Keep Talking

Jonathan Zimmeramn is a Professor of History of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, and the author of the books "Free Speech: And Why You Should Give a Damn" and "Whose America?: Culture Wars in the Public Schools."------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) intro(00:27) Polarized, pessimistic America(02:10) From Birchers to viral clicks(05:05) Decline of religion as fuel(08:12) “Love thy enemy” vs “I hate my opponents”(10:45) Cross-tribe media: why I watch Fox(13:18) Dopamine diets and tribal brains(16:02) Roots beyond social: 90s, higher ed divides(18:40) Education sorts and isolates by degree(21:15) Overlaps and humbling lessons from Fox (Ukraine, MIC)(24:05) Charlie Kirk: free-speech ideals and contradictions(27:22) Assassination & the internet underworld(30:10) Boys, meaning, and failing institutions(33:05) Digital cults, religion, and liberal education(36:10) Learned Hand’s “spirit of liberty”(38:22) Printing-press analogy, AI, and Postman’s question(41:05) Phones out K-16 and secondhand distraction(43:38) Anxiety on campus and adult responsibility(45:30) Free-speech hypocrisy & the “American Hour” proposal

Judith Thurman is a staff writer at "The New Yorker," and the author of many books, including "Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller" and "Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette."------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------(00:00) “How’d you get to be that thing you are?”—origin story(02:18) Precocious reader, teacher mom, “foreordained” to write(04:52) Yes-and-no confidence; from drivel to good(07:10) Poet in Europe: barmaid, tutor, no money(09:48) 1970s NYC—dangerous, electric, cheap rent, first bylines(12:22) Nation → Ms. magazine → journalism takes off(14:05) Knocking on The New Yorker’s door; Gottlieb says yes(16:40) How a New Yorker piece gets made—editors, rewrites, heat(19:12) Subjects and boundaries: strong & “lost” women(21:58) Emily Wilson to Vanessa Beecroft; fasting spa detour(24:41) Writing (against) Gertrude Stein; Handmaid’s Tale hindsight(27:20) Why Stein’s “cult” endures—salon as tourist attraction(29:58) Anne Frank’s freedom to feel; the monumental annotation(32:36) Amelia Earhart—image-making, legend, and dying young(34:28) Biographies as marriages; choosing a life to live with(35:57) Isak Dinesen begins: Ms. piece, Denneny, the $10k “bride price”(38:43) Rethinking colonialism—Kenyan correspondent, mea culpa(41:52) Writing life: night vs. morning, momentum, humility; truth famine & journalism’s role

Liesbeth van der Horst, director of the Verzetsmuseum in Amsterdam, has dedicated her career to educating about resistance during WWII. In this conversation, she reveals the museum’s mission to combat fascism, sharing lessons learned from notable resistance figures. Liesbeth discusses the complexities of resistance, the February 1941 strike against Nazi oppression, and the heartbreaking realities of Jews in hiding, including Anne Frank’s story. She emphasizes the ongoing relevance of the museum in safeguarding democracy and the lessons of history.

Lisa Marchiano is a Jungian analyst and is the co-host of This Jungian Life podcast.------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Finding Jung Feels Like a Native Tongue(02:10) Early Memories: Mother and Jung’s Mysterious Books(04:35) The Story of Jung’s Bell and the Paranormal(06:20) From History and Humanitarian Work to Inner Crisis(08:15) A Breakup Sparks a Deep Depression(10:50) The Columbus Avenue Bookstore Ritual(13:10) Stumbling Upon “On the Way to the Wedding”(15:35) Reading the Book That Changed Everything(18:10) Writing Down Dreams and the Rabbit Hole Begins(20:25) Realizing Suffering Has Meaning(22:50) Deferring Law School for Work in Bosnia(25:05) Growing Doubt About Her Career Path(28:15) The Phone Call to the Jung Institute(31:10) Refusing the Call but Unable to Let It Go(34:20) Wrestling With Persona and Prestige(38:15) Choosing Social Work Over Law(41:40) The Calling Becomes Stronger in Bosnia(45:05) Returning to New York and Social Work School(48:20) Balancing Training With Motherhood(50:40) Why Jung’s Ideas Are So Beautiful and Expansive(55:20) The Rise of Jung’s Popularity and the Podcast(60:15) Depth Versus Ideology: Why Jung Resonates Today(64:10) Jungian Work as a Container for Meaning(67:50) Defining Synchronicity and Its Significance(70:00) Her Mother’s Legacy and Final Reflections

Walter Robinson is an investigative journalist, an editor-at-large at "The Boston Globe," and is the Donald W. Reynolds Visiting Professor of Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.This is a rebroadcast of episode 42, from 2022.------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:58) A path to journalism(10:00) The power and state of the Catholic Church during the late 80s and 90s(21:40) "The Boston Globe's" "Spotlight" team(28:10) The Catholic Church's reputation before the Spotlight team’s investigation(35:59) What was revealed in the church’s internal documents(40:56) The Church’s consistent strategy of protecting abusive priests(46:58) Nearly every bishop in every diocese knew about abuse and participated in a cover-up(53:27) The role of the Church's celibacy vow in incentivizing abuse(59:36) What explains the abusive behavior of Catholic Church priests?(01:04:06) Women's second-class status and the role of a free press(01:07:55) The need for a full confession from the Church(01:15:48) The role of investigative journalism today and why it matters(01:20:43) The importance of investigative journalists to think outside the box

Mark Clifford is president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong and the author of "The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong's Greatest Dissident, and China's Most Feared Critic."------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------00:00 Intro00:57 Mark's relationship with Jimmy Lai06:40 Jimmy's journalism in Hong Kong10:41 The source of Jimmy's devout anti-communism18:27 Jimmy's interest in journalism21:35 Was Jimmy optimistic about Hong Kong's future?24:27 China's public enemy #133:22 Jimmy's core principles39:40 Lessons from Jimmy's example44:14 Hong Kong and JImmy's future49:47 Jimmy's eccentricities and flaws

James Hollis is a Jungian psychoanalyst and the author of many books, including "A Life of Meaning," which is the primary subject of our conversation.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------00:00 Intro01:05 Why Jim wrote "A Life of Meaning"05:28 The shadow08:38 Why confront one's shadow?10:48 The numinous and finding your calling25:20 Lethargy is a threat to living29:55 A modern culture of distraction32:28 Jim's decision to become a public educator37:02 Jim's growth beyond his family of origin44:30 Psychopathology 48:26 Sin: missing the mark55:15 Fear - the spirit of evil is negation of the life force by fear 58:50 Jim is a "recovering nice person"

Daniel Lieberman is a psychiatrist, the SVP of mental health at Hims & Hers, and the author of the best-selling book, The Molecule of More.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(00:59) What would humans be without dopamine?(01:29) Donating dopamine to phones, not friends(03:58) What is dopamine?(07:53) What are the signs of someone with high dopamine?(11:56) How can high dopamine people live wisely?(18:50) Can workaholics change their insatiability? (22:22) "The modern devil is cheap dopamine"(28:58) What does a wise future look like re: smartphones?(31:37) Dopamine in relationships and love(38:46) Skills to develop to sustain long-term relationships(43:11) Are we on the cusp of a conservative cultural shift?(48:02) Modern dopamine and men in society(54:42) What advice does Daniel give to his sons?(57:14) What's next for Daniel?

Orna is an Israeli sociologist, a teacher at Tel Aviv University, and the author of the landmark book, "Regretting Motherhood." This is a rebroadcast of episode 78, from 2023.

Robert Plomin is a British-American scientist, a psychologist and behavioral geneticist, and the author of the bestselling book, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) The history of nature vs nurture debate(15:40) "All parents are nurture-ists - until their second child."(18:54) Identical twin studies(39:16) Lessons from the film "Three Identical Strangers"(41:20) How much influence do parents have on their kids?(58:40) Genes and psychology(01:10:55) A better model for psychology(01:16:35) How should society look, based on the truth and power of genes?(01:27:03) Nucleus genomics in NYC for polygenic information