Tamler Sommers, philosopher and co-host of Very Bad Wizards, joins us just a few days after the insurrection on the Capitol to explain how we got here (spoiler alert: liberalism's over-emphasis on individualism and dignity seriously failed us). He also walks us through some of the controversial arguments in his book — Why Honor Matters — and describes the ways in which honor cultures actually have a lot to teach us (especially in these crazy Covid times) about courage, community, and responsibility.
On the agenda:
Diagnosing Trump's army
Honor: What is it?
Honor v. Religion (see: our interviews w/ Tom Holland and Tomer Persico)
Anti-Maskers: Freedom fighters or Trump tribalists?
Honor's bad rap
What Liberalism Has Wrought — Mass Incarceration
Conflict Resolution in Honor Cultures
Restorative Justice in Theory (See “Can Forgiveness Play A Role in Criminal Justice?” and “Conflicts as Property”)
Vaccine envy, just desserts, and other American depravities
Restorative Justice in Action (Tamler’s inspirations: ”Forgiveness in Justice” & “Conflicts as Property”)
Interrupting violence with honor (and a cameo from The Godfather)
Safety, risk, and damned bicycle helmets
On Covid theater and authoritarian control
Tamler's beef with philosophy
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Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com.
On Honor and Justice (w/ Tamler Sommers)