Wisdom of Crowds

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveDead almost six years, Jeffrey Epstein is back in the news. The sordid details of his crimes, and the elaborate conspiracy concerning elites that he may or may not have been a part of, have become a central issue within the MAGA coalition. Conspiracy theories in general are now a part of daily political life. None of us can escape them. Most of us probably half-believe in at least one of them. Why is that?Today’s guest is the writer Matthew Walther, editor of The Lamp, biographer of John Henry Cardinal Newman, and a columnist for The New York Times. He has written extensively about Epstein, Russiagate, and the place of conspiracy theories in American politics. He joined Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic to ponder the Epstein saga and its potential to hurt Trump’s coalition. “We live in an awesome country, why do we have to make up stories about a decline that doesn't even really exist?” Shadi says near the beginning of the conversation. Walther explains how conspiracy theories are politically useful, and how they “almost on a dime can become useful to one side or another.” Damir agrees about the bipartisan nature of conspiracy-mongering: “For the Left it was the Pee Tape, and for the Right it’s this [Epstein] stuff.” The conversation goes deep into the nature of conspiracy theories and the psychological need they satisfy. Epstein, Stop the Steal, Russiagate and of course, the Kennedy assassination are all discussed. Walther quotes the English philosopher Gilbert Ryle as a guide: “A myth is, of course, not a fairy story. It is the presentation of facts belonging to one category in the idioms appropriate to another. To explode a myth is accordingly not to deny the facts but to re-allocate them.”In our bonus section for paid subscribers, the gang discusses the work of Seymour Hersh; Damir and Shadi argue whether the Democrats have ever had a cult of personality equivalent to that of Trump; Matthew argues that Obama is a lot like Trump; Matthew explains why Nixon was “the last, great technocratic leftist”; Shadi distinguishes emotional versus material self-interest in order to explain why MAGA won’t break with Trump; Damir and Shadi disagree about technocracy; and more!Required Reading:* Matthew Walther, “Sorry, This Epstein Stuff Isn’t Going to Hurt Trump” (New York Times).* Matthew Walther, “The Pointless Triumph of a Hapless President” (New York Times). * Matthew Walther, “The Jeffrey Epstein case is why people believe in Pizzagate” (The Week). * Matthew Walther, “The most respectable conspiracy theory in Washington” (The Week). * Matthew Walther refers to Paul Fussell’s concept of “high proles” in “Talking About Class in America” (American Conservative). * Jonathan Chait, “What If Trump Has Been a Russian Asset Since 1987?” (New York). * “The CIA Reveals More of Its Connections to Lee Harvey Oswald” (Washington Post). * Gilbert Ryle, The Concept of Mind (Amazon). * Musa al-Gharbi, “No, America is not on the brink of a civil war” (The Guardian). * “Airline Deregulation: When Everything Changed” (Smithsonian Air and Space Museum). Free preview video:Full video for paid subscribers below:

In a thought-provoking discussion live from the Aspen Ideas Festival, guest Adam Sandel, a philosopher and assistant district attorney, argues that true happiness stems from engaging in activities for their own sake. Agnes Callard, a philosophy professor, counters with the idea that understanding the good is essential for genuine fulfillment. Columnist David Brooks examines how personal relationships and community contribute to a meaningful life. Together, they explore the complex interplay of desire, ethics, and connection in our pursuit of happiness.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIt’s the summer doldrums, so this week, Wisdom of Crowds is taking a break from politics and war and Trump. Instead, we are talking about culture. Our guest, Paul Elie, is one of the leading culture and religion writers in the United States. His words have appeared in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and the New York Times. Paul’s latest book, The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s, tells the story of artists in the 1980s who grappled with religious ideas and stirred up controversy while doing so. U2, Madonna, Andy Warhol, Piss Christ, Sinead O’Connor and many more play a role in a masterful, novelistic retelling of that fateful decade in American cultural history.Damir Marusic is curious about Paul’s concept of “crypto-religiosity,” which Paul uses to describe an abiding sensibility in 1980s art and culture. Is it actually a unique category? Aren’t all Americans crypto-religious to a greater or lesser degree? Isn’t that the legacy of Protestantism? Santiago Ramos pursues a different line of questioning. What might a healthier relationship between institutional religion and cryptically-religious artists look like?In our bonus section for paid subscribers, Damir and Paul compare the 1980s music scene with that of the 1990s; Damir explains why the 1990s felt “less devotional and more ecstatic”; Paul talks about his first time listening to “Smells like Teen Spirit”; Santiago and Paul discuss the coming culture of “ex-vangelicals”; Santiago confesses to not having his s**t together in his 20s; Damir asks: “How can you do good punk rock if Bill Clinton’s the president?”; the three discuss why Trump hasn’t yet generated a counterculture or artistic resistance; Santiago mentions Macklemore’s Gaza song; Paul and Santiago discuss “radtrads,” and the coming rebellion against radtrads; Paul tells Damir why he should be religious; Paul explains why electoral politics is our modern day bread and circuses; and more!Required Reading:* Paul Elie, The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s (Amazon). * Paul Elie, The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage (Amazon).* Julia Yost, “The Scandal of Dogmatism” (Compact). * Damir Marusic, “The Pursuit of Passion for its Own Sake” (WoC). * Damir’s discography from his punk rock days (Discogs).* Damir’s music with his band, The Miss (Bandcamp).* CrowdSource, “Protest Music” (WoC). Free preview video:

Last month, Francis Fukuyama was scheduled to come to Washington, DC for a live taping of Wisdom of Crowds. Unfortunately, as subscribers know, Frank lost his voice the morning of his scheduled appearance, and we were forced to cancel. However, we were able to record a bit of conversation with him and Shadi Hamid the following day, with a few colleagues asking questions.The conversation ended up being a quasi-“state of liberalism” address, perfect for July 4th weekend.The conversation begins with Frank discussing the current challenges to liberal societies, addressing why some in the West today might be dissatisfied with it, but also why people living in autocratic regimes throughout the world still long for liberalism. He talks about the lassitude and dissatisfaction that permeates liberal societies, and the contradictory desires for ever-greater equality and spirited competition that drive citizens to rebel against liberalism.During the question and answer session, Fukuyama takes questions about recent events. He discusses the rise of right-wing parties in Europe, as well as recent developments in France, Germany and Romania. He touches upon citizenship, borders, deportations and Trump’s immigration policies. And he answers the question that was on everybody’s mind that night: Is history still over?Required Reading* Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?” (National Interest). * CrowdSource, “Fukuyama’s Children” (WoC). * Damir and Shadi’s 2022 conversation with Francis Fukuyama (WoC).* Santiago Ramos, “Kicking the Ladder” (WoC).Wisdom of Crowds is a platform challenging premises and understanding first principles on politics and culture. Join us! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wisdomofcrowds.live/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live“War is the father of all and the king of all; and some he has made gods and some men, some bond and some free.”So said the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus. In his essay this week, Santiago Ramos says the opposite: “… war is a necessary evil; it is not what preserves the great achievements of the human race. War threatens those achievements, and we are lucky that more has not been destroyed already.” Santiago believes that pro-war voices which emerged during the recent Israel-Iran kerfuffle are expressing something more than the need to fight wars for self-defense and world order. They are voices which celebrate war as an essential, creative activity in history. Damir Marusic shares Santiago’s distrust of those pro-war voices. But he thinks Santiago goes too far in a utopian, kumbaya direction. War, Damir says, will always be part of the human condition. It is folly to believe that human beings will progress enough to one day beat their swords into plowshares forever. In response, Santiago accuses Damir of believing in original sin but without the possibility of grace. Damir denies this and clarifies this position: “I want no heroes among human beings.”This rollicking debate reaches a climax in our bonus section for paid subscribers. Damir discusses Iranian incentives after the recent American bombing and ponders the possibility of a future war. He challenges Santiago to consider Trump’s oft-repeated slogan, “Peace through strength.” Also in the bonus section: How much moralizing did Santiago do in his essay? the two men wonder. Santiago explains what he means by “a weird conscience-element in the air.” Why didn’t Venice get destroyed? Why did Dresden get destroyed? Can you disentangle justice from sovereignty? Can you have morality without God? Damir explains to Santiago why he (Santiago) needs to talk more about Jesus. Santiago tells Damir the story of the Catonsville Nine. Required Reading:* Santiago Ramos, “War Will Not Save ‘the West’ ” (WoC).* Damir Marusic, “Is Israel’s Attack on Iran Legal?” (WoC).* Josep Borrell’s “Garden v. Jungle” metaphor (Euronews).* David Brooks, “I Detest Netanyahu, but on Some Things He’s Actually Right” (New York Times).* Edward Luttwak interview in Asylum magazine (Wayback Machine).* Heraclitus fragment about war (Wikisource).* “Heraclitus” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).* “Russia fired new ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says” (Reuters).* “The 10 greatest controversies of Winston Churchill's career” (BBC).* Tim Bouverie, Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World (Amazon).* Daniel Berrigan, SJ, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (Amazon).Free preview video:Full video for paid subscribers below:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe Israel-Iran war is about to enter its sixth day. As of this recording — Wednesday evening, June 18 — President Trump has not announced whether the United States will join the Israeli war effort.During this unpleasant lull, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic invited Sohrab Ahmari to discuss what we can expect from the war and its aftermath. In recent days, Sohrab has emerged as an essential commentator on the Iran Israel war. His article, “The Regime Change Maniacs are Back” is one of the most informative and talked-about pieces to come out in the early days of this crisis. Sohrab was born in Iran, and so direct personal experience of the country informs his analysis.