Religious scholar Tomer Persico, now a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, returns to help us unpack why liberalism is special — and why it’s now in crisis. Mentioned in this episode:-Our first conversation with Tomer, about the implications of seeing ourselves as made in the image of God -Yascha Mounk, who talked to us about how identity politics is straining liberalism-Tom Holland, the Liberal who lost his faith-Sarah Isgur, who survived Trump’s DOJFind us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Why Liberalism [3:10-13:30]-Defining Liberalism & Individual Rights [13:31-18:23]-The Government's New Responsibility: Protect Individual Rights [18:24-29:43]-The Importance of Unprescribed, Artful Negotiations of Power [29:44-48:05]-Nationalism & Mass Conscription [48:06-1:02:32]-The Problem Liberalism is facing now [1:02:33-1:18:20]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

To write The Other Significant Others, journalist Rhaina Cohen interviewed couples around the country who have committed to sharing their lives with each other — just not their beds. These pivotal yet hard-to-define relationships have existed throughout history, but we lack the vocabulary to talk about them (let alone a legal framework to protect them). Adaam and Vanessa — platonic partners themselves — talk to Rhaina about the nomenclature that helps/hinders us, the lack of templates for meaningful friendships, and the unspoken-about-elephant in these relationships (yes, sex). Mentioned in this episode:-Rhaina on the Ezra Klein Show-Our conversation about friendship infrastructure with David French-Our conversation about solitude with Bill Deresiewicz Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-On words, romance, and indefinable friendships [0:00-33:06]-The legal difficulties platonic partners face [33:07-40:24]-Putting marriage on/off its pedestal [40:25-47:28]-On polyamory [47:29-53:49]-The challenges of relationships with no defaults or templates [53:50-1:03:36]-Friendship & solitude [1:03:37-]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

Podcaster/journalist Andy Mills shares the unusual trajectory of his life and career: from small town boy; to God-loving member of a close-knit group of friends; to rebellious drop-out of a Christian college; to curious outsider in Southern Sudan; to hard-working, some-time inappropriate young media professional; to a more self-aware, award-winning podcast producer; to New York Times outcast; to independent media professional (with a Substack, of course). [Break for breath.] Along the way, we discuss the merits/drawbacks of faith, unpack the pivotal year that was 2015, debate the limitations of forgiveness, and dissect the difference between being canceled for your beliefs versus what others believe of you.Mentioned in this episode:-Reflector podcast -Mills Spills (BAR pod) -The Witch Trials of JK Rowling (Free Press)Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:- Growing up in small town Christian America [0:00-14:53]-What happened to the Church - a.k.a When God died in 2015 [14:54-22:00]-Winning, and then losing, the friendship lottery [22:01-47:39]-The tension of uncertainty in community [47:40-52:52]-Online conversations and communities (back to 2015) [52:53-1:01:59]-Entering journalism by way of Sudan [1:02:00-1:11:57]-Identity, narrative, and bias [1:11:58-1:30:30]-The tribe of media and the danger of ideas (2015 reprise) 1:30:31-1:42:30-Andy's second cancelation story [1:42:31-1:59:26]-Comparing the cancellations [1:59:27-2:05:36]-What happened at the New York Times [2:05:37-2:19:15]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

The indispensable Eli Lake — contributing editor at Commentary Magazine and staff writer and podcaster at The Free Press — returns to the pod to mark the destruction of mass murderer and DSA heartthrob Hasan Nasrallah along with the top brass of his terror gang in Beirut this weekend. This leads to a discussion about the nature of warfare and the importance of escalation, the inanity of American media, and also what the decline of norms in the Roman Republic portends for the future of the American experiment. Si vult pacem, face bellum?Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Bad week for the axis of a******s-The deescalation trap-Eli and Mehdi Hasan-Muh normsUncertain 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, an unapologetic author known for her incisive essays, discusses the decline of Western civilization and the fading influence of the church on community ties. She reflects on the pitfalls of modern universities and critiques the dangerously under-educated populace. Additionally, Caitlin shares her journey of wearing the Star of David, symbolizing her solidarity and personal connection to Jewish identity amidst rising anti-Semitism. The conversation touches on meaningful discourse, parental roles, and the evolving landscape of belief in today's society.

