Uncertain Things

Note: This episode is far more explicit — and way more rage-ful — than your average. As you have likely read by now in the news, last Saturday, a group of Hamas combatants infiltrated Israel and massacred about 1300 people, mostly civilians.Usually, Uncertain Things is all about embracing epistemological uncertainty. This conversation is not about that. To help Adaam process his rage and achieve some much-needed catharsis, he turned to returning guest, Eli Lake. Eli — host of The Re-Education Podcast, contributing editor to Commentary, and columnist for the New York Sun — did not disappoint, bringing some awesome, righteous outrage toward the American Left.On the agenda:- Hamas and their attack on Israel [0:00-7:15]- Contextualizing the catharsis to come [7:16-17:04]- Eli’s moral outrage [17:05-25:17]- On policy: blockades and Iran [25:18-29:22]- Back to our previously scheduled outrage [29:23-35:19]- Predicting the fallout [35:20-43:54]- Debating the culture of life, the culture of death [43:55-1:01:58]- Coexisting with evil [1:01:59-1:05:29]- The Left IRL [1:05:30-1:07:46]- The rage returns [1:07:47-1:13:51]- Outro: On moral relativism and forgiveness [1:14:10-22:58]We also recommend: -Adaam’s first impressions, on Jonah Goldberg’s The Remnant-Adaam’s bleaker thoughts, on the Dispatch Live -David French and Sarah Isgur’s conversation on the Law of War and Anti-Semitism on Advisory OpinionsCheck 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

Yascha Mounk returns for round two! If you missed part one of our conversation with the political theorist, writer, and podcaster about his latest book, The Identity Trap, stop now and listen to that episode first. We pick up where we left off last time and get deep into debate about strategic essentialism, the privileging of marginalized voices, and the incoherencies of standpoint theory. We also ask Yascha why he disagrees with John McWhorter’s theory that the proponents of the Identity Synthesis are members of a new religion. Plus, Yascha plays relationship counselor for your sparring hosts and his dog finally gets outside. Follow Uncertain Things on uncertain.substack.com or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.On another note, we will be attending Yascha’s Oct 4 talk at the Streiker Center in NYC. See you there?Also check out:-Our talk with James Kirchick about the contradictions of our current gender debates.-Our talk with Yuval Levin on the moral failure of civic institutions in the age of narcissism.-Our talk with Tom Holland about his lost faith in liberalism.On the agenda:-Re-capping Round 1 [0:00-3:03]-On Justice, essentialism, and race (the implications of standpoint theory) [3:04-15:12]-Who Gets to Speak for their Race? [15:13-23:49] -The Catastrophes of Unsalvageable Liberalism [23:50-32:15]-On intention and persuasion [32:16-42:03]-The woke religion? [42:04-50:31]-The Identity Synthesis [50:32-54:43] -Outtake: Against Monocausal Explanations [55:00-57:25]Uncertain 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

Political theorist, writer, and podcaster Yascha Mounk returns! Last time, we spoke about Yascha’s last book: The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure. This time, Adaam got to air his personal grievances as we dove into the thorny topic of his latest book: The Identity Trap. Yascha covers a ton: he traces the intellectual history of the postmodern ideas that captured the academy in the 2010s; he explains how these once-fringe ideas subsequently infiltrated the mainstream Left; he puts the tenets of identity-based politics to the philosophical test (analyzing the logical strengths and weaknesses of ideas like standpoint theory and cultural appropriation); and he defends liberalism as the best political framework we have to dismantle the injustices of our current world order (the very thing lefties, with their identitarian tendencies, are supposedly trying to do). Of course, dear listener, we barely scratched the surface of all that in one hour. Instead, we got deep into Said, Spivak, and Foucault, panopticons and all — and so this conversation with Yascha continues soon, in part two.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:- Cannibalism & grievances [0:00-6:05]- Who are you trying to persuade? [6:06-22:28]- The children of Foucault [22:29-38:11]- The Said/Spivak Pivot [38:12-47:13]- Strategic Essentialism [47:14-1:02:14]- The Woman Question [1:02:15-1:09:50]Uncertain 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

