Uncertain Things

Matt Welch, co-host of The Fifth Column podcast and editor at large for Reason Magazine, joins Adaam to discuss the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s grim. How grim? Very. Get off social media. Turn off your phone. Touch grass. See ya’ll in the gulag.Also:-Matt’s previous visit to Uncertain Things-Adaam on political violence-Adaam and Jonah Goldberg on political violence-Yuval Levin on violenceUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

What’s lost when we opt for the convenience of technology over the difficult, awkward, thrilling realities of human interaction? With so much tech to reach for, when do we lose the ability to interact with each other – or even understand ourselves? And with the AI revolution already afoot, is humanity just f*cked? Vanessa’s back from mat leave and ready to dive into our tech-saturated, under-socialized world with Christine Rosen — senior fellow at AEI, co-host of the Commentary podcast, and author of The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World.On the agenda:-Happy returns and the pleasure of ambiguity [0:00-5:55]-Information isn’t knowledge [5:56-9:03]-The pleasure of ambiguity and the value of discomfort [9:04-20:47]-How tech mediates and impairs us [20:48-47:38]-Humanity in the age of AI [47:39-1:24:18]Mentioned in this episode:* Panic Porn and Trauma Creep (w/ Christine Rosen)* The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied WorldUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Jonah Goldberg, host of The Remnant and author of Suicide of the West, joins Adaam for a session of unfettered nerdery and gloom, in which definitions shall be debated, Straussian hats worn, and metaphors unapologetically mixed. They cover the meaning of “utopianism,” the revolutionary force of monotheism, the power of language, the messianic urge from Christ to the Jacobins, the lack of new ideas, the obstinacy of human nature, and the importance of gallows humor.On the agenda:-Jonah’s origin story [2:00] -Monotheism, a radical idea [6:00] -Postmodernism and the charisma of words [19:00]-Utopianism, left and right [27:00]-Maimonides against Messianism (and Sayyid Qutb) [38:00]-Are ideas dangerous? (On Rousseau, the Jacobins, Strauss, Annihilism) [53:00]-Dark humor and Holocaust jokes heuristics [1:21:00]-Blindspots [1:43:00]Also:-Adaam and Ruth Weisse on the 10th Commandment-Adaam and Yuval Levin talk about the nature of liberalism, beauty and conservatism-Howard Jacobson at Tablet Magazine on the death of a tailorUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

It is an extra (((special))) episode on Uncertain Things as Ruth Wisse, senior fellow at the Tikvah Fund and author of Jews and Power, hosts Adaam for Friday afternoon cookies and Talmud. The two discussed the wave of resentment that threatens to consume American culture (or Annihilism, as Adaam stubbornly calls it), the problem (or lack thereof) of inequality, the Jewish rejection of Weakness Worship, and what it means to stand witness to evil.On the (((agenda))):-Neocons love assimilation [1:30]-Accents are genocide [9:00]-The idea that disparity is evil is evil [17:00]-Charity and dignity (and pity) [27:00]-Gratitude, resentment, and feminism [34:00]-What’s up with American Jews… plus American liberalism… plus standing witness to evil [48:00]Also:-Adaam and Yuval Levin talk about the nature of liberalism, beauty and conservatism-Howard Jacobson at Tablet Magazine on the death of a tailorUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

AEI Senior Fellow Yuval Levin rejoins the pod to discuss the enemies of continuity. He and Adaam debate the definition of conservatism and whether it’s the Annihilist urge that dominates the contemporary left or something else entirely. Oh, and if that’s not nerdy enough for you, they also go on a semi-Burkean detour to adjudicate whether beauty in art is related to truth (because someone had to!).On the agenda:-Cultural continuity and the modern conservative [00:10]-The hubris of knowledge [10:19]-Who are the enemies of continuity [17:54]-Solipsism as morality [26:28]-Rousseau and the new Jacobins [31:23]-Redemptive destruction [39:00]-Is despair anti-conservative? [48:54]-Beauty [53:31]Also:-Our previous chat with Yuval Levin about Edmund Burke and Thomas Paine-Adaam on the Jacobin temptation-Yuval on American renewal-Ken Goshen on why contemporary art sucksUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Dan Senor, host of the Call Me Back podcast and co-author of The Genius of Israel, is bullish on Israel. Is there anything that could change his mind? He and Adaam discuss what makes Israeli society strong and what might make it turn against itself. They also can’t resist some media naval gazing and debate whether the fall of sense-making gatekeepers is a boon or a curse.On the agenda:-Brave new media-Could anything make Dan go bearish on Israel?-Something bigger than yourself-The abominable dilemma (why Israel negotiates with terrorists)-War is hell (and the rest is sentimentality)-How to criticize Israel in an anti-Zionist era Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Alan Dershowitz is one of the most prolific legal scholars (and civil rights litigators) in this country of ours. In his latest book, The Preventive State, he takes the first step in developing the jurisprudence of what Philip K. Dick called precrime. Dershowitz argues that we need a better — and more transparent — legal system for calculating how many civil liberties we’re willing to sacrifice in order to prevent potential harm. He and Adaam debate what such a system would look like, what’s at stake of being lost, where do rights even come from, and whether the law is a rebellion against God.On the agenda:-Starting a conversation while canceled-False positives and false negatives-Kant in the streets, Bentham in the sheets (or: the Straussian case for legal ambiguity)-Our rights come from our wrongs-AI paving the path to Omelas-The Talmudic rebellionAlso:-Read Adaam’s piece on Jewish Law as the triumph against divine totalitarianismUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America and writer for The Free Press, argues that recent progressive theories about antiracism have looped all the way back to racism. He joins Adaam to discuss the power of language to reveal and distort, the moral confusions of revolutionary activism, the aesthetics of social justice, and how this all relates to Israel’s war on Iran.On the agenda:-Coleman’s backstory and the march through the institutions (or at least Columbia)-What do you mean, Neo-racism? (Speak plainly!)-Social science versus social redemption-Ta-Nehisi Coates composes mood music (and conceals reality)-What’s up in Israel-The West doesn’t understand death cultsUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Is there hope for Palestinians in Gaza after the war? What will happen to Hamas? Does anyone still want a Two State Solution? And will the war with Iran change the game? Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and director of Realign for Palestine, joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy to discuss. Ahmed seeks to refocus the Palestinian mission from armed resistance against Israel to self-governance, independence, and prosperity. He and Adaam debate what this will take, and whether the window for such a vision is closing.Further readings:-On their first conversation, Adaam and Fouad discussed the view from Gaza-Earlier on the day this was recorded, Adaam spoke with Nadav Eyal about Israel’s war in IranUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Former ACLU President Nadine Strossen and FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) President Greg Lukianoff join Adaam to discuss their upcoming book War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail. The three dig into what makes liberalism in general and free speech in particular so powerful, so radical, and so rare. Is too much information a danger for free speech? Why are some institutions resilient to ideological capture while others cave? Do generational tensions pose a threat to liberal values? What does it really mean to defend free speech? On the agenda: -Free speech is eternally radical (00:30)-The Skokie Affair made Adaam fall in love (10:47)-Generational tensions at the ACLU, or: maintaining institutional integrity (26:13)-Real liberalism is (and always was) hard (51:12)-Marketplace of Ideas vs. Pure Information Theory, or: the importance of knowing falsities (1:01:06)-AI and the problem of Too Much Information (1:10:02)-Blindspots (1:23:55)Show notes:-Greg’s Substack: The Eternally Radical Idea-Upcoming rerelease of Aryeh Neier’s Defending My Enemy with additional material by NadineArt by Niv TishbiUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Perspicacious podcaster Mike Pesca, host of The Gist and author of Pesca Profundities, joins Adaam to partake in principled, punny, and peppily pugnacious perorations. On the agenda: the creeping nihilism of American society (and should we be worried about it), the comedy of Signalgate, the state of the media, and the revenge of the cancelled.On the agenda:-Podcasting with Pesca [00:00] -Misinformation and media [10:52] -Objectivity [14:55]-Signalgate [27:54]-Nihilism in America [35:37]-Jan 6 and Oct 8 [42:36]-Surviving cancellation [51:19]-Judicial overhauls [56:43]-Constitutionalism and its discontent [01:00:05]-Blindspots [01:04:19]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Former Democratic organizer Brianna Wu joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy for a conversation about her journey from leftist activism to clashing with leftists about antisemitism and the recklessness of transgender politics. Wu opens up on the challenges that come with standing up to one’s own tribe, the importance of defending liberal values, and how to think responsibly—and compassionately—about sex and gender.On the Agenda:—How Gamergate changed everything—The (de)evolution of progressive politics—October 7 and Jewish mothers—Can normie liberalism bridge the partisan divide?—Transgender health care vs. transgender politicsShow Notes:—The Pros and Cons of ‘Queer’ (w/ Jamie Kirchick)—Jesse Singal for The Dispatch: How The American Media Distorted the Transgender Debate Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Religious scholar Tomer Persico, now a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, returns to help us unpack why liberalism is special — and why it’s now in crisis. Mentioned in this episode:-Our first conversation with Tomer, about the implications of seeing ourselves as made in the image of God -Yascha Mounk, who talked to us about how identity politics is straining liberalism-Tom Holland, the Liberal who lost his faith-Sarah Isgur, who survived Trump’s DOJFind us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Why Liberalism [3:10-13:30]-Defining Liberalism & Individual Rights [13:31-18:23]-The Government's New Responsibility: Protect Individual Rights [18:24-29:43]-The Importance of Unprescribed, Artful Negotiations of Power [29:44-48:05]-Nationalism & Mass Conscription [48:06-1:02:32]-The Problem Liberalism is facing now [1:02:33-1:18:20]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

To write The Other Significant Others, journalist Rhaina Cohen interviewed couples around the country who have committed to sharing their lives with each other — just not their beds. These pivotal yet hard-to-define relationships have existed throughout history, but we lack the vocabulary to talk about them (let alone a legal framework to protect them). Adaam and Vanessa — platonic partners themselves — talk to Rhaina about the nomenclature that helps/hinders us, the lack of templates for meaningful friendships, and the unspoken-about-elephant in these relationships (yes, sex). Mentioned in this episode:-Rhaina on the Ezra Klein Show-Our conversation about friendship infrastructure with David French-Our conversation about solitude with Bill Deresiewicz Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-On words, romance, and indefinable friendships [0:00-33:06]-The legal difficulties platonic partners face [33:07-40:24]-Putting marriage on/off its pedestal [40:25-47:28]-On polyamory [47:29-53:49]-The challenges of relationships with no defaults or templates [53:50-1:03:36]-Friendship & solitude [1:03:37-]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Podcaster/journalist Andy Mills shares the unusual trajectory of his life and career: from small town boy; to God-loving member of a close-knit group of friends; to rebellious drop-out of a Christian college; to curious outsider in Southern Sudan; to hard-working, some-time inappropriate young media professional; to a more self-aware, award-winning podcast producer; to New York Times outcast; to independent media professional (with a Substack, of course). [Break for breath.] Along the way, we discuss the merits/drawbacks of faith, unpack the pivotal year that was 2015, debate the limitations of forgiveness, and dissect the difference between being canceled for your beliefs versus what others believe of you.Mentioned in this episode:-Reflector podcast -Mills Spills (BAR pod) -The Witch Trials of JK Rowling (Free Press)Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:- Growing up in small town Christian America [0:00-14:53]-What happened to the Church - a.k.a When God died in 2015 [14:54-22:00]-Winning, and then losing, the friendship lottery [22:01-47:39]-The tension of uncertainty in community [47:40-52:52]-Online conversations and communities (back to 2015) [52:53-1:01:59]-Entering journalism by way of Sudan [1:02:00-1:11:57]-Identity, narrative, and bias [1:11:58-1:30:30]-The tribe of media and the danger of ideas (2015 reprise) 1:30:31-1:42:30-Andy's second cancelation story [1:42:31-1:59:26]-Comparing the cancellations [1:59:27-2:05:36]-What happened at the New York Times [2:05:37-2:19:15]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