“Collapsing regimes willy nilly does not create good outcomes,” Sohrab tells Damir and Shadi, and he should know. Sohrab was once a neoconservative hawk, a supporter of US interventionism abroad. But time has been a teacher and he has become, in his own words, “penitent.” He discusses the ways that Iranian society in particular could fracture in catastrophic ways should a state collapse follow regime change. Iran has a “perennially unsettled relationship between state and society,” Sohrab says. They have a word for it: estebdad, or arbitrary rule. Shadi and Damir pressure test Sohrab’s alarming prognostications, but in the end they find little to disagree with. The discussion shifts toward American perceptions of Iran and Israel, and how these are shifting both within the MAGA coalition and among Americans as a whole. They compare Tucker Carlson's recent interviews with Steve Bannon and Ted Cruz and what these say about the political dilemma faced by Trump as he decides whether or not to join the war. In our bonus section for paid subscribers, the three men discuss the role that evangelical Christianity plays in pro-Israel American sentiments. Shadi asks Sohrab whether Catholics are different from evangelicals in this regard. Sohrab teases out the differences between “Deep MAGA” and the GOP establishment that has learned how to “speak MAGA”; Damir and Sohrab both have heard that younger GOP staffers on the Hill are in despair over this war; and much more.Required Reading:* Sohrab Ahmari, “The Regime Change Maniacs are Back” (UnHerd).* Sohrab Ahmari, “Iran’s Devastating Hubris” (UnHerd).* Sohrab Ahmari, “America’s dime-store Nietzscheans” (New Statesman).* Sohrab Ahmari, From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith (Amazon).* Brent Scowcroft on the Iraq War (PBS). * “How Trump Shifted on Iran Under Pressure From Israel” (New York Times).* Tucker Carlson interviews Ted Cruz (YouTube).* Tucker Carlson interviews Steve Bannon (YouTube).* “Azerbaijan: Israel’s Quiet Friend” (Middle East Eye).* “American Sympathy for Israel Reaches 'All-Time Low' in New Poll” (Newsweek).* “Less Than Half in U.S. Now Sympathetic Toward Israelis” (Gallup).* Jason Willick, “Why Israel would benefit from defeating Iran on its own” (Washington Post).Free preview video:Full video for paid subscribers below:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe war between Iran and Israel is bound to determine the future of the Middle East and, possibly, the whole world. The time is fitting, then, to release Shadi Hamid’s and Santiago Ramos’ conversation with Abbas Milani, professor of political science and Iran Studies at Stanford University. Professor Milani is a world-renowned authority on Iran, having published Lost Wisdom: Rethinking Modernity in Iran and The Shah, a definitive biography of Mohamed Reza Pahvalvi, the last Shah of Iran, among many other books. He joined us this past December to discuss Iranian politics, secularism and the future.“A giant with a feet of clay, but with more staying power than some in the opposition think.” This is how Milani describes the state of the Iranian regime months before the war with Israel. The regime’s “base of support is fragile … has no unity of purpose,” and yet, “ten, fifteen, twenty percent of the population is [still] willing to go along with it.” It teeters on the brink of collapse while some international players, including Russia and China, “more or less” support it. Unfortunately, the regime faces no “cohesive opposition.”Milani explores the future possibilities for Iran. Iranians want a secular democracy, he argues, and an “Islamic democracy” is not possible, he says, because “democracy is acceptance of ambiguity in the human condition.” Santiago and Shadi push back on this point. Santiago points to figures like Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King, Jr., who embraced both religion and democracy, while Shadi argues for the role that reason plays in Islam. Milani counters that there can be an Iranian modernity — if not an Islamic democracy — and that a future Iran need not follow “the path of Atatürk.”Our bonus section for paid subscribers will be useful to future historians of the Iranian revolution. Santiago asks Milani, “When did you stop being a Stalinist?” Milani discusses his ideological evolution. Milani talks about his year in prison — 1977 — where he shared the same cell block as many of the current leaders of the Islamic Republic. He talks about why he was arrested, what he read while in prison, why he wasn’t allowed to read the Koran in prison, and why it’s the case that “you understand the mettle of people very quickly in prison.” You will not want to miss this bonus section.Required Reading:* Abbas Milani, “Iran’s Incremental Revolution” (The Atlantic). * Abbas Milani, The Shah (Amazon).* Abbas Milani, Lost Wisdom: Rethinking Modernity in Iran (Amazon). * The Islamic Golden Age (Wikipedia). * Rūmī (Britannica). * Clifford Geertz (Institute for Advanced Study).* Leszek Kolakowski, Main Currents of Marxist (Amazon). * Antonio Gramsci (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).* Richard Rorty (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).* Roberto Mangabeira Unger (Harvard Law School). * Profile of Mahmoud Taleghani (New York Times). * Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita (Amazon).Free preview video:

It’s finally happened: Israel has attacked Iran. Wisdom of Crowds executive editor Santiago Ramos joined Damir Marusic for a live-streamed emergency q&a about the latest Middle East crisis. What do we know? What can we expect in the near future? What does this mean for the Middle East in the long term? And why does Damir think that Israel is America’s “junkyard dog”? For those who missed it, here is the video!If you missed the live stream and wish you hadn’t: there’s never been a better time to subscribe to Wisdom of Crowds! We are growing and we have new ideas coming down the pipeline. We are including two special offers below — a 14-day free trial and a 20% discount — for those of you who want a taste of what we’re trying to do here. We’d love to have you. Give us a spin. You’ll get much more, including the full episodes of our weekly podcasts and subscriber-only posts and open threads. Required Reading:* Richard Holbrooke junkyard dog metaphor (The Economist). * Damir Marusic on junkyard dogs (X). Wisdom of Crowds is a platform challenging premises and understanding first principles on politics and culture. Join us! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wisdomofcrowds.live/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWhy do artists try so hard to shock the public? Why is Kanye West singing about Hitler? Why are New York artists dabbling with fascism?The novelist and cultural critic Țara Isabella Burton joins Damir Marusic and Santiago Ramos to discuss these questions and more. Last week, Tara published an essay on Wisdom of Crowds titled “The Point of Pissing People Off.” In it, she tries to figure out whether there is something positive at work in transgression and provocation — something good that comes out of shocking art.All three of our conversationalists agree: Kanye is not really being transgressive. But is there a good version of transgression? Tara suggests that we should think about transgression as a genre, with a certain form and structure, that can either succeed or fail. Damir is skeptical of analyzing transgression, and prefers to think of it as a moment of ecstasy. Santiago wonders if transgression is important for self-knowledge, and something valuable for society as a whole.In the course of the conversation, many transgressive works and artists are discussed, among them: Piss Christ; Madonna; Georges Bataille; the Marquis de Sade; and more.In our bonus section for paid subscribers, Damir talks about the difference between analyzing transgressive art and consuming transgressive art, and why he prefers the latter; Damir discusses the difference between the punk rock of his day, where Reagan was the enemy, and the transgressive art today, which hails Trump as a leader; Tara, Santiago, and Damir trade thoughts about the French Revolution; Santiago tries to get Damir to explain what he means when he talks about “the stuff”; they discuss the question of whether love is as powerful as transgression; Damir talks about his favorite part of the Gospels; and Tara talks about kitsch.Required Reading and Listening:* Tara, “The Point of Pissing People Off” (Wisdom of Crowds).* Tara, Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World (Amazon).* Tara, Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians (Amazon).* Damir’s discography from his punk rock days (Discogs).* Damir’s music with his band, The Miss (Bandcamp).* Kanye West, “Heil Symphony” (Spotify).* “Kanye West’s ‘Heil Hitler’ Song & Controversy Explained” (Yahoo! Entertainment). * The new Fiume Gallery in New York.* Piss Christ by Andres Serrano (Artchive).* Madonna, “Material Girl” (YouTube).* Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish (Amazon).* Georges Bataille, Story of the Eye (Amazon).* Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (Amazon).* Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (Amazon).* Previous podcast episode where Damir says, “That’s the stuff!” (Wisdom of Crowds).* Something Beautiful for God by Malcolm Muggeridge, a book about Mother Teresa (Amazon).Free preview video:Full video for paid subscribers below:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIs tech replacing humanity? Or is it sharpening the question of what it means to be human? What does it mean to live a good life — as opposed to passable life? What features of humanity become more important by contrast and necessity in the technological age? Is it possible to find a higher version of humanity in order to thrive?For this week’s episode — a live taping of Wisdom of Crowds — we invited Santi Ruiz to discuss these questions, and more. (Our other guest, Christine Rosen, unfortunately got sick in the last moment and had to cancel. We missed you, Christine!) Santi is Senior Editor of the Institute for Progress and edits Statecraft, a newsletter about public policy. But he is also an essayist and humanist who has written about culture and tech in his personal Substack, Regress Studies, as well as magazines like the American Conservative.Samuel Kimbriel and Damir Marusic interviewed Santi, with Damir taking on a more pessimistic view about the possibility of reconciling tech and the humanities, while Samuel remained open to optimistic scenarios.In our bonus section for paid subscribers, you will be able to listen to the audience Q&A, which includes questions about the End of History, the future of war, the British philosopher Nick Land, the future of coding, good versus bad friction, and an encounter between Good Santi and Evil Santi. Required Reading:* Santi Ruiz, “Technocapital is Eating My Brains” (Regress Studies). * The Statecraft newsletter.Wisdom of Crowds is a platform challenging premises and understanding first principles on politics and culture. Join us!