Podcast appearances and mentions of Jonathan Rauch

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews psychologist, professor, and author Dr. Alan Godwin about his book Ties That Bind: Unraveling Stories That Keep Us in the Dark, focusing on how individuals and societies accept untrue “stories” that merely sound true. Godwin shares growing up in segregated Jackson, Mississippi, where his idyllic childhood coexisted with racial terror across town, illustrating collective normalization of dysfunction. He discusses confirmation bias, motivated reasoning, and how adults construct self-justifying narratives, contrasting Jonathan Rauch's “reality-based community” (evidence, epistemic humility, tolerance for ambiguity) with a “story-based fortress” that discards disconfirming facts and becomes both protection and prison. Using clinical examples like “Katie” and modern cases of relatives drawn into conspiratorial information silos, he emphasizes attachment and identity as drivers of collective deception, argues people are often drawn out by relationships more than information, and concludes that humility is the key skill for better truth-seeking.00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched00:52 Meet Alan Godwin02:42 Growing Up in Jackson05:43 Stories and Lying07:46 Bias and Normalization10:08 Truth Hurts Then Frees12:37 Reality Based Community14:46 Story Based Fortress18:02 Escaping the Fortress20:14 Katie and Personal Healing22:00 Harry Potter Blindness22:50 Accents and Linguistics23:27 From Self Doubt to Uncle Irving24:42 Collective Deception Online26:48 Environment Reveals the Real You28:57 Information Silos and Gaslighting30:58 Attachment and Identity Needs33:57 Sports Fandom as Microcosm36:14 Crowd Seduction and Nazi Rallies38:32 Truth Needs Trusted Relationships40:32 AI Can't Replace Human Connection41:41 Humility as the Ultimate Skill44:35 Closing Thanks and FarewellHelpful Links:Dr. Alan GodwinDr. Alan Godwin LinkedInTies That Blind: Unraveling Stories That Keep Us in the Dark Book

“The end of labor means the end of paid slavery. And the opening up of freedom — that is to say, choice of how to spend your time. The only question, a big question, is how do you eat?” — Keith Teare Does capitalism have a future in our AI age? For Musk, Silicon Valley's baddest bad entrepreneur, the answer might surprise. Musk seems to think that in the long run, money and wealth will disappear in an age of abundant intelligence. Which, presumably, will include hundreds of billions of his own dollars. Although given Musk's determination to sue and take money from OpenAI, some might be slightly sceptical of his real faith in a post-money cornucopia. It's not just Musk and That Was the Week publisher Keith Teare who are reimagining capitalism in our AI age. The former World Bank chief economist, Branko Milanovic, drawing on Karl Marx and Adam Smith in equal measure, argues that if AI eliminates the labor component of production, things will become free — thereby creating the conditions for the destruction of capitalism. Keith agrees — and goes further than Milanovic. The end of paid labor, he insists, borrowing also from Marx, is not a catastrophe. It's the end of what he calls “paid slavery” and the opening of genuine freedom. I'm not so sure. If nobody has to work, we'll all become bad artists. The cult of the amateur. The future is of bad entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and even worse artists. Hyper-capitalism in our age of AI. Five Takeaways •       The Musk-OpenAI Trial: A Big Yawn That Cost Millions: An Oakland jury rejected Elon Musk's claim against OpenAI in under two hours — not because OpenAI didn't do what Musk alleged, but because the statute of limitations had expired. Someone should have caught this before two weeks of trial. Musk has vowed to appeal, but it's hard to see how you get around a statute of limitations. Keith's verdict: sideshow, big yawn, ego contest. The lawyers won. The real question — who owns OpenAI after it converts to for-profit — was never going to be answered here. •       Sam Altman's Credibility Problem: The New York Times took five takeaways from the trial, one of which was that Sam Altman has a credibility problem. Keith's response: not new information. What the trial did reveal is the depth of mutual animosity between Musk and Altman — two people who, despite everything, share more beliefs about where AI is going than almost anyone else in the world. Keith on who he'd back in a Stalin vs Hitler choice: Stalin, 100 times out of 100. Which is not to say he's enthusiastic about either. •       Krugman on Europe: Right Analysis, Wrong Conclusion: Paul Krugman, touring Europe, argues that GDP per capita understates European quality of life. A third of US income buys more than a third of US lifestyle in Europe — healthcare, education, travel, housing are all significantly cheaper. Keith agrees with the analysis. His counter: Europe's structural hostility to innovation means it can maintain its lifestyle but not grow it. The social democratic model is sustainable until it isn't. It needs to unlock innovation or it will slowly fall behind. Hard to do when you're spending your time writing regulations. •       Milanovic's AI Thesis: When Things Are Free: Branko Milanovic — Marxist and neoclassical economist — argues that if AI eliminates the labor component of production, value in the classical Adam Smith/Ricardo/Marx sense disappears, and things approach free. Keith agrees and goes further: this isn't just Marxist logic, it's classical economics. The organic composition of capital. If variable capital — mostly labor — tends toward zero, costs tend toward zero, prices tend toward zero, and the distinction between capitalism and its opposite dissolves. Musk says the same thing. Agree or disagree, it's the most interesting economic argument of our time. •       The End of Paid Labor Is the End of Paid Slavery: Keith's most provocative position. The end of paid labor is not something to fear. It is freedom — the opening up of genuine choice about how to spend your time. What remains are human-to-human activities: care work, travel companionship, live music, the masseur. These will be in demand. They just won't constitute most of what 8 billion people do. The question of how the previously employed population participates in society — eats, lives, has purpose — is real and large. Keith's position: it's not an inconceivable problem. Andrew's counter: if nobody has to work, we'll all become bad artists. About the Guest Keith Teare is a British-American entrepreneur, investor, and publisher of the That Was the Week newsletter. He is a co-founder of TechCrunch and Andrew's regular TWTW co-host. References: •       That Was the Week by Keith Teare. •       Branko Milanovic, “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism from a Marxist and Neoclassical Point of View,” Substack. •       Paul Krugman, “Is Europe in Economic Decline?” The New York Times / Substack. •       Episode 2910: Keith Teare and Jonathan Rauch on AI — the preceding special edition, directly referenced. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters:  

“Fascism is the term that is everywhere and nowhere in contemporary political discussions. We can talk about right-wing populism — but the type of politics they share with classic fascism is what I call red pill politics.” — David Ost Please don't use the F-word. At least to describe the politics of Trump, Orbán, Meloni, Netanyahu, Modi, Farage et al. Rather than fascism, the best way to demystify far-right populism is via the movie The Matrix through its idea of “red pill” politics. David Ost's new book, Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today's Far Right, argues that to grasp the threat we need to stop stepping out of the Third Reich and into The Matrix. The red pill, borrowed from the 1999 dystopian classic, has been appropriated by the far right as a metaphor for seeing through the liberal hegemony they claim distorts reality. Popping a red pill himself, Ost argues that while today's far right shares the essential DNA of classical fascism, it nonetheless operates in a world in which outright dictatorship isn't viable. Mussolini, Ost warns, didn't become totalitarian until four years after taking power. Fascism, then, is a process. It takes time. Even dystopias require patience. The book is also a manifesto for left counter-politics. Yes, Law and Justice in Poland and Orbán in Hungary have both been voted out, Ost acknowledges. But in Poland, he warns, the Tusk government won power in 2023 and then governed timidly, afraid of alienating the center, failing its own base on abortion and LGBT rights, and then losing the presidential election. So the lesson from Eastern Europe is that economic left populism, not liberal caution, is the best antidote to red pill politics. Mamdani not Starmer. Otherwise the F-word will once again become a reality. Five Takeaways •       The F-Word Has Become Meaningless: Every application of “fascism” to Trump, Orbán, or Meloni is immediately met with the counter: “Are we killing you? Are we throwing you in jail?” And seemingly the matter is put to rest. Ost's argument: the f-word has become a conversation-stopper rather than a conversation-starter. It lets the far right off the hook by setting the bar at Nazi-level violence. The actual threat — the delegitimisation of institutions, the treatment of opponents as traitors, the erosion of democratic norms — is already underway, without the gas chambers that the f-word implies. •       Opponents vs Traitors: The Defining Distinction: In a democracy, you have opponents. You disagree with them, you campaign against them, you try to vote them out. In far-right politics, you have traitors. People who disagree with you are not legitimate participants in a political contest — they are enemies of the nation, people who do not belong, people who are working against the interests of the real people. This distinction — not violence, not the gas chambers, but the redefinition of legitimate opposition as treachery — is Ost's clearest marker of the transition from normal democratic politics to something else. •       Mussolini's Four Years: How Long Before Dictatorship? When Mussolini first came to power, there were still elections. He tried to rig the game — to gerrymander, to use contemporary parlance — and institutionalise his authority. He only turned to outright dictatorship after four years in power. That was a different time. But the pattern — of coming to power through elections and then slowly making it impossible to be removed through elections — is not unique to Italy. Ost argues we may currently be in the equivalent of Mussolini's first four years in several countries simultaneously. •       What Eastern Europe Teaches America: The Tusk Warning: Law and Justice in Poland governed for eight years and was voted out in 2023. The lesson should be hopeful. But the coalition that replaced it, led by Donald Tusk, governed timidly — afraid of doing anything that might alienate the center, failing to deliver on abortion rights and domestic partnerships, and then lost the presidential election. Ost's verdict: a Biden mistake. When the center-left or left comes to power, it must be consequentially left populist — not just different from the right in tone and temperament, but materially different in what it does for regular people. Caution is its own kind of failure. •       Mamdani as Real-World Exhibit A: Ost was writing the book when Zohran Mamdani won the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Mamdani campaigned explicitly to speak to voters who had voted for Trump — asking why they were moving in that direction and arguing that a universalist left could speak to their material concerns without abandoning minorities. For Ost, this is the model: economic populism that is genuinely redistributionist, that speaks to small cities and rural areas, that is tough on the issues rather than cautious about public opinion. A left that actually stands for something. About the Guest David Ost is an emeritus professor of politics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He is the author of Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today's Far Right (The New Press, May 19, 2026), The Defeat of Solidarity: Anger and Politics in Postcommunist Europe, Solidarity and the Politics of Anti-Politics, and other books. He has written for a wide range of scholarly and popular publications, has done research in Polish factories, and once drove a NYC taxi. He lives in Ithaca, New York. References: •       Red Pill Politics: Demystifying Today's Far Right by David Ost (The New Press, May 19, 2026). •       Jonathan Rauch, “Yes, It's Fascism,” The Atlantic — the piece Andrew references at the opening, and the episode we produced around it. •       Jason Stanley, How Fascism Works — cited as the book Ost's is in conversation with. •       Steven Levitsky & Daniel Ziblatt, How Democracies Die — Levitsky blurbs the book. •       Episode 2894: Marc Loustau on making Hungary boring again — the companion episode on Orbán's defeat, referenced directly. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. WebsiteSubstackYouTube

