Conversations With Coleman

New York City’s mayor on Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo; socialism and corruption; policing and power; rats and redemption. New York City mayor Eric Adams has had a controversial time in office. So why should New Yorkers trust him for another four years? In this episode, we talk about Adams’ criticisms of Zohran Mamdani, his call to Andrew Cuomo to step aside, and yes: rats, e-bikes, and trash. Adams also opens up about the police beating him as a teen, and how that moment shaped his life in law enforcement and politics. A special thanks to our sponsors: Go to groundnews.com/Coleman to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today’s biggest news stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m joined this week by someone who asks questions maybe all of us don’t ask enough: How do we become happier? And how do we date people we disagree with? And maybe most importantly: Why do people feel they are living lives without meaning? And how do we solve this?  My guest is Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor, a best-selling author, a social scientist, and a co-author (with Oprah, no less) of Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. Arthur has spent decades studying the science of human flourishing, and this conversation turned out to be one of the most personal I’ve had on the show . . .think live therapy session. I hope you enjoy it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I sit down with writer and thinker Tim Urban, creator of the blog Wait But Why to talk: political polarization, AI, university campuses and even dating.  Tim brings his trademark clarity and curiosity to a conversation that covers the rise of tribal thinking, the challenge of nuance in a viral world, and how humanity can navigate the information overload of the digital age. ⁠www.moinkbox.com/coleman⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, has long focused on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and advised multiple U.S. administrations on policy toward Iran. I invited him on Conversations with Coleman to explain the Iran nuclear issue at a deep level. We discussed the science of uranium enrichment, the differing Obama, Trump, and Biden policies on containment, and the history of Iran’s nuclear ambitions from the 1979 Revolution to today. Mark laid out the stakes of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran—not just for the United States, but for global stability—and the consequences of getting it wrong.  Mark emphasized how the calculation on confronting Iran has changed for Israel since October 7, 2023. While the U.S. has followed a doctrine of de-escalating to de-escalate—favoring diplomacy, economic incentives, and restraint—Israel now believes it must escalate to de-escalate. This conversation was recorded before Israel launched its attack on Iran, striking nuclear facilities, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military bases, missile launchers, and commanders’ residences. It’s now more important than ever to understand the context for the articles and commentary that you’re going to see over the next weeks and months. Subscribe to The Free Press for all of our ongoing reporting about the conflict at TheFP.com. Go to ⁠groundnews.com/coleman⁠ to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan.  ⁠www.moinkbox.com/coleman⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am proud to announce that I have relaunched my podcast, Conversations with Coleman, with The Free Press. My first guest is none other than Bari Weiss, who talks to me about the recent surge in antisemitism, what it means to speak out in a time when doing so can come at a cost, and how walking away from The New York Times has helped shape The Free Press. Join us as we also cover Trump, God, and the future of our democracy. It's a conversation you won’t want to miss. Go to groundnews.com/coleman to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan.  www.moinkbox.com/coleman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conversations with Coleman is where deep thinkers and curious minds meet for sharp, surprising, and unfiltered chats. Hosted by Coleman Hughes, writer, thinker, and guy who asks the questions other people dodge - this podcast isn’t about debating. It’s about discovery. Politics, philosophy, race, culture, science: it’s all fair game. If you're done with hot takes and hungry for real-talk, come join the conversation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support the podcast at Patreon.com/ColemanHughes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buy H.R. McMaster's book: https://www.amazon.com/At-War-Ourselves-Trump-White/dp/0062899503 Support the show at Patreon.com/colemanhughes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the rest of this episode : https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/listen Watch our event in Sydney at FODI: https://youtu.be/ZXZuI7TO3X0?si=LeSjD1PoUoFo01Xu Support my podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ColemanHughes     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BUY TIX to SYDNEY, AUS SHOW 8/25: https://festivalofdangerousideas.com/program/a-colourblind-society-uncomfortable-conversations/#tickets BUY TIX to MELBOURNE, AUS SHOW 8/28: https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/uncomfortable-conversations-live-with-coleman-hughes-and-josh-szeps-melbourne-28-08-2024/event/130060E1D02C314C     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

