PODCAST

Wisdom of Crowds

Shadi Hamid & Damir Marusic

Agreement is nice. Disagreement is better. wisdomofcrowds.live

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All Episodes

51:38

Will Overturning Roe v. Wade Change Everything?

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/05/08

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week we were joined by Molly Ball, bestselling author of Pelosi, to talk about how the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade will (or won't) change American politics for decades to come. Until a few days ago, Americans could act politically under the assumption that Roe was permanent. But it may not be.Ending Roe v. Wade would mean abortion would be decided by states, presumably according to the whims, desires—and

41:23

Does it Matter if Elon Musk Ruins Twitter?

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/05/01

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveMuch of the freakout about Elon Musk buying Twitter is based on an assumption that social media is integral to democracies and a critical tool for dissidents living in repressive regimes. But what if that assumption is overblown? Are the dustups over Twitter's new ownership really just a proxy war for the broader freedom of speech debate that has been ratcheting up recently?Just as Elon was talking up Twitter, Barack

45:23

France Has a Problem

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/04/22

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week, Elisabeth Zerofsky of The New York Times Magazine joins us after recent reporting trips in Paris and Berlin. In Part 1, we talked about the upcoming French election and the rise of the far-right in France. The West is looking on nervously as President Macron tries to fend off a challenge from Marine Le Pen, a populist with ties to Putin. Regardless of the outcome, French voters have veered to the right—with

48:44

Is Liberalism Coming Alive?

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/04/16

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

69:35

Our Twisted Sexual Culture

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/04/05

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week we were joined by Christine Emba, a columnist at the Washington Post and author of the fascinating new book Rethinking Sex: A Provocation. What resulted was the longest episode in Wisdom of Crowds history, delving into some uncharted territory. We discuss a lot of big topics—the perils of modern dating, the sex recession, consent, incels, marriage, porn, and Tinder hookup culture. If we have so much freedom,

54:10

Our Goldfish Brains

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/03/29

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIn a classic wide-ranging episode, Shadi and Damir kick things off by noticing that the Ukraine War is no longer capturing “the discourse” as it did a week ago. Does how we consume media make it difficult for us to grapple with the moment’s most important stories? And does the same phenomenon make us overrate the importance of things like wokeness?As the conversation proceeds, and talk turns to Biden’s

78:53

Philosophy, Ukraine, and the Return of Finitude

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/03/18

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveWhat’s the nature of our enemy in Ukraine? Is it Putin, Russia, or authoritarianism? What are the sources of the West’s strength and its capacities for revival? And how should we think about evil in the world? The political philosopher Samuel Kimbriel joins Shadi and Damir to help unpack these questions, and many others in a wide-ranging philosophical discussion.In the subscriber-only portion of the episode, the debate

52:14

Are We The Good Guys? A Debate with Glenn Greenwald

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/03/10

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThe firebrand journalist and author Glenn Greenwald joined us for a broad-ranging discussion on the war in Ukraine and the past few decades of American foreign policy. We tackled the comparisons between Russia's invasion, the Iraq War, and other disastrous American foreign policy failures. Does America's good intent set it apart from countries like Russia, or are we more similar than we care to admit?In the full

51:19

Europe's Holy War

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/03/04

This 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

41:59

What Can Putin Do?

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/03/01

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live Shadi and Damir sit down again, four days into the war in Ukraine, to look at where things stand, and where things could be going. We talk best- and worst-case scenarios, why the West can’t get militarily involved, and why the Europeans in particular are so white-hot furious about Putin's invasion.

57:56

Breaking Down Ukraine

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/02/25

Shadi and Damir sat down to do a quick episode today as Russia commenced its invasion of Ukraine. They talk about how the world got to this point, what we in the West could have done differently, what could happen next, and what it means for the future of America. We hope you find this real-time attempt at analysis useful and helpful.Required Reading- "Negotiating with Madmen" by Damir Marusic (Wisdom of Crowds)- "America’s role in the Russia and Ukraine situation" (AP) This is a public episode. If

39:23

Revolution!

