Wisdom of Crowds

An Iranian-born immigrant, Sohrab Ahmari has become one of America's most prominent and controversial Catholic commentators. His new book, The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos, asks us to rethink our understanding of freedom and choice—and the fact that we have too much of it. What does it mean to be a "political Catholic"? What is the value of a state-imposed Sabbath? Does civilization require heartfelt religious belief, or is there a benefit in simply going through the motions? And can a liberal society avoid enforcing an oppressive orthodoxy of its own?   Part two of the conversation with Sohrab is available here for subscribers. Part one ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, with Sohrab suggesting the law is not just a reflection of the public's wishes but can be a moral teacher for the public as well. The conversation then moves into other interesting territory, including on how Sohrab has gained more respect for Islam since his conversion to Catholicism. Subscribe here to listen to the rest of the discussion; you won't want to miss it. Recommended Reading: The Unbroken Thread: Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in an Age of Chaos, by Sohrab Ahmari (Amazon) From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith, by Sohrab Ahmari (Amazon) 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

What do Shadi and Damir's divergent responses to the Gaza crisis tell us about questions of morality, idealism, and power? Damir presses Shadi on his recent commentary about Israel's treatment of the Palestinians—and the line between analysis and polemics. Shadi argues the Middle East still matters—and that it's in America's national interest to be moral. Damir counters by saying that it is the job of the analyst to complicate stories, not necessarily to resolve them. Required Reading: "I'm Angry About Palestine. Should You Be?" by Shadi Hamid (Wisdom of Crowds) "Don’t take the narrow view of what’s happening in Gaza," by Shadi Hamid (The Atlantic) "A separate peace? What the Gaza crisis means for Arab regimes," by Shadi Hamid (Brookings) The Shadi vs. Dershowitz showdown (The Megyn Kelly Show) "Four Perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" (Carnegie Connects) 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

Damir returns to the office and is surprised by how it feels. Shadi marvels at the precipitous decline of outrage—but wonders if our collective tuning out of politics might have drawbacks. And why have so many corporations gone woke? All this and more on this week's episode of Wisdom of Crowds. Required Reading: "Tema Okun's 'White Supremacy Culture' work is bad," by Matt Yglesias (Substack) "Can We Please Ditch the Term 'Systemic Racism'," by John McWhorter (Substack) "Biden Struggles With Western Pandemic Disunity" by Ed Luce (Financial Times) "Democracy’s Skeptics—and Its Necessity," by Osita Nwanevu (Wisdom of Crowds) 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

The liberal idea arose partly as a response to the religious wars of 17th-century Europe. Could something similar occur in the Islamic world today? Mustafa Akyol thinks so—and his new book Reopening Muslim Minds offers a fascinating and forthright case for reinterpreting Islamic history and revisiting Islamic law. Mustafa joined Shadi and Damir to talk about what inspired the book, starting with his arrest by Malaysia's "religion police." They go on to debate Islam's proper role in public life, how to interpret sharia in a modern context, the promise (and dangers) of "rationalism," and what makes Islam attractive in the first place. Part two of the conversation with Mustafa is available here for subscribers. If the first hour catches your interest, join us as we wade deeper into various controversies. The discussion turns to whether Islam will follow a similar trajectory as Christianity, apostasy laws, the case of Turkey, whether democracy is a means or an end, and what all of this means for American foreign policy. Subscribe here.   Required Reading: Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance, by Mustafa Akyol (Amazon) "Where Islam and Reason Meet," by Mustafa Akyol (The Wall Street Journal) Sharia: Theory, Practice, Transformations, by Wael B. Hallaq (Amazon) Mustafa's New York Times archive 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

Berlin-based journalist Elisabeth Zerofsky joins Shadi and Damir to talk about how Europeans are coping with the pandemic. What's it like living under an actual lockdown? Is Brexit vindicated? Does Europe now feel America envy? And would Damir make an effective demagogue? The answers to all these questions and more, answered in just over an hour. Required Reading: Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets, by Svetlana Alexievech (Penguin) "The Right-Wing Pundit ‘Hashtag Triggering’ France," by Elisabeth Zerofsky (The New York Times) Elisabeth's New Yorker archive "Why is Everything Liberal?" by Richard Hanania (Substack) 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

The journalist, author, and firebrand Glenn Greenwald joins Shadi and Damir for a two-part episode ranging from Glenn's investigative work in Brazil to his increasingly contentious relationship with the liberal establishment in America. In part one, Glenn talks about the corruption case at the center of his new book, why respectable middle-class people supported an authoritarian bigot, and how living in Brazil has shaped his views on American politics—including the January 6 riots at the Capitol. Part two of their conversation, for subscribers only, is available here. The conversation gets more personal, with Glenn discussing if he considers himself a man of the left, why he is disliked by American liberals, what he has against wokeness, and whether he would have considered serving under a Bernie Sanders administration. His answers might surprise you. Required Reading: Securing Democracy: My Fight for Press Freedom and Justice in Bolsonaro's Brazil, by Glenn Greenwald (Amazon) Glenn's Substack Glenn's Twitter 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

Damir and Shadi pull back the curtain on the thought process behind Damir's latest essay. The central question: If Europe's social democracies offer far more support to their citizens, why has America weathered both the Great Recession and Covid-19 pandemic better than the European Union? Required Reading: "Selfishness and American Resilience," by Damir Marusic (Wisdom of Crowds) "Janet Yellen and Mario Draghi Have One Last Job," by Adam Tooze (Foreign Policy) 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

Shadi and Damir discuss America's cratering religious affiliation and church attendance, and if the U.S. is losing any unifying culture it once had. Required Reading: “Church membership in the U.S. has fallen below the majority for the first time in nearly a century,” by Sarah Pulliam Bailey (The Washington Post) “America Without God,” by Shadi Hamid (The Atlantic) “The Paradox of American Faith,” by Damir Marusic (Wisdom of Crowds) 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

On today's show, Jason Willick of the Wall Street Journal's Editorial Page stops by to discuss all things representation: Does the filibuster still serve a beneficial purpose?  How can we balance both rural and urban interests? Should representatives mirror their voters' preferences or rely on their personal judgment? And how does the rise of Big Tech factor into all this? Required Reading: The Politics of Size: Representation in the United States, 1776–1850, by Rosemarie Zagarri (Amazon) Why Cities Lose: The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide, by Jonathan A. Rodden (Amazon) Inventing the People: The Rise of Popular Sovereignty in England and America, by Edmund S. Morgan (Amazon) Representation in the American Revolution, by Gordon S. Wood (Amazon) Representation, by Monica Brito Vieira and David Runciman (Amazon) The Concept of Representation, by Hanna F. Pitkin (Amazon) Political Representation (Cultural Memory in the Present), by F. R. Ankersmit (Amazon) The Democracy Essays (Wisdom of Crowds) "Civility and Consensus Are Overrated," with Osita Nwanevu and Samuel Kimbriel (Wisdom of Crowds) 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

Too many commentators today want a "return to civility" in political discourse. Osita Nwanevu, a staff writer at The New Republic, and Samuel Kimbriel, a political philosopher, think that's misguided—rather than ignoring our fundamental disagreements, we should be arguing about them much more honestly. This episode's example: Osita's proposal to abolish the U.S. Constitution. Required Reading: Friendship as Sacred Knowing: Overcoming Isolation, by Samuel Kimbriel (Oxford University Press) “The Constitution Is the Crisis,” by Osita Nwanevu (The New Republic) "The Democracy Essays," by Samuel Kimbriel and Osita Nwanevu (Wisdom of Crowds) 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