Nothing says Christmas is coming like a conversation about dehumanization, moral fuzziness, and the evils of empathy! Moral psychologist Paul Bloom joins us for a fascinating conversation on the above — and even gives us a sneak peek of his new book (coming out next year). And, because this is Uncertain Things after all, there are some fun tangents on Trump, Hitler, and atheism, too.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Suffering — and why we like it [6:12]* On morals, atheists, and envy [19:48]* Cognitive empathy and the future schools of Trump studies [30:51]* The perils of emotional empathy [35:37]* Journalism: a fundamentally immoral pursuit? [44:01]* Stigma wanted [52:53]* The Empathy defense [59:00]* Inside the dehumanizer's mind [1:06:25]* The objective objection [1:18:15]* Moral fuzziness, clear polarization [1:28:58]* Adam Smith, wise virgin [1:34:09]Paul Bloom’s books Against Empathy and Just Babies are widely available and highly recommended. You can also follow him on Twitter: @PaulBloomAtYal.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

To celebrate Thanksgiving weekend, we talk to classical artist, art educator, and friend of the pod Ken Goshen. We go deep into art history, tracing where it all started to go so terribly wrong, spend too much time hating on Koontz (but loving on Warhol), and discuss how Instagram and social media is changing the art world — potentially for the better. Oh! And because our word pictures can only do so much, follow @KenGoshen and see his incredible art for yourself — and get more Ken rants on his pod, Art’s Cool.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* The classical art resurgence on Instagram [5:33]* In defense of beauty [12:25]* The origins of the struggle against beauty (On Romanticism, Rationalism, and Goya) [18:22]* The point of no return (On Duchamp, Rothko, Pollock, and Warhol) [32:42]* Truth bombing Koons [35:48]* What’s wrong with Contemporary Art: Taste [52:02]* What’s wrong with Contemporary Art: Concept [57:17]* The rebellion isn’t justified (except when it is) [1:04:56]* A classical artist in a contemporary world [1:09:17]* How to win at Instagram [1:13:01]* The power of a teacher [1:29:28]* The power of a pandemic [1:36:22]* Is art school worth it? [1:42:20]* Passion on pause[1:48:35]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Vanessa M. Quirk and Adaam James Levin-Areddy. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to uncertain.substack.com Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

YouTube music educator Adam Neely joins us for an oh so welcome respite from politics (sorta). We talk about the importance of storytelling (and click-bait) in YouTube creation; music theory's relationship to white supremacy; the relationship between music, language, and culture; and the absurdity of copyright. And make sure to listen to the end, when Adam takes us along on a mini journey of music creation.If you haven’t already, please subscribe to Uncertain Things wherever you get your podcasts.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:* Demystifying music — or what quantum theory and polyrhythms have in common [7:12]* On film scores and storytelling [13:00]* Live music lost [15:02]* Living the YouTube life (and serving the Algorithm God) [18:55]* “There’s always a patron” [32:22]* “Music Theory & White Supremacy,” the backlash, and the “critical mistake” [34:44]* Music as language, music as language-like — and a hat tip to Victor Wooten [47:14]* Chomsky chuntering [56:24]* The metaphor of pitch [58:13]* America’s obsession with copyright [1:08:50]* When labels attack [1:20:23]* Putting Adam on the spot [1:30:25]You can follow Adam on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Vanessa M. Quirk and Adaam James Levin-Areddy. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to uncertain.substack.com Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

David French — senior editor of The Dispatch, conservative evangelical, never Trumper, and really nice guy — joins us the day after the election to discuss his new book "Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation." We discuss the reasons why we're so painfully divided, unpack how secessions of yore unfolded, and speculate on the chilling scenarios that could lead to secessions in the not-so-distant future. And as a bonus (because we’ve all be through a lot this week) we check in on a few past guests — Katie Herzog, Robby Soave, Tomer Persico, and Misha Thomas — to get their post-election day thoughts.If you haven’t already, please subscribe to Uncertain Things wherever you get your podcasts.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:[4:47] Why David’s mad at himself today [8:22] The SCOTUS election pattern[11:00] David French in a nutshell[13:00] “I went to Iraq, and then I saw what a real enemy was.”[17:00] The power of testimony[21:30] Never on the Trump train [24:33] The Big Sort[29:02] How gun rights took off[32:55] Mind the Overton window gap[33:54] The path to secession (Fake news, 1861 style)[37:42] Offensive language vs. Dysentery blankets [38:09] The different demographics of illiberal tendencies [41:50] What fundamentalists and the radical left have in common[45:06] A Tale of Two Secessions [49:52] Each side’s competing narratives of grievance[53:43] Our doom spiral of escalation[55:10] Some familiar characters[56:22] How to embrace pluralism[1:00:18] An Election Day montageUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Vanessa M. Quirk and Adaam James Levin-Areddy. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to uncertain.substack.com Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Reason Magazine senior editor Robby Soave is known for exposing the biases and blindspots of the media. In his book Panic Attack: Young Radicals at the Age of Trump he follows the growing trends of illiberalism in America. In preparation for Nov. 3 madness, we talked about media bias, monopolies, the dangers of revoking Section 230, and — of course — the nightmare that is the 2020 elections…If you haven’t already, please subscribe to Uncertain Things wherever you get your podcasts.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, and Stitcher. Follow @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:[0:37] Libertarians: we abhor both sides![2:58] The case for journalists telegraphing their political views[5:57] “Everything about the Trump years wants you to commit to a team… with the media in the non-Trump team.”[10:12] “You can be objective without being unbiased.”[11:03] The Covington incident[13:32] Why didn’t you vote for Biden?[15:47] What makes Trump appalling to you?[18:45] On the excesses of the left and what they might mean for the election[25:21] If Trump loses, what happens on the right?[27:47] If Trump is re-elected…[28:59] Young Radicals and the new understanding of “safety”[32:07] Where do they draw the line?[34:40] The hard sciences have been more resistant[36:08] The injustice of a humanities degree[36:48] It’s filtering into K12 education too[38:30] The underlying institutional issues at play[43:33] The misaligned incentives of Higher Education[51:38] Are we drawing too much or too little attention to this issue?[56:14] On Section 230 and social media[1:02:15] The Monopoly (non)argument[1:08:52] How do you solve crony capitalism? Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Our favorite ex-evangelical Misha Thomas returns to the pod to talk pre-election jitters — and drops a bombshell on us unsuspecting hosts. What follows is perhaps our most honest (and hopefully disarming) conversation yet.If you haven’t already, please subscribe to Uncertain Things wherever you get your podcasts or here: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Ten years ago, NYU political scientists Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith wrote "The Dictator's Handbook," which posited that all political leaders — from autocrats to democratically-elected officials — are governed by an uncomfortably similar set of rules and incentives. We thought now’s the perfect time to take a fresh look at their model and re-learn the dos and don’ts of political power. We discuss the Trump presidency, the Electoral College, voter fraud, jolly old Putin, and a variety of delectable topics to get you revved up and ready for election day.If you haven’t already, please join our coalition of essentials by subscribing to Uncertain Things here (or wherever you get your podcasts).[5:55] The basic principles of the theory[13:00] Democracies & Dictatorships, a sliding scale[19:56] It’s a mess, but we’re course-correcting [23:05] The problem with the Electoral College (it’s not what you think)[29: 21] All leaders want to shrink their coalition (on gerrymandering, sore loser laws, and Tanzania)[33:05] The people push back[35:25] How vote fraud actually happens[37:45] On social media (the information/disinformation arms race)[49:21] Universities are not democracies[54:46] Which companies win, which commit fraud[1:00:31] What we get wrong about foreign aid (the Petro-State Problem}[1:006:31] The liberalizing myth[1:08:44] The issue with inequity in democracy[1:14:00] A Yang gang post-script Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal brings an outsider’s eye to American politics (or as he puts it, a perspective from” an outpost of the empire”). Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa Quirk ask about his new book, Revolt (out in Hebrew here, out in English soon); about what Trump got right and the media got wrong; and what it means to live in a radical moment.If you haven’t already — please subscribe here (or wherever you get your podcast).[0:40] An unsolicited window into Adaam & Vanessa’s domestic life[3:30] Nadav’s career in a nutshell[4:40] Into Trumpland [6:00] The first (and weakest) horseman of the apocalypse[10:40] Standing up to China[13:30] Amateur Hour at the White House[16:00] Obama-phoria & the pendulum swing[17:00] Nick Griffin, a dreadful man with a grasp on reality[22:50] The failures of the Obama administration[24:20] Back into Trumpland[26:20] What a globalist is[34:02] Nationalism and an empire in retreat[36:30] The revolt is a sentiment, not an ideology (Or Molotov cocktails in Athens)[42:00] “The America that we dreaded, we feared, we hoped for is gone.” What’s to be born?[45:42] Living through a radical moment[52:10] No progress without struggle[54:50] The natural order is change, we were just born in a pause[55:40] The responsibility of journalists[1:00:20] The journalist’s dilemma [1:07:00] The advantage of being Israeli (On chutzpah and frank conversations) Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

We talk to one of the most (to quote Adaam) inexplicably hated people in media: Katie Herzog. She helps us understand the controversy that's hounded her for the past three years, why you can't escape the culture war (even if you really, really try), and why Americans just can't take/make a joke anymore. We also talk about sex. If you like what you hear, check out Katie's podcast with Jesse Singal, Blocked and Reported (and maybe revisit her old pieces on The Stranger).If you haven’t already, sign up to Uncertain Things wherever you get your podcasts.On the agenda:* Everything is a Culture War Thing - [6:46]* Why are you so loathed? [9:39]* Why it’s dangerous to talk to de-transitioners [13:11]* What “platforming” means [17:23]* “What’s wrong with the moment right now.” / Katie’s take on Jordan Peterson [21:20]* The backlash “sparked this change in me.” [24:50]* The right’s strength? Picking up on the left’s weaknesses [28:17]* A liberal in a Navy town [32:01]* Is there wokeness in Israel and is it anti-Israel? [35:37]* People are desperate for community [39:20]* The secrets of podcasting success [44:04] * On humor and the lack thereof [46:46] * “Cuties” and puritanical panic [48:52]* Sex and hysteria on both sides [52:37]* The biggest blindspot on the left and the right [57:19]* The equal and opposite reactions of Trump [1:00:05]* Experimenting with sobriety [1:02:36] Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Michael Smerconish, host of eponymous shows on CNN and SiriusXM P.O.T.U.S., joins us to talk about why everything is so rotten in political media. We talk about surviving as an independent in a partisan world, about the bad incentives of the news industry, and of course about the Notorious RBG.On the agenda:* RBG & Scalia - RIP [1:59]* Smitten with media [10:53]* Ronald Reagan among the sausages [11:36]* Becoming an independent (“I wasn’t suited for the party or the party wasn’t suited for me.”) [15:30]* The hunt for the hunt for Bin Laden [16:52]* “I end up pissing off everybody.” [19:43]* Pennsylvania proud [25:00]* RBG’s passing and the fall-out [27:24]* “The polarization of the media has led to a polarization of society.” [32:19]* Trying to prove that you need not be an ideologue [39:28]* All the choices, no decisions [46:42] * “What isn’t keeping me up at night?” [50:25] * Cringe-worthy columns of yore [56:56] Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe