Uncertain Things

Anthropologist Adam Louis-Klein was in the Amazon on October 9th, when he went online and learned what had happened two days previously. Almost immediately, he also discovered something else: his left-wing colleagues in the academy were ready to ostracize him for his “filthy Zionist” views. Since then, Louis-Klein has turned his analytical eye toward anti-Zionism. In this conversation, he explains the ideology’s history and how it continues to perpetuate itself through cycles of libel. He also breaks down the other greatest hits of left-wing academic jargon — settler-colonialism, genocide, occupation, etc. — along the way. And we all try to break ourselves out of the language games that prevent us from having a real conversation about what’s happening, and not, in Gaza. On the agenda:-On Zohran Mamdani [00:00-12:40]-Libel cycles post-October 7th [12:41-29:12]-Defining terms: Zionism, Anti-Zionism, and more [29:13-57:00]-The left’s alliances [57:01-1:10:42]-On victimhood, violence, and self-reliance [1:10:43-1:27:36]-The reader’s/viewer’s responsibility [1:27:37-1:42:41]-Expanding the concept of genocide [1:42:42-2:01:31]-The future of Anti-Zionism [2:01:32-2:09:37]Mentioned in this episode:* When is it Genocide? — The Ezra Klein Show* Editors’ Note: July 30, 2025 — The New York Times* Editors’ Note: Gaza Hospital Coverage — The New York Times* How the World Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Butchery of Jews (w/ Eli Lake) — Uncertain Things* The Apocalypse We Deserve (w/ Niall Ferguson) — Uncertain Things* Don’t Blame Israel on the Jews (w/ Walter Russell Mead) — Uncertain Things* Hooked on Dead Jews (w/ Dara Horn) — Uncertain Things* Zionism and the Refugee Machine (w/ Dr. Einat Wilf) — Uncertain Things Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Writer, reporter, Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em co-host, and pie baker extraordinaire Nancy Rommelmann returns to Uncertain Things to talk (again) about a topic she knows all too well: Portland. In 2021, she lambasted the way the media was distorting what was happening on the ground by underplaying the violence. Four years later, she’s lamenting the way the President and his cronies are distorting what’s happening on the ground by overplaying the violence. We get into ICE’s antics, Portland’s response (so far), and the “heroes” making headlines. Then we switch tacts to share our thoughts on the (much discussed) Klein-Coates interview, and Adaam is remarkably reserved in his epithets. On the agenda: -Rommy returns to talk Portland [00:00-04:09] -Portland, 2004-2020 [04:10-9:15]-Portland today: Who’s really there [9:16-18:37]-The Trump Show [18:38-42:53]-Ezra Klein v. Ta-Nehisi Coates [42:54-1:00:56]-The responsibility of the commentator [1:00:57-1:22:25]Mentioned in this episode: * We’re addicted to destruction (w/ Nancy Rommelmann) — Uncertain Things* Adaam on Annihilism* Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em — Substack* Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines — The Ezra Klein Show* Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause — Vanity Fair* Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way — The New York Times* Make More Pie — SubstackUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Welch, co-host of The Fifth Column podcast and editor at large for Reason Magazine, joins Adaam to discuss the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s grim. How grim? Very. Get off social media. Turn off your phone. Touch grass. See ya’ll in the gulag.Also:-Matt’s previous visit to Uncertain Things-Adaam on political violence-Adaam and Jonah Goldberg on political violence-Yuval Levin on violenceUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

