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Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael: Daily Summaries Delivered
by J.G.
A podcast where politics, history, and culture are examined from perspectives you may not have considered before. Call it a parallax view.
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- 3 days ago1h 10m
The Honesty Crisis w/ Christian Miller
👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael is joined by philosopher Christian Miller to discuss his book The Honesty Crisis: How to Make Sense of a World Where Everyone Lies. Miller examines one of the most important moral challenges facing contemporary society: the growing pressure placed on honesty by new technologies, changing social environments, and institutional incentives that increasingly make deception easier and more rewarding. Drawing from moral philosophy, virtue ethics, and psychological research, Miller argues that honesty is far more complex than simply "not lying." An honest person does not intentionally distort reality as they understand it, meaning dishonesty encompasses not only falsehoods but also misleading behavior, cheating, stealing, hypocrisy, self-deception, and other ways of manipulating how reality is represented. Miller also explores the important distinction between being wrong and being dishonest, arguing that someone can sincerely believe something false while still communicating honestly. At the heart of The Honesty Crisis is Miller's argument that society is facing multiple honesty crises when two conditions emerge: dishonest behavior becomes easier to get away with, and dishonesty becomes more attractive or rewarding. Rather than arguing that people have simply become morally worse, Miller examines how technological and cultural changes have altered the incentives surrounding honesty. In this conversation, Miller discusses how online environments have transformed opportunities for deception in relationships and education, and how social media has created new challenges around misinformation and political polarization. He also explores why false beliefs are not necessarily dishonest beliefs, the role of "truth-default" assumptions in human communication, and why accuracy prompts and other interventions may help reduce the spread of misinformation. The discussion also explores celebrity culture, authenticity, and the pressures created by maintaining a carefully managed public image. Miller examines honesty challenges within religious institutions, including sermon plagiarism, online misconduct, celebrity pastors, and the ways institutional pressures can encourage concealment and self-deception. Ultimately, The Honesty Crisis is a defense of honesty as a foundational human virtue. Miller argues that honesty creates the trust necessary for relationships, communities, institutions, and democratic societies to function. In an era of AI-generated content, misinformation, and rapidly changing social incentives, Miller asks what happens when the assumptions that allow us to trust one another become increasingly fragile; and what can be done to preserve honesty as one of the virtues on which society depends. Christian Miller is a professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University and the author of numerous works on moral psychology and virtue ethics. His research explores the nature of character, moral motivation, and how people actually behave compared with how they understand themselves morally.
- 1 weeks ago50 min
The Broken Incentives of American Politics and the Main Street Party Reform Plan w/ Tom Joseph
👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, Tom Joseph, founder of America's Main Street Party, join to discuss his proposed technology-driven approach to electoral reform and his argument that America's political dysfunction is rooted less in partisan differences than in a broken incentive system. Joseph argues that gerrymandered districts, donor-driven primaries, and incumbent protection have created a Congress where representatives are more accountable to fundraising networks and partisan bases than to the voters they serve. Joseph lays out the Main Street Party's model for disrupting that cycle: a moneyless, multi-round congressional nomination process conducted through a mobile app using approval voting. Rather than candidates competing for wealthy donors and spending millions in traditional primaries, voters would decide nominees through a series of rounds designed to elevate candidates with broader support. The eventual winner would receive general election support from a super PAC while keeping the nomination process free from campaign spending and donor influence. We discuss why Joseph believes the current primary system has created a political environment where most House members are effectively guaranteed reelection, how gerrymandering has shifted power toward narrow partisan bases, and why he sees electoral design as the key problem rather than simply Republican versus Democratic ideology. Joseph explains how candidates would be evaluated on issues, how the app-based voting process would work, safeguards against manipulation, and the organization's plans to test the model in red and blue congressional districts before potentially expanding to Senate and presidential contests. Tom Joseph also discusses the technology behind the project, the challenges of building a new political infrastructure, and the larger question at the heart of the Main Street Party's mission: can changing the rules of American elections create a government that is more responsive to ordinary citizens? For more information on America's Main Street Party and to explore the app demo, visit mainstreetparty.org.
- 1 weeks ago1h 1m
What's Going on in Right-Wing Media? w/ Howard Polskin/Gen Z is Tired of War w/ Ionnis Vlahos
👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, it's a double-feature episode examining the changing landscape of American politics, media, and public opinion from two very different perspectives. First, journalist Howard Polskin, founder of The Righting, joins us to discuss the modern right-wing media ecosystem and the influence it exerts on American politics. Polskin explains why he launched The Righting after the 2016 election to track the headlines, narratives, and trends emerging from conservative media, and discusses which outlets wield the greatest influence in the Trump era. We examine the relationship between major platforms like Fox News, Breitbart, Newsmax, and The Epoch