Introduction

For Veterans Day, Sebastian Junger joins us to look at the psychology behind the human instinct (especially among young men) to pursue war and self-sacrifice, how these motivations are inextricably linked to tribalism and community, and the tensions between the rules of community and the individual desire for freedom. We also reflect on the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal and engage in a friendly debate about the political climate in America today.

Sebastian Junger has spent much of his journalism career embedded in the most dangerous places on Earth, including the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan where he made the documentaries Restrepo and Korengal with his late colleague Tim Hetherington. He is the NYTimes bestselling author of The Perfect Storm, Tribe, Freedom, and War. Follow him on Twitter at @sebastianjunger.