BUY TIX to SYDNEY, AUS 8/25: https://festivalofdangerousideas.com/program/a-colourblind-society-uncomfortable-conversations/#tickets BUY TIX to MELBOURNE, AUS 8/28: https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/uncomfortable-conversations-live-with-coleman-hughes-and-josh-szeps-melbourne-28-08-2024/event/130060E1D02C314C Show Sponsor: https://www.jordanharbinger.com/     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buy Nellie's book here: https://a.co/d/09QQ9O52 Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/ColemanHughes 00:00 Introduction and Nelly Bowles' Background 11:07 The Reality of Homelessness and Drug Addiction 32:59 The Idealism and Limitations of Progressive Movements 39:02 Human Nature and Failed Systems 46:06 Origins and Evolution of Antifa in Seattle and Portland 57:47 Corruption and Lack of Scrutiny in the Black Lives Matter Movement 01:09:32 Decline of Left-Wing Political Comedy and Rise of New Comedians   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Buy Rob's book: https://a.co/d/gv8juH9 Support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ColemanHughes 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:19 The Importance of Early Life Experiences 07:07 The Overemphasis on Education 09:48 The Flawed Measurement of Success 12:03 The Narrative of Overcoming Trauma 15:15 The Limitations of Post-Traumatic Growth 26:58 Gender Differences in Foster Care 29:23 Addressing Single Parent Homes 30:33 Cultural Shifts and Behavior Change 35:07 The Importance of Two-Parent Homes in the Neighborhood 39:37 The Influence of Background on Work on Luxury Beliefs 42:24 Using Race as a Proxy for Disadvantage 52:06 The Hypocrisy of Luxury Beliefs 58:46 The Effectiveness of Therapy 01:03:01 Ethics and Legality of Surrogacy   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To support the show, visit my Patreon page:  https://www.patreon.com/ColemanHughes   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Mary Harrington. Mary is a writer and contributing editor at UnHerd. She's the author of a great book called Feminism Against Progress. In this episode, we talk about her general critique of feminism, we talk about what she calls progress theology, we talk about the changing social status of motherhood, we talk about the Barbie movie, gender dysphoria, and much more Mary's Book - Feminism against Progress  Check out New Merch - https://merchandise.colemanhughes.org   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Philip Goff. Philip is a philosophy professor at Durham University. He's the author of Galileo's Error and Why the Purpose of the Universe.Philip believes that science gives us objective reasons to believe that there's value in the universe and he comes at this from a very different angle than say Sam Harris, who reaches the same conclusion for different reasons in his book, The Moral Landscape. Philip relies heavily on the so-called fine tuning argument. So we talk a lot about that in this podcast. We also talk about Philip's theory of panagentialism and much more.   Check out New Merch - https://merchandise.colemanhughes.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Cindy Yu. Cindy Yu is an assistant editor at the Spectator Magazine, and she's the host of the "Chinese Whispers" podcast, which is actually one of my favorite podcasts.We talk about whether China will invade Taiwan. We talk about whether the West should adopt a Cold War-like mentality towards China. We discuss the phenomenon of Chinese espionage in the West. We talk about the wave of immigration from Hong Kong into the UK. We discuss the nosedive in China's birthrate over the past 10 years. We talk about the so-called century of humiliation. We talk about the legacy of Xi Jinping. We also talk about the apparent futility of the democracy movement in China and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Nick Gillespie. Nick is a prominent libertarian journalist and commentator best known for his work at Reason Magazine, where he's been for around 30 years. In this episode, we discuss Nick's experience getting engaged at the recent Burning Man. We talk about psychedelic drugs, the promise they hold, as well as the dangers they contain. We talk about the evolution of the libertarian movement in America. We talk about how we should message about drugs to kids. We talk about the differences between MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD. We talk about why trust in government has declined, and much more.  Pre-Order my book: "The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America" - https://bit.ly/48VUw17 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Munira Mirza. Munira Mirza is a British public policy analyst and cultural commentator. She served as the Deputy Mayor for Education and Culture of London under Boris Johnson when he was mayor, and later served as director of The Number 10 Policy Unit under Johnson when he was prime minister. In this episode, we talk about Munira's early days as a Marxist, her interest in art and museums, her views on Brexit, her views on multiculturalism in the UK, the Israel-Hamas war and Jihadism in general, and much more. Pre-order my book: "The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America" - https://bit.ly/48VUw17 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is Rory Stewart. Rory Stewart is a British politician, diplomat, and author who served as a member of parliament from 2010 to 2019. He held several governmental positions, notably as a Secretary of State for International Development in 2019, and was known for his extensive work in Afghanistan and Iraq. Rory has authored several books, such as "The Places In Between", about his solo walk across Afghanistan, and his new book, "Politics on the Edge", a memoir from within. Rory and I talk about what he learned by walking across Afghanistan. We talk about the war in Afghanistan and what lessons Israel might take from it. We talk about Brexit. We talk about why the Scandinavian model is not appropriate for Britain. We talk about the culture of the world of politics. And finally, we talk about why Rory is so passionate about GiveDirectly, which allows people to give cash directly to the people in the developing world. References: Haaretz article - https://bitly.ws/ZG3G Noam Dworman's tweet- https://bitly.ws/ZG3R   Pre-order my book: "The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America" - https://bit.ly/48VUw17 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices