Wisdom of Crowds

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week Shadi and Damir sat down to discuss the Uvalde mass shooting and its aftermath. Tragedy has struck the American psyche once again. The murder of innocent children has Americans groping for answers but the seemingly scripted discourse in the wake of such tragedies provides anything but solid answers. Are there really any viable legislative paths to prevent such terrible shootings? Must everyone “read the room” when Twitter is collectively grieving?As the conversation progresses, the discussion turns to liberals’ squeamishness about appearing patriotic and what to do when one’s political party changes before their eyes.In Part 2 of their discussion, available here for subscribers, Shadi admits that he feels somewhat perplexed by swing voters—after all, who hasn’t had time to make up their minds by this point—only to find out that Damir is in fact one of these elusive voters. They go on to discuss their voting histories and ask whether Republicans are more antidemocratic than their counterparts. Also, Shadi admits that he views Mitt Romney and John McCain in a new light while Damir explains his concerns about Vice President Harris potentially taking over for an aging Biden.Required Reading- "The U.S. has more in common with South America than Europe" by Samuel Goldman (The Week)- Shadi's controversial Atlantic piece from before the election.- "How the Left Lost Me" by Shadi Hamid (Wisdom of Crowds)- Pat Buchanan's 1992 speech at the RNC- Matt Yglessias' initial tweet- Matt Yglessias' apology tweet- Elon Musk's tweet about voting for Republicans.- Elon Musk's tweet about the Democrats moving to the left.- Ted Cruz's one door for schools idea- "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" by The Beatles (Youtube)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveShadi has been curious about whether he has diverged from the left since Bernie Sanders' campaign, so he invited the socialist thinker Daniel Bessner onto the podcast this week for a spirited discussion of first principles. Bessner is one of the most influential and important leftist intellectuals writing on foreign policy today. He is the Joff Hanauer Honors Professor in Western Civilization at the University of Washington and the author of Democracy in Exile.What followed was perhaps the most contentious episode in Wisdom of Crowds history. Of course, here at the podcast, we see deep difference as a feature and not a bug, so we hope you'll see this as an example of what spirited but civil disagreement might look like in practice. The fundamental question we wanted to ask was whether American hegemony has, on balance, been "good" or "bad" for the world.This is a question about a world that seems to have been lost. The unipolar moment is quickly coming to an end—that is, if it isn't already gone. Daniel argues that the decline in American power is both an inescapable reality and a net positive for the world. Shadi and Damir both disagree, but for quite different reasons.In the longer episode (for subscribers only), the guys dive even deeper into their disagreements over America's role in the world. If the status quo is anything but ideal, what exactly are the alternatives—and are those alternatives plausible?Damir, looking to press Daniel, suggests that the socialist vision for how the world will improve with an inward-facing Socialist America leaves too many questions unanswered. Shadi bristled at the suggestion of decreasing America's military footprint at the exact time when Russia and China are becoming increasingly aggressive. All the while, Daniel rejects the premise that it's in our interest to militarily aid Ukraine and would prefer that the U.S. take care of its own people and address its own moral disasters instead of pushing its pretend values on the world.Required Reading- Daniel Bessner's podcast, "American Prestige"- Daniel's recent appearance on Glenn Loury's podcast- Democracy in Exile: Hans Speier and the Rise of the Defense Intellectual, by Daniel Bessner (Amazon)- "The American Empire and Existential Enemies" by Daniel Bessner (Foreign Exchanges)- "There Are Many Things Worse Than American Power" by Shadi Hamid (Atlantic)- "Are We The Good Guys? A Debate with Glenn Greenwald" (Wisdom of Crowds)- The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels (Amazon)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week we were joined by Molly Ball, bestselling author of Pelosi, to talk about how the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade will (or won't) change American politics for decades to come. Until a few days ago, Americans could act politically under the assumption that Roe was permanent. But it may not be.Ending Roe v. Wade would mean abortion would be decided by states, presumably according to the whims, desires—and wisdom—of crowds. To what extent would this be a more "democratic" outcome?In the full subscriber-only conversation, the discussion turned toward questions of legitimacy and minority rule. The debate over abortion, after all, is a debate about elites and institutions—and whether bodies like the Supreme Court can, or should, ever be neutral. We also debate whether Evangelicals really believe that abortion is tantamount to genocide. Presumably, if they did, more of them would do something about it.  