Persuasion | Yascha Mounk | Substack

What Jill Lepore Knows About Harvard

Universities face unprecedented attacks from the government. But those within must sort themselves out if they want to regain trust.

10 hrs ago •

The Strange Death of Trump's Signature Policy

On DOGE's demise and government-by-chaos.

Dec 4 •

As a Twin, I'm Offended by Cloning

Why Tom Brady will never get his dog back.

Dec 3 •

Leonora Barclay

Teach Students Conservative Thought

The great thinkers on the right must be part of any syllabus that truly serves the next generation.

Dec 1 •

Benjamin Storey

and

Garry Kasparov: What Thanksgiving Means to Me

It's America's most important holiday.

Nov 27 •

Most Popular

Elon Musk and the Decline of Western Civilization

Jan 13 • Francis Fukuyama

It’s the Internet, Stupid

Oct 2 • Francis Fukuyama

A Letter From An Iranian

Jun 21

How Art Lost Its Way

Jan 6 • William Deresiewicz

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Frankly Fukuyama

45:56

Laura K. Field on the New Right

Francis Fukuyama and Laura K.

Dec 4 •

Francis Fukuyama

32:55

Jim Fishkin on Deliberation and Democracy

Francis Fukuyama interviews Jim Fishkin, author of Can Deliberation Cure the Ills of Democracy?, about why democracies need deliberation, the role of…

Nov 24 •

Francis Fukuyama

23:35

Why We Need Abundance

Francis Fukuyama is interviewed by Leonora Barclay, Head of Podcasts at Persuasion, about what’s stopping the United States from building…

Nov 17 •

Francis Fukuyama

Newsletters

Essays and conversations about big ideas from our editor-in-chief.

American Purpose

American Purpose at Persuasion is a continuation of the magazine, media project, and intellectual community chaired by Francis Fukuyama. Includes Larry Diamond's "Diamond on Democracy" column and the "Bookstack" podcast with Richard Aldous.

Yascha Mounk

Colleges Are Surrendering to AI

Here’s a better strategy for equipping students for the age of artificial intelligence.

Nov 14 •

When They Go Low, We Go... Low

To combat Trumpism, Democrats play the imitation game.

Nov 5 •

We All Live in a Village Now

How social media destroyed the freedoms of city life.

Oct 31 •

Recommendations

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Podcast: The Good Fight with Yascha Mounk

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Abigail Marsh on Psychopaths

Yascha Mounk and Abigail Marsh discuss how to recognize psychopathy—and what to do when you meet a psychopath.

Dec 2 •

1:24:37

Sven Beckert on How Capitalism Made the Modern World

Yascha Mounk and Sven Beckert discuss the history of our economic system.

Nov 29 •

1:44:02

Nate Soares on Why AI Could Kill Us All

Yascha Mounk and Nate Soares discuss the risks of artificial intelligence.

Nov 25 •

Podcasts

The Good Fight

Abigail Marsh on Psychopaths

Frankly Fukuyama

Laura K. Field on the New Right

Bookstack

Episode 176: Shadi Hamid on American Power

American Purpose

Columbus Day, Wounded Knee, and the Lessons of Pine Ridge

What the Lakota Music Project says about the United States.

15 hrs ago •

joseph horowitz

Permitting Reform Alone Is No Panacea

We must tackle the regulatory barriers to building in America—but this is no miracle cure.

Nov 20 •

Attention Is Power

Protecting free speech requires a new approach to social media.

Nov 13 •

Richard Reisman

America Needs a Pro-Democracy Coalition Now

Here’s how to build it.

Nov 12 •

Europe Must Create Its Own Future

The EU is slowly waking up from its stupor.

Nov 5 •

Bookstack

30:40

Episode 176: Shadi Hamid on American Power

Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST.

Nov 30 •

26:01

Episode 175: Sven Beckert on Capitalism

Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST.

Nov 23 •

25:30

Episode 174: Vanessa Williamson on the Price of Democracy

Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST.

Nov 16 •

28:20

Episode 173: Phillips O'Brien on War and Power

Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST.

Nov 2 •

Recent posts

The Pentagon vs Mark Kelly

What happens when the duty to uphold the Constitution clashes with the duty to obey orders?

Nov 26 •

Localism, Not Nationalism, Will Cure What Ails Rural America

What JD Vance gets right and wrong about our left-behind regions.

Nov 25 •

Jeffery Tyler Syck

It’s Time for a New Left

Its 21st century project has failed. An overhaul is in order.

Nov 24 •

What Does Nick Fuentes Think He’s Doing?

On being an insufferable contrarian.

Nov 21 •

272 Words That Changed America

What we talk about when we talk about the Gettysburg Address.

Nov 19 •

Steven B. Smith

The latest from

Sam Kahn

The Strange Death of Trump's Signature Policy

Leonora Barclay

This Week At Persuasion

Francis Fukuyama

Laura K. Field on the New Right

Yascha Mounk

Abigail Marsh on Psychopaths

Richard Aldous

Episode 176: Shadi Hamid on American Power

Luke Hallam

The Pentagon vs Mark Kelly

Quico Toro

COP Can’t Cope With Climate Risks

David Hamburger

A Letter From An Israeli Shelter

Why Liberalism: A Series By Persuasion

Liberalism As Mob Boss

How to respond to conservative critiques of actually existing liberal societies.

Oct 30 •

Alexandre Lefebvre

An Open Society Requires Constant Vigilance

Liberalism is built on paradoxes—but we have a duty to defend it.

Sep 10 •

Roger Partridge

Bringing Human Nature Back In

Francis Fukuyama in the latest of our series “Why Liberalism.”

Aug 13 •

Francis Fukuyama

The Woke Right Stands At the Door

Whence comes this uncanniest of all guests?

Aug 6 •

Gradual Change is F***ing Awesome—And Liberalism Knows It

On Darwin, abuse, and Costanza politics.

Jul 30 •

The "Deep State" and Its Discontents: A Series By American Purpose

Deregulation for Me, Regulation for Thee

Trump hasn’t actually reduced the burden of the administrative state—he’s just shifted it onto all of us.

Oct 20 •

What Wednesday Taught Us About Trump’s Attitude to the Federal Bureaucracy

As if we needed any more reminders.

Oct 17 •

Armageddon in the Civil Service

Under cover of the government shutdown, Trump is stretching presidential powers even further by firing thousands of workers.

Oct 15 •

From Retribution to Regulatory Regime

The Trump administration has learned from earlier mistakes in its education policies.

Sep 15 •

R. Shep Melnick

Universities, Liberalism and Democracy: A Series By Persuasion

A Pedagogy of the Empowered

The left-wing cancellations of yesteryear teach us how to respond to the right-wing censorship of today.

May 26 •

How I Learned To Stop Criticizing Everything

There are two directions higher education can take. Here’s why I chose pluralism.

Oct 25, 2024 •

The current system is broken. Here’s what truly inclusive institutions would look like.

Sep 26, 2024 •

Rachel Kleinfeld

Reflections on the New Encampment Culture

There were many puzzling features of the recent protests. This coming year, universities must course correct—while protecting the right to dissent.

Sep 20, 2024 •

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