What We Were

Dan
  • 5.0 (8)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

We examine stories and issues from around the globe to reveal important nuance, expand empathy, and break the binary.

  1. APR 17

    #37 - Jacob Siegel on The Information State

    Jacob Siegel is a writer and editor at Tablet and author of The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control. A U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is also a co-host of the Manifesto! podcast. We discuss his book and what it means for the present and future of the West in the midst of a transformation from the form of representative government we have always known into a whole of society technopoly driven by state-orchestrated surveillance, censorship, and the algorithmic tuning of public opinion.

    1h 1m

  2. MAR 26

    #36 - The Forgotten Amendment

    The first proposed amendment to the Constitution was not about speech, religion, or guns. It was about the size of the House of Representatives—and if it had passed, Congress today might have nearly 7,000 members, not 435. In this episode, we explore the forgotten apportionment amendment, why it failed, what James Madison feared, and how America’s lower chamber gradually drifted away from the people it was supposed to represent.

    38 min

  3. FEB 16

    #35 - Braver Angels With Co-Founder Bill Doherty

    Can "Braver Angels" save America? Bill Doherty and I discuss the causes of America's political divide and how Braver Angels is working to bridge it. Bill Doherty is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota where he taught marriage and family therapy. He focuses on couples on the brink of divorce and on political stress in relationships. Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, he co-founded Braver Angels , a citizen initiative bringing conservatives and liberals together to counteract political polarization and restore the fraying social fabric in American society. Braver Angels now has volunteers working in all 50 states. Among his awards is the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Academy. Donate or join Braver Angels at https://braverangels.org/

    1h 25m

  4. FEB 10

    #34 - Joseph Ellis on 'Founding Brothers'

    Joseph Ellis is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Founding Brothers, about the collaboration of America's greatest political generation, which is the focus of this conversation. In his latest book The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding, Ellis confronts what he calls the central paradox of the American founding: the same generation that articulated the most powerful case for human equality and natural rights in modern history also built a republic that abided the scourge of slavery. Ellis is also the author of American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson (National Book Award), Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams, His Excellency: George Washington, After the Revolution, American Creation, First Family: Abigail and John Adams, Revolutionary Summer, The Quartet, American Dialogue, What Would the Founders Do?, and The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773–1783. Follow him at josephellishistorian.com

    58 min

  5. 12/23/2025

    #33 - Mustafa Akyol on The Islamic Jesus

    Mustafa Akyol is a Turkish writer, journalist, and senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he explores the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He is the author of several books on religion and freedom, including The Islamic Jesus, The Islamic Moses and Islam without Extremes, Akyol also teaches on Islamic history and thought at institutions including Boston College and has been recognized as one of the world’s top thinkers for his work on reform, liberty, and tolerance within Muslim societies. Look for his upcoming book No Compulsion in Religion, No Exceptions and find him online at mustafaakyol.org. Merry Christmas! Dedicated to my keluarga angkat in Malaysia.

    1h 35m

  6. 10/21/2025

    #32 - Jeff Gibbs on 'Planet of the Humans'

    Environmentalist and documentary filmmaker Jeff Gibbs joins us to discuss his film Planet of the Humans, which pulls back the curtain on the "green energy" movement to reveal a for-profit industry that has tricked us into believing its technological solutions will save us from climate change, and that climate change is the only environmental issue that matters. We discuss reaction to his film on the political right, left, and center, and how to re-think environmentalism in a way that addresses the multitude of environmental challenges while bridging the obvious political divide preventing them from being addressed. Follow and support Jeff's work at https://planetofthehumans.com/ and to get updates on his upcoming projects

    1h 11m

  7. 08/15/2025

    #31 - A Conversation With Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick

    Justice Clint Bolick sits on the Arizona Supreme Court, originally appointed by Governor Doug Ducey in 2016. In this episode, Justice Bolick and I discuss the legal system, his experiences on the Court, and the state of American politics. Braver Angels is the national nonprofit I mention, and an organization I encourage every American to donate to and become a member of.

    1h 28m

  8. 07/04/2025

    #30 - A Molotov Cocktail for Professional Sports

    Happy Independence Day, American listeners! Professional sports in America has become a racket. Taking advantage of patriotic sentiment and our civic duty to be sports fans, corporations have seized the commanding heights of the sports economy to squeeze Americans when they're at their most vulnerable. In turn, Americans simply tolerate it. Ticket prices are up 300%—but wages aren’t. Beers for $15. Hot dogs for $9. Parking for $50. Billionaire owners, private equity firms, taxpayer-funded stadiums. America needs a sports fan union. Americans need to band together to boycott, pressure, and negotiate when prices go too high, when workers aren't well-compensated, or when politics kills the vibe. Donate to Cancer Research Institute

    25 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

We examine stories and issues from around the globe to reveal important nuance, expand empathy, and break the binary.

Information

  • Creator
    Dan
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dan
  • Show Website
    What We Were