Also, after Molly raises the specter that "progress" may in fact be real, chaos ensues—featuring a rapid-fire exchange between Molly and Damir on first principles.Required Reading- Pelosi, by Molly Ball (Amazon)- "Overturning Roe would make America more democratic" by Jason Willick (Washington Post)- "The war that never ends" (Economist)- "Is This Trump’s World Now? Four Opinion Writers on the Dobbs Leak and Vance’s Big Win." by Lulu Garcia-Navarro, Jane Coaston, Michelle Cottle and Ross Douthat (New York Times)- "How Southern Baptists became pro-life" by David Roach (Baptist Press)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveMuch of the freakout about Elon Musk buying Twitter is based on an assumption that social media is integral to democracies and a critical tool for dissidents living in repressive regimes. But what if that assumption is overblown? Are the dustups over Twitter's new ownership really just a proxy war for the broader freedom of speech debate that has been ratcheting up recently?Just as Elon was talking up Twitter, Barack Obama gave a major address calling for government regulation of social media platforms to curb "misinformation." Here, then, are two contrasting visions that speak to essential differences over freedom and truth—and who determines what constitutes truth in the first place.  In the subscriber-only version of the episode, Shadi and Damir go on to debate whether low information or high information voters are better for democracy. Ordinary voters say they believe in crazy things, but in their day-to-day lives don't behave as if they believe. Ideologues, on the other hand, tend to be well-educated, so clearly better education or information isn't the answer. But then what is?Required Reading- Damir's tweet about Elon buying Twitter- Obama's speech on misinformation and disinformation at Standford- "Human rights groups raise hate speech concerns after Musk's takeover of Twitter" by Kanishka Singh (Reuters)- "To End Foreign Meddling, End Anonymity" by Damir Marusic (American Interest)- "How Musk could burst Obama’s ‘disinformation’ bubble" by Jason Willick (Washington Post)- "Bad News" by Joseph Bernstein (Harpers)- National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin (Department of Homeland Security)- "Just Keep It Off My Timeline!" by Freddie deBoer (Substack)- "READING: H.L. Mencken (December 1933): On Adolf Hitler" by Brad DeLong (Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality)- The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics, by Mark Lilla (Amazon)- The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction, by Mark Lilla (Amazon)- "The Texas Lawsuit and the Age of Dreampolitik" by Ross Douthat (New York Times)- Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government, by Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels (Amazon)- "Fantasy and Reality in Biden's America" with guest Bruno Bruno Maçães (Wisdom of Crowds)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week, Elisabeth Zerofsky of The New York Times Magazine joins us after recent reporting trips in Paris and Berlin. In Part 1, we talked about the upcoming French election and the rise of the far-right in France. The West is looking on nervously as President Macron tries to fend off a challenge from Marine Le Pen, a populist with ties to Putin. Regardless of the outcome, French voters have veered to the right—with fear of Islam driving public debate and mainstream politicians refusing to disavow the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory.   In Part 2 of the discussion, available here for subscribers, the conversation shifts to Germany's growing sense of crisis. Is Germany the new "sick of man of Europe"? During the Trump years, American liberals saw Angela Merkel as a sort of substitute leader of the free world. But Merkel legacy's may be in for a not-so-kind reckoning. Also: Damir wonders out loud whether Shadi is, deep down, a crypto-neoconservative.   Subscribers get access to all paid content, including weekly bonus episodes, Q&A features with Shadi and Damir, our full essay archive, as well as members-only conversations with guests like Ross Douthat and Glenn Greenwald. You can subscribe here and cancel anytime.   Required Reading   "The End of History Dies Hard in Berlin" by Elisabeth Zerofsky (Wisdom of Crowds)   "France's Far Right Turn" by Elisabeth Zerofsky (New York Times)     "'Worst crisis since the second world war’: Germany prepares for a Russian gas embargo" by (Financial Times)   Philly D.A., directed by Ted Passon, Yoni Brook, Nicola Salazar (Amazon)     Trump's meeting with Germany

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week, Shadi and Damir debate whether the war in Ukraine is breathing new life into the liberal idea. It seemed like liberalism might stage a comeback, but Putin-adjacent rightwing populists are still going strong in France and Hungary. Shadi insists he's a liberal who's critical of liberalism, which pushes Damir to question what exactly that means in practice. When is too much illiberalism too much? Also: Damir wonders whether Prohibition got a bad rap.In the full subscriber-only episode, Shadi and Damir go deeper into how the challenges to liberalism play out in foreign policy, and debate whether democracies are less cruel during war. Is America a moral power? Does that make us better?Required Reading- "Is There Such Thing as the Common Good?" by Shadi Hamid (Wisdom of Crowds)- "Why I Am Not A Liberal" by Liam Bright (Sooty Empiric)- "A Country of Their Own" by Francis Fukuyama (Foreign Policy)- "Preparing for Defeat" by Francis Fukuyama (American Purpose)- "Can Liberalism Thrive Without a Wolf at the Door?" by Ross Douthat (New York Times)- "The Enemies of Liberalism Are Showing Us What It Really Means" by Ezra Klein (New York Times)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week we were joined by Christine Emba, a columnist at the Washington Post and author of the fascinating new book Rethinking Sex: A Provocation. What resulted was the longest episode in Wisdom of Crowds history, delving into some uncharted territory. We discuss a lot of big topics—the perils of modern dating, the sex recession, consent, incels, marriage, porn, and Tinder hookup culture. If we have so much freedom, why are we so unhappy about it?Shadi presses Christine about whether her arguments about sex are a metaphor for broader disappointments with liberalism and the burdens of unlimited choice. Damir wonders if Christine is being a bit Straussian in an attempt to push conservative values into sex discourse.In the subscriber-only portion of the conversation, we dive deeper into the fraught world of sex culture in America today. When one can "order" the delivery of a sexual partner, like the Tinder Delivery Guy story from Christine's book, is it time to go back to the drawing board? Can a case be made that people were more happy decades (or centuries) ago? Also, Christine lays out her argument that consent is not enough.Required Reading- Rethinking Sex: A Provocation, by Christine Emba (Amazon)- "Consent is not enough. We need a new sexual ethic." by Christine Emba (Washington Post)- "Victorians, Manners, and the Woke Wars" (Wisdom of Crowds)- "Cat Person" by Kristen Roupenian (New Yorker)- "A Manifesto Against Sex Positivity" by Michelle Goldberg (New York Times)- "Searching for a Mate: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary" by Michael J. Rosenfeld and Reuben J. Thomas (American Sociological Review)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIn a classic wide-ranging episode, Shadi and Damir kick things off by noticing that the Ukraine War is no longer capturing “the discourse” as it did a week ago. Does how we consume media make it difficult for us to grapple with the moment’s most important stories? And does the same phenomenon make us overrate the importance of things like wokeness?As the conversation proceeds, and talk turns to Biden’s democracy-versus-autocracy worldview, Damir asks Shadi if he would have supported the Vietnam War, and whether he might one day end up a politician.In the subscriber-only portion of the episode, Shadi and Damir talk about religion, legality, war, and the importance of the existence of God for the possibility of justice. Is it better to be a believer than a godless agnostic?

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWhat’s the nature of our enemy in Ukraine? Is it Putin, Russia, or authoritarianism? What are the sources of the West’s strength and its capacities for revival? And how should we think about evil in the world? The political philosopher Samuel Kimbriel joins Shadi and Damir to help unpack these questions, and many others in a wide-ranging philosophical discussion.In the subscriber-only portion of the episode, the debate intensifies around whether finitude entails a more confrontational American foreign policy or a more humble one. Will the threat of an external enemy push Americans out of their decadence and towards a new kind of proto-messianism?Required Reading- "Death and Morality in the War on Ukraine" by Samuel Kimbriel (Wisdom of Crowds)- "We Need to Talk About a No-Fly Zone" by Shadi Hamid (Wisdom of Crowds)- “Putin’s Palace: The History of the World’s Largest Bribe,” by Alexei Navalny (YouTube)- Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam Is Reshaping the World, by Shadi Hamid (Amazon)- Friendship as Sacred Knowing: Overcoming Isolation, by Samuel Kimbriel (Amazon)- Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets, by Svetlana Alexievich (Amazon)- "Ross Douthat on Decadence, Wokeness, and UFOs" (Wisdom of Crowds)- "The (Aggressive) Pursuit of Happiness" (Wisdom of Crowds)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe firebrand journalist and author Glenn Greenwald joined us for a broad-ranging discussion on the war in Ukraine and the past few decades of American foreign policy. We tackled the comparisons between Russia's invasion, the Iraq War, and other disastrous American foreign policy failures. Does America's good intent set it apart from countries like Russia, or are we more similar than we care to admit?In the full subscriber-only conversation, we ask Glenn whether the U.S. should continue arming the Ukrainian resistance, and what an endgame would even look like. Shadi argues that, for all its faults, American hegemony is better than any of the available alternatives while Damir wonders whether "better" is even a relevant category. Perhaps a multipolar world is inevitable. If so, how should we think about such a world and our role in it?Required Reading- Glenn's Substack- "War Propaganda About Ukraine Becoming More Militaristic, Authoritarian, and Reckless" by Glenn Greenwald (Substack)- "Victoria Nuland: Ukraine Has 'Biological Research Facilities,' Worried Russia May Seize Them" by Glenn Greenwald (Substack)- "The Ugly Truth About No-Fly Zones" by Damir Marusic (Wisdom of Crowds)- "There Are Many Things Worse Than American Power" by Shadi Hamid (The Atlantic)- "141 countries vote to condemn Russia at UN" by Ivana Saric and Zachary Basu (Axios)