“The dangers are human, not AI. What's dangerous is what a human does with AI, not what the AI does itself. In fact, even the idea that there is such a thing as the AI in itself is a mistake.” — Keith Teare I'm in Korea this week. So rather than doing a traditional one-on-one That Was the Week tech summary, Keith Teare and I are trying something different. We invited Jonathan Rauch — Brookings Institution senior fellow, serial author and one of the most rigorous minds in Washington — onto the show to discuss AI. Rauch had a simple mission. He wanted to find out why Keith Teare is just about the only person in the universe who believes that AI is benign. Jon had five buckets of doom to dump on Keith: labour market disruption, political upheaval, mental health and cognition, malicious actors, and the biggest daddy of all — AI developing consciousness, setting its own agenda, and killing everyone (even Keith). But Keith maintained his Yorkshire stoicism under intense scrutiny from the analogue Rauch machine. AI is a word-counting machine, he explained. Large language models train on words, not experience. They split words into a probabilistic graph of correlations. When you ask a question, a large statistical engine fires, word by word. In that sense, he says, AI is no cleverer than a calculator. The idea that it has awareness, consciousness, or a plan is mythological. What's dangerous is what a human does with AI, not what AI does itself. The dangers, he says, are human. Jon wasn't entirely reassured (his Brookings brand is scepticism, after all). What worries him most is that humans will handle these technologies irresponsibly. On that, he and Keith agree. The short-term labour disruption will be significant. White-collar service provision — legal, accounting, junior consulting — is already going. Jobs will go too. Work, Keith insists, will not. But nobody in politics is having the conversation about what comes next. Not JD. Not AOC. Only Keith and Jon. Five Takeaways •       AI Is a Word-Counting Machine: Keith's Core Argument: Large language models train on words and only words. They split those words into a probabilistic graph — how close is word A to word B? When you ask a question, a large statistical engine fires, producing output word by word. There is no awareness. There is no consciousness. There is no plan. The idea that such a system could develop its own agenda is mythological. It's no cleverer than a calculator. It's just a very big, very fast calculator. Rauch's counter: the brain is also just dumb neurons. We get emergence from dumb neurons. Keith's reply: what the AI can do is constrained by what humans allow it to do. The agency is human. •       Doomerism as Business Model: Before engaging with any specific AI doom argument, Keith signals a prior: whenever there is ambiguity in a major technological change, a business model emerges to monetize doubt. It was true of nuclear power. It was true of climate change. It is true of AI. This doesn't mean the fears are groundless — they wouldn't sell if they weren't reasonable. But it means they should be approached with prior scepticism. The doom argument works precisely because AI genuinely contains possible negative outcomes. The business model packages and amplifies those possibilities beyond their actual probability. •       The Guardrails Are Human: Keith's metaphor: AI sits in a prison where humans decide what the doors are. If you give it access to email, it can email. If you don't, it can't. It cannot take actions it has not been permitted to take. The word “guardrails” is commonly used, and it's apt: the constraints on what AI can do are entirely under human control. The word output is the statistical engine — that's not controllable. But its ability to act on words is highly constrained. The danger is not what AI does. It is what humans choose to allow AI to do. •       Jobs vs Work: The Labour Disruption Argument: Rauch's young friends in junior consulting are watching their jobs go in real time. Keith distinguishes between jobs — paid labour — and work, which is closer to effort and creative agency. Jobs can go. Work, he argues, will not — humans will always be reinterpreting the future they want and working to make it happen. But the short-term disruption will be significant: white-collar service provision (legal, accounting, consulting), teaching, driving. The wealth creation AI enables could supplement the end of paid labour. But no one in government is having that conversation. •       Rauch's Verdict: Clarified, Not Reassured: After fifty minutes with Keith Teare, Jonathan Rauch reaches a considered position: his worst fear — that AI becomes an autonomous engine of anti-human malfeasance — is unlikely to happen unless humans make it happen. His residual concern: that humans will not handle these technologies as maturely as one could wish. He's not optimistic about political systems that are already too rigid, too partisan, and too dysfunctional to adjust as they did to the industrialization of the late nineteenth century. On that, he and Keith agree. Nobody knows. Not Keith. Not Andrew. And, despite his brilliance, not Jonathan Rauch. About the Guests Keith Teare is a British-American entrepreneur, investor, and publisher of the That Was the Week newsletter. He is a co-founder of TechCrunch. Jonathan Rauch is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, The Happiness Curve, Kindly Inquisitors, Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America, and many other books. He is based in Washington, D.C. References: •       That Was the Week by Keith Teare. •       The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth by Jonathan Rauch. •       Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies — the AI doom book referenced in the conversation. •       Sam Harris and Tristan Harris podcast on AI risk — referenced by Rauch as the catalyst for his questions. •       Episode 2902: Keith Teare on his jobless AI future vision — the preceding TWTW episode directly referenced. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting. 

Welcome to In Reality, the podcast about truth, disinformation, and the media with Eric Schurenberg, longtime journalist and media executive, now the founder of the Alliance for Trust in Media. What happened to truth in the digital age and how will AI challenge it even further? Those are the questions at the heart of today's conversation. Steve Rosenbaum, Emmy award-winning filmmaker, founder of the Sustainable Media Center, and the author of the new book, The Future of Truth. The book runs through just about every institution that was once a pillar of what Jonathan Rauch calls the reality-based community. That is media, law, science, economics, medicine, and how AI is already reshaping it.Eric and Steve talk about why those institutions lost their authority and what fills the vacuum. They'll talk about a generation raised inside the social media feed on whom we've been conducting a society level experiment whose outcome we can't predict. And we'll talk about whether there is any path back to truth as we once knew it through regulation or technology or just old fashioned media literacy.Website - free episode transcriptswww.in-reality.fmAlliance for Trust in Mediaalliancefortrust.comProduced by Tom Platts at Sound Sapiensoundsapien.com

“They weren't interested in being on the side of God so much as they are insistent that God is on their side.” — Peter Wehner on Hegseth and Trump According to Peter Wehner, something has gone terribly wrong in America. And that something, Wehner has been warning us now for more than ten years, is Donald Trump. In his latest Atlantic piece, “Hegseth's Unholy War,” Wehner aims his moral rifle at Trump's latest outrage, the Iranian conflict. Citing Hegseth's prayer at the Pentagon for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy,” Wehner argues that the Bible, in his Crusader-like hands, has been weaponized into a theological cover for bloodlust. Something has gone terribly wrong with the intersection of faith and American politics, Wehner believes. The evangelical church, which once commanded real moral authority, has largely become what he calls a defamation of Jesus. Thus the significance of Pope Leo XIV's public opposition to Trump. Rather than a social media spat, Wehner sees this Papal indictment of Trump as a kind of moral war which has been brewing for some time. In a recent New York Times op-ed co-authored with Jonathan Rauch, Wehner argued that the Trump administration has reached its psychotic stage. Having filled key institutions with Hegseth-style lackeys and hoodlums, this psychosis is now infecting not just the federal government but the whole world. Thus Iran. It's the kind of fiasco you wouldn't expect from middle schoolers planning a field trip, Wehner says. His fear is that as Trump is humiliated by both the Papacy and Tehran, the President of the United States will have what psychologists call an extinction burst — a five-year-old's out-of-control tantrum. Yes, something has indeed gone terribly wrong in America. Five Takeaways •       Hegseth's Unholy War: At a Pentagon worship service, Hegseth prayed for “overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy,” invoking imprecatory psalms — emotional laments written from the perspective of the powerless — as theological cover for the most powerful military force in history. Wehner's sharpest line: Hegseth and his allies are not interested in being on the side of God; they are insistent that God is on their side. The Bible becomes not a text for self-examination but a weapon aimed outward. Wehner's diagnosis: Hegseth has a bloodlust, unresolved resentments, and a conversion that is at least in part real — but real in the sense that he has locked onto a particular brand of faith to validate things he already believes. •       Something Has Gone Terribly Wrong: The evangelical church, which once commanded moral authority, has become — by and large, in Wehner's view — an awful depiction of the Christian faith and a net negative contribution to American civic life. Figures like Franklin Graham, Tony Perkins, Robert Jeffress, and Al Mohler have become vocal Trump supporters, using the name of Jesus to validate cruelty and crudity. Wehner's explanation: too many people who know better are afraid to speak out — afraid their congregations will split, afraid of the institutional costs. But the silence is not neutral. A watching world has seen these evangelicals and concluded: you are a bunch of hypocrites who act worse than the people you criticize. •       Pope Leo XIV vs. Trump: Wehner thinks this is not a tiff. It is an intellectual war, and it has been carefully planned. Pope Leo — an American pope, significantly — represents a set of contrasts almost too clean to be coincidental: a moral man against an amoral one, a person of faith against a person of no faith, someone who uses language with care against someone who cannot help but dehumanize his critics. And an institution-builder against an institution-destroyer. Wehner credits Leo with performing a necessary function that almost no one else in American public life is capable of performing — confronting Trump on explicitly moral terms with unblemished authority. •       Vance: The Mask He Wears: Wehner distinguishes Hegseth from Vance: Hegseth is, in some sense, a true believer; Vance's conversion to MAGA was transparently cynical, driven by enormous ambition. That makes him more morally culpable, not less. But Wehner also notes a psychological dynamic: when you live a life at odds with what you truly believe, cognitive dissonance is painful, and the mind mitigates that pain by rationalizing, by beginning to believe what you say. You become the mask you wear. Vance, Rubio, Graham, Johnson — these are people who knew better, decided to make a figurative deal with the devil, and convinced themselves they could do more good than harm. •       The Republican Party Has Become a Dark Force: Without the Republican Party, none of this could have happened. The party is hugely accountable. Trump is sociopathic — colorblind when it comes to morality, probably unable to help himself. But the Republicans in the party did know better and went along anyway. Mike Johnson, very big on proclaiming his evangelical faith, is a pathetic and disreputable figure. His reputation has been stained beyond belief. Wehner's verdict on the party's future: if it has any association with the current iteration, it deserves condemnation. The roots of MAGA go too deep for a snapback. This may get more chaotic after Trump leaves than less. History will get it right, Wehner believes. These people were on the wrong side of their faith, their morality, their politics, and their justice. And it will be known. About the Guest Peter Wehner is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He served in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush administrations. He is the author of The Death of Politics and several other books. He lives in McLean, Virginia. References: •       Hegseth's Unholy War by Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, April 2026. •       “Pete Hegseth's Moral Unseriousness,” by Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, April 2026. •       “The Trump Administration Is in a Psychotic State,” by Peter Wehner and Jonathan Rauch, The New York Times, April 10, 2026. •       The Barmen Declaration (1934) — Bonhoeffer's theological break with the German Protestant church under Nazism, discussed as a historical precedent. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Ke...

In this episode we're sharing a live conversation that explores James Madison's vision for the constitution with Mary Sarah Bilder of Boston College Law School, Robert P. George, of Princeton University, and Jonathan Rauch of The Brookings Institution. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.  This conversation was recorded on February 20, 2026, as part of the NCC's President's Council Retreat in Miami, FL.    Resources  Mary Sarah Bilder, Madison's Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention (2017)   Mary Sarah Bilder, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution (2022)  Robert P. George, Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality (1995)  Robert P. George, Natural Rights, the Common Good, and the American Revolution (America at 250) (2026)  Jonathan Rauch, Cross Purposes: Christianity's broken bargain with democracy (2025)  Jonathan Rauch, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (2021)  Federalist 10 (1787)  Robert Tracy McKenzie, We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of American Democracy (2021)  National Constitution Center, What the Founders Meant by Happiness: A Journey Through Virtue and Character  Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our important work ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

This week, we read an article by inveterate shitlib, defender of liberal imperialism, and misunderstander of history, Jonathan Rauch. Rauch has changed his mind about Trump being a fascist, and we are here to tell him he shouldn't have... https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/america-fascism-trump-maga-ice/685751/   Join the Regrettable Century Patreon Visit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Andrew Whiskeyman discusses his co-authored article: The Emergence of Cognitive Intelligence (COGINT) as a New Military Intelligence Collection Discipline. "COGINT" is the systematic mapping, safeguarding, and operational exploitation of decision-making architectures in the contemporary cognitive battle space. Topics include: understanding and protecting human decision-making processes from adversarial tactics, adversarial exploitation of technology and societal divisions to manipulate public opinion, and underscoring the vital need for critical thinking. Recording Date: 22 January 2026 Research Question: Andrew Whiskeyman suggests an interested student or researcher examine: When is a conspiracy theory no longer a theory? How does one build a culture of civil discourse and disagreement? Of mobs and men: how does individual behavior and decision relate to group dynamics? AI and human trust/decision dynamics. Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #62 Jonathan Rauch on the Constitution of Knowledge #119 Katherine Carman on Truth Decay #153 Andy Whiskeyman and Mike Berger on the Importance of Dedicated Resources The Emergence of Cognitive Intelligence (COGINT) as a New Military Intelligence Collection Discipline by Jorge Conde and Andy Whiskeyman S. Rept. 119-39 - National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 dated 15 July 2025 Salt Typhoon The Everlasting Man: A Guide to G.K. Chesterton's Masterpiece by Dale Ahlquist Aristotle's Rhetoric The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn Warhead: How the brain shapes war and war shapes the brain by Nicholas Wright Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio:  Dr. Andrew Whiskeyman, COL (ret.), is the co-founder and CEO of JASSA Professional Services, which provides consulting and subject matter expertise on strategy, technology, predictive analysis, and people. He also teaches, writes, researches, and lectures internationally on the topics of information warfare, cognitive security, emerging technology, and strategic foresight. He is a Goodpaster Scholar, a non-resident senior fellow with the Global National Security Institute (GNSI) and former board member of the Information Professionals Association (IPA). Dr. Whiskeyman adjuncts with Catholic Polytechnic University, Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the US Air Force's Air War College. He is a former Chair of the Cyber Strategy Department at the National Defense University's College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) where he taught and researched on the nexus of information and national security. He previously served for 28 years in the US Army and deployed multiple times in support of combat operations. His final military assignment was as the Chief of the Information Operations Division (J39) within the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Operations Directorate J3 located at Macdill AFB, Florida. His previous assignment was as the Chief of Strategy for the CENTCOM Joint Cyber Center (JCC).  His first assignment was to Misawa AB, Japan as an enlisted military intelligence Soldier. He then went to officer candidate school (OCS) and commissioned into the basic branch of Air Defense Artillery. In 2007, he transitioned to the Information Operations functional area (FA30). He has deployed five times: Kosovo (KFOR 3B - 2001/02), Afghanistan (3 times - 2004, 2006/07, and 2012/13), and Iraq (2008/09). He also has numerous shorter trips into the Middle East theater of operations including return trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a graduate (and plank owner) of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS - 2004), Air Command and Staff College (ACSC 2011 in residence), and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS XXI - 2012). He is the first Soldier with the Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program (ASP3) to earn his PhD (Military Strategy, Air University 2015). He is the recipient of multiple military awards including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star, and he was awarded France's Chevalier de L'Ordre du National Mérite. He is also active in the Tampa Bay community. He is the founder of the local Tampa Bay GK Chesterton Society, leads an Exodus 90 fraternity, served as a past Grand Knight for the Servant of God Vincent Capodanno Council 14495 (Knights of Columbus), created and teaches two Apologetics Courses for Homeschool students, and is a mentor with the Tepeyac Leadership Institute. He is married (over 30 years) with four children, two grandchildren, two dogs, and a turtle. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

In Davos last month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney lamented what he called “the end of a pleasant fiction.” That notion has is hard to fathom yet impossible to ignore. For decades, the United States did not merely wield power. It framed power in moral terms. Legitimacy. Integrity. Rules. Whether we always lived up to those words is one question. Whether we still speak them with credibility is another. In this solo reflection, Corey Nathan explores what it means when America is no longer the country that lends moral language to the world order, but the country other nations feel compelled to hedge against. From Tocqueville's warning about democratic withdrawal to Jonathan Rauch's analysis of patrimonialism, from Lincoln's humility to the theological posture of the National Prayer Breakfast, this episode wrestles with a turning point. If the pleasant fiction is over, what replaces it? Calls to Action ✅ If this conversation resonates, consider sharing it with someone who believes connection across difference still matters. ✅ Subscribe to Corey's Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion What This Episode Explores The End of a Moral Vocabulary For generations, American power was framed in moral language. Integrity and legitimacy were not just strategic tools but aspirations. Today, that language lands differently, not as calling card but as indictment. From Moral Order to Patrimonialism Drawing on the work of Jonathan Rauch, this episode examines what happens when public power begins to resemble personal property. Loyalty replaces rules. Access depends on fealty. Markets and institutions begin to read the room rather than uphold neutral principles. The National Prayer Breakfast and Theological Posture A prayer breakfast is meant to orient upward in humility. When reverence bends inward, the shift is not merely stylistic. It is theological. Tocqueville's Warning Democracy's danger may not arrive as sudden tyranny but as gradual withdrawal. Citizens retreat into private grievance. Moral discipline erodes. Individualism curdles into narcissism. The Comforting Assumption About Ourselves Nearly every white pastor today believes they would have stood with Martin Luther King Jr. The question is not whether that belief is sincere. The question is whether it would have been true. The Choice Before Citizens The world is already adjusting. Allies hedge. Middle powers collaborate. The question now belongs to citizens, not prime ministers. Withdrawal is understandable. It is not inevitable. Why This Matters Now The loss at stake is not only status but trust. If the pleasant fiction required tending, then its collapse requires responsibility. Renewal, if it comes, will not arrive through taunts or spectacle. It will be decided by habits, by courage, by whether citizens retreat or step forward. Connect on Social Media Corey is @coreysnathan on all the socials... Substack LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Threads Bluesky TikTok Thanks to our Sponsors and Partners Thanks to Pew Research Center for making today's conversation possible. Gratitude as well to Village Square for coming alongside us in this work and helping foster better civic dialogue. Links and additional resources: Pew Research Center: pewresearch.org The Village Square: villagesquare.us Meza Wealth Management: mezawealth.com Proud members of The Democracy Group Final Thought The question is not who we would like to identify with in the story. The question is where our words, positions, and actions actually place us. Go talk some politics and religion. Step forward. With gentleness and respect.

