Making Sense with Sam Harris #496 — The Oldest Lie
183 snips
Oct 7, 2026 
Dara Horn, an American novelist and scholar of Jewish history, joins a searching discussion of antisemitism and Jewish peoplehood. They explore why Jews resist modern identity categories, how conspiracy theories adapt across the political spectrum, and why DEI programs and Harvard failed Jewish students. The conversation also examines Zionism, Nazi influence on Arab anti-Zionism, institutional credibility, and ways to confront antisemitic propaganda.
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How Social Justice Language Can Mask Antisemitism
- Antisemitism can present itself as social justice by portraying Jews as excessively powerful or privileged.
- DEI frameworks reproduced this pattern when they cast Jews as obstacles to equity and anti-colonialism.
Antisemitism Explains Away Contradictory Jews
- Left- and right-wing antisemitism differ in rhetoric but share a need to explain away Jews who contradict an all-encompassing worldview.
- Zionism disrupts anti-colonial narratives because Israel is a successful indigenous postcolonial state.
Zionism Now Means Israel Must Survive
- Horn describes Zionism as support for a Jewish state in the historic homeland, not endorsement of a particular Israeli government.
- For many Jews today, it principally means opposing Israel's destruction and protecting half the world's Jews.