We bring in the fall with a big conversation about big tech, with the authors of System Error: Stanford professors Rob Reich (expertise in: political science, philosophy, ethics, democracy, digital technology), Mehran Sahami (software engineering, in particular machine learning and AI, and VC funding), and Jeremy Weinstein (political science, government, social impact). We cover the systemic drivers in tech (VC-capital, utopianism, and the “optimization mindset”), bemoan the resulting decline in our democratic values, get into our classic “can politicians really be trusted to regulate this sh*t?” debate, enter into our novel “does any one care about privacy really” debate, and, of course, consider the moral implications of soylent. If you didn’t get enough after this conversation, you’re in luck – we have another tech-focused episode coming soon. 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:- Riding the emotional rollercoaster of life [0:00-6:22]- The Optimization Mindset [6:23-22:37]- Utopianism [22:38-28:58]- Systemic Drivers & the VC problem [28:59-40:31]- Non-regulatory Solutions [40:32-46:56]- Privacy: Who cares? [46:57-51:30]- The great regulation debate [51:31-1:04:39]Uncertain 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

Jamie Kirchick, author and staunch defender of liberal values, discusses his book 'The Secret City' which explores the gay history of Washington D.C. and the shift towards cultural acceptance. They also debate the pros and cons of the word 'queer' and the 'queer movement.' The podcast explores the treatment of homosexuality in the U.S. government and the evolution of the gay rights movement. They also discuss pronoun usage, the dangers of finding excitement in politics, and blind spots in both the left and right.

Scientist-turned-historian Peter Turchin returns! Peter first came on the pod a few months ago to discuss the famous prediction he made in 2010 that we were headed for crisis, circa 2020. Last time, we covered the controversy he’s stirred up within the historical discipline, the methodologies behind cliodynamics/his data-based predictions, and the drivers of social unrest (in particular, elite overproduction). This conversation — recorded on the heels of the publication of his new book End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration — we pick up where we left off. Peter explains it all: how do we prevent all-out civil war? What’s the most likely outcome if we keep on the path we’re currently on? And is he more of a Harry Seldon or a Leto II?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:-L’intro [0:00-3:30]-A quick re-cap [3:30-7:29]-Breaking the rules [7:30-15:04]-Clearly in crisis [15:05-19:28]-The British Empire circa 1848 (the Chartist Period) [19:29-26:57]-A huge outpouring of human misery [26:58-33:46]-Culture as a prerequisite for reform [33:47-40:57]-The social psychology of the New Deal [40:58-45:22]-A new generation of elites without a culture of reform [45:23-53:48]-Designing a science of history [53:49-58:05]-Charismatic Jesus Types [58:06-1:10:48]Uncertain 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

