes shaped our societies [49:51-1:07:10]-Why utopias and other intentional communities fail [1:07:11-1:14:16]-Prestige hierarchy and teaching [1:14:17-1:18:24]-Reflecting on the Yale incident, six years later [1:18:25-1:31:03]-On Covid (the price we pay for the spread of ideas) [1:31:04-1:37:42]-Distrusting institutions [1:37:43-1:45:26]-Blindspots on the left and the right [1:45:27-1:49:22]-Bonus: Can culture change our genes? (On exophenotypes) [1:49:39-2:01:35]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Tablet Magazine senior writer and irresistible baritone Jacob Siegel finds it impossible to be in America and write about America. He gave up on New York, his former haven, and moved to the provinces of the Empire (namely, Israel). What changed? We talk about fancy buzzwords — from gentrification to critical race theory — and how they all played a role in his disillusionment. Adaam and Jake also fly into a tangent argument about parenthood, child-rearing, and anti-natalism. Oh, yeah, and Afghanistan. Plenty of gloom and existential angst to go around.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Why not have kids? (Intro)-Why have kids? (Jake’s argument)-The ubiquitous Brooklyn-Guilt, race, and elementary schools-Who does CRT benefit?-Goodbye, Afghanistan-Hello, bad mediaUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

In honor of our one year anniversary, our first ever guest, religious scholar Tomer Persico, returns to the pod for another intellectually and spiritually satisfying conversation — this time IRL. (Check out our original convo first if you haven't already). This time Tomer, author of Man in God’s Image, dives right into the ancient concept of the self, jumps to the creation of interiority/individuality, expounds on the isolation of America, and comes for a landing on the old, new, and ugly of Israeli politics.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Check out our Patreon for behind-the-pod updates. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Happy anniversary, us! (Adaam’s Ishiguro essay)-Two Jews. One mic.-Recap: The Image of God-The birth of the inner world-But, science! (My physics friend dissents)-Bye bye, Empire-Loneliness and totalitarianism-So what did I miss (in Israel)?-The flattening of our politics-Arthur KoestlerUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

The tables are turned! Kyle Huber of the Adventure Creator Podcast interviews your jaded journo hosts, Adaam and Vanessa, to learn more about our backgrounds, the origins of Uncertain Things, and to pick our brains on (what else) the fall of liberal democracy. Enjoy and, if you want to hear more creatives talking about their passion projects, subscribe to the Adventure Creator Podcast. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Vanessa's back story [7:22] -Adaam's back story [15:55] -The Uncertain Things story [27:01] -The issues with media & media consumption [33:40] -Liberal democracy: why it matters, what's at stake [53:13] -Blindspots on the left, blindspots on the right [1:05:19] -On Covid, freedom, and human connection [1:10:38]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Vertigo survivor Rob Long has been writing and producing for the small screen for decades. With some prompting from an entertainment-fatigued Adaam, Rob bemoans the death of truth on TV, the wisdom and folly of Disney, the content catatonia we've slid into, and the strange politics that all this has brought into our private lives.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-We’ve got a Patreon!-What is content?-Content catatonia (or: scrolling through the opium den)-We don’t know what you want to watch-Netflix won’t save us-Hollywood’s fear of truth-Arrogance of the present redux-Beware The ZeroistsUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

U.S. Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI) was three days into the job when rioters broke into the Capitol building. A week later, he was one of the few members of the Republican party to vote to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the riot. Seven months later, Meijer would love to focus on policy — but in his day-to-day life and work he's still dealing with the fallout from the "original sin" of election denialism and the dual realities dividing our country.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Why we wanted to talk to Peter Meijer (despite his being a politician) [0:00-6:50]-From a politics of persuasion, to a politics of coercion [8:01-20:33]-January 6: The wake-up call that wasn't [20:34-34:11]-The future of American Imperialism [34:12-39:15]-Blindspots on the left and right [39:16-40:51]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Sorkin-character-come-to-life Sarah Isgur joins us to talk courts, law, and culture war. Sarah co-hosts the (much beloved) Advisory Opinions podcast, has managed multiple political campaigns and worked as DOJ spokesperson during the early days of the Trump administration. We talk about political bravery and cowardice; about the illusion of progress and the “vanity of the present”; and about Sarah’s second-guessing her logic for joining the Trump administration. Then at last we get good and wonky, exploring the Supreme Court's 3:3:3 make-up, what it means for the court’s legitimacy, and how everything is made dumber by the culture war.