Wisdom of Crowds

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What constitutes justifiable warfare—and how should the overall impact of conflicts be evaluated? With the United States being so closely associated with Israel’s war, is it possible to still envision America as a “force for good” in the world? One of America’s leading leftist intellectuals, Samuel Moyn, joins us to debate these questions and much more. Sam is the Chancellor Kent Professor of History at Yale University and the author of Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War and most recently Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times.

Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, the conversation dives into the potential for humane wars and whether progress, even in war, is possible. While Sam acknowledges that the conduct of war has become more “targeted” and “proportional,” he argues that relatively more humane wars can distract us from more ultimate questions of whether wars are just or moral in the first place. The questions at hand sharply divide Sam, Damir Marusic and Shadi Hamid in this charged conversation. In the post-9/11 era, the U.S. has pioneered a new way of waging war, with lawyers present at various levels of military decisions. But what has resulted is a world where wars are endless in part because they are less lethal. Is this “progress” or is it something more sinister?

In the full episode (for paying subscribers only), the three clash over moral warfare in the real world, including whether American hegemony has prevented large-scale conflicts and can continue to do so, including between China and Taiwan. Has American dominance been good for the world, on balance? Yes, less people die and there may be less major wars, but Sam argues that this is an unacceptably minimalist standard for judging progress. What, then, is the alternative? The conversation ends with Sam’s optimistic vision for a narrative of progress that focuses on pivoting the U.S. in a leftward direction that avoids repeating the mistakes of an overly interventionist era.

Required Reading:

Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War, by Samuel Moyn (Amazon).

Liberalism Against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times, by Samuel Moyn (Amazon).

Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo, and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, by James M. Scott (Amazon).

The Hamid-Moyn cage match on whether America is a force for good in the world, hosted by Intelligence Squared (YouTube).

“The Moral Dilemmas of Total War,” by Tom Barson (Wisdom of Crowds).

Wisdom of Crowds is a platform challenging premises and understanding first principles on politics and culture. Join us!

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Why is Trump such a formidable candidate, despite everything? How can someone who lies so readily be seen as authentic? With the Republican presidential campaign heating up, Sam Adler-Bell—co-host of “Know Your Enemy” and one of the most fascinating leftist writers around today—returns to the podcast to argue that Trump has something special that Ron DeSantis doesn’t have and likely never will.

Pundits often argue that DeSantis represents a stable and “competent” version of Trump that can win the presidency for the GOP. Sam disagrees. DeSantis, he argues, is reflective of a well-educated elite bumbling to co-opt Trump’s style without understanding the former president’s essence. Not only that, DeSantis may even be a “technocrat,” that dreaded word. Sam makes the case that Trump’s conning authenticity, charm—but especially his “anti-competence” and distinct resentment of elitism and expertise—help explain his staying power.

In the full episode (for paying subscribers only), the three discuss the rampant apocalypticism of the current moment and how Republicans and Democrats leverage the premise that the end is near. Damir posits that the doomerism may be justified whereas Shadi is more cautiously optimistic. Also, Sam discusses the discipline required—as someone on the political left—to not define one’s politics around the most annoying features of one’s opponents.

Required Reading:

Sam Adler Bell’s must-listen podcast “Know Your Enemy” with Matthew Sitman on the intellectual origins of the American Right.

Sam’s epic first appearance on Wisdom of Crowds, discussing the New Right.

The classic “Know Your Enemy” episode on Nixon’s resentments and obsessions.

“The One Thing Trump Has That DeSantis Never Will,” by Sam Adler-Bell (The New York Times).

“The Jeffrey Epstein case is why people believe in Pizzagate,” by Matthew Walther. (The Week).

Dave Chappelle monologue on Trump’s appealing hypocrisy (Saturday Night Live).

The Confidence Man, by Herman Melville (Amazon).

Chris Christie takes down Marco Rubio in 2016 (CBS News).

Trump Inaugural Address, “American Carnage” (ABC News).

“The Humiliation Factor,” by Thomas Friedman (The New York Times).

Shadi, Christine, and Sam head to Aspen to record a live episode of the show. The crowd gets involved.

The broad topic of the conversation was decline. We don’t always know how to express it, but many of us feel it: There’s something wrong with America today. The mood is tense. More Americans say they won’t have children because of climate change and other future catastrophes. But are things really as bad as they seem? Is decline something we need to accept—or is there a case for a new optimism?

You won’t want to miss this one.

Required Reading:

Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets, by Svetlana Alexievich (Amazon).

Rethinking Sex: A Provocation, by Christine Emba (Amazon).

Friendship as Sacred Knowing: Overcoming Isolation, by Samuel Kimbriel (Amazon).

“Five Ancient Secrets to Modern Happiness”, lecture by Tamar Gendler (YouTube).

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit wisdomofcrowds.live

What 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 wondrous meteor shower in the Shenandoah Valley. The guys discuss how to think about the failure to recreate precious memories just as people they know move away and cities they remember visiting change. Should we feel melancholy in our nostalgia or continue finding comfort in the things that bring us happiness now? Meanwhile, Shadi dwells on judgement in the afterlife. He observes how the relationships that make life valuable are not enough for some, including those at ease with their own mortality — a disposition to which Shadi cannot quite relate.

In the full episode (for paying subscribers only) the two discuss the balance between pursuing virtue for potential rewards in the afterlife and doing right by people in the present. Shadi, a believer, admits to genuine fear about what happens after death. After all, if there is a heaven, there is also a hell. Damir, a non-believer, places more emphasis on finding purpose in oneself rather than adhering to otherworldly incentives. Is a balance between these two paths possible?

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Required Reading:

“A Lost Sense of Wonder”, by Damir Marusic (Wisdom of Crowds).

“The Virtue Politics of Mitt Romney” (Wisdom of Crowds).

“The Watusi bull riding shotgun is what makes America great” by David Von Drehle (The Washington Post).

“This Really Is Europe” with Ben Judah, podcast episode (Wisdom of Crowds).

“An Extremely Online Existence” podcast episode (Wisdom of Crowds).

Shadi’s conversation with Sam Harris about meditation and being Muslim on Sam’s podcast, Waking Up.

Wisdom of Crowds is a platform challenging premises and understanding first principles on politics and culture. Join us!

With 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 Brazil's democratically elected president willingly embracing China?

Required Reading:

• Tucker Carlson interview with Donald Trump.
• China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower, by Frank Dikotter (Amazon).
• "Blinken: I press Saudis on LGBTQI issues ‘in every conversation’" (Politico).
• "The West hoped Lula would be a partner. He’s got his own plans" (WaPo).