Humanity Matters
An opening provocation
Culture
Wisdom of Crowds.
Shadi Hamid and Damir Marusic on politics, philosophy, and first principles.
Recent essays
30 of 44Persona Launch Party: In Defense of Human Nature with Francis Fukuyama
drinking at the end of history
Is the Left's Moment Really Real This Time?
Sam Adler-Bell on patriotism, the payoff of radicalism, and why his caution keeps being proven wrong.
Where's Your Red Line?
Shadi thinks the DSA has a winning formula for politics. Damir wants to know what happens when the constraints are gone.
Anthropic's Jack Clark: AI or Democracy
Can the technology rushing toward us can coexist with self-government — or quietly replace it?
The Death of the Chatbot
Say goodbye to your little friend.
Speaking the Unspeakable
Join us on May 29 for an intimate evening salon to talk about forbidden things. In partnership with Interintellect.
Invitation, June 18, NYC: Interview with Jack Clark
AI and the Good Society
What If We Fired All the Politicians?
Hélène Landemore and Osita Nwanevu on lotteries, legitimacy, and the rights of the shy.
Church and Empire
Trump, the Pope, and the war nobody bothered to justify.
Politics Without Politicians
Live Podcast Recording—May 7; Bistro Cacao, Washington, DC
Did We Get Hungary Wrong?
Julian Waller on Orbán's fall, Magyar's rise, and a decade of bad shorthand.
Anti-Politics and the Counter-Revolution
Giovanni Orsina on whether Europe can survive the populist moment.
Peter Beinart on Why the "Right to Exist" is the Wrong Question
The harder question is what should actually replace it.
Techno Humanism? A Debate with Antón Barba-Kay and Jason Crawford
Live Podcast Recording—April 7; The Crown & Crow, Washington, DC
Does Israel Have a "Right" to Exist?
No. But that doesn't mean it should be dissolved either.
Is Modern Malaise Actually Modern?
A debate about whether our age is as unique as it thinks.
What Ails the Left?
Jonny Thakkar on why Democrats just can't people excited about their program.
The Future of Humanity: A Conversation with Rutger Bregman & Samuel Kimbriel
Live Podcast Recording—18 March; Embassy of the Free Mind, Amsterdam
Cameron Kasky on How Israel Lost America
The activist and former congressional candidate reflects on the changing fortunes of the Democratic Party.
Are We All Clavicular Now?
How successful and prosperous societies undermine the family — and human flourishing.
Just How Worried Should We Be About AI?
Henry Shevlin on the promise and peril of the coming revolution.
Pumping the Brakes on the Hype Cycle
The value of skepticism, explored.
American Exceptionalism on Trial
Trita Parsi debates Shadi on America's role in the world.
What the New Right Actually Believes
Laura Field on MAGA’s thinkers, factions, and internal tensions
The Next World Order
CrowdSource 1.26.2025
The Hard Problem of Technology
It's people.
Machines and Desire
CrowdSource 1.19.2025
Pivoting to video was a mistake.
2026 Ins and Outs with Jerome Powell
The ICE Shooting
CrowdSource 1.12.2025