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Real-life Aaron Sorkin character [0:00-6:11]-Justices: they're people, too [6:51 - 13:46]-A Political Awakening Rooted in Chaos and Recounts [14:01 - 20:25]-The World of Campaigning [20:26 - 24:01]-When Trump Won [24:02 - 31:23]-Polling Problems [31:24 - 35:12]-Joining, and leaving, the Trump Administration [35:13 - 45:13]-The 3:3:3 Court (In Scalia and Kennedy's wakes) [45:14 - 1:01:29]-The Dilemmas facing the Swinging Three [1:01:30 - 1:10:48]-The Culture War in the Court [1:10:49 - 1:26:36]-Blindspots on each side [1:26:37 - 1:33:04]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

It’s time for some freestyle theodicy: programmer, voting nerd, flatmate, and domestic spouse Zev Goldstein joins us to put some of our household debates on the record. On the agenda: the word evil (and whether it does more harm or good), cancel culture (is it as bad as Adaam claims?), and voting theory (including an explainer on why the way we vote now is by far the worst voting system there is).Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

R-Street Institute fellow and head of digital media Shoshana Weissmann joins us to talk big tech, monopolies, and regulation. Yes, we get wonky discussing Section 230 and trust busting, but we also carved out time for Shoshana and Adaam to nerd out about Torah law. She also explains why she's so passionate about unenumerated rights and even reminds us that online living has an upside.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda: -Only intro and already off-the-rails [00:00-9:00]-Regulation, what is it good for? [10:16-27:20]-Shoshana's libertarian origin and the Federalist Society blood rituals [27:00-35:11]-I -Section 230 and the dementor's kiss of content moderation [41:02-56:33]-Big Tech: punching bags, soft power, and censorship [56:34-1:10:12]-Corrosive conversations vs. supportive communities [1:09:34-1:31:19]-Privilege and personal responsibility [1:31:20-1:38:55]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Self-described "classic Scottish enlightenment liberal" and prolific historian Niall Ferguson — author of The Square and the Tower, The Great Degeneration, and, most recently, Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe — graced the pod with his keen mind and sexy Scottish tones. Niall explained why we are so fixated on the end times, and yet so woefully unprepared for catastrophe when it strikes. He also shared his theory on why historical thinking (beyond your go-to Hitler comparisons, thank you very much) would actually better prepare us for disasters. And by the end of the conversation, we even got his takes on a few hot topics: big tech, section 230, and the Cold War II we're already living in.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -Remembering Norman Stone [11:39]* -The nexus of economics and everything else [15:52]* -Doom & cataloguing catastrophes [23:03]* -We'd love history to be cyclical (and torture data to make it so) [31:48]* -Seeing the tigers in the grass - and responding rapidly [40:02]* -Diagnosing the pathologies of pseudo-preparedness [49:25]* -We need to teach history differently (and forget about the frickin mid-20th century) [58:23]* -Networks, ideological contagions, and section 230 [1:06:25]* -In defense of uncertainty [1:23:25]* -Cold War II and the cumbersome West [1:30:45]Niall’s recommended read on Israel/Palestine.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Stark inequality. A planet on the brink of destruction. Communities decimated. For many in 2021, capitalism is not looking so hot. But Professor Rebecca Henderson thinks all is not lost. In her book, Reimagining Capitalism In A World On Fire, Rebecca makes the case that capitalism can indeed address the challenges we face — and that companies are already making the switch to a new, more conscientious way of working.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -What capitalism hath wrought and not [2:32]* -A degree of inequality is a feature, not a bug [11:02]* -Inclusive capitalism, with guardrails [23:20] * -There's money to be made in transforming the system [33:20]* -The instability of self-regulation, the appeal of regulation [47:22]* -Turning off social media and turning on corporations [51:27]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

One of Justin Davidson's first gigs as New York Magazine's architecture critic was covering the development of the 9/11 memorial — an incredibly complex and controversial project that shaped the city's future. The experience influenced the way he thinks about the role of architecture and urbanism in the ways we process our societal traumas. We talk to Justin about the role of the architecture critics, the 21st century task of creating memorials to shame, and why it's too soon to truly memorialize Covid. And then, for fun, we put him in the urbanist hot seat for questions ranging from: "how do we fix housing" to "who should we vote for mayor of New York?"Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -Cities, journalisming, and national tragedies* -What do critics critique? (And why scale matters!)* -9/11 and the premature monument* -How will we remember COVID19?* -Who do monuments serve?* -Why NY sucks (aka Adaam’s favorite diatribe)* -Is there anybody out there (among NYC mayoral candidates)?Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Our friend Misha Thomas, ex-evangelical and psychologist, returns to the show to discuss his recent revelation around race, spurred on by the PBS documentary, The Black Church. Along the way, we discuss a bevy of unanswerable questions surrounding this idea of racial trauma: Is it good for us keep to re-visiting, even valorizing, our past traumas? Are trauma narratives too reductionist for our own good? What good can acknowledging and discussing trauma bring? And is there really an "other side" we'll ever reach?Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda: * -Trigger warnings on both sides [1:11]* -Reflecting on voting for Trump [14:21]* -The Black Church & a new revelation on race [19:54]* -Racism and classism within the Black community [35:00]* -Busting out of neat, reductionist narratives [44:40]* -Cringing at self-love and self-hate [54:40]* -What's so tricky about trauma [1:01:50]* -The meaning of "moving forward" [1:19:04]* -"The trauma I've never talked about" [1:31:05]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Back in 2015, when Eyck Freymann began studying China, he kept coming across this phrase in Chinese media: “One Belt, One Road.” No one in the West was talking about it, but, for anyone paying attention, it was the initiative that would define Xi Jinping’s reign. Eyck joins us to explain the significance of these four words, the imperial mantle Xi Jinping has donned (and why many countries are loving it), and the tricky geo-political landscape the U.S. must navigate if we’re to avoid another Cold War. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -Intro to Eyck & China [2:49] * -A Coda to our Conversation with Batya Ungar-Sargon [7:47]* -The story of the decade is not a story about debt traps [17:07]* -One Belt, One Road: How it began [25:11] * -The Empire Strikes Back (What Chinese propaganda teaches us) [38:25] * -Why the West needs to be on alert [51:37] * -Violations & Hypocrisies [1:02:08] * -What the Biden Administration Should Do [1:11:55]* -Eyck's take on current events [1:19:18]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor for Newsweek and self-proclaimed "vulgar Marxist," is still a lefty — even if the left no longer wants her. We talk to Batya about her upcoming book (Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy), debate the liberal media's criminal avoidance of class inequality (which, to her, explains the underpinnings of its current obsession with race), and even get into the differences between Israeli and diaspora Jews.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -Into the ickiness (why we started uncertain things) [6:09]* -Intro to Batya [10:10]* -Getting called out for calling out Anti-semitism [14:05]* -What happened at the New York Times [23:05]* -Misdirection, race, and moral panic [37:20]* -Class and its dubious champions [47:35]* -The betrayal of the left (on welfare and UBI) [58:43]* -Trump's working class wins [1:09:05]* -A perfect defense of the status quo [1:13:30] * -The woke theology and bowling alone [1:19:00]* -Israeli Jews, diaspora Jews, and anti-zionism [1:29:20]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday ruminations, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Yuval Levin is a leading conservative thinker and political scientist who has, for quite some time, been contemplating the question: what’s gone wrong in America? We dive into his most recent book, A Time to Build, where he traces the long-term shriveling of our social institutions — from political parties to journalism to the academy — a process which, according to Yuval, supercharged the current trends of inequality, division, and political opportunism. Later on, we dare to get even nerdier than that and revisit Yuval’s historical study of Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine, and the lessons they still teach us.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -The Hitler question [4:26]* -Yuval, introduced [9:29]* -The difference between the left and right [13:28]* -Seeing things in institutional terms [16:36]* -Conformity, cohesion, and resistance [21:20]* -The strangeness of mid-century America [33:31]* -The social infrastructure that shapes us [38:39]* -The resilience of libraries and schools [42:30] * -Journalism as an institution [45:00]* -America's overly high expectations of the Academy [52:15]* -From the political to the performative (or how to fix Congress) [57:16]* -Being a conservative in the Trump era [1:12:14]* -On Burke, Paine, beauty, and truth [1:20:03]* -Space vs. Motion [1:27:28]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Caitlin Flanagan has a taste for controversy. Over her decades writing for The Atlantic, she's covered everything from feminism (and the ways it lets women down) to porn to self-censoring in comedy to her own struggle with cancer to the darkest depths of the culture war. But are there any subjects she wouldn’t write about?Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -Introducing Caitlin [3:53]* -On writing and being dour [11:00]* -The censorship and self-censorship of the young [20:46]* -Touching touchy subjects [25:44]* -On feminism, cruelty, and the culture war [31:47] * -The left, the right, and the French [42:15]* -Patriotism & the Patriot Act [47:32]* -Our disembodied lives [49:53]* -On porn, sex work, and loneliness [58:13]* -Trauma and its new narratives [1:10:24]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Professor Moshe Sluhovsky, who teaches history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, taught a young Adaam to appreciate the nuance, contradictions, and blind spots of the past. In this episode, he breaks down conflicting historical narratives that have pervaded the academe, gives his perspective on America's newfound historicism, and rants with us about the inaccurate historical movies he loves and we hate.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* -Intro to Sluhovsky, the professor who taught Adaam why history matters [1:15]* -The conflicting narratives of Colonialism [21:58]* -History, the field that navigates "the complexities of possible stories that could be told" [24:30]* -History, a field ill-equipped for images [40:18]* -Historical movies: the good, the bad, the ugly [45:54]* -The young, contentious project of re-writing American history [59:24]* -On abstract thinking, morality, and politicization today [1:06:56]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Back when Dr. Dawn Carpenter was starting out in the finance world in the '90s, she sought out the organizations trying to do some good in the world. It was an unusual decision back then — and one that allowed her to carve out a niche for herself. Now, the conscious capitalism movement is becoming far more mainstream, and as the host of the "What Does It Profit?" podcast, Dawn has a front row seat. We talk to Dawn about the morality of capitalism, her theological studies and how it applies to her work, and the mystical Oz-like machinations of our economy.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice. Oh, there’s merch, too: mugs, laptop cases, tote bags, t-shirts… the lot. And everything’s on sale. Hurrah for capitalism…?On the agenda:-The virtualized mind -What does it profit? -In the room where it happens-A theological awakening -Conscious capitalism (A podcast begins)-Contributive justiceUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Perched from his position as a media analyst at the CIA, Martin Gurri noticed — way before most of us — that change was afoot. Starting in the early 2000s, he noticed the new "tsunami" of information coming our way, and he began to see how it was changing, and would forever change, not just our means of communication, but our concepts of authority and power, and even our societies themselves. In 2014, he put down his reflections in a book — The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium — which might as well be the Uncertain Things bible.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* The 20st century vs the tsunami* From Cuba to the CIA* On Authority, Truth, and Utopia* The long march to somewhere* The border infiltrates the center* The sectarian mind and the force of negation * The nuttiness of the Trump years * What we can do * There are no alternatives to liberal democracy* Short-term pessimist, long-term optimistUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal returns to the pod in celebration of the release of the English translation of his book, Revolt: The Worldwide Uprising Against Globalization. We pick up where we left off last time, beginning with the role of the journalist, especially in this new vaccine-starved world, meander into Facebook's many failings, and then take a final, chilling turn to the state of the American empire post-Trump.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Journalists, vaccines, and the "toilet paper dilemma" [10:27]* Facebook, Silicon Valley, and Freedom of Speech [24:10]* "The West Crumbled in the Trump Years" [39:16]* When the world wasn't watching... [47:15]* "There is no organizing idea for an America-centric world any more." [54:59]* Nationalism vs. populism [1:00:37]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

On Inauguration Day, with J.Lo's oddball rendition of America's favorite commie song still ringing in our ears, Matt Welch graced our uncertain pod with his virtual presence and cathartic rants. Matt — author, Reason Magazine’s editor-at-large, co-host of The Fifth Column podcast, master of "atrocious analogies," and Adaam's touchstone of sanity (among other roles) — joined us for a wide-ranging conversation about Biden, the truth, free speech, podcasts, and the consequences of so-called cancel culture.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Inauguration Day: "I'm not the target audience." [6:42]* Living in truth and holding politicians to account [14:11]* Journalists, do your job better [18:44]* Consumers, consume better, too [25:37]* A techno-hippie in the free speech loop hole (Podcasts v. Mass media) [35:03]* Cancel culture and its tattle tales [47:45]* In defense of common sense [1:19:49]* The elephant in the country: the deficit [1:24:56]* Trump and the right's delusional disarray [1:28:04]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Adam Winkler, constitutional law professor at UCLA School of Law, joined us mere hours after Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol. We talk (fittingly) about our history of law and disorder, dive deep into his book We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights (Adam even spins some delightful yarns about Supreme Court high jinks of yore), and unpack all the ways in which corporations have consistently won (and in all likelihood will continue to win) more rights than the rest of us. At least America's future is bright for somebody...Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Nation of law and disorder (5:33)* Intro to corporate Rights and Personhood (13:45)* Our corporate origin story (On, Jamestown, Charters, and the founding fathers) (17:40)* Corporations and race (25:20)* The narrative of the corrupt corporation (29:52)* The landmark case of 1809 (37:45)* Railroad (& supreme court justice) high jinks (42:05)* The power of a personality (58:00)* Citizens United, the capstone of a 200-year battle (1:04:27)* "The future of corporate Rights is rosy" (1:07:02)Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Tamler Sommers, philosopher and co-host of Very Bad Wizards, joins us just a few days after the insurrection on the Capitol to explain how we got here (spoiler alert: liberalism's over-emphasis on individualism and dignity seriously failed us). He also walks us through some of the controversial arguments in his book — Why Honor Matters — and describes the ways in which honor cultures actually have a lot to teach us (especially in these crazy Covid times) about courage, community, and responsibility.On the agenda:* Diagnosing Trump's army* Honor: What is it? * Honor v. Religion (see: our interviews w/ Tom Holland and Tomer Persico)* Anti-Maskers: Freedom fighters or Trump tribalists?* Honor's bad rap* What Liberalism Has Wrought — Mass Incarceration* Conflict Resolution in Honor Cultures* Restorative Justice in Theory (See “Can Forgiveness Play A Role in Criminal Justice?” and “Conflicts as Property”)* Vaccine envy, just desserts, and other American depravities* Restorative Justice in Action (Tamler’s inspirations: ”Forgiveness in Justice” & “Conflicts as Property”)* Interrupting violence with honor (and a cameo from The Godfather)* Safety, risk, and damned bicycle helmets * On Covid theater and authoritarian control * Tamler's beef with philosophy Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Columbia University Law Professor Zohar Goshen joins to discuss his provocative new theory about the root causes of American income inequality. His upcoming publication (co-authored with Prof. Doron Levit) goes beyond the traditional explanations — globalization, automation, taxation — and pushes against a few of Wall Street’s sacred bulls. He also puts forth a pretty nifty solution — one that will never, ever happen, of course.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Corporate Governance 101 [6:29]* Born in the 80s: shareholder primacy and income inequality [13:25]* The conventional inequality explanations [19:10]* What went wrong: the pension problem [27:56]* Strong governance is good [37:25]* Strong governance is bad (the Steve Jobs story) [39:38]* The consequences: Capital gains, workers' loss [46:25]* Why changing corporations won't work [1:01:01]* The big break up we need - and is never gonna happen [1:07:42]* The 2008 financial crisis vs today's [1:16:03]* On ESG - Let's rethink that G [1:25:50] Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Indian journalist Yashica Dutt joins us to talk about her memoir, Coming out as Dalit, where she details her journey from rejecting and hiding her "lower-caste" status to embracing it and advocating for Dalit rights. Weaving between Yashica's personal story and India's political history, we cover everything from pre-colonial inequalities, colonial atrocities, post-colonial absurdities, and current-day injustices (from India to Silicon Valley). Oh, and we get Yashica's not-hot take on Isabel Wilkerson's book, too.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Hiding my caste and "passing" [7:17]* Reservation and its discontents [21:42]* The absurdities of post-colonial studies [29:13]* Gandhi, not a great guy [39:34]* The backlash to progressive values [52:30]* The conversation about caste vs. race [1:09:09]* Casteism in Silicon Valley [1:22:43]* Isabel Wilkerson's Americanized lens [1:29:09]* Coming out as Dalit [1:35:38]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe