Uncertain Things

Is there hope for Palestinians in Gaza after the war? What will happen to Hamas? Does anyone still want a Two State Solution? And will the war with Iran change the game? Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and director of Realign for Palestine, joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy to discuss. Ahmed seeks to refocus the Palestinian mission from armed resistance against Israel to self-governance, independence, and prosperity. He and Adaam debate what this will take, and whether the window for such a vision is closing.Further readings:-On their first conversation, Adaam and Fouad discussed the view from Gaza-Earlier on the day this was recorded, Adaam spoke with Nadav Eyal about Israel’s war in IranUncertain 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

Former ACLU President Nadine Strossen and FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) President Greg Lukianoff join Adaam to discuss their upcoming book War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail. The three dig into what makes liberalism in general and free speech in particular so powerful, so radical, and so rare. Is too much information a danger for free speech? Why are some institutions resilient to ideological capture while others cave? Do generational tensions pose a threat to liberal values? What does it really mean to defend free speech? On the agenda: -Free speech is eternally radical (00:30)-The Skokie Affair made Adaam fall in love (10:47)-Generational tensions at the ACLU, or: maintaining institutional integrity (26:13)-Real liberalism is (and always was) hard (51:12)-Marketplace of Ideas vs. Pure Information Theory, or: the importance of knowing falsities (1:01:06)-AI and the problem of Too Much Information (1:10:02)-Blindspots (1:23:55)Show notes:-Greg’s Substack: The Eternally Radical Idea-Upcoming rerelease of Aryeh Neier’s Defending My Enemy with additional material by NadineArt by Niv TishbiUncertain 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

Perspicacious podcaster Mike Pesca, host of The Gist and author of Pesca Profundities, joins Adaam to partake in principled, punny, and peppily pugnacious perorations. On the agenda: the creeping nihilism of American society (and should we be worried about it), the comedy of Signalgate, the state of the media, and the revenge of the cancelled.On the agenda:-Podcasting with Pesca [00:00] -Misinformation and media [10:52] -Objectivity [14:55]-Signalgate [27:54]-Nihilism in America [35:37]-Jan 6 and Oct 8 [42:36]-Surviving cancellation [51:19]-Judicial overhauls [56:43]-Constitutionalism and its discontent [01:00:05]-Blindspots [01:04:19]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

Former Democratic organizer Brianna Wu joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy for a conversation about her journey from leftist activism to clashing with leftists about antisemitism and the recklessness of transgender politics. Wu opens up on the challenges that come with standing up to one’s own tribe, the importance of defending liberal values, and how to think responsibly—and compassionately—about sex and gender.On the Agenda:—How Gamergate changed everything—The (de)evolution of progressive politics—October 7 and Jewish mothers—Can normie liberalism bridge the partisan divide?—Transgender health care vs. transgender politicsShow Notes:—The Pros and Cons of ‘Queer’ (w/ Jamie Kirchick)—Jesse Singal for The Dispatch: How The American Media Distorted the Transgender Debate Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

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