Four Cubits

In this episode, Eli tells the story of a recent personal encounter he had with antisemitism and the intersectional bigotry that followed from it before he and Jeff discuss the meaning of patriotism. They then wade into the contemporary culture wars on race using Ross Douthat's recent OpEds in the New York Times as an access point to the controversies and dig a little deeper into the work of Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi. Jeff levels a withering critique against DiAngelo's concept of white fragility which to Eli's ears sound an awful lot like the tenets of Nonviolent Communication. They then discuss Kendi's insistence that there is no middle ground between racism and antiracism.Show Notes:To read Ross Douthat's June 26th OpEd, click/tap here. To read Ross Douthat's July 3rd OpEd, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the Derek Chauvin verdict and its implications for the country and the criminal justice system. They then continue their deep dive into racism with an examination of  Lawrence Blum's concept of the moral asymmetries inherent in different kinds of racism.Show Notes:To read Lawrence Blum's "I'm Not A Racist But..." click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion on the metaphysics of race with a quick review of Hardimon's biological realism and a discussion of social realism/constructionism and anti-realism. They examine the metaphysics of Sally Haslanger, Paul C. Taylor, and Joshua Glasgow as they discuss the merits and problems posed by social realism and anti-realism.Show Notes:To read Sally Haslanger and Joshua Glasgow argue about race, click/tap here.To read Paul C. Taylor's excellent book, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli begin by discussing a controversial SNL joke about Israel's vaccination program. Next they discuss the devastating empirical problems faced by the classical racialist view of race before launching into a discussion of the different metaphysical camps in the philosophy of race. They start with Biological Realism using Michael Hardimon's work as a model and talk about the pros and cons of holding on to a minimalist concept of biological race. Show Notes:To watch the controversial SNL joke, click/tap here.To read Richard Lewontin's 1972 population study click/tap here. To read Noah Rosenberg's 2002 population genetics study click/tap here. To read Hardimon's defense of Biological Realism click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli examine different definitions of racism. They look at Robin DiAngelo, Ibram X. Kendi, and Paul C. Taylor's definitions and talk about the strengths and weaknesses of each before talking about the way in which Jeff thinks racism should be redefined.Show Notes:To read Robin DiAngelo's book White Fragility, click/tap here. To read Ibram Kendi's book How To Be An Antiracist, click/tap here.To read Paul C. Taylor's book Race: A Philosophical Introduction, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli wrap up their non-comprehensive stroll through the history of racial thinking and move on to talk about the role that religion played in the history of racism and slavery. Eli then argues for the centrality of racism to the Enlightenment project, while Jeff defends its honor.Show Notes:To read about the Curse of Ham, click/tap here. For an excellent series of essays on Philosophers and Race, click/tap here. For Ibram Kendi's history of racial thinking in the United States, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli take a moment to reflect on the end of the Trump era before jumping into a discussion on race. They talk about their personal connection to race and then talk about the history of racial thinking using Paul C. Taylor's account as a guide.Show Notes:To watch The New Yorker's video from inside the Capitol attack on January 6th, click/tap here.To see the cover of Time Magazine with Eli's terrorist doppelgänger, click/tap here.To read Paul C. Taylor's “Race: A Philosophical Introduction” click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli conclude their conversation about the empirical study of emotions by talking about the fall of the triune model of the brain and the developments in neuroscience that brought it about. They delve into Lisa Feldman Barrett's model of emotions and talk about its metaphysical implications.Show Notes:To read about Paul MacLean, the inventor of the triune theory, click/tap here.To learn more about Gerald Edelman and his contributions to immunology and neuroscience, click/tap here.To learn more about Lisa Feldman Barrett's work, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their exploration of the empirical study of emotions. They track the public battle between Margaret Mead and Paul Ekman before making their way into Neuroscience where they meet Joseph Ledoux, Antonio Damasio, and finally begin a discussion of Lisa Feldman Barrett's work.Show Notes:To read about the rivalry between Margaret Mead and Paul Ekman, click/tap here. To read Margaret Mead's edition of Darwin's Expression click/tap here.To read Paul Ekman's commentary on Darwin's Expression click/tap here.To read about the fMRI of the dead salmon click/tap here.To read Joseph LeDoux's The Emotional Brain click/tap here.To read Antonio Damasio's The Feeling of What Happens click/tap here.To read Lisa Feldman Barrett's How Emotions Are Made click/tap here.

After a short discussion about the upcoming presidential election in the United States and the new data about how Jewish Americans will be voting, Jeff and Eli dive into their next topic which is the empirical study of emotions. Starting with the foundational 19th century texts by Charles Darwin and William James, they move into the 20th century and discuss the two dominant ways of thinking about emotion and their adherents in Experimental Psychology, Anthropology, and Evolutionary Psychology.Show Notes:To read about Jewish Americans voting preferences in the upcoming election, click/tap here. To read Darwin's book The Expressions of the Emotions in Man and Animals, click/tap here.To read James's essay What is An Emotion? click/tap here.To learn about Paul Ekman's work click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Pamela Hieronymi's seminal essay “Articulating an Uncompromising Forgiveness.” After a brief discussion about the revolution that Hieronymi wrought in moral philosophy, they dig into the differences between seeking forgiveness and apologizing. They then explore the areas in which Jeff's account of apologies diverge from Hieronymi's depiction.Show Notes:To read Hieronymi's essay, click/tap here. To read Jeff's essay on apologies, click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli think they're done with anger, but anger isn't done with them. They take stock of the different positions and talk about where they each fall. Jeff describes his concept of Dialogic Anger in more detail and they end with a discussion of the Kavanaugh hearings.Show Notes:For Agnes Callard's essay “The Reason To Be Angry Forever” click/tap here.For Agnes Callard's Boston Review Essay “On Anger” click/tap here.To watch the film The Wave, click/tap here.To read Lili Loofbourow's article “Why Christine Blasey Ford Isn't Allowed To Be Mad” click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Marshall Rosenberg's take on anger and moralism as expressed in his system of Nonviolent Communication. They dive into the benefits and drawbacks of eliminating moralistic language from communication and consciousness and they discuss the efficacy of moral stance-taking and shame in shaping human behavior.Show Notes:To read Marshall Rosenberg's book Nonviolent Communication, click/tap here.To watch Marshall Rosenberg give a workshop, click/tap here.To view the Naughty Jewish Guys calendar, that shamed Eli into going back to the gym,  click/tap here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli kick off a discussion on the subject of anger and resentment. They focus on two texts by the philosopher Agnes Callard and branch off into a discussion about Nietzsche, the foundations of morality, and the analytic-continental divide.Show Notes:For the Chomsky-Foucalt debate click/tap here.For Agnes Callard's video on Socrates click/tap here.For Agnes Callard's essay “The Reason To Be Angry Forever” click/tap here.For Antonio Damasio's book “Descartes' Error” click/tap here.For Ronald de Sousa's book “The Rationality of Emotion” click/tap here.For Agnes Callard's Boston Review Essay “On Anger” click/tap here.

In their first episode back after a three and a half year hiatus, Jeff and Eli talk about the loss of Jeff's father to the virus, the paradoxical information environment of 2020, and the various kinds of ethical responsibilities that emerge from living through a pandemic.Show Notes:For the New York Times' coverage of the passing of Jeff's father click here. For CNN's coverage of the passing of Jeff's father click here.For NPR's coverage of the passing of Jeff's father click here.For Eli's recommended sources of reliable information about the pandemic, click here and here.For Dr. Michael Mina's initiative to introduce rapid, affordable testing, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion of apologies, but they broaden the scope to include apologies made by groups, institutions, and countries.Show Notes:To read more about the Victoria's Secret apology, click here.To watch veterans ask forgiveness from Native Americans at Standing Rock, click here.To read President Obama's speech at Hiroshima, click here.To read Ari Shavit's account of the ethnic cleansing of Lydda, click here.

After a short follow-up discussion about the role that misogyny played in the U.S. presidential election, Jeff and Eli begin a discussion on the subject of apology.Show Notes:To read Jeff's article, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the election of Donald Trump and what that means for people who care about prejudices like racism, sexism, and Islamophobia.Show Notes:For Jeff's friend's book, click here.For more on the Southern Poverty Law Center, click here.To see Bernie Sanders' appearance at Liberty University, click here.

In this episode, Eli talks to Professor Zachary Braiterman about the legacy of Elie Wiesel. This interview is then followed by an in-depth conversation between Jeff and Eli on the subject of ethics, the Holocaust, and Wiesel's refusal to criticize the State of Israel. Show Notes:To read more about Elie Wiesel's life and work click here.To read more from Professor Braiterman click here.To read Max Blumenthal's blistering critique of Elie Wiesel click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli talk a little bit about American politics before they dive into a discussion of Steven Salaita, Zionism, and Jewish-American identity.Show Notes:Dr. Salaita's lively Twitter account.The Jewish Daily Forward's exposé on the Jewish-American non-profit colossus. 

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Barry Freundel, Marc Gafni and the dynamics of sexual scandal in the religious world.Show Notes:Mark Oppenheimer's New York Times piece on Marc Gafni.The Huffington Post piece on the anniversary of Barry Freundel's arrest.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli lay out the New Atheist argument against Islam in four parts. They then examine the weaknesses in the argument and explore their differences on the boundaries that ought to be imposed on would-be critics of religion.Show Notes:To see Bill Maher and Sam Harris go at it with Ben Affleck on Real Time click here.To read Glenn Greenwald's criticism of Sam Harris and the New Atheists click here.To read Graeme Wood's recent controversial article in The Atlantic click here.To read Haroon Moghul's response to Wood's article click here.

In this episode, Eli talks to Edina Lekovic, Director of Policy and Programming at the Muslim Public Affairs Council. They talk about the recent murders in Chapel Hill, the definition of Islamophobia, President Obama's relationship to the American Muslim community, the 2011 study by the Center for American Progress, and antisemitism that is couched in Islamic language.Show Notes:For a nice introduction to Islamophobia click here.  To learn more about Edina's organization click here.For some background on New Ground click here.To read "Fear Inc." click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Kosher market in Paris. They examine each other's definitions of terrorism, discuss whether the actions of states can properly be called terrorism, and touch on the issue of freedom of speech.Show Notes:Wikipedia on the definition of terrorism: TerrorismEli's article for Jewschool: New Teams

In this episode, Jeff and Eli are joined by Rabbi Sara Zacharia to conclude their discussion about the role of women in Judaism.Show Notes:To read Rabbi Pamela Barmash's Teshuva click here.To see evidence that Daniel Gordis lost his mind click here.To learn more about JTS click here.To learn more about Ziegler click here.

In this Episode, Jeff and Eli are joined by Dr. Batya Ungar-Sargon, staff writer for Tablet, to continue the discussion about women and Judaism.Show Notes:To read Batya's piece on Yeshivat Maharat, click here.For more on the Maharat program, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli talk about the role of women in the Jewish world. They touch on the legal status of women in Jewish law, leadership positions, and ritual participation and talk about the paradox posed by progressive forms of Orthodoxy.Show Notes:To learn more about Avi Weiss's seminary for training Orthodox women to be Rabbi-like leaders click here.To learn more about Egaladox Judaism click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their conversation about God. They start by talking about hermeneutics and the role of human perspective in religious interpretation and move to the subject of prayer.Show Notes:To read the story of the Oven of Akhnai click here. For background on the kidnapping of Nachshon Waxman click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion of God and talk about their own views on the subject.Show Notes:To read about Pascal's Wager, by which Jeff is utterly unconvinced, click here.To read about Christopher Hitchens, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli talk a little about the film The Wolf of Wall Street and then launch into their next big topic of conversation: God.Show Notes:Background on Maimonides.Background on Spinoza.Background on Hermann Cohen.The Ontological Proof.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion of the BDS movement and explore their differences on the nature of the State of Israel.Show Notes:To read Larry Derfner's 972 piece on the ASA boycott, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the American Studies Association's recent resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions and the BDS movement in general.Show Notes:The American Studies Association Resolution on Academic Boycott of IsraelJeffrey Goldberg's response to the resolution.Omar Barghouti's response to the resolution.Peter Beinart's response to the resolution.David Lloyd's response to Peter Beinart.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli are joined by Dr. Sarah Bunin Benor to examine Pew's A Portrait of Jewish Americans more closely.Show Notes:To read more about Dr. Benor, click here. To explore Dr. Benor's book, Becoming Frum, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli wrap up their conversation about racism and antisemitism and move on to their next topic, the landmark Pew survey of American Jews.Show Notes:To read the survey in its entirety, click here.To read Eli's scale of racism, click here.

In this episode, Jeff and Eli dig a little deeper into positive racism and the empirical problem of generalizing about people groups. They also tackle some recent examples of racism in the news in an attempt to apply some of these concepts.Show Notes:The remarks that got Martin Bashir fired from MSNBC.The lawsuit against Bob Dylan.Kanye West's controversial remarks on The Breakfast Club.

In the inaugural episode of Four Cubits, Jeff and Eli talk about the definition of race, who qualifies as an antisemite, and the conceptual difficulties associated with talking about racism and antisemitism. Show Notes:Read Eli's review of Daniel Goldhagen's The Devil That Never Dies  here.Read Eli's essay How To Criticize a Jew  here.