The indispensable Eli Lake — contributing editor at Commentary Magazine and staff writer and podcaster at The Free Press — returns to the pod to mark the destruction of mass murderer and DSA heartthrob Hasan Nasrallah along with the top brass of his terror gang in Beirut this weekend. This leads to a discussion about the nature of warfare and the importance of escalation, the inanity of American media, and also what the decline of norms in the Roman Republic portends for the future of the American experiment. Si vult pacem, face bellum?Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Bad week for the axis of a******s-The deescalation trap-Eli and Mehdi Hasan-Muh normsUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Caitlin Flanagan returns! The unapologetic author of On Thinking for Yourself (a selection of her excellent essays for The Atlantic) comes to talk to us about the fall of Western civilization, what happens when you let church-going go, what happened to universities, and why (though a Catholic herself) Caitlin has started wearing a Star of David. Check out (the juicier) part two of this conversation (for paid members only) here.Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Share @UncertainPod on your social media of choice.On the agenda:-Praising our AI overlords -A post-apocalyptic, post-church West-Dangerously under-educated -Why Caitlin wears the Star of David -When/how universities went wrong [ -On parenting and Ballerina Farm -P.S. - Adaam’s reflections on wearing the Star of DavidMentioned in this episode: -Our previous episode with Caitlin (Uncertain Things)-On Thinking for Yourself (Caitlin Flanagan)-Calvin Coolidge’s Address at the Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (UCSB)-Overtime: Bob Costas, Coleman Hughes, Caitlin Flanagan | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)-From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life (Jacques Barzun)-Part two of this conversation (Uncertain Things LOCKED)Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Nick Gillespie — editor at large at the libertarian institution that is Reason Magazine (and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie) — comes on the pod for an IRL conversation about 'The Agony of Abundance,' the paradoxical state in which we’re more prosperous, yet more dissatisfied, than ever. We discuss the negative narratives peddled by the media — a misdirection that’s untethering us from reality — and debate the limitations libertarianism and liberal thinking in an ever-more tribal world. And, before we go, we dive into psychedelics and whether they’re really worth all the fuss.Uncertain Things is a reader-supported publication. To support this rag-tag podcast crew of two, consider becoming a paid member.On the agenda:-00:00 Housing Preamble-04:12 Welcome to Uncertain Things-06:01 Our Negative Perceptions vs. Reality-23:39 Mass Misdirection-33:28 Trust and the U.S. and Israeli Governments-41:05 Liberalism vs. Tribalism-01:08:57 On Generating a Liberal Revival-01:24:08 Debating PsychedelicsMentioned in this episode:-The Economic Theory That Explains Why Americans Are So Mad - Ezra Klein Show-The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture - Amazon -Big Tech Panic (w/ Shoshana Weissmann) - Uncertain Things -What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster - Amazon-‘They Aren’t Who You Think They Are’: The inside story of how Kanakuk—one of America’s largest Christian camps—enabled horrific abuse. - The Dispatch-In Praise of Privilege - Uncertain-Psychedelic Libertarianism with Nick Gillespie - Coleman’s Corner-The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less - AmazonUncertain 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

PLEASE NOTE: We are releasing this episode in the immediate aftermath of the alleged assassination attempt on President Trump. Details and facts presented in this conversation are still being corroborated and are subject to be updated/corrected. Recurrent guest Misha Thomas (“The Liberal Who Voted for Trump” / “Blackness and the Other Side of Trauma”) was visiting family in Pittsburgh yesterday when he decided to check out his first ever Trump Rally with his partner. After waiting for hours under the hot sun, they saw Trump take to the stage — and minutes later, heard rounds of bullets going back and forth. Misha shares his first-person account of what seems to have been an attempt to assassinate the former president.To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Check out our free ‘Uncertainty’ newsletter for updates and rants. Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Nellie Bowles is back! The journalist, writer of the TGIF newsletter, and co-founder of The Free Press (along with her wife Bari Weiss) returns to discuss her new book, Morning After the Revolution. In it, she chronicles the unfortunate series of events that led her to leave The New York Times in 2021. We get into that in this conversation, too (diving into the backlash she received for covering the more violent 2020 protests in Portland and Seattle) — as well as the stories of Progressive absurdism that pepper the book. And before we wrap, we get into Nellie’s thoughts on being a newly converted Jew in the wake of October 8th.  Uncertain Things is a reader-supported publication. To support this rag-tag podcast crew of two, consider becoming a paid member. On the agenda:-Surviving the NYT in 2020 [1:40-23:41]-Absurdity and anarchy [23:42-37:18]-The joys and pains of becoming Jewish [37:19-51:06]Mentioned in this episode:-Our previous conversation on San Francisco’s lunacyUncertain 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