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/02/13

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

58:40

Can Rationing Drugs by Race Ever Be Justified? With...

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2022/01/21

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIn this week's episode, we were joined by our friend Aaron Sibarium, a reporter for the Washington Free Beacon. Aaron recently reported a piece showing how three states were rationing COVID drugs on race-based criteria. The article made a splash. Fox News covered the story, Trump referenced it in a speech (sloppily as always), and Twitter tried to rebrand it as a right-wing talking point.Prioritizing woke ideology over

54:15

The New War Over Free Speech, with Greg Lukianoff

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2021/12/29

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveIt used to be called "political correctness." It had its heyday in the 1990s, then it went underground. While we weren't paying attention, an entire architecture of speech restrictions was being built on campuses across the country. Greg Lukianoff, CEO of FIRE and co-author of the bestselling The Coddling of the American Mind, joins us to discuss what he calls the "second great age of political correctness."When people

68:37

How Radical is the New Right?

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2021/12/19

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveThis week we were joined by Sam Adler-Bell, cohost of the Know Your Enemy podcast. We examined the New Right, their earnestly held belief that liberals have already won the battle for the soul of the country, and America's crisis of legitimacy. Is it even worth trying to bridge the gap between left and right on cultural issues?Required Reading:- "The Radical Young Intellectuals Who Want to Take Over the American Right"

90:09

110 Days After the Fall of Kabul

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2021/12/02

What was it like to live through the fall of Kabul? How should we think about the American withdrawal from Afghanistan? And with famine enveloping the country amid an unprecedentedly severe state collapse, how should we approach—and deal with—the ruling Taliban authorities?This week we are joined by Dr. Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Dr. Omar Sadr, both of the newly-launched Afghanistan Project at the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Governance and Markets, to talk about what lies ahead for

64:57

The Republican Zombie Party

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2021/10/29

As Biden struggles to get his massive spending bill passed, WoC's former Associate Editor Matt Winesett joins Shadi and Damir to talk about guns, gentrification, opera, the race for Governor of Virginia, and the sad state of the Republican Party. Required Reading: Matt's essays at WoC. "Trump's Look Backward Poses Peril for GOP," by Gerald F. Seib (WSJ). The Citizen app. "Glenn Youngkin's Viral 'Child' Ad is Missing Important Context," by Glenn Kessler (WaPo). "Nice Woke Parents" (Wisdom of

73:15

Enough With the Masks Already!

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2021/10/22

Damir and Shadi talk about health security theater during this latest phase of the pandemic, before going on to discuss how technocratic approaches tend to worsen and exacerbate polarization in democratic societies. Also: can anyone make a moral case for democracy without recourse to God? Required reading: The Islamic World Today: Issues and Perspectives (Brigham Young University) "The danger of bringing religious zeal to the political realm," by Shadi Hamid (Deseret News). "One in 5,000," by David

60:38

Fixing Failed States, America Edition

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2021/10/15

It's no secret that the United States is in a bad place. Fiona Hill saw the chaos and blunders up close, as deputy assistant to President Trump and top Russia advisor at the White House. In November 2019, she was a witness in House hearings during the Trump's first impeachment. Fiona has a new book out There Is Nothing For You Here and is back at the Brookings Institution. She joins Shadi and Damir to talk about whether she would would have agreed to work under Trump knowing what she knows now

55:24

Fighting China For All The Right Reasons

Wisdom of Crowds ·

2021/10/08

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.liveElbridge Colby joins Shadi and Damir to talk about his challenging new book The Strategy of Denial, an unflinchingly clinical argument for confronting China. Does China's authoritarianism make it our enemy, or is confrontation inevitable regardless? Will our allies stick by our side just because China is a bully? And what does Henry Kissinger get wrong about power politics?Required Reading:- "Will the Next American War

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