What’s lost when we opt for the convenience of technology over the difficult, awkward, thrilling realities of human interaction? With so much tech to reach for, when do we lose the ability to interact with each other – or even understand ourselves? And with the AI revolution already afoot, is humanity just f*cked? Vanessa’s back from mat leave and ready to dive into our tech-saturated, under-socialized world with Christine Rosen — senior fellow at AEI, co-host of the Commentary podcast, and author of The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World.On the agenda:-Happy returns and the pleasure of ambiguity [0:00-5:55]-Information isn’t knowledge [5:56-9:03]-The pleasure of ambiguity and the value of discomfort [9:04-20:47]-How tech mediates and impairs us [20:48-47:38]-Humanity in the age of AI [47:39-1:24:18]Mentioned in this episode:* Panic Porn and Trauma Creep (w/ Christine Rosen)* The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied WorldUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Jonah Goldberg, host of The Remnant and author of Suicide of the West, joins Adaam for a session of unfettered nerdery and gloom, in which definitions shall be debated, Straussian hats worn, and metaphors unapologetically mixed. They cover the meaning of “utopianism,” the revolutionary force of monotheism, the power of language, the messianic urge from Christ to the Jacobins, the lack of new ideas, the obstinacy of human nature, and the importance of gallows humor.On the agenda:-Jonah’s origin story [2:00] -Monotheism, a radical idea [6:00] -Postmodernism and the charisma of words [19:00]-Utopianism, left and right [27:00]-Maimonides against Messianism (and Sayyid Qutb) [38:00]-Are ideas dangerous? (On Rousseau, the Jacobins, Strauss, Annihilism) [53:00]-Dark humor and Holocaust jokes heuristics [1:21:00]-Blindspots [1:43:00]Also:-Adaam and Ruth Weisse on the 10th Commandment-Adaam and Yuval Levin talk about the nature of liberalism, beauty and conservatism-Howard Jacobson at Tablet Magazine on the death of a tailorUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

It is an extra (((special))) episode on Uncertain Things as Ruth Wisse, senior fellow at the Tikvah Fund and author of Jews and Power, hosts Adaam for Friday afternoon cookies and Talmud. The two discussed the wave of resentment that threatens to consume American culture (or Annihilism, as Adaam stubbornly calls it), the problem (or lack thereof) of inequality, the Jewish rejection of Weakness Worship, and what it means to stand witness to evil.On the (((agenda))):-Neocons love assimilation [1:30]-Accents are genocide [9:00]-The idea that disparity is evil is evil [17:00]-Charity and dignity (and pity) [27:00]-Gratitude, resentment, and feminism [34:00]-What’s up with American Jews… plus American liberalism… plus standing witness to evil [48:00]Also:-Adaam and Yuval Levin talk about the nature of liberalism, beauty and conservatism-Howard Jacobson at Tablet Magazine on the death of a tailorUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

AEI Senior Fellow Yuval Levin rejoins the pod to discuss the enemies of continuity. He and Adaam debate the definition of conservatism and whether it’s the Annihilist urge that dominates the contemporary left or something else entirely. Oh, and if that’s not nerdy enough for you, they also go on a semi-Burkean detour to adjudicate whether beauty in art is related to truth (because someone had to!).On the agenda:-Cultural continuity and the modern conservative [00:10]-The hubris of knowledge [10:19]-Who are the enemies of continuity [17:54]-Solipsism as morality [26:28]-Rousseau and the new Jacobins [31:23]-Redemptive destruction [39:00]-Is despair anti-conservative? [48:54]-Beauty [53:31]Also:-Our previous chat with Yuval Levin about Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine-Adaam on the Jacobin temptation-Yuval on American renewal-Ken Goshen on why contemporary art sucksUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Senor, host of the Call Me Back podcast and co-author of The Genius of Israel, is bullish on Israel. Is there anything that could change his mind? He and Adaam discuss what makes Israeli society strong and what might make it turn against itself. They also can’t resist some media naval gazing and debate whether the fall of sense-making gatekeepers is a boon or a curse.On the agenda:-Brave new media-Could anything make Dan go bearish on Israel?-Something bigger than yourself-The abominable dilemma (why Israel negotiates with terrorists)-War is hell (and the rest is sentimentality)-How to criticize Israel in an anti-Zionist era Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Alan Dershowitz, a renowned legal scholar and civil rights litigator, dives into the future of law in his thought-provoking conversation. He discusses the need for a transparent legal system that balances civil liberties with preventive measures against crime. The talk also navigates the origins of rights, emphasizing their evolution through human experiences. Citing ethical dilemmas posed by AI and governmental power, Dershowitz makes a compelling case for the importance of democratic dialogue and historical perspective in shaping modern legal frameworks.

Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics and host of Conversations with Coleman, delves into the complexities of modern anti-racism. He critiques the notion of 'neo-racism' and the power of language in shaping perceptions. The conversation navigates the impact of academic narratives on societal beliefs and the moral confusions within activism. Hughes also explores the geopolitical nuances of the Israel-Gaza conflict, emphasizing the need for honest discourse around these pressing global issues.