"You either need to call it fascism or you need to invent a new word with more or less the same meaning." — Jonathan RauchJonathan Rauch's viral Atlantic essay has reignited the debate over what to call the Trump administration. Having previously settled on "semi-fascist," Rauch now argues that Trump ticks all 18 boxes on his checklist of fascist characteristics — from the glorification of violence and territorial ambitions to Carl Schmitt's philosophy of "enemies, not adversaries." We spar over whether the term obscures more than it reveals: Is this really fascism, or just authoritarianism with American characteristics? The conversation sharpens around Minneapolis, where citizens were shot face down, and the government initially denied it happened. You don't do that to win votes, Rauch argues — you do it because you believe that's how the social contract should work. He predicts Trump will fail to turn America into a fascist country but warns that institutions like the newly expanded ICE will outlast this administration. About the GuestJonathan Rauch is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is the author of nine books, including The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (2021), Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy (2025), and Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (1993). He received the 2005 National Magazine Award.ReferencesThinkers discussed:·      Carl Schmitt was a Nazi political theorist whose "friend-enemy distinction" argued that politics is fundamentally about identifying and crushing enemies, not managing disagreements with adversaries.·      George Orwell wrote in his 1946 essay "Politics and the English Language" that "the word 'fascism' has now no meaning except insofar as it signifies something not desirable."·      Hannah Arendt was a German-American political theorist and refugee from Nazi Germany whose book The Origins of Totalitarianism examined both Nazism and Stalinism, preferring "totalitarianism" to "fascism" as the more encompassing term.Historical figures:·      Benito Mussolini invented the term "fascism" (from the Latin fasces, a bundle of rods symbolizing collective strength) and ruled Italy as dictator from 1922 to 1943.·      Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1939 to 1975. Whether he was truly a fascist or merely an authoritarian remains debated; he never got along well with Hitler and outlasted the fascist era by three decades.·      Viktor Orbán is the prime minister of Hungary whose systematic capture of media, courts, and civil society has become known as the "Orbán playbook" — a template Rauch argues the Trump administration is following.Contemporary figures mentioned:·      Stephen Miller is a senior advisor to Trump who declared that "force is the iron law of the world" and told progressives "you are nothing" at a memorial service where the widow of the deceased had just offered Christian forgiveness to an assassin.·      Russell Vought is the director of the Office of Management and Budget, identified by Rauch as one of the younger ideologues building Trumpism into something more like a coherent ideology.·      Chris Rufo is a conservative activist and culture war strategist who has employed what Rauch calls "revolutionary language" in his campaigns against universities and public institutions.Essays and books mentioned:·      "Politics and the English Language" (1946) is Orwell's essay arguing that the corruption of language enables the corruption of politics, and that vague or meaningless words like "fascism" make clear thinking impossible.·      The Origins of Totalitarianism (1951) is Hannah Arendt's study of Nazism and Stalinism as parallel forms of total domination, examining how mass movements, propaganda, and terror enable regimes to control entire societies.About Keen On AmericaNobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States—hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.WebsiteSubstackYouTubeApple PodcastsSpotify Chapters:(00:00) - (00:13) - The viral essay (02:10) - Why Rauch changed his mind (03:41) - Fascism vs. authoritarianism (05:54) - Carl Schmitt and "enemies not adversaries" (06:14) - Orwell on the word "fascism" (09:12) - Can old people be fascists? (11:51) - Blood and soil nationalism (14:14) - Minneapolis (17:51) - Kristallnacht comparisons (20:07) - The postmodern right (26:34) - Following the money (32:05) - ICE as paramilitary force

This week Bruce takes a deep dive into the epistemological ideas in Jonathan Rauch's book The Constitution of Knowledge. Rauch is a fan of Karl Popper and a former guest on this show. He makes the case that the creation of objective knowledge relies on institutions and norms as much individuals. All claims must be open to criticism and not based on authority. This applies not just to science but to journalism, law, and all areas where humans seek to fallibly move closer to truth. Bruce considers how these claims relate to critical rationalism, specifically Deutsch's conception of static vs dynamic societies. Does this provide another clue as to why we got stuck in static societies for so many millennia?⁠⁠Support us on Patreon⁠⁠⁠

Sam Harris speaks with Jonathan Rauch about the emergence of fascism in American politics. They discuss Rauch's article, "Yes, It's Fascism," the 18 criteria of fascism, the glorification and unapologetic use of state violence, "might is right" foreign policy, the politicization of law enforcement, the complicity of the rich and powerful, blood and soil nationalism, the influence of Carl Schmitt, the resilience of American institutions, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

An anti-fascist spy handed American officials evidence of murderous intent from a Nazi planning server — and they declined to act.About the GuestChristopher Mathias is a journalist covering the far right, formerly a senior reporter at HuffPost, with work appearing in The Guardian, The Nation, MSNBC, Zeteo, and WNYC. His reporting has helped unmask white supremacist cops, soldiers, teachers, and politicians, and he was a Deadline Awards finalist for feature writing. He is originally from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and lives in New York. His new book, To Catch a Fascist: The Fight to Expose the Radical Right (Atria Books), is out now.About the EpisodeDays after Jonathan Rauch's influential Atlantic essay announced he'd moved from fascism skeptic to fascism believer, Christopher Mathias joins the show to discuss his new book — a deeply reported investigation into the decentralized network of anti-fascist activists who infiltrate, monitor, and expose neo-Nazis and white supremacists operating in positions of power across America.The conversation quickly moves beyond whether Trump is a fascist to the harder questions his book raises: Who gets to decide who is exposed? What rights to privacy do members of extremist groups retain? Is unmasking community self-defense or vigilantism? And does the same logic that justifies exposing a neo-Nazi EMT extend to the tens of thousands of ICE agents now conducting raids on American streets?Timeline00:00 Introduction Jonathan Rauch's Atlantic essay and the renewed fascism debate01:10 Meet Christopher Mathias Introducing the book and the journalist behind it01:45 The Greenville Moment When Mathias first used “fascist” in a headline after watching Trump whip a crowd into chanting “Send her back”02:40 Defining the F-Word Fascism as a right-wing politics of domination; Langston Hughes recognizing it in the 1930s before the word arrived04:15 The Hard Question If MAGA is a fascist movement, are the 70-plus million who voted for Trump fascists too?05:55 The Worst of the Worst Why the book targets explicit neo-Nazis in positions of power, not ordinary Trump supporters08:15 Who Decides? Privacy, accountability, and whether everyone at Charlottesville deserves exposure10:45 Antifascist Amnesty Leave the movement and we leave you alone; return and we publish12:30 The Equivalence Trap Why Mathias rejects the idea that this is just radicals exposing radicals14:05 From Neo-Nazis to ICE How anti-fascist tactics are now used to identify masked federal agents17:15 Where Does It End? Drawing lines between violent enforcement and bureaucratic participation19:40 “Just Following Orders” Why some orders shouldn't be followed, and the occupation of Minneapolis21:30 The Battle Over Shame Competing databases, surveillance, and what America should be ashamed of23:15 The Spy Who Warned Charlottesville An infiltrator uncovers plans for violence that officials ignore26:00 Minneapolis as Model “We protect us” and a blueprint for grassroots resistance28:45 The Underground War Intelligence, counterintelligence, and the personal cost of exposure30:30 Closing Fascism as a snake eating its own tail and the urgent task of limiting the damageLinks & ReferencesMentioned in this episode:Jonathan Rauch, “Yes, It's Fascism” — The Atlantic (January 2026)To Catch a Fascist: The Fight to Expose the Radical Right by Christopher Mathias (Atria Books, February 2026)Christopher Mathias reporting archiveFollow Christopher Mathias: BlueSky | XAbout Keen On America Nobody asks more impertinent questions than the Anglo-American writer, filmmaker and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Andrew Keen. In Keen On America , Andrew brings his sharp Transatlantic wit to the forces reshaping the United States — hosting daily interviews with leading thinkersand writers about American history, politics, technology, culture, and business. With nearly 2,800 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual interview show in the history of podcasting.Website | Substack | YouTubeWebsite | Substack | YouTube