Nick Gillespie — editor at large at the libertarian institution that is Reason Magazine (and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie) — comes on the pod for an IRL conversation about 'The Agony of Abundance,' the paradoxical state in which we’re more prosperous, yet more dissatisfied, than ever. We discuss the negative narratives peddled by the media — a misdirection that’s untethering us from reality — and debate the limitations libertarianism and liberal thinking in an ever-more tribal world. And, before we go, we dive into psychedelics and whether they’re really worth all the fuss.Uncertain Things is a reader-supported publication. To support this rag-tag podcast crew of two, consider becoming a paid member.On the agenda:-00:00 Housing Preamble-04:12 Welcome to Uncertain Things-06:01 Our Negative Perceptions vs. Reality-23:39 Mass Misdirection-33:28 Trust and the U.S. and Israeli Governments-41:05 Liberalism vs. Tribalism-01:08:57 On Generating a Liberal Revival-01:24:08 Debating PsychedelicsMentioned in this episode:-The Economic Theory That Explains Why Americans Are So Mad - Ezra Klein Show-The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture - Amazon -Big Tech Panic (w/ Shoshana Weissmann) - Uncertain Things -What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster - Amazon-‘They Aren’t Who You Think They Are’: The inside story of how Kanakuk—one of America’s largest Christian camps—enabled horrific abuse. - The Dispatch-In Praise of Privilege - Uncertain-Psychedelic Libertarianism with Nick Gillespie - Coleman’s Corner-The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less - AmazonUncertain 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

PLEASE NOTE: We are releasing this episode in the immediate aftermath of the alleged assassination attempt on President Trump. Details and facts presented in this conversation are still being corroborated and are subject to be updated/corrected. Recurrent guest Misha Thomas (“The Liberal Who Voted for Trump” / “Blackness and the Other Side of Trauma”) was visiting family in Pittsburgh yesterday when he decided to check out his first ever Trump Rally with his partner. After waiting for hours under the hot sun, they saw Trump take to the stage — and minutes later, heard rounds of bullets going back and forth. Misha shares his first-person account of what seems to have been an attempt to assassinate the former president.To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Check out our free ‘Uncertainty’ newsletter for updates and rants. Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Nellie Bowles is back! The journalist, writer of the TGIF newsletter, and co-founder of The Free Press (along with her wife Bari Weiss) returns to discuss her new book, Morning After the Revolution. In it, she chronicles the unfortunate series of events that led her to leave The New York Times in 2021. We get into that in this conversation, too (diving into the backlash she received for covering the more violent 2020 protests in Portland and Seattle) — as well as the stories of Progressive absurdism that pepper the book. And before we wrap, we get into Nellie’s thoughts on being a newly converted Jew in the wake of October 8th.  Uncertain Things is a reader-supported publication. To support this rag-tag podcast crew of two, consider becoming a paid member. On the agenda:-Surviving the NYT in 2020 [1:40-23:41]-Absurdity and anarchy [23:42-37:18]-The joys and pains of becoming Jewish [37:19-51:06]Mentioned in this episode:-Our previous conversation on San Francisco’s lunacyUncertain 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

William Deresiewicz — author of (the newly updated) Excellent Sheep, The Death of the Artist, and The End of Solitude — returns to the pod! This time we dive into one of the institutions we love to hate: elite universities. We dwell on and debate the protests at Columbia (et al.), the reasons why it’s all gone so wrong, and whether or not the solution is just to raze them to the ground. Check out our ‘Uncertainty’ newsletter for updates 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 context for Excellent Sheep, c. 2014 [2:39-12:21]-The student as customer / PC police officer [12:22-27:32]- The emptiness inside [27:33-40:02]-To fix or ruin the elite reputation? [40:03-49:54]-Getting into the protests & elite failure [49:55-58:58]- What exactly went wrong [58:59-1:08:08]-The answer isn’t yoga [1:08:09-1:29:36]Mentioned in this conversation: -Our last conversation with Bill -Vanessa’s newsletter on solitude/friendshipUncertain 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

Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, author, and former Columbia Journalism School dean (to us!), Steve Coll, takes us deep into the conspiracy-plagued mind of Saddam Hussein, the subject of his latest book The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq. We go deep into the wonky journalism weeds — including what it took for Coll to get his hands on the Saddam tapes. And we ask our former dean the eternal question: Is J-School worth it?-What it takes to put a book like this together [0:00-19:15]-The Saddam tapes [19:16 -23:46]-Inside the conspiracy rabbit hole [23:47-29:52-Behind the conflicting perceptions [29:53-41:12]-Oil, Israel, and failed policies [41:13-49:46]-The U.S.-Israel relationship [49:47--53:32]-How the media is covering the conflict [53:33-57:43]-Objectivity and the rifts in journalism today [57:44-1:06:44]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. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe