Shows
Wisdom of CrowdsAmerican Exceptionalism on TrialThis episode features a full-length debate between Shadi Hamid and Trita Parsi —two thinkers who fundamentally disagree about the role of American power in the world. Released jointly with The Disagreement podcast and hosted by Alex Grodd, the conversation reflects a shared Wisdom of Crowds ethos — one that treats disagreement not as a failure of understanding, but as a tool for thinking more clearly about first principles. Rather than trading talking points, Hamid and Parsi engage each other’s strongest arguments in a sustained, good-faith exchange.Shadi draws on themes from The Case for American Power to defend...
2026-02-0356 min
Wisdom of CrowdsVenezuela and Its ConsequencesAgainst the backdrop of Trump’s breathtaking snatch-and-grab operation against Venezuela’s nasty dictator Nicolás Maduro, Shadi and Damir debate the complexities of global politics, focusing on the tension between power and morality. They explore the implications of U.S. foreign policy decisions and debate the role of values in international relations. Shadi pushes Damir about the implications of his commitments, who in turn says ugly things you probably won’t like.Required Reading:* “Venezuela and the End of Hipocrisy,” by Shadi Hamid (WoC).* “The Great Unraveling Has Begun,” by Oona Hathaway...
2026-01-091h 12
Wisdom of CrowdsShadi Hamid on the Case for AmericaThis week’s episode is a live recording of Wisdom of Crowds, where we celebrated a very special occasion: the publication of Shadi Hamid’s new book, The Case for American Power. The book is a soul-searching study about American power as a force for good in the world, and it combines memoir and foreign policy analysis. Shadi’s thesis is that if we want to make the world “more just and more moral, more democratic and more respectful of human rights,” then backing the United States is both the “last best hope and the least-bad option.”Joining Shadi...
2025-11-151h 05
Wisdom of CrowdsNobody Is AutonomousThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWe need to get better at asking for help.So argues author Leah Libresco Sargeant in her new book, The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto. The core thesis of the book is that “women’s equality with men doesn’t depend on their interchangeability with men.” But the book also has many insights that apply to men as well as women. All of us need to get better at asking for help. Hosting this episode are Shadi Hamid an...
2025-10-2545 min
Wisdom of CrowdsWhy the Two-State Solution DiedThis week we have a very special guest: Robert Malley, a veteran American diplomat and Middle East expert. From advising President Clinton at Camp David to serving as President Obama’s top White House official for the Middle East and then as Biden’s Special Envoy for Iran, Malley has spent decades at the heart of U.S. diplomacy. Today he joins Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic to discuss his new book, Tomorrow Is Yesterday: Life, Death, and the Pursuit of Peace in Israel/Palestine.Malley begins the discussion with an arresting suggestion: that the war in Gaza...
2025-10-081h 15
Wisdom of CrowdsPiety and PoliticsThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveLast week, Wisdom of Crowds philosopher-in-residence Samuel Kimbriel wrote an essay about the political use of Christianity within MAGA, contrasting the sincerity of Erika Kirk’s piety with the propagandistic use of the Lord’s Prayer in a recent military recruitment video. Shadi Hamid reflected on Samuel’s piece and more, writing a column about it for the Washington Post. Today, we bring both men together to discuss the central questions of both articles: do Christianity and politics mix?Damir Marusi...
2025-10-0454 min
Wisdom of Crowds[UNPAYWALLED] The Antidotes to Male LonelinessToday we have a return guest: Jordan Castro. Jordan is a writer and the deputy director of the Cluny Project, a think tank of sorts for cultural entrepreneurs. The last time Jordan appeared on Wisdom of Crowds, we discussed his first novel, The Novelist. Now Jordan has a second book, Muscle Man, about a disgruntled middle-aged academic who tries to find an answer to his frustrations in weightlifting and strength training. It is a hilarious satire of our time, a novel that speaks to our political moment without being political per se.Shadi Hamid and Santiago Ramos...
2025-09-271h 12
Wisdom of CrowdsOur "Years of Lead"?Our episode this week is more on the serious and somber side. Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk and speculate about its consequences. What are we learning about America and American politics in the wake of that horrible shooting? Is America heading toward low-grade civil war—like the Years of Lead in Italy during the 1970s? Does the Right control the culture and the media—and will it use this event to expand its political power? Does the Left have a problem with violence? Do we even have an opposition party?In ligh...
2025-09-1348 min
Wisdom of CrowdsWaiting for the BarbariansThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live“ ‘Barbarism’ is a word that keeps coming to my lips lately,” writes Damir Marusic in a brilliant new article this week. Barbarism seems to be the only real word that describes what comes after the liberal international order. But Damir isn’t pointing to the supposed barbarism of our enemies. His article points to the ways that we in the West — and in the United States — are becoming coarser and more egocentric. Like the poet said, barbarism begins at home. Shadi Hamid in...
2025-08-0943 min
Wisdom of CrowdsMatthew Walther on Conspiracy TheoriesThis 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 wr...
2025-07-2444 min
Wisdom of CrowdsSohrab Ahmari on the Israel-Iran War and its AftermathThis 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 t...
2025-06-1959 min
Wisdom of CrowdsAbbas Milani on the Future of IranThis 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...
2025-06-1547 min
Wisdom of CrowdsSex and Death and Norms and ShameThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWe live in an increasingly weird world, where the weirdness is facilitated and accelerated by the Internet. We live in a world full of instantly-available bizarre pornography and terrorist attacks inspired by misanthropic ideologies whose manifestos are published online. Katherine Dee, an Internet ethnographer, writer and friend of Wisdom of Crowds, joins Christine Emba and Shadi Hamid to talk about the recent terrorist attack on an IVF clinic in California and Christine’s recent New York Times article about the social damage wr...
2025-05-2449 min
Wisdom of CrowdsHow to Think About Power and MoralityAs subscribers of Wisdom of Crowds will know, the war in Gaza has preoccupied Shadi Hamid for over a year now, and has taken a central place in his political thinking. Damir Marusic begins this episode by challenging Shadi on this point. Is he giving too much importance to one political and moral cause over all others? And is he giving too much importance to morality as such in geopolitics?The conversation eventually shifts when Damir tells Shadi that he is an “activist” when he writes in favor of a cause, and Shadi disagrees. Writers want to chan...
2025-05-171h 15
Wisdom of CrowdsHow to Think About Power and MoralityAs subscribers of Wisdom of Crowds will know, the war in Gaza has preoccupied Shadi Hamid for over a year now, and has taken a central place in his political thinking. Damir Marusic begins this episode by challenging Shadi on this point. Is he giving too much importance to one political and moral cause over all others? And is he giving too much importance to morality as such in geopolitics?The conversation eventually shifts when Damir tells Shadi that he is an “activist” when he writes in favor of a cause, and Shadi disagrees. Writers want to chan...
2025-05-171h 15
Wisdom of CrowdsMake Greatness Great AgainThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveOur special guest this week, David Polansky is a political theorist and commentator who lives in Canada. A frequent contributor to Wisdom of Crowds, he joins Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic to discuss two excellent recent essays. The first one, titled “Does Canada Exist?” is about Canadian national identity, an issue that has become more relevant since Donald Trump has taken to calling Canada the 51st state, and while some in the western Canadian province of Alberta has floated the idea of sece...
2025-05-1147 min
Wisdom of Crowds"A Nation of Trumps"This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveTrump has been in office for one hundred days, and Damir Marusic thinks America deserves him: “I do tend to intuitively see Trump and Trumpism as a correction on a social order that has lost its way and is somehow badly out of tune,” Damir wrote earlier this week. “Something is broken and unsustainable, and has been so for a while.”Christine Emba and Shadi Hamid have questions. Why is Damir still “ebullient” (his words) and “giddy” (also his words) about the curren...
2025-05-0348 min
Wisdom of CrowdsTrust Your Mind!This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis episode is a bit “meta”: it’s about what it means to keep an open mind, how to trust your conscience, why we should all avoid groupthink, and the phenomenon of “self silencing” — keeping your views to yourself when you’re afraid it might be too costly to say them out loud. But of course, this being Wisdom of Crowds, we link these meta-topics to the politics of the day. Jenara Nerenberg is a journalist, producer, speaker, and founder of...
2025-04-2644 min
Wisdom of CrowdsRoss Douthat on Why We Should All Be ReligiousThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIn 2012, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat published Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, a book about how mainstream American religion was devolving into the prosperity gospel, superstitious cults and other forms of heterodox faith. Thirteen years later, the American religious landscape has changed, and Ross wrote a new book tackling a much more basic question: why you should be religious at all. He joins Damir Marusic and Shadi Hamid to discuss that book, which is titled Believe: Why...
2025-04-0448 min
Wisdom of CrowdsIs Democracy Ending?Recent events suggest that the balance of power is breaking down. Trump is achieving executive supremacy. In less fancy terms, Trump looks like he’s becoming a dictator. Rule of law might be slipping away. Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic agree about all this. But they disagree about which recent event is the true inflection point.Shadi thinks it’s the Mahmoud Khalil case: it’s a straightforward government action against freedom of speech, intended to have a chilling effect on the population. Damir believes it’s the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to Nayib Bukele’s megaprison in El Salv...
2025-03-2051 min
Wisdom of CrowdsWhy do "Sensitive Young Men" Love Trump?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveMana Afsari is a writer and sometime contributor to Wisdom of Crowds, whose career has taken her from the RAND Corporation, to a job as an assistant to a great American poet, to the position of Research Associate at the Aspen Institute’s Philosophy and Society Initiative. In January, Mana published an essay titled, “Last Boys at the Beginning of History,” a fascinating reported piece about the young men with intellectual ambitions who joined the National Conservative movement and voted for Donald Trump...
2025-03-1455 min
Wisdom of CrowdsBeing Jewish After the Destruction of GazaThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWith the Gaza ceasefire possibly collapsing any minute, we return to the topic of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks and the ensuing war in the Holy Land. Specifically, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic discuss the tension between a belief in universal human rights, on the one hand, and allegiance to one’s ethnic and religious roots, on the other. Joining Shadi and Damir is friend of the pod Peter Beinart, contributing writer for the New York Times and editor-at-large of th...
2025-03-0747 min
Wisdom of CrowdsA Revolution Has No AlliesJ. D. Vance delivers a seismic geopolitical speech at the Munich Security Forum. Vance, Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy get into a shouting match before television cameras. Relations between the United States and Europe are deteriorating before our very eyes. In one of our best episodes of the year so far, we invited the great Ivan Krastev to help us understand what is happening.Ivan is one of the brightest minds in Europe — an incisive analyst, historian of ideas, and ever-present track-two diplomat who is always talking to absolutely everyone. He is chairman of the Centre fo...
2025-03-011h 10
Wisdom of CrowdsDone Saying "Impossible"This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live“I am done saying, ‘impossible’,” announces Damir Marusic. At least, with regard to what Trump might do or could do in the near future. We are still in the midst of a major shakeup in the administrative state. The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is combing through Treasury data and cutting government personnel. Trump is delaying the distribution of federal funds. Trump’s policies have full support of the GOP-majority Congress. Meanwhile, the White House foreign policy agenda has upended three years of s...
2025-02-1449 min
Wisdom of CrowdsUndertaken by EventsThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveDonald Trump and Elon Musk are moving quickly, so we decided to release this episode a few days early. In a half-week of alarming developments, Trump has announced that the United States might send troops to Gaza to transfer the Palestinian population to Egypt or Jordan, and to aid in reconstructing the country. Elon Musk has become the undertaker of government agencies, the wrecker of the civil service. Through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has effectively shut down USAID, offered...
2025-02-0643 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Scramble Before the StormThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live“The weird right wing men are coming out to the fore in joy,” announces Shadi Hamid. “They’re strutting more than they did in 2016,” observes Damir Marusic. “The counter-elite is becoming the elite,” says Shadi. “There is gonna be a bloodbath,” says Damir: “They will soon be drinking from a fire hydrant of sewage.”Two weeks have passed since the Trump inauguration, as well as its attendant galas, balls and parties. Damir and Shadi have trained their weary eyes upon the new class of upsta...
2025-02-0247 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe State of the Right (and the Left)This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveOn the eve of Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic sit down to discuss the state of the Right and the Left in American politics. The conversation picks up where the last podcast episode left off, in a discussion about Damir’s apparent rejuvenation in the wake of Trump’s victory. Given that he didn’t vote for Trump — in fact, he didn’t vote for anybody — why is Damir smiling?Shadi suggests that “Democrats needed this defeat to l...
2025-01-1945 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThou Hypocrites!This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveLast week, President Biden granted his son, Hunter Biden, “a full and unconditional” pardon for any and all offenses from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 1, 2024. Because Hunter Biden has been a politically charged figure since the first Trump term, and because President Biden repeatedly promised that he would not use his power to protect his son, the presidential pardon was, for many, a strategic and moral mistake — an act of hypocrisy, in short.In this week’s episode, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic...
2024-12-0843 min
Wisdom of CrowdsAmerican Heretics and Liberal NeutralityThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe Declaration of Independence affirms that all human beings are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Yet the Declaration is silent about who this Creator is. Is it the Jewish deity or the Christian God? Or is it the god of the philosophers — the blind watchmaker of the Enlightenment? The Constitution, on the other hand, doesn’t mention the divine at all, except for the phrase, “Year of Our Lord.”Mainstream liberals and conservatives, whatever they may think of the silen...
2024-11-2451 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Player and the RefereeThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveOfficial WoC house philosopher Samuel Kimbriel joins Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic to discuss the role that ideas had in the recent elections. Specifically, they focus on whether it was bad ideas or bad political strategy that doomed the Dems.Sam insists that the Democrats failed because liberalism as we understand it has become weak, devoid of ideas and moral persuasion. Liberals, Sam insists, constantly shift from wanting to be a player in the political contest, to a referee of...
2024-11-1754 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Restoration of Trump and the Last ManTuesday night’s election has left us with total Republican control of all three branches of government. What does this mean for the immediate future of the Republic? Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic get together to discuss. We are releasing this episode early and completely free for all subscribers.Will Donald Trump become a dictator? What is he capable of? What might be the worst aspects of his second term? Damir discusses mass deportations as the biggest risk. Shadi worries about Trump’s foreign policy in the Middle East. More than that, Shadi worries about a Donald Trum...
2024-11-0759 min
Wisdom of CrowdsIs It Okay Not to Vote?For the past year, Shadi Hamid has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza — and the Biden administration’s complicity. Now he, like many others, is baffled by the Harris campaign’s disregard and seeming disdain for Muslim and Arab voters. In a week is election day, and he is wrestling with the moral and political implications of the choice at hand.In our pages earlier this week, Shadi and Haroon Moghul debated the merits of voting for Harris or not voting at all. You can read their full exchange here. This podcast episode continue...
2024-10-271h 38
Wisdom of CrowdsWar in the Middle East, AgainAn emergency pod: “War, or something resembling war, is breaking out in the Middle East,” says Shadi Hamid. A year after the October 7 massacre, Israel has all but destroyed Hamas. Last month, it killed Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, thus decapitating that terrorist organization. This week, it launched an invasion of southern Lebanon. In retaliation, Iran — the longtime backer of Hezbollah — has lobbed a barrage of ballistic missiles into Israel. We decided to release the podcast early this week, before it is overtaken by the swiftly-moving events. What is this war about? What should the US do about it...
2024-10-041h 20
Wisdom of CrowdsEmbrace the Vibes!This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe Harris-Walz campaign is having a moment. It is polling well. Harris made a good speech at the Democratic National Convention. The Democratic Convention as a whole got better TV ratings than the Republican one. Harris’s campaign is all about joy. Even Shadi’s parents are feeling the vibes (and using the word, “vibes,” probably for the first time).But Shadi and Damir aren’t feeling it. No joy. No vibes. No excitement about the current moment in American politics...
2024-08-3047 min
The Sustainable Tech PodcastRaising Values-Driven Kids with Tiny Souls | Insights from Shadi Toloui-WallaceThis week, we're excited to have Shadi Toloui-Wallace, the founder and chief creative officer of Tiny Souls. Tiny Souls is a media company dedicated to creating values-based children's content and parenting resources for early childhood education. Join us as Shadi shares her incredible journey from a touring musician to building a successful media company, her vision for Tiny Souls, and the impact she hopes to achieve.Shadi's Linkedin Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaditolouiwallaceTinySouls - https://www.tinysoulsmedia.com/🗣️ Get a FREE consultation here!https://goec...
2024-07-3131 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Joyful PodcastThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveYou might have noticed that Wisdom of Crowds got a facelift this week. We touched up our homepage and added two new features: CrowdSource and Provocations (read more about both here). In this spirit of renewal and relaunch, on the podcast we are getting back to our bread and butter with a classic Shadi and Damir episode. This week’s episode deals with the virtues of resignation. Is giving up ever the right choice to make, either in politics or in...
2024-06-2240 min
Wisdom of CrowdsPhil Klay on Morality and WarMorality and war. Two words that seem to have nothing to do with each other. Yet as recent events have shown, our conscience pricks us every time we hear news of an atrocity, smarts at every war and rumor of war. Can a war ever be just? Does talk about morality in the conduct of war make any sense?Joining Shadi and Damir to discuss this heady topic is Phil Klay, a novelist and essayist whose first book, the short story collection Redeployment, won the National Book Award in 2014. An Iraq War veteran, his work has focused...
2024-06-151h 07
Wisdom of CrowdsWhat the Israelis are ThinkingThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe war in Gaza is dividing Israeli opinion, but not along the same lines that it divides American opinion. What are Israeli priorities? How important is the return of hostages relative to total victory? What is Netanyahu thinking? What is the Israeli Left thinking? Is there an anti-war movement in Israel? Do American categories make any sense within the Israeli political context?Washington Post political columnist Jason Willick joins Shadi and Damir to answer these questions. He just returned from...
2024-05-2454 min
Wisdom of CrowdsMartha Nussbaum on Justice for AnimalsWhat does justice mean for animals? Is justice for animals the same as justice for human beings? Why should we care more about the rights of animals when the rights of humans are so often neglected? Martha Nussbaum teaches philosophy, ethics, and law at the University of Chicago, and is one of the most influential and cited philosophers of our time. She’s written dozens of books on Greek philosophy, the importance of emotions in politics, justice, feminism, and many other topics. She joins the podcast to discuss her new book, Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility. ...
2024-05-171h 03
Wisdom of CrowdsMatt Yglesias on How Gaza Scrambled Identity PoliticsDo Arab Americans support pro-Palestine protests because of identity politics? What about American Jewish support for Israel? Are both groups being “tribal” or are they fighting for universal values — as they understand them?Recently, policy guru and Ur-Blogger Matt Yglesias pointed out that some of the political thinkers who, just a couple years ago, were aligned in opposition to identity politics today find themselves on opposite sides over Palestine. One of the names Matt mentioned was our own Shadi Hamid. What happened?Matt joins Damir, and Shadi to figure it out. In their conver...
2024-05-101h 22
Wisdom of CrowdsProtests and SolidarityThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.livePro-Palestine protests have spread to college campuses across the country. Our social media feeds are flooded with images of chanting students and clashes with police. Meanwhile, Congress has passed a bill to deliver more aid to Israel, and there’s signs that the IDF is about to move on Rafah. In this episode, Shadi explores what it means to stand in solidarity with the protests, while Damir teases out their effect on brass tacks politics The two discuss what the right approach sh...
2024-04-2746 min
Wisdom of CrowdsA Debate about American PowerThis week’s episode is a special collaboration with The Disagreement, a new platform that aims to “celebrate and normalize healthy disagreement.” (Check them out!) Wisdom of Crowds is 100% behind that mission statement, and so it was natural for us to agree to record an episode together. Fans of Wisdom of Crowds will know that Shadi has recently completed a book about American power, tentatively titled, “On Power.” Fans will also know that he debated the socialist writer Dan Bessner of the American Prestige podcast last summer, in our episode titled “Is a Better World Possible Without American Power?” A lot has happ...
2024-04-2057 min
Wisdom of CrowdsYou Know I'm No GoodThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveOur brand new Executive Editor, Santiago Ramos, joins Shadi and Damir to discuss his first-ever essay for Wisdom of Crowds, “Empathy for the Devil.” The essay is about the need for cognitive empathy in politics. But Damir wants to discuss something slightly different: Whether “the Good,” as a category, is something real, out in the world, or whether it is completely contingent on tribal allegiances. Santiago comes to the Good’s defense, and Shadi joins him in a good cop/also good cop situat...
2024-02-091h 01
Wisdom of CrowdsBrass Knuckles and WinningThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveAre ideas overrated? Shadi’s recent column (and controversial tweet) exploring the reasons behind Trump’s popularity launches a discussion about what exactly drives politics. Are politicians motivated by winning more than ideology? Do voters respond to strong personalities, rather than policies and promises?As expected, Damir makes a case for “materialism” over ideas. Shadi isn’t totally convinced.Required Reading:* Shadi, “The Peculiar Moderation of Donald Trump,” Washington Post, 1/25/2024* Shadi’s tweet* Br...
2024-02-0234 min
Wisdom of CrowdsAre We The Baddies?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThree months into the Israel-Gaza war, Shadi, Damir, and Sam get philosophical about morality and international relations. Is it realistic to expect states to behave morally? Is the Western concern for human rights real? Or is it merely a mask for self-interest and imperial rule?The American attitude toward the war has caused Shadi to doubt his conviction in the goodness of American power. Damir thinks he sees an opportunity to drag Shadi to his amoral way of analyzing the...
2024-01-2639 min
Wisdom of CrowdsApocalyptic Dread, Burnout, and a New YearThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveLongtime member of the Crowd and WoC contributor Tom Barson once called episodes when Shadi and Damir just chew over stuff “train wrecks”. (He meant it in an affectionate way — we think.) Well that’s what this episode is: a classic back and forth that ranges far and wide.Shadi asks Damir how his year ended. Damir admits he’s feeling properly burned out. Does following two bloody wars all too closely contribute to a feeling of helplessness? And isn’t feeling dr...
2024-01-1938 min
Vocal Design Technique - Aprende a Cantar con VDT51. Entrevista Dominique Alexia a Shadí SparklingEntravista Dominique Alexiade Global Net Side a Shadí Sparkling.
Visita nuestra web
www.vocaldesigntechnique.com
2024-01-0945 minVocal Design Technique - Aprende a Cantar con VDT50. Entravista Arturo Lozano a Shadí Sparkling - Vocal Design TechniqueArturo Lozano de Radio Frecuencia TV entrevista a Shadí Sparkling, creadora de Vocal Design Technique.
Visita nuestra web
www.vocaldesigntechnique.com
2024-01-0915 minVocal Design Technique - Aprende a Cantar con VDT49. Entrevista Nacho Valbuena a Shadí Sparkling - Vocal Design TechniqueNacho Valbuena entrevista a Shadí Sparkling, creadora de Vocal Design Technique.
Síguenos en las redes
@vocaldesigntechnique
2024-01-0830 minVocal Design Technique - Aprende a Cantar con VDT48.Entrevista Letrame Editorial a Shadí Sparkling - VocalDesign TechniqueEntrevista de Letrame Editorial a Shadí Sparkling por su segundo libro No te compliques ¡Simplemente Canta!
Visita nuestra web
www.vocaldesigntechnique.com
2024-01-0816 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Rich and the UnhappyThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week, our in-house philosopher and very own Editor-at-Large Samuel Kimbriel returns to the podcast for a one-on-one discussion with Shadi Hamid about wealth, ambition and whether they are the paths toward happiness.How do societal values, especially those in American culture, influence our sense of fulfillment? The guys probe why those who are perceived as the most successful — like tech entrepreneurs and posh weekend travelers — seem to be the least happy. This opens up questions about how those who face...
2023-12-1042 min
Wisdom of CrowdsHow Realistic is a Ceasefire in Gaza?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveAfter nearly a month of being consumed by the Israel-Hamas war, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic take a step back to evaluate the prospects of an end to the violence, while still probing their own priors.Damir argues that “moral clarity” is often anything but clarifying, but concedes that “realism” can be self-defeating, because people can’t help but think in both emotional and moral terms during a conflict like this. Meanwhile, Shadi opens up about his inner struggles reconciling his sympat...
2023-11-0338 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe End of the World As We Know ItIn a charged and often emotional conversation, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic welcome Robert Nicholson, the president of the Philos Project, to discuss the pro-Israel perspective as the war in Gaza intensifies. Many Israeli voices have veered sharply to the right. However much we may disagree with these views, we have to understand them. Robert, a Christian and self-described Zionist, expresses empathy for the Israeli perception of an existential threat next door. Hamas’ attacks have undermined, perhaps fatally, any hope that Israelis might have had that peaceful co-existence is possible not just with Palestinians but with Arabs mo...
2023-10-271h 37
Wisdom of CrowdsPeter Beinart on Israel, Hamas, and Why Nonviolence FailedThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveTwo weeks after Hamas’s brutal attack on Israeli civilians, tensions have skyrocketed as Israel begins an offensive against Gaza from the air and the ground as the area home to over a half million Palestinians is plunged into darkness. What could have been done to avoid this renewed war and what are the best possible paths toward ending violence?This week, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic invite Peter Beinart on to discuss. Peter writes at his Substack, The Beinart No...
2023-10-2039 min
Wisdom of CrowdsHow To Regain Your Sense of WonderThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWhat are the most valuable parts of our transient lives and how does our appraisal of them change as we age?This week, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic take a step back from larger questions around current events to visit a recurring theme at Wisdom of Crowds around meaning. The episode centers around Damir’s recent Monday Note, “A Lost Sense of Wonder”, where he reflects on the pursuit of enchantment including in close relationships but also after witnessing a wondro...
2023-09-2442 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Virtue Politics of Mitt RomneyThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveAs the leaders of the major political parties show stark signs of advanced age, their supporters are bending over backwards to defend their own while criticizing their opponents. Politics at its purest.This week, Shadi and Damir return from summer break to dive into the latest developments in D.C. as the next election looms. They discuss the self-interest and rank hypocrisy of the Republican Party conveyed in a new, fascinating profile of Senator Mitt Romney. Is the GOP irredeemable...
2023-09-1745 min
Wisdom of CrowdsWhat's the Meaning of Meaning?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWe’re living in the most prosperous time in human history with more material abundance and comfort — and yet something just feels… off. This week, Shadi Hamid and Samuel Kimbriel take a trip to the heartland to find out what that something is.In this special live recording from the Lyceum Movement’s Tallgrass Ideas Festival in Iowa, Shadi and Sam join political theorist Susan Laehn to grapple with whether a sense of meaning precedes or succeeds happiness. With the live aud...
2023-08-1247 min
Wisdom of CrowdsAn Illiberal Muslim Secedes from AmericaThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveAre Muslim communities increasingly tilting to the right? After about two decades of being alienated by Republicans, American Muslims continue to align themselves with the Democratic Party. But as the country polarizes and the progressive agenda makes gains, writers like our guest find it increasingly untenable for Muslims to continue nodding along with the left’s conceptions of gender identity, sexuality, and secularism. This week, Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic talked to The Dragoman, a pseudonymous writer who wrote a fi...
2023-07-281h 00
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Ideological Plates Are ShiftingThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveHow important are ideological labels and how might they change over the next generation? A lot is on the minds of Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic this week as the two go on a winding discussion about political identity and ideological shifts amid a tribalistic political culture. The guys discussed the rarity of prominent figures publicly changing their political identity and the friction among Americans in mixed ideology relationships. Having never felt confined by labels, Damir...
2023-06-0941 min
Wisdom of CrowdsLooking for Happiness in All the Wrong PlacesThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week, Damir stages an intervention for Shadi.Lately, Shadi’s become gradually detached from the world of current events and political media. Damir probes to understand why, therein unraveling an episode that goes off the beaten path to discuss progress, happiness and meaning at a time when everything feels existential.Shadi maintains that while he isn’t divorcing himself from the commentariat, he’s recognizing the limited fulfillment political awareness can deliver — particularly when progress can never seem to...
2023-05-1251 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Modern Nation Messed Everything UpThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveCan a cohesive nation survive without a common identity or shared values? That question is at the heart of this week’s podcast with political theorist David Polansky. Last week, David’s essay in Wisdom of Crowds rebutted the claim that the Israelites can be understood as a modern nation. Throughout history, various peoples, David argues, have coalesced around a shared sense of “peoplehood” without a claim to a nation. From here, a rich conversation ensues as to whether a people—a...
2023-05-0547 min
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 127: Dare To Cross The Red LineWith the world feeling increasingly unstable, Damir and Shadi turn to foreign policy. Can the United States can back its bluster abroad, including in defense of Taiwan? All of this is happening as Donald Trump re-enters the national spotlight. The guys contrast the former president's manic approach to deterrence with the current and preceding administrations. Shadi is comforted the White House is staffed by vaguely smart and competent people, but thinks there may be something to Trump's saber-rattling. Finally, Damir challenges Shadi on Biden's "democracy versus autocracy" approach to foreign policy. How do we understand...
2023-04-1549 min
Wisdom of CrowdsDare To Cross The Red LineThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWith the world feeling increasingly unstable, Damir and Shadi turn to foreign policy. Can the United States can back its bluster abroad, including in defense of Taiwan? All of this is happening as Donald Trump re-enters the national spotlight. The guys contrast the former president's manic approach to deterrence with the current and preceding administrations. Shadi is comforted the White House is staffed by vaguely smart and competent people, but thinks there may be something to Trump's saber-rattling.D...
2023-04-1449 min
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 126: Iraq and the Folly of Hindsight Twenty years after the American invasion of Iraq, Damir and Shadi go head-to-head to revisit the right (and wrong) lessons learned. What results is an episode of stark contrasts. Recalling now-regretful supporters of the war, Damir prods Shadi to reconcile his opposition to the war and his claim that Iraq is undoubtedly better off today than it was under Saddam. The two also have a spirited debate about the conditions under which American involvement in hostile autocratic countries is justifiable. Should Iraq be seen as a flawed but rare democratic "success" in the Arab world, or the product of...
2023-03-2348 min
Wisdom of CrowdsChatGPT and the Consciousness TrapThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWith artificial intelligence threatening to take over our imaginations, Shadi and Damir this week decided to talk through some of the philosophical quandaries with none other than political philosopher and Wisdom of Crowds contributing writer Samuel Kimbriel. The Crowd takes on ChatGPT, existential risk, "the simulation", navigating uncertainty and whether we can know what is real.After a recent encounter with ChatGPT, Damir is impressed that AI is now well on its way to modeling language, an advancement he thinks...
2023-03-2046 min
Wisdom of CrowdsLive In Pittsburgh: The Problem of DemocracyThis week, we're bringing you something special: our first recording with a live audience! Hosted by the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Governance and Markets and moderated by the center's director, Jen Murtazashvili (a friend of the Crowd), we had a freewheeling discussion about Shadi's new book, The Problem of Democracy.Shadi made his case for decoupling democracy and liberalism—what he calls "democratic minimalism." Instead of viewing democracy as a means to other ends, it should be seen an end unto itself. In other words, let us lower expectations and like (and perhaps even love) democracy fo...
2023-03-031h 59
Wisdom of CrowdsWho Decides Our Desires?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week, we were excited to have author Luke Burgis on the pod, to talk about a hot topic: desire. Specifically, mimetic desire—the idea that desires are often generated through our human propensity to copy each other. He's written an excellent book, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, that affected both of us deeply.First theorized by the French philosopher Rene Girard, and present in everything from The White Lotus to the writings of Peter Thiel, mi...
2023-02-1058 min
Wisdom of CrowdsHow to Get Normal Politics BackThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIn recent months, Shadi has drawn a lot of online ire for saying that liberals were needlessly (and harmfully) catastrophizing ahead of the November midterms. We decided to talk to one of Shadi's smartest and most eloquent critics on this count—our friend Damon Linker, a former columnist at The Week and current author of the excellent Substack, Eyes on the Right.We argue about what's "normal" polarization, and what arguments end up making democracy less workable. Is Shadi really to...
2023-01-1354 min
Wisdom of CrowdsIs Israel a Democratic Success Story?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis was one of the richest conversations we've recorded in a while. Our guest this week is Robert Nicholson, the founder of The Philos Project, an organization that promotes Christian engagement with the Middle East, and host of The Deep Map, a new podcast that explores the religious and historical roots of conflict in the region.We asked Robert about what he thinks Westerners misunderstand the most about Middle Eastern politics: the role religion does, and doesn't play in the...
2022-12-1859 min
Wisdom of CrowdsAn Extremely Online ExistenceThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe boys are back in town! Damir is back from yet another globetrotting trip, so the Crowd is returning to podcasting after a brief hiatus. Beginning with Kanye West's recent antisemitic interview with Alex Jones and dinner with Donald Trump, we discussed the success Democrats have had with pinning crazy candidates and viewpoints on the GOP. Shadi is concerned that overheated rhetoric about the death of democracy may be harmful in the long run, while Damir, ever the cynic, is impressed by...