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comJon and I go way back to the early days of the marriage movement and before. He's currently a senior fellow at Brookings and a contributor editor at The Atlantic. He's written many landmark books, including Kindly Inquisitors, The Constitution of Knowledge (which we discussed on the pod in 2021), and Cross Purposes (which we covered last year). His new essay in The Atlantic, “Yes, It's Fascism,” is a must-read.And this episode is, if you don't mind me saying so, a must-listen. One of the best conversations I've yet had on the Dishcast. Jon is always lucid and fair and thereby chilling.For two clips of our convo — on the glorification of violence by Trump and his officials, and the cowardice of mainstream conservatives — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: Trump smashing norms; his vile indecency; his early rallies; reveling in war crimes; suing everyone; the “mean tweets” defense; cultural degeneracy in America; the need for party gatekeeping; blood-and-soil nationalism; Plato on tyrants; Stephen Miller's “iron laws”; the Zelensky meeting and “having no cards”; the assassination attempt on Trump; the reprehensible Randy Fine; ICE using white nationalist anthems to recruit; anonymous masked agents; the Pretti and Good killings; the racial element of ICE roundups; the Somali fraud scandal; the over-politicization of DoJ; the two legal systems under the Nazis; Carl Schmitt; the blanket pardon for all Jan 6-ers; Vance meeting with AfD; Heritage Americans; birthright citizenship; Greenland; Venezuela; Christian nationalism; evangelical loyalty to Trump; his Board of Peace; the vandalism of DOGE; Vought's evil genius; the East Wing demolition; violent threats against moderate Republicans; the woke playing right into Trump's hands; and fears that he will manipulate the midterms.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. Coming up: Jason Willick on trade and conservatism, Zaid Jilani on the Dems, Derek Thompson on abundance, Tiffany Jenkins on privacy, and Michael Pollan on consciousness. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Jim talks with Michael Shermer about his worldview and his new book, Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters. They discuss Michael's self-identification as a monist and realist who believes in a physical objective world, the concept of fallibilism, intersubjective verification of the interobjective, reliance on authorities and institutions, the battle between the book of authority versus the book of nature, balancing rationality with empiricism, the dependence of mathematical truths on axioms, January 6 as an example of people acting rationally on false beliefs, Shermer's journey from born-again Christian to atheist and Jim's opposite journey from Catholicism to atheism, treating religious literature like great literature with deeper truths, the study of consciousness and the hard problem versus the easy problem, separating intelligence from consciousness, consciousness as a biological process like digestion, the question of machine sentience, a critique of Donald Hoffman's interface theory, evidence for veridical perception through mimicry in nature and animals climbing trees, skepticism about brain-in-a-vat and simulation scenarios, minimum viable metaphysics, Thomas Nagel's concept of one thought too many, Jonathan Rauch's constitution of knowledge, the replication crisis in psychology, the breakdown of trust in institutions due to COVID and the noble lie, the problem of scaling laws with followership, moral realism and the survival and flourishing of sentient beings, the principle of interchangeable perspectives, discovering moral values through problem-solving, the evolution of ethics and the expanding moral sphere, and much more. Episode Transcript Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters, by Michael Shermer The Michael Shermer Show Why People Believe Weird Things, by Michael Shermer The Believing Brain, by Michael Shermer Why Darwin Matters, by Michael Shermer The Science of Good and Evil, by Michael Shermer Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational, by Michael Shermer "A Minimum Viable Metaphysics," by Jim Rutt JRS EP 287 - Jonathan Rauch on the Epistemic Crisis Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine and the host of the podcast The Michael Shermer Show. For 30 years he taught college and university courses in critical thinking, and for 18 years he was a monthly columnist for Scientific American. He is the author of New York Times bestsellers Why People Believe Weird Things and The Believing Brain, Why Darwin Matters, The Science of Good and Evil, The Moral Arc, Heavens on Earth, Giving the Devil His Due, and Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational. His new book is Truth: What it is, How to Find it, Why it Still Matters. Follow him on X @michaelshermer.

Jonathan Rauch, contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution, explains why he now believes it's fair to call Trump's policies "fascism."Read Jonathan Rauch's piece in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/america-fascism-trump-maga-ice/685751/Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.Buy Matt's books: FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Andrew Whiskeyman discusses his co-authored article: The Emergence of Cognitive Intelligence (COGINT) as a New Military Intelligence Collection Discipline. "COGINT" is the systematic mapping, safeguarding, and operational exploitation of decision-making architectures in the contemporary cognitive battle space. Topics include: understanding and protecting human decision-making processes from adversarial tactics, adversarial exploitation of technology and societal divisions to manipulate public opinion, and underscoring the vital need for critical thinking. Recording Date: 22 January 2026 Research Question: Andrew Whiskeyman suggests an interested student or researcher examine: When is a conspiracy theory no longer a theory? How does one build a culture of civil discourse and disagreement? Of mobs and men: how does individual behavior and decision relate to group dynamics? AI and human trust/decision dynamics. Resources: Cognitive Crucible Podcast Episodes Mentioned #62 Jonathan Rauch on the Constitution of Knowledge #119 Katherine Carman on Truth Decay #153 Andy Whiskeyman and Mike Berger on the Importance of Dedicated Resources The Emergence of Cognitive Intelligence (COGINT) as a New Military Intelligence Collection Discipline by Jorge Conde and Andy Whiskeyman S. Rept. 119-39 - National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 dated 15 July 2025 Salt Typhoon The Everlasting Man: A Guide to G.K. Chesterton's Masterpiece by Dale Ahlquist Aristotle's Rhetoric The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn Warhead: How the brain shapes war and war shapes the brain by Nicholas Wright Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio:  Dr. Andrew Whiskeyman, COL (ret.), is the co-founder and CEO of JASSA Professional Services, which provides consulting and subject matter expertise on strategy, technology, predictive analysis, and people. He also teaches, writes, researches, and lectures internationally on the topics of information warfare, cognitive security, emerging technology, and strategic foresight. He is a Goodpaster Scholar, a non-resident senior fellow with the Global National Security Institute (GNSI) and former board member of the Information Professionals Association (IPA). Dr. Whiskeyman adjuncts with Catholic Polytechnic University, Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and the US Air Force's Air War College. He is a former Chair of the Cyber Strategy Department at the National Defense University's College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) where he taught and researched on the nexus of information and national security. He previously served for 28 years in the US Army and deployed multiple times in support of combat operations. His final military assignment was as the Chief of the Information Operations Division (J39) within the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Operations Directorate J3 located at Macdill AFB, Florida. His previous assignment was as the Chief of Strategy for the CENTCOM Joint Cyber Center (JCC).  His first assignment was to Misawa AB, Japan as an enlisted military intelligence Soldier. He then went to officer candidate school (OCS) and commissioned into the basic branch of Air Defense Artillery. In 2007, he transitioned to the Information Operations functional area (FA30). He has deployed five times: Kosovo (KFOR 3B - 2001/02), Afghanistan (3 times - 2004, 2006/07, and 2012/13), and Iraq (2008/09). He also has numerous shorter trips into the Middle East theater of operations including return trips to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a graduate (and plank owner) of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS - 2004), Air Command and Staff College (ACSC 2011 in residence), and the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS XXI - 2012). He is the first Soldier with the Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program (ASP3) to earn his PhD (Military Strategy, Air University 2015). He is the recipient of multiple military awards including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star, and he was awarded France's Chevalier de L'Ordre du National Mérite. He is also active in the Tampa Bay community. He is the founder of the local Tampa Bay GK Chesterton Society, leads an Exodus 90 fraternity, served as a past Grand Knight for the Servant of God Vincent Capodanno Council 14495 (Knights of Columbus), created and teaches two Apologetics Courses for Homeschool students, and is a mentor with the Tepeyac Leadership Institute. He is married (over 30 years) with four children, two grandchildren, two dogs, and a turtle. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Our podcast daddy Michael C. Moynihan is back from the dead for a long (and long awaited) discussion on conspiracy theories, antisemitism, dumb people, and why you shouldn't end every conversation with a Jew with: BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PEDOPHILES??Anyway, it's not too late to update your 2026 resolutions, and our guest's advice is to maybe this year, dislike yourself a little bit more. Not in a self-harm way of course, but a bit of self-hatred never hurt any writer, let's put it that way.Also:* The Talmud is very oxen heavy* Maybe the Somali daycare thing isn't that bad, or maybe we are just afraid they'll come after Yeshiva's next.* Christopher Hitchins didn't hate religious people.Oh great, we made it 23 mins before talking about Mandy Patinkin* An argument about sexual assault.* Would you go back in time and punch Mandy Patinkin?* Holcoaust books for everyone.* Why should Moynihan's Goyishe daughter care about antisemitism?* Antisemitism explains dumb people.* Why does Europe suck?* The Intellectual broken windows theory.* But what about the peaophiles???* Knowledge is something ((they)) aren't telling you.* The book I refered to is Kindly Inquisitors by the dear Jonathan Rauch, buy it immediately and also listen to our episode with him.* Wait, Zionists killed Kennedy now?* Antisemitism is just math.* People should really learn to to hate themselves more.All of the love to The Fifth Column community!! We love you, Michael loves you, we all love each other. None of us would be doing this without you.

Best Of TP&R As we close out the year, we're resurfacing a small handful of conversations from the Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other archive that best reflect what this show exists to do: create space for thoughtful disagreement, moral seriousness, and the hard work of living together in a pluralistic democracy. This conversation with Jonathan Rauch and Liz Joyner stands out as a true highlight — not just because of the ideas discussed, but because of the spirit in which they're explored: curiosity, generosity, and an insistence that liberal democracy is something we must actively practice. Whether this is your first time hearing it or you're returning to it, I'm really glad you're here.   Why defending viewpoint diversity might be the most radical—and necessary—act in higher education today. What a treat to welcome two leading voices in the fight for viewpoint diversity and constructive civic dialogue: Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at Brookings and author of The Constitution of Knowledge, and Liz Joyner, founder of The Village Square. Recorded at a moment of rising polarization — and resurfaced now because its insights have only grown more urgent — Jon and Liz unpack the mission of Heterodox Academy (HxA). As board members, Jon and Liz unpack the organization's mission to restore open inquiry and truth-seeking within higher education—and how these values are essential to preserving our democracy at large. With personal stories, sharp analysis, and even a few laughs, they explore what we each can do to counter the ecosystem of illiberalism and strengthen the social fabric. Calls to Action: ✅ If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who might need a reminder that disagreement doesn't have to mean dehumanization. ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Check out our Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Timestamps & Topics [00:00:00] Intro: What's broken in our democracy and how we fix it [00:01:00] Meet the guests: Jonathan Rauch and Liz Joyner [00:03:00] What is Heterodox Academy and how did it begin? [00:06:00] Rauch on early signs of "wokeness" and Kindly Inquisitors [00:08:00] Joyner's grassroots experience with ideological diversity at Village Square [00:10:00] The "ecosystem of illiberalism" and why liberal principles matter [00:15:00] Can HxA help defend against external political coercion? [00:20:00] Are we headed toward institutional collapse or renewal? [00:25:00] Speech vs. coercion: The cultural and legal frontlines [00:33:00] Personal costs of speaking out: Corey's Chappelle story [00:36:00] What should institutions do to defend free speech? [00:39:00] On the Trump administration's authoritarian tactics [00:45:00] Fears for 2026 and 2028 elections [00:48:00] Signs of progress: Academic reform, FIRE, and HxA programs [00:54:00] How to break the cycle of intolerance [00:56:00] How do we actually talk to people who disagree? [01:01:00] "Love people back into communion with liberalism" [01:08:00] The local vs. national divide—learning from LA's fires & ICE raids [01:14:00] Final reflections: Reclaiming truth, curiosity, and compassion Key Takeaways Liberalism needs defenders: Jon reminds us that truth-seeking demands criticism—and that “criticism hurts, but it's necessary.” Civic spaces matter: Liz underscores the importance of local, respectful dialogue and building trust before crisis hits. The ecosystem is the problem: Illiberalism isn't coming from just one side; it's a reactive spiral we must all help disrupt. Institutions must hold firm: It's not disagreement that's dangerous—it's coercion by powerful entities that silence dissent. Each of us has a role: From book clubs to coffee shops, we can all “love people back into communion with liberalism.” Notable Quotes “We are better together. A diverse people can self-govern—if we protect the institutions that help us do so.” – Liz Joyner “If I'm talking, I'm not learning. If I'm listening, I probably am.” – Jonathan Rauch “What I'd like you to talk about today is how we can love people back into communion with liberalism.” – Quoting Jonathan V. Last (via Liz Joyner) Resources & Mentions Heterodox Academy - heterodoxacademy.org The Constitution of Knowledge - www.brookings.edu/books/the-constitution-of-knowledge Kindly Inquisitors - press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/K/bo18140749.html A University the World Has Never Seen- heterodoxacademy.substack.com/p/a-university-the-world-has-never Jonathan Rauch- jonathanrauch.typepad.com Connect on Social Media: Corey is @coreysnathan on all the socials... Substack LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Threads Bluesky TikTok Our Sponsors Pew Research Center: pewresearch.org The Village Square: villagesquare.us Meza Wealth Management: mezawealth.com Proud members of The Democracy Group May your next conversation make room for disagreement — and still leave space for curiosity, courage, and care.

Author and journalist Jonathan Rauch is a Jewish atheist. And yet, he's calling on Christians to remember their faith — and practice it the way Founding Father James Madison might have done.

In this episode of The Good Fight Club, Yascha Mounk, Renée DiResta, Jacob Mchangama, and Jonathan Rauch discuss threats to free speech under Joe Biden vs Donald Trump, how to protect free speech, and the administration's new compact for universities. Renée DiResta is an Associate Research Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown and author of Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality. Jacob Mchangama is the Executive Director of The Future of Free Speech and a research professor at Vanderbilt University. He is also a Senior Fellow at The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and the author of Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media. Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution, and a member of the Persuasion Board of Advisors. If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone. Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! Spotify | Apple | Google X: @Yascha_Mounk & @JoinPersuasion YouTube: Yascha Mounk, Persuasion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why defending viewpoint diversity might be the most radical—and necessary—act in higher education today.

This week we had the absolute honor of interviewing Jonathan Rauch. Rauch is an extremely influential public intellectual (journalist and author) who is also a Popperian. His 1993 book, Kindly Inquisitors, makes the epistemic case for free speech. It is a stone cold classic that will be with us for a long time. In his 2021 sequel, The Constitution of Knowledge, he considers how society collectively produces knowledge and the dangers of misinformation. He has also written a book that provided the “intellectual framework” for the case for same sex marriage. (link)And though he says he's a Jewish atheist, his latest book, Cross Purposes, is a critical, yet reverential, book on Christianity making the case that our society needs more and not less Christianity. Follow Jonathan Rauch on X.

Christianity is the load bearing wall that holds up democracy, and it is crumbling says author, journalist, and senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, Jonathan Rauch. A committed atheist, Rauch says citizens need to take a page from the Christian bible and offer compassion to others, forgive and share power otherwise democracy will not survive. He warns that fear and grievance have replaced biblical values and both religion and society are suffering because of it. Rauch writes about returning faith to focusing on healing instead of dividing in his book, Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy.

We're joined by Jonathan Rauch to discuss what it means to be a radical incrementalist, how to foment revolution on geological timescales, and whether Christianity can be a force for good in politics. Can Jon convince angry-Hitchens-atheist Vaden that Christianity has some benefits? Will both Vaden and Ben be at Sunday prayer? Follow Jonathan on his website (https://www.jonathanrauch.com/about.html), at Brookings (https://www.brookings.edu/people/jonathan-rauch/), at The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/author/jonathan-rauch/) or on Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/jonrauch.bsky.social). We discuss The constitution of knowledge and whether it's holding Norms vs laws, and whether we should introduce more laws to codify norms Popper's paradox of tolerance How should liberals respond to illiberalism? Which tactics, if any, should democrats adopt from MAGA to fight MAGA? Sharp Christianity and Christian nationalism Rauch's plea to Christians References The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (https://www.amazon.com/Constitution-Knowledge-Jonathan-Rauch/dp/0815738862) Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy (https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Purposes-Christianitys-Bargain-Democracy/dp/0300273541) Errata Jonathan Rauch is the author of nine books, not eight! Socials Follow us on Twitter at @JonRauch, @IncrementsPod, @BennyChugg, @VadenMasrani Come join our discord server! DM us on twitter or send us an email to get a supersecret link Become a patreon subscriber here (https://www.patreon.com/Increments). Or give us one-time cash donations to help cover our lack of cash donations here (https://ko-fi.com/increments). Click dem like buttons on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_4wZzQyoW4s4ZuE4FY9DQQ) Anyone in Canada have a basement suite Jonathan could rent for a while? Send your address over to incrementspodcast@gmail.com Special Guest: Jonathan Rauch.

So where exactly is Trump's America? According to the Brookings fellow Jonathan Rauch, the world's largest economic, military and cultural power is “half way to Hungary” - the small, landlocked Central European country run by an equally small and landlocked man called Viktor Orban. For Rauch, this suggests that America is on its way to becoming the sort of pathetically petty patrimonial state that the wannabe dictator Orban is trying to establish in Hungary. But the idea of the world's dominant superpower being “halfway to Budapest” sounds more like the title of a characteristically absurd central European novel. It suggests that Trump's America is, in fact, currently lost in the mid-Atlantic. It's nowhere. And if making America great again really does require borrowing anything from a country as small and landlocked as Hungary, then I fear for the historical significance of both Trump and his MAGA movement. Surely they could come up with a more original playbook than that?1. America is Following the “Hungarian Playbook” of Modern Authoritarianism Rauch warns that Trump is deploying Viktor Orbán's four-part strategy: sue critics into bankruptcy, use regulatory power to threaten licenses, buy out media outlets, and intimidate advertisers. This represents a new form of authoritarianism that doesn't require tanks or military coups.2. The Rise of the “Woke Right” - Postmodern Tactics Adopted by Conservatives The right has borrowed from postmodern philosophy the idea that there's no objective truth, only power and narrative control. This creates a “postmodern right” that focuses on winning stories rather than establishing facts - exemplified by claims about vaccine dangers or election fraud.3. Constitutional Crisis is Already Underway, Not Coming Rauch argues we're not heading toward a constitutional crisis - we're already in one. He points to executive orders targeting political enemies and the “naked politicization” of prosecutorial systems as evidence that democratic norms have already been breached.4. 2028, Not 2026, Will Be the Real Test While Rauch expects the 2026 midterms to be relatively fair (70-80% likelihood), he's deeply concerned about 2028. The administration won't have enough time to fully implement election interference by 2026, but 2028 could see systematic attempts to rig the democratic process.5. Resistance Requires Slowing Down Authoritarian “Shock and Awe” The most effective resistance strategy is to slow down Trump's rapid implementation of authoritarian measures through litigation and civil society pushback. Early capitulation doesn't work - it only invites more demands. The key is preventing the normalization of antidemocratic behavior.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

BYU professor Ralph Hancock responds to BYU professor Kelly Patterson on the issue of liberalism in the church and journalist Jonathan Rauch. What does "Love" really mean, and how is it used politically? Cwic Media Website: http://www.cwicmedia.com  

Can Democrats pull a Ronald Reagan? That's the provocative question at the heart of Peter Wehner and Jonathan Rauch's New York Times intriguing piece about how the Democrats can win back the presidency in 2028. Just as the neo-liberal Reagan crushed the cardigan-wearing Carter by promising economic vitality over malaise, Democrats now have a chance to flip the script—if only they can drop their annoying cultural politics and reclaim the mantle of middle-class prosperity. By owning the American Dream, Rauch and Wehner suggest, you also own American politics. Given the Republican abandonment of growth politics, they argue, the seeds of a Democratic revival have already been sown. Now all the party needs is somebody with Reagan's messaging genius. Mark Cuban, perhaps?1. Democrats Are Abandoning Anti-Trump Strategy for Positive MessagingThe 19 Democrats interviewed for the article were explicitly asked not to mention Trump—a "disciplining exercise" that revealed the party's recognition that pure opposition isn't enough. They need an affirmative agenda focused on prosperity and the American dream rather than just being the anti-Trump party.2. Republicans Have Abandoned Growth Politics, Creating an OpeningTrump's GOP now runs on "scarcity" and "beggar-thy-neighbor" policies—tariffs that raise prices, fewer immigrants despite labor shortages, telling Americans to "make do with less." This abandons Reagan's successful abundance message and gives Democrats a chance to become the "party of prosperity."3. Cultural Issues Are Democrats' Biggest Barrier to Economic CredibilityEvery Democrat interviewed acknowledged they must move to the center on cultural issues before voters will listen to their economic message. As Rahm Emanuel put it: "If you don't get through that cultural barrier, people aren't going to listen to you on kitchen table issues." Early signs include Gavin Newsom's shifts on transgender policies and Wes Moore rejecting reparations.4. The "Abundance Agenda" Could Unite Progressive and Centrist WingsDemocrats see potential common ground: progressives can focus on breaking up monopolies and corporate price manipulation, while centrists tackle zoning reform and regulatory barriers. Both approaches aim to reduce artificial scarcity and boost middle-class prosperity.5. 2028 May Require an Outsider, Not a Traditional PoliticianWith Trump at 37% approval and voters seeking authenticity, energy, and change, Democrats may need someone like Mark Cuban rather than a typical governor or senator. The party is looking for someone who can challenge the status quo without sounding like a conventional politician—much like Reagan did in 1980.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

***Please subscribe to Matt's ⁠Substack⁠ at https://worthknowing.substack.com/***This episode of the 'Worth Knowing' live stream delves into the question of whether the Democratic Party is on the verge of a major comeback, even in the face of the onslaught of the Trump administration. Matt is joined by esteemed political analysts Peter Wehner and Jonathan Rauch, who discuss analyses from top political thinkers suggesting a potential Democratic resurgence. They explore the importance of cultural and economic strategies, including reclaiming the party's image on prosperity and cultural issues, and suggest embracing religious values to connect with a broader electorate. The conversation touches on practical policy ideas, the complexities of internal party divisions, and the need for a compelling narrative to galvanize support and offer a viable alternative to the current administration.00:00 Introduction and Technical Issues00:46 The Democratic Party's Comeback?02:58 Political Analysts Weigh In03:32 Challenges Facing the Democratic Party06:51 Economic and Cultural Strategies13:44 Historical Comparisons and Lessons26:34 The Importance of Storytelling in Politics27:17 Government Competence and Public Expectations28:17 Challenges in Blue State Cities29:37 Democratic Policy Perception Issues31:28 Survey Insights and Policy Suggestions38:28 Cultural Disconnect and Woke Perception47:22 Faith and Politics: A Missed Opportunity for Democrats54:48 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

Professor Ralph Hancock of BYU discusses the dilemmas facing the church and the complexities of navigating politics as Latter-day Saints work within a secular world. Ralph's Articles on Alive and Intelligent Substack - https://aliveandintelligent.substack.com Cwic Media Website: http://www.cwicmedia.com

The intellectual-political discussion of the so-called abundance movement typically is described as a debate taking place almost entirely on the left. But in fact many of its major themes were being discussed in right-leaning circles decades ago. Virginia Postrel, a libertarian thinker and journalist who was the former editor-in-chief of Reason magazine, anticipated much of the current discourse around abundance in her classic 1998 book The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress. Even earlier, in 1990, Postrel was among the first to see that the most important ideological division that was emerging in American politics was not between left and right but between what she called “the proponents of economic dynamism and the advocates of stasis.” The power of Postrel's prophecy is evident from even a cursory examination of current politics, in which debates over issues like trade, immigration, housing construction, energy production, and environmental conservation inevitably produce odd-bedfellows coalitions of left and right. Postrel generally approves of center-left advocates of abundance like Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson — since, as she puts it, they share “the convictions that more is better than less, and that a good society is not zero-sum.” But she recently criticized the Klein-Thompson bestseller Abundance for its essentially technocratic mindset, in which change proceeds from central planning without what Postrel regards as sufficient feedback from market mechanisms or public input. She envisions a more libertarian-inflected version of abundance characterized by what she calls “a more emergent, bottom-up approach, imagining an open-ended future that relies less on direction by smart guys with political authority and more on grassroots experimentation, competition, and criticism.”In this podcast conversation, Postrel analyzes different approaches to what she considers to be the linked causes of abundance and progress — although she notes that progress “tends to code a little right and tends to be more libertarian, more Silicon Valley people” — along with the basic political division between advocates of stasis and dynamism. She talks about her South Carolina origins and her study of the Renaissance, “when dynamism was invented.” She points out that her analysis of dynamism in some measure derived from her love of — and worries about — her adoptive state of California. She discusses some of the thinkers who influenced her analysis, including innovators like Stewart Brand, writers like Jonathan Rauch, Daniel Boorstin, and Henry Petroski, and economists including Friedrich Hayek, Michael Polyani, Mancur Olson, and Paul Romer. And she describes how her interests in dynamism and human invention relate to her interests in textiles, design, fashion, and aesthetics. 

Why does a self-described “gay, atheistic Jewish guy” argue that America needs more Christianity right now? In this thought-provoking episode, Jonathan Rauch, author, Brookings Institution senior fellow, and newly appointed board member of Heterodox Academy, joins host John Tomasi for an insightful discussion recorded in Washington, D.C. Jonathan reflects on his new book, Cross Purposes, a contrarian apology for the Christian values that once helped sustain both American self-government and its universities. Drawing from personal narratives, constitutional history, and contemporary social fractures, Rauch argues that the decline of robust, virtue-based Christianity and the politicization of faith have contributed to polarization, anxiety, and a crisis of institutional trust. Jonathan and John discuss Tocqueville's analysis of individualism, the “God-shaped hole” now filled by less constructive substitutes, and what both faith and scholarship can contribute to a pluralistic republic. Join us for the conversation and explore practical and philosophical pathways to revive the transformative power of both religious and academic institutions. In This Episode:

In this episode, host Corey Nathan welcomes Liz Joyner, founder and president of The Village Square, a civic organization dedicated to bridging divides and fostering dialogue across political and cultural lines. Liz shares the story behind founding The Village Square, her passion for preserving democratic values, and her experience navigating political polarization with grace, humor, and tenacity. As dear friends and collaborators, Corey and Liz offer listeners a heartfelt and insightful conversation about the importance of disagreement, empathy, and genuine connection. What You Will Learn: How Liz Joyner built The Village Square to combat political divisiveness The power of human connection and shared experiences in fostering civic trust Key strategies for having meaningful conversations across ideological divides Why now is a pivotal moment for preserving democracy and civil discourse How personal stories and experiences shape our political views and actions Episode Highlights: [00:01:00] Introduction to Liz Joyner and her work with The Village Square [00:06:00] Reflecting on her family's military background and public service [00:13:00] The key question: How can we engage across our differences? [00:22:00] The role of The Village Square's God Squad in promoting interfaith dialogue [00:31:00] The psychological roots of tribalism and political polarization [00:50:00] The threat to public humanities and the importance of civic institutions [01:00:00] Liz's favorite spot in D.C. and its symbolic value for democracy Featured Quotes: “We just need to do it. Reach out. Make the call. Share a meal. Be human.” “When we see others up close, we see their good intentions. That's where empathy begins.” “Disagreement, done well, is the genius behind our democracy.” “The genius of our system is that it relies on heterogeneity—on us learning from each other.” Resources Mentioned: The Village Square: villagesquare.us The Constitution of Knowledge by Jonathan Rauch: www.brookings.edu/books/the-constitution-of-knowledge Roger Herbert's Substack: https://rogerherbert.substack.com The National Portrait Gallery: https://npg.si.edu

The Atlantic's Jonathan Rauch joins Mona to talk about Trump's Achilles Heel.

Politics is a strange business with the Church and BYU. Dan Ellsworth talks about author and columnist Jonathan Rauch and his "partnership" with the Church. He also covers some major structural differences between the Restored Church and Evangelicals.

BYU chooses some interesting guest speakers. One recent speaker is Jonathan Rauch, a gay atheist supporting compromise between the LGBTQ agenda and institutional religion. Mostly Christianity. Political veteran Paul Mero and political influencer Eric Moutsos discuss the real fallout of this compromise and dissect its faults. A lot of new fluffy word are used but in the end, Rauch is simply asking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to compromise on legally on an anti-family agenda. A compromise that strengthens churches' right to discriminate while removing rights from their members and all citizens.  Website- www.cwicmedia.com

Trump may be brilliant at assaulting us with his daily distractions, but Democrats need to relentlessly target his corruption because that may be his weak spot. He is running the government in a pre-modern way—like it's his own personal piggy bank. And he has replaced rules-oriented bureaucrats with mostly incompetent loyalists who are only there to do his bidding. Meanwhile, Christianity could help heal the country's partisan polarization if it returns to the teachings of Jesus instead of the gospel of Donald Trump. Plus, the constant burden of having to fight the cognitive warfare and sensory overload coming out of the White House.  Brookings' Jonathan Rauch joins Tim Miller.joins Tim Miller.  show notes Jon's piece on Trump's patrimonialism Jon's predictions in 2022 about a Trump second term A Chris Murphy Senate floor speech on Trump's corruption Mark Hertling piece on the Russian and Ukrainian armies that Tim referenced Jon's new book, "Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy" Jon's book, "The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50" The opening scene of The Godfather

In the past few weeks, Bari has done two episodes on religion—one asking, “Do we need a religious revival?,” and then a follow-up conversation with Ross Douthat asking how people who grew up in the secular West can actually find faith. Today, we have the last installment of this intellectual and religious inquiry, and we are asking a new question: What is the role of religion as a political force in this country? Our guest today, Jonathan Rauch, says: “Christianity is a load-bearing wall of American civic life.” In other words, the success of liberal democracy depends on a healthy Christianity to support it—and if Christianity falters, our American project will falter too. We get into why that is in this conversation. It's a fascinating position for a person who happens to be an atheist, Jewish, gay man. And Jonathan doesn't just say we need to embrace Christianity, he goes a step further. He says that Christians need to look in the mirror and reconsider how Jesus would approach American politics today.   Jonathan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and he just wrote Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy. Bari asks him about the breakdown of religion. She asks about the religious and political forces that have shaped our present moment, like MAGA, the evangelical movement, and their marriage to President Donald Trump. And, she asks about the rise of Christian nationalism and the threat it poses. And, most importantly, she asks how we can restore health in political life. Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today's biggest news stories. Head over to fastgrowingtrees.com/Honestly and use the code HONESTLY at checkout to get 15% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does a nice Jewish boy who is also a gay atheist have the chutzpah to lecture Christianity on its obligations to democracy? Listen to author Jonathan Rauch talk about his book Cross Purposes with EconTalk's Russ Roberts as Rauch makes the case for what he calls a thicker Christianity.

Donald Trump launched a global trade war because he thinks America's trade deficit makes us “losers,” but does he even understand what a trade deficit is? Phil introduces a new segment full of statistics that make Kaitlyn and Skye groan. And they discuss David Brooks' new article in The Atlantic, which compares this moment in U.S. history to the era of Andrew Jackson, and offers hope for what may come after MAGA. Skye interviews Jonathan Rauch about his new book, “Cross Purposes.” Rauch, an atheist, says his antagonism toward Christianity changed when he came to see how vital it is to American democracy and why evangelicals' failure to follow Jesus is putting the whole country at risk.   Holy Post Plus: Bonus Interview with Jonathan Rauch https://www.patreon.com/posts/125941930/   Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/126225451/ 0:00 - Show Starts   3:05 - Theme Song   3:30 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month   4:35 - Sponsor - Blueland - Get up to 25% off your first order by going to https://www.Blueland.com/HOLYPOST   7:12 - Stock Market Crash!   15:49 - How Idols Steal from Us   20:36 - DEI Removal   27:50 - Nihilism   41:20 - How Do Things Get Better?   48:18 - Sponsor - Hiya Health - Go to https://www.hiyahealth.com/HOLYPOST to receive 50% off your first order   49:22 - Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST   50:30 - Interview   55:04 - Secularization's Consequences   1:06:22 - Christianity as an Exilic Religion   1:15:20 - Evangelism as Market-Driven Religion   1:26:52 - End Credits   Links from News Segment: David Brooks Article: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/05/trumpism-maga-populism-power-pursuit/682116/   Other Resources: Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy by Jonathan Rauch: https://a.co/d/8Zl4bvs   Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop   The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.  

Author Jonathan Rauch is back on the show with his new book, Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy, and a wide-ranging, challenging, and thought-provoking conversation with Penn, Matt, and Reddi about the role of Christianity in America, Christian values from an atheist's viewpoint, and lots more.

Yascha Mounk and Jonathan Rauch also discuss patrimonialism in the United States. Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution and a member of the Persuasion Board of Advisors. His latest book is Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy. In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Jonathan Rauch discuss the decline of religion and its impact on society, the long-term future of religion in America, and why patrimonialism is the best frame for understanding the Trump administration. Please do listen and spread the word about The Good Fight. If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone. Email: podcast@persuasion.community  Website: http://www.persuasion.community Podcast production by Mickey Freeland, and Leonora Barclay Connect with us! Spotify | Apple | Google Twitter: @Yascha_Mounk & @joinpersuasion Youtube: Yascha Mounk LinkedIn: Persuasion Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 In his first month in office, Donald Trump has broken international agreements with allies, ended all foreign aid, voted with America's enemies in the UN, posted a plan to turn Gaza into a Trump casino and resort, purged the Pentagon of military commanders, appointed podcasters and conspiracy theorists to his cabinet, and threatened to invade or annex Canada, Greenland, and Panama. David French and Skye Jethani discuss various theories to explain Trump's approach to governing, and find one model that makes a lot of sense in an article by Jonathan Rouch. Then they contrast it with what the Founders said was necessary for the republic to survive—virtue. Finally, they discuss how the decline of virtue in American leadership may be the fruit of the church's failure to make disciples. 0:00 - French Friday's Moving to The SkyePod! 1:27 - The Theme Song 2:23 - Ukraine and Trump 8:11 - Trump 1.0 vs Trump 2.0 16:43 - Triumphalism's Shelf Life 25:53 - Bureaucracy vs Mob Boss 32:38 - Megachurches and Patrimonialism 39:38 - American Democracy and Christianity 55:52 - Prophecy's Role in MAGA 1:05:00 - End Credits One Word Describes Trump (Article by Jonathan Rauch): https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/corruption-trump-administration/681794/ Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy by Jonathan Rauch: https://a.co/d/26wdqNC  Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America by Jeffrey Rosen: https://a.co/d/6Crl6Hk  

What is the hidden influence of Christianity in American society—and what happens if it disappears? Host Curtis Chang sits down with Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and author of Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy, to explore how Judeo-Christian values have shaped democracy and what their decline means for our political and social landscape. They discuss the rise of fear within the evangelical church, political polarization, and make the case for Christian virtues as a stabilizing force at the heart of the American republic. Whether you're a believer or a skeptic, it's important to understand why Christianity's influence extends far beyond the church—and why its disappearance could reshape the future of democracy. Send written questions or voice memos for “Ask Curtis” episodes to: askcurtis@redeemingbabel.org   Get a 25% discount when you buy The Art of Disagreeing by Gavin Ortland at thegoodbook.com with code: GOODFAITH   Resources from this episode: Jonathan Rauch's 2003 The Atlantic article Let It Be Jonathan Rauch's Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy The rise of the AfD in Germany France holds off the far right Pew Research: Modeling the Future of Religion in America James Madison and religious freedom Can the Religious Right Be Saved? by Dr. Russell Moore Dr. Timothy Keller: Suffering: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world? Learn more about The After Party   More From Jonathan Rauch: Read the latest article by Jonathan Rauch: One Word Describes Trump Jonathan Rauch's The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth Jonathan Rauch's work at the Brookings Institute Jonathan Rauch's The Atlantic articles   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   Sign up: Redeeming Babel Newsletter

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the chaos and coming fight around impoundment of federal grants; the surprise market shakeup around AI and DeepSeek; and talk with Jonathan Rauch about his new book out next week entitled Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy. For this week's Slate Plus Episode, Emily, John, and David discuss new data from the 2024 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments and the collapse of student test scores in the US.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Yael van der Wouden about her novel, The Safekeep.    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Research by Emily Ditto   Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the chaos and coming fight around impoundment of federal grants; the surprise market shakeup around AI and DeepSeek; and talk with Jonathan Rauch about his new book out next week entitled Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy. For this week's Slate Plus Episode, Emily, John, and David discuss new data from the 2024 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments and the collapse of student test scores in the US.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Yael van der Wouden about her novel, The Safekeep.    Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Research by Emily Ditto   Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you'll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brookings Institution senior fellow and best-selling author Jonathan Rauch has returned to The Remnant once more to subject his latest book to Jonah Goldberg's barrage of inquiry. The book in question, Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy, seeks to remind Americans that liberalism cannot function without strong Christian institutions and argues that living the Christian doctrine could help fix our democracy. Jonah and Jonathan discuss new ways to protect American pluralism, spiritual formation in the civic realm, and the admirable strategies of the Church of Latter-day Saints. Show Notes: —Buy Cross Purposes here —G-File: Slog and Sacrifice The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch's offerings—including Jonah's G-File newsletter, weekly livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'll be back next week with a new episode, but in the meantime we're kicking off 2025 with a great conversation from our friends at “The Opinions.” In this episode, the New York Times Opinion columnist David French, a lifelong evangelical, speaks to Jonathan Rauch, an atheist and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, about the crisis of Christianity in the United States and how faith might be the only way to redeem democracy.(A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts about the show? Email us at matterofopinion@nytimes.com or leave a voicemail at (212) 556-7440. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.