David Krakauer is the President of the Santa Fe Institute — an academic institution that conscientiously bucks the overly-siloed and ideological bents of most universities these days. Krakauer is an evolutionary biologist who studies “​​the evolution of intelligence and stupidity on Earth.” He joined us on the pod for a wide-ranging conversation covering the history of complexity science, the inadequacies of the academe, the aesthetic “third way” between maximalism and minimalism, and the artifacts that make us smarter (like pianos) versus the ones that really don’t (GPS, for one).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:-Intro to David [0:00-03:24]-The history of complexity science [03:25-12:36]-The folly of disciplines [12:37-18:11]-The limitations of language [18:12-31:11]-Judgment vs. impact [31:12-37:05]-Complexity as dialectical exercise [37:06-40:25]-Complexity as the third aesthetic option [40:26-44:13]-Why we need narrative [44:14-51:33]-The problem(s) with the academy (i.e. the morgue of dead ideas) [51:34-1:04:19]-SFI projects that disrupted institutional thinking [1:04:20-1:11:44]-Machine learning and the drawbacks of supercomputing [1:11:45-1:16:34]-Testing the limits of our cognitive understanding (complementary vs. competitive cognitive artifacts) [1:16:35-1:24:37]-On curation, control, and complacency [1:24:38-1:34:29]Uncertain 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 Excellent Sheep, The Death of the Artist, and The End of Solitude — has lived many lives. He’s been an orthodox Jewish boy who lost his faith; a journalism school student unimpressed by the pretensions of the profession; a literature professor who (blasphemously) loved books and teaching. Today, he’s an author, essayist, and nostalgic ex-New Yorker. No matter where he’s been in life, Deresiewicz has often been on the outside looking in, which is maybe why he’s able to see and analyze our culture so clearly. We start off this conversation diving into The Death of the Artist, and how the concept/role of the artist has evolved and changed throughout history; we then meander into a discussion on community, solitude, and cities; and conclude by diving into his two definitions of the word “culture,” while unpacking the techno-solutionism of America.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:-Phantasms, Batman, and Bill [0:00-6:00]-The first paradigm - artist as artisan [6:01-17:04]-The second paradigm - artist as bohemian  [17:05-27:55]-The third paradigm - artist as professional  [27:56-33:40]-To the fourth paradigm [33:41-39:41]-Artist as producer vs. truth teller [39:42-57:53]-Art and community [57:54-1:01:59]-Solitude and cities [1:02:00-1:19:25]-Culture vs culture [1:19:26-1:40:06]Mentioned in this conversation: -Washington Post’s Leonard Downie Jr. on moving beyond “objectivity”-The Herd of Independent MindsThe Two Cultures and the Scientific RevolutionUncertain 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

Nellie Bowles is one of the few journalists who lives and writes in the Venn diagram of both Adaam and Vanessa’s interests. For years she was the tech reporter for The New York Times and her epic 2022 piece on San Francisco’s decline for The Atlantic deservedly kicked up a lot of attention, including from your podcast hosts  — for different reasons, of course. In 2021, she left “mainstream” media and started the independent media outlet The Free Press with her wife Bari Weiss (where she writes the TGIF newsletter). In this conversation we talk about SF (following up on our conversation with Vishaan Chakrabarti), tech culture, ideological capture, media mediocrity, and the joys (really) of parenthood.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:-Nellie, great writer, enthusiastic new parent [0:00-7:24]-The s**t show that is San Francisco [7:25-17:56]-Preserving painted ladies vs. laundromats [17:57-29:18]-The saga of Chesa Boudin [29:19-44:15]-Covering tech’s heart, mind, and scams [44:16-1:09:19]-Wrapping Up and Being Kind [1:09:20-1:13:52]Uncertain 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

Behold! The recording of our first ever live event! We were graced by the thoughts, arguments, and non-English accents of Niall Ferguson — economic historian, fellow at Stanford, and author of many books, including Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe — and Martin Gurri — a former media analyst for the CIA and author of The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium (a.k.a the Uncertain Things bible). We dug into all manner of apocalyptica: the collapse of our media institutions (so long credibility), the increasing tensions with China (hello Cold War II), and the despair that has engulfed our minds. Plus, we learn the answer to all our woes: Thomas Hardy.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.On the agenda:-Great Debate, Real Humans, and Computer Failure [0:00-7:53]-Vietnam War vs. Today [7:54-20:56] -Trump Derangement Syndrome [20:57-27:54] -Cold War II in the Internet Age [27:55-44:07] -If Our Cold War Turns Hot [44:08-49:09]-Pathologies, Ideologies, and Despair [49:10-58:58]-Crisis of American Education [58:59-1:02:20] -What Keeps Our Guests Up at Night [1:02:21-1:06:33]-The tradeoffs of Cold War II [!;06:34-1:11:19]-Peak humanity [1:11:20-1:14:55]-Ukraine/Taiwan Scenarios [1:14:56-1:16:19]-Human Agency and Thomas Hardy [1:16:20-1:19:21]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com.Special thanks to Niall, Martin, and Connor Lynch for making this event possible.Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/turatti/6726041123 Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe