Jay discusses Palestine with historian and author Ilan Pappe. Together they ponder if we are seeing the end of Zionism and what might that collapse might look like. Jay then reads an essay on the topic of forgiveness and redemption and how the psychology of cognitive dissonance prevents us from having evidence change our mind ..read more

In the final part of this series, Jay dissects the definition of the words Zionism, Israel, and Judaism and delivers a Speech he wishes a future Prime Minister of Israel would give. The entire collection and all resources can be found here: whatjaythinks.com ..read more

A conversation with Miko Peled on his journey from unquestioned Zionism to becoming an active Palestinian Activist. In this episode we discuss: Jacob Israel de Haan Where are the Palestinian Nelson Mandelas? How Miko changed his mind When the only thing left is violence Why Zionism is flawed from the beginning What the future might hold for Israel Zionism vs Judaism and more ..read more

A conversation with Richard English who dares ask the question "Does Terrorism Work?" In this episode we discuss: The IRA The Troubles Hamas Al Qaeda Jewish Terrorists Whether Israel is an example of successful Terrorism The motivations of terrorists How to evaluate the success of terrorists Deciphering the intent of terrorists How terrorist motivations change when they take power and more... 1948 Einstein and Arendt letter to the NY Times More information and recommendations at whatjaythinks.com ..read more

A conversation with Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy where we take the pulse of Israel and discuss how he came to question the Zionist project and where we might go from here. In this episode he discusses: Two State Solutions What Israelis know How America ruined Israel Why journalists censor themselves The power of American Jews to change things If there is any hope Does Israel have a plan? More information and recommendations at whatjaythinks.com ..read more

Jay Shapiro breaks down arguments being presented by popular thinkers such as Sam Harris and from Zionists who defend Israel. He walks through the complications of deciphering the popularity of Islamism and Jihadism and Hamas and he outlines the mentality of "tribal essentialism".He teases a trilogy of upcoming episodes with Gideon Levy, Richard English, and Miko Peled. In this episode he discusses: Deciphering IDF intentions Settler expansion Roman Abramovich Birthright Zionism as Colonialism The Arab Spring Menachem Begin Irgun, Stern Gang, Hagana Two State Solutions One State Hopes More inf ..read more

David Livingstone Smith has been studying "dehumanization" for decades and has written three books on the subject. In this episode Jay and Smith apply his findings to the current conflict in Israel and broaden their scope to examine how a rising modern factor of "Distance" interplays with violence ..read more

Jay Shapiro's personal essay and account of how the disfigurement of American Judaism has forged an existential crisis for something much bigger than survival of the state of Israel ..read more

A nuanced look at the morality of intentions and self-deceptions in the Israel Palestinian conflict. A look at the moral distinction between collateral damage, intentional civilian targeting, and something much more common and psychologically complex which the Jewish experience makes Israel particularly suspectable to. Referenced in this episode: The Rest Is Politics - Husam Zomlot The Rest Is Politics - Yuval Noah Harari Slavoj Zizek - Bookfair Speech on Israel and Palestine Essay published at What Jay Thinks: What Jay Thinks ..read more

What is it like to be a baseball bat? This episode is a dive into the philosophical approach known as Object Oriented Ontology (OOO) with the author and philosopher Ian Bogost. Ian Bogost is a video game designer, author, and philosopher known for his most recent book Play Anything, but this episode is all about his book Alien Phenomenology: or What is it Like to be a Thing ..read more