Our Top Podcast Highlights of the Summer
The best of Wisdom of Crowds (so far).
Summer’s almost gone.
It’s not quite fall — not officially, anyway — but you can feel it getting close. We are in a wistful, thoughtful mood at Wisdom of Crowds.
Now’s a good time to pause and take stock of what we’ve done over the last few months.
We’ve had an amazing series of guests on our podcast, from leading journalists (Freddie DeBoer, Matthew Yglesias, Osita Nwanevu, Jason Willick) and critically-acclaimed novelists (Phil Klay, Jordan Castro), to top philosophers (Tamar Gendler, Anastasia Berg, Rachel Wiseman, Martha Nussbaum, Charles Taylor) and sharp political scientists (Yuval Levin, Jen Murtazashvili, Samuel Moyn, Jason Blakeley).
More importantly, we’ve continued the Wisdom of Crowds tradition of hosting blunt, honest and open conversations where speakers pry open their interlocutor’s first principles, while exposing their own.
Here’s a roundup of highlights:
— BEST RANT: Damir Marusic
“The fact that you’re powerful means that … you should be fucked with.” Damir Marusic’s epic rant about journalists, politicians, and “the decrepitude of Biden.”
Give the episode a listen: “Who is Responsible for This?”
— BEST CLASH: Martha Nussbaum and Shadi Hamid
“There are many too many, and people don’t have enough to eat.”
is taken aback by Professor Martha Nussbaum’s claims about overpopulation in India and around the world. He argues that the real problem we face is population decline. It was tense and illuminating exchange, one that went viral, both here and in India.This episode with one of America’s leading philosophers is worth your time: “Martha Nussbaum on Justice for Animals.”
— MOST PROVOCATIVE: Freddie DeBoer
“Bush was vastly a worse president [than Donald Trump].” Freddie deBoer explaining why George W. Bush, and not Donald Trump, was the worst president of his lifetime.
We recorded this one right after Kamala Harris become the Democratic candidate: “Freddie deBoer on Democracy and the Democrats.”
— BEST ONE-LINER: Phil Klay
“A democracy should not ask its soldiers to wage a war in a way that will destroy their souls.” Phil Klay’s one-sentence response when Damir asks him to define his moral standard for waging a just war.
One of our most intense discussions: “Phil Klay on Morality and War.”
— MOST PROFOUND: Charles Taylor
An episode about deep questions: What does it mean to be a modern person? How do we form our sense of identity? How do we relate to the sacred? What does it mean to be secular? In this clip, Taylor discusses whether the longing for nature is also a longing for God.
Our interview with the most famous philosopher in the world: “Charles Taylor on the Need for Cosmic Connection.”
— BEST SHADI AND DAMIR EPISODE: “Embrace the Vibes!”
A category of its own, and the very heart of Wisdom of Crowds. Last month’s “Embrace the Vibes” was a classic
and episode recorded right after Kamala Harris ascended to the presidential ticket. The episode is about, as Damir put it, “updating our priors on what democratic politics is.”Listen to one of our best: “Embrace the Vibes!”
Are there any clips or episodes that we missed? Tell us in the comments!
We are preparing a lot of exciting guest appearances, essays, and shows for you this fall, so make sure to subscribe!
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