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

Journalist Helen Lewis spent much of last year knee-deep in gurus — the Steve Jobs, Russell Brands, and Jordan Petersons who captivate (and capture) audiences with their spiritual aura and (increasingly) podcasts  — while reporting The New Gurus. She postulates that they derive their popularity, in part, to the decline of religion in our societies, a topic she explored in her reporting for The Church of Social Justice and The Roots of Woke Culture. In this convo, we cover religion, gurus, genius, feminism, and her infamous interview with Jordan Peterson.Find more of Helen's work at The Atlantic or on her Substack. 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:-The first Uncertain Things event! [0:00-3:21]-Setting up Helen [03:22-6:50]-The decline of religion [06:51-20:38]-Words, names, and language [20:39-29:26]-The Joe Rogan test [29:27-43:23]-Gurus, genius, and the content economy [43:24-51:33]-Journalists, human-sized narratives, and strong men [51:34-1:09:32]-How to Interview Jordan Peterson(s) [1:09:33]-Religion replacements [1:22:04-1:26:36]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

Vanessa has admired the New York Times’ architecture critic Michael Kimmelman ever since she was a starry-eyed youngster starting her urban journalism career. Now that his latest book The Intimate City is out, it was the perfect excuse to have him on the show. She and Adaam ask Michael what it was like at the Times in the late ‘80s when he started out, continue the conversation they started with Vishaan Chakrabarti about Progressives’ urban failings, discuss the non-profit journalism division that he helped spawn, and contemplate the importance of time when it comes to making (and appreciating) great cities.   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:-Criticism, Community, and other Pet Topics [0:00-10:05]-The New York Times, from Shabby Palace to Citadel [10:06-26:12]-Anacostia, the High Line, and Gentrification [26:13-36:07]-What’s Community (and Preservation) Anyway? [36:08-47:56]-A Culture of Fear of Change [47:57-56:20]-The Role of the Critic [56:21-1:09:59]-The Pragmatism of Houston [1:10:00-1:18:51]-Walking Through the City [1:18:52-1:23:50]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

The Personal, The Political, and The Urban. Adaam and Vanessa discuss the episodes from the year that stuck with them most — and reflect on the unexpected ways these conversations are thematically linked together. With Mark Lilla, they continued mulling on the questions they began considering back in season one with Tom Holland and Tomer Persico — i.e. where do we derive morality in a post-religious age? What are the socio-cultural and religious undercurrents that can help explain our current malaise? Perhaps most pointedly, “how much morality is enough?” And to what extent should we disentangle the political from the personal (at this point, Adaam — with an assist from his mother — brings Christopher Hitchens into the conversation.)They then revisit their conversation with Yascha Mounk, in which Adaam and Yascha debated the extent to which oppression gives groups meaning — and, thus, the extent to which liberal democracy (as much as we love it) can actually undermine group cohesion. Adaam and Vanessa also reflect on diversity and nationalism, and their (inverse?) relationships to democracy. From the rise of fervent nationalists, they veer into a conversation about apathetic urbanites — and revisit their interview with Vishaan Chakrabarti. They reflect on Americans’ seeming inability to demand better urbanism, and ask: will we ever get the locally-rich cities we need?They close with a quick reflection on their varied, lively conversation with Christene Rosen, in which we (ironically enough) weaved the political with the personal (what can we say, internal consistency is just not one of our values - #cognitivedissonance). 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.If you haven’t already, make sure to check out these great episodes: -Philosopher Mark Lilla-Urbanist Vishaan Chakrabarti-Political Theorist Yascha Mounk-Commentator Christene Rosen On the agenda:-[0:00-8:15] End of year preamble and predictions -[8:16-14:16] Musing on Mark Lilla -[14:17-21:56] Must the personal always be political?-[21:57-32:17] Noodling on Yascha Mounk -[32:18-37:29] Considering Vishaan Chakrabarti-[37:30-41:12] Christene Rosen reflections and our year-end conclusions 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

Robin Hanson is an economics professor who kept running across conundrums of human behavior in his research. Why do we spend so much of our GDP on medicine —  even when studies show that more medicine does not lead to better health outcomes? Why have we spent years perfecting methods of instruction — yet educational institutions keep resisting the very reforms that would help us learn better? Along with his colleague, Kevin Simler, Hanson went to evolutionary biology to find a theory that helps explain all the contradictions, which he describes in their book The Elephant in the Brain. In this conversation, we dive deep into his findings and dwell in the not-so-flattering corners of human psychology. 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:* Clothing Emperors, Dropping Schmeckles [0:00-12:52]* Inefficient Evolution, Inspirational Speakers [12:53-20:04]* Medicine: WTF? Part 1 [20:05-31:44]* Evolutionary Psychology, Motives, and Norms [31:45-45:46] * Medicine: WTF? Part 2 [45:47-50:39]* Marriage, Parenting, and Education [50:40-56:56]* Institutions and Mobs [56:57-1:04:17]* Comedic Statutes of Limitations [1:04:18-1:12:54]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