What We Were

#37 - Jacob Siegel on The Information State

Jacob Siegel is a writer and editor at Tablet and author of The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control [https://www.amazon.com/Information-State-Politics-Total-Control/dp/B0F9LRMVJK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2ABC1WCVVXTR9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dkCPz1CyBExXRJxGLmm305BeHOwGJzGsQA_rwgY3CeQTRGk8SDI-w3_53fzcJgGNtHMoYeKhC2kLNr66i7Cu1FL4McqSA7eMwMu-hrz7cO1IhftWOACxUcn4Qs6YeTDJYEp6OveNxIZm4aUGYk-UTdK0AfgW328i9v8VO6vYhiFWESFvepl_gSYJ7hCZEIrzqpzq8RLFf63TF1UldxHF_ZrV0LXTJN6FwM29qLxw9as.kMyJO6TWG-zoT71sBCxcPumo8nEKmHctMR05QAXv5og&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+information+state&qid=1776379930&sprefix=the+information+stat%2Caps%2C250&sr=8-2]. A U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is also a co-host of the Manifesto! [https://open.spotify.com/show/2Gne9jhSghDf7yUaI1fQwf] podcast. We discuss his book and what it means for the present and future of the West in the midst of a transformation from the form of representative government we have always known into a whole of society technopoly driven by state-orchestrated surveillance, censorship, and the algorithmic tuning of public opinion.

#36 - The Forgotten Amendment

The first proposed amendment to the Constitution was not about speech, religion, or guns. It was about the size of the House of Representatives—and if it had passed, Congress today might have nearly 7,000 members, not 435. In this episode, we explore the forgotten apportionment amendment, why it failed, what James Madison feared, and how America’s lower chamber gradually drifted away from the people it was supposed to represent.

#35 - Braver Angels With Co-Founder Bill Doherty

Can "Braver Angels" save America? Bill Doherty and I discuss the causes of America's political divide and how Braver Angels is working to bridge it. Bill Doherty is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota where he taught marriage and family therapy. He focuses on couples on the brink of divorce and on political stress in relationships. Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, he co-founded Braver Angels , a citizen initiative bringing conservatives and liberals together to counteract political polarization and restore the fraying social fabric in American society. Braver Angels now has volunteers working in all 50 states. Among his awards is the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. Donate or join Braver Angels at https://braverangels.org/ [https://braverangels.org/]

#34 - Joseph Ellis on 'Founding Brothers'

Joseph Ellis is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Founding Brothers, about the collaboration of America's greatest political generation, which is the focus of this conversation. In his latest book The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding, Ellis confronts what he calls the central paradox of the American founding: the same generation that articulated the most powerful case for human equality and natural rights in modern history also built a republic that abided the scourge of slavery. Ellis is also the author of American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson (National Book Award), Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams, His Excellency: George Washington, After the Revolution, American Creation, First Family: Abigail and John Adams, Revolutionary Summer, The Quartet, American Dialogue, What Would the Founders Do?, and The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773–1783. Follow him at josephellishistorian.com [https://www.josephellishistorian.com/]

#33 - Mustafa Akyol on The Islamic Jesus

Mustafa Akyol is a Turkish writer, journalist, and senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he explores the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He is the author of several books on religion and freedom, including The Islamic Jesus, The Islamic Moses and Islam without Extremes, Akyol also teaches on Islamic history and thought at institutions including Boston College and has been recognized as one of the world’s top thinkers for his work on reform, liberty, and tolerance within Muslim societies. Look for his upcoming book No Compulsion in Religion, No Exceptions and find him online at mustafaakyol.org [mustafaakyol.org]. Merry Christmas! Dedicated to my keluarga angkat in Malaysia.