2022-12-1046 min
Wisdom of CrowdsWill Twitter Go Insane?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live
2022-11-0251 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe Problem With Dogs, Rights, and MonarchsThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis podcast came after a whirlwind few weeks for the Crowd– Damir returned from his odyssey through the Balkans, and Shadi was the recipient of several Twitter pile-ons. Oh, and the Queen died.Before getting to all that, though, we ramble through a potpourri of other subjects. Damir gives relationship advice. Shadi tells us why he's against pets and hiking. A conversation about whether animals have souls turns into a discuss of creationism and free speech, touching on som...
2022-09-1655 min
Wisdom of CrowdsCan Democracy Survive (the) Trump (Raid)?This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe FBI's surprise "raid" on Donald Trump's residence in Mar-a-Lago this week has been hailed in some quarters as a triumph for the rule of law, and seen in others as signs of a slide into banana-republic status. We invited Jason Willick, a Washington Post columnist who writes on legal issues, to sit down with us and discuss the deeper implications of the event.True to the Crowd's ethos, we focused on fundamental issues. Jason argued that the polarized reactions...
2022-08-1152 min
Wisdom of CrowdsNever Bet Against AmericaThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week we sat down to debate America's greatness—or lack thereof. Somewhat to our surprise, we found a source of agreement between us: our belief in American exceptionalism, even if we have very different conceptions of the role of morality and "progress" in forging the American idea.Countries in Europe may have a more leisurely pace of life and higher levels of reported happiness, but is that really what Americans want? Should it be what they want? Central to al...
2022-07-0841 min
Wisdom of CrowdsAfter Uvalde, a ReckoningThis 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 libe...
2022-05-3040 min
Wisdom of CrowdsIs a Better World Possible Without American Power?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...
2022-05-1551 min
Wisdom of CrowdsIs Liberalism Coming Alive?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...
2022-04-1648 min
Wisdom of CrowdsOur Goldfish BrainsThis 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 sup...
2022-03-2954 min
Wisdom of CrowdsPhilosophy, Ukraine, and the Return of FinitudeThis 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 poli...
2022-03-181h 18
Wisdom of CrowdsEurope's Holy WarThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week, Berlin-based journalist and New York Times Magazine contributing writer Elisabeth Zerofsky joins us to discuss how Russia's invasion of Ukraine has changed Europe. What explains the righteous fury of previously pacific Germans? Shadi asks Elisabeth and Damir what a "red line" in Ukraine could possibly be—or if it even exists. For example, how might the United States respond in hypothetical scenarios of large-scale massacres and the leveling of entire cities.In the subscriber-only portion of the conversation, we...
2022-03-0451 min
Wisdom of CrowdsThe (Aggressive) Pursuit of HappinessIn this week's episode, we were joined by Joy Marie Clarkson, author of the new book Aggressively Happy: A Realist's Guide to Believing in the Goodness of Life. Joy and Shadi exchange thoughts on ways to best find happiness while Damir remains skeptical that such a goal is worthy of pursuit. As the conversation progresses, the discussion turns to deep questions about how one should think about the brevity of life, what role romantic partners play in happiness, and whether Shadi is actually pursuing happiness or just avoiding FOMO. In a highlight of Wisdom of C...
2022-02-201h 38
Wisdom of CrowdsRevolution!This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveFrom Leon Trotsky to Sayyid Qutb to the Founding Fathers, Shadi and Damir discuss revolution in all its forms. The guys argue about the importance of ideas, the role of violence, and how order is legitimized. Can democracy keep the peace? Part 2 of our conversation is available here for subscribers. Shadi and Damir turn their attention to the revolutionary impulses on both the conservative right and the woke left. While the intellectuals behind these movements likely don't consider themselves to...
2022-02-1339 min
Wisdom of CrowdsIs it Wicked Not to Care?After two years of podcasting together, Shadi and Damir think they've gained some clarity on where their worldviews diverge: it's especially pronounced on the question of how to do foreign policy. As the conversation unspools, and with the ghost of John McCain hovering over the show, the guys draw out where they come out on various milestones—from the Iraq war, to NATO Expansion, to Obama's policy of "Don't do stupid sh*t." Part 2 of our conversation is available here. Shadi and Damir take note of how disappointing last 20 years of history have been for U.S. fo...
2022-01-291h 02
Wisdom of CrowdsWhat Game is Putin Playing?Is a war in Ukraine coming? And what should the U.S. do about it? Putin is sticking to his maximalist demands, which some believe might be used as a (flimsy) casus belli. Samuel Charap, a senior analyst at RAND and author of Everyone Loses, joins us this week to help break down this dangerous moment, explain how we got here, and what our next steps should be. With few Americans paying attention, this could be a pivotal moment for Russia's broader ambitions in Europe. Despite his relatively weak hand, Putin has been playing it well. Samuel...
2022-01-1659 min
2021-11-0734 min
Wisdom of CrowdsAre Vaccine Mandates Racist?Fresh off a joint trip to Europe, Shadi and Damir debate if the Balkans are where political theories go to die, and "Great Man" interpretations of history are vindicated. They also observe how Americans' and Europeans' responses to COVID continue to differ, and lament the return of DC's mask mandate. Finally, Damir and Shadi discuss the conundrum facing liberal politicians pressured to enact vaccine mandates. Are they a necessary step to corral intransigent holdouts? Or a new form of discrimination against blacks and hispanics, who are vaccinated at lower rates than whites? Their conversation continues in a...
2021-08-0657 min
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 64: Donald Rumsfeld Knew He Was RightWisdom of Crowds associate editor Matt Winesett joins Damir and Shadi to debate Donald Rumsfeld's legacy and if his mistakes permanently discredited nation building and democracy promotion abroad. They also discuss how younger Millennials perceived the Iraq War, whether Bushism or Trumpism would better serve the GOP's future, how much politicians' personal character ultimately matters, and much more. Their conversation continues in a bonus episode, out next week. Subscribe here to get it straight to your inbox. Recommended Reading: “The Defense Secretary Who Let Bin Laden Get Away,” by Peggy Noonan (The Wall Street Jour...
2021-07-041h 01
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 62: Nice Woke ParentsDamir and Shadi return to a familiar topic, but this time with a twist. Damir manages to sound like an optimist. He argues that the fad of wokeness will collapse under the weight of its own contradictions, while Shadi thinks it's probably too late. They also discuss whether justice is possible without God, the rather odd fact that Shadi's first academic article was on feminist theory, why white parents seem nonplussed about indoctrinating their kids, and whether a rising crime wave will undermine the woke revolution. The debate continues in a special bonus episode, out on Saturday. S...
2021-06-1156 min
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 59: Israel, Palestine, and the Problem of MoralityWhat 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...
2021-05-201h 32
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 50: Islam, Keto, and the Problem of EvilIn another sprawling episode, Shadi and Damir talk about Germany's decision to surveil one of its leading political parties and what this says about modern liberalism. They also discuss Shadi's Islam-as-Keto metaphor, the EU's legitimacy problem, and how theodicy relates to democracy. Required Reading: “Germany Places Far-Right AfD Party Under Surveillance for Extremism,” by Katrin Bennhold (New York Times) “German Court Suspends Right to Surveil Far-Right AfD Party,” by Melissa Eddy (New York Times) “Goodbye to Europe,” by Luuk van Middelaar (London Review of Books) “Keto is basically ‘the Islam of diets,’ which probably explains why it’s so effective...
2021-03-0652 min
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 48: Who Are the Real Realists?Was Barack Obama America's last "realist" president? Was he even a realist at all? Emma Ashford of the Atlantic Council joins Shadi and Damir to answer these questions and more. They also discuss democracy promotion, whether to confront China, and why Shadi supported Bernie's candidacy even though Shadi is an interventionist. Required Reading: "Reality Check #1: Build cooperation cycles, not security spirals," by Emma Ashford (Atlantic Council) 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
2021-02-191h 04
2020-11-2247 min
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 34: The Romance of RighteousnessWhy so angry? Shadi and Damir talk about useful idiocy, neoconservatism, and the dangerous temptation of righteousness in politics. Come for Shadi musing about U2 and stay for Damir rhapsodizing about Guy Debord. Reading List: Not the Coen Brothers. "On Romance and Being in a Constant State of Alarm," Shadi Hamid (WoC) "The Biggest Risk to This Election Is Not Russia. It’s Us." Fiona Hill (NYT) 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
2020-10-081h 06
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 32: The Looming Crisis of LegitimacyThe great Nils Gilman of the Berggruen Institute and Noema joins Shadi and Damir to talk about why the upcoming elections feel existential, why our federal government feels increasingly illegitimate, and why Shadi's most recent piece in The Atlantic has annoyed so many people. Reading List: "Human Rights and Neoliberalism," by Nils Gilman (LA Review of Books) "The Collapse of Racial Liberalism," by Nils Gilman (The American Interest) "The Democrats May Not Be Able to Concede," by Shadi Hamid (The Atlantic) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other su...
2020-09-191h 15
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 31: Smart People and Dumb IdeasShadi thinks Damir is getting more worried about our institutions. Damir reveals the depths of his relentless fatalism. All because NPR thought it was a good idea to interview a radical apologist for rioting and looting. Reading List: "One Author's Controversial View: 'In Defense of Looting'," by Natalie Escobar (NPR) "Between Orientalism and Postmodernism: The Changing Nature of Western Feminist Thought Towards the Middle East," by Shadi Hamid (Hawwa) The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics, Mark Lilla (NYRBooks) "The Free Floater," by John Gray (TNR) This...
2020-09-1158 min
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 29: Writing, Working Out, and Why Ordinary People Do Extraordinary EvilIt's summer. Damir rings up Shadi to talk about the pleasure of writing and the pain of exercising, before the conversation takes a much darker turn. Required Reading: Islamic Exceptionalism, by Shadi Hamid That Mohammed Tweet, by Shadi Hamid 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
2020-08-141h 07
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 26: The Moral Trap of Universal ValuesJamie Kirchick of the Brookings Institution and author of The End of Europe joins Shadi and Damir to talk race, anti-semitism, morality, and the ever-multiplying claims to universal rights that are driving the turmoil shaking Western societies to their cores. Come for Damir's tinnitus, and stick around to find out if Shadi will end up a neo-neocon as the woke brigades take over the Left. Reading List: "The Man Who Opposed Hate," by James Kirchick (Tablet) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...
2020-07-241h 08
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 22: Activism and Its Discontents (Live)On June 23, Shadi and Damir went live on Periscope to discuss Shadi's latest piece for the Atlantic, the tension between political change and negative externalities, their new Patreon account, and plans for a newsletter. 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
2020-06-291h 02
Wisdom of CrowdsEpisode 21: A How-To Guide to Thinking Through the ApocalypseShadi talks through his inner conflicts. Damir responds by minimizing the reality of what is happening. Also: why Americans are all fundamentalists (whether secular or religious), the appropriateness of activist-journalism, the empty symbolism of woke politics, and whether the New York Times should(n’t) be our lodestar. Reading List: “Our Deathwish” by Jacob Siegel (Tablet) “The Coronavirus Killed the Revolution”, by Shadi Hamid (The Atlantic) Waverley, by Sir Walter Scott This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus ep...
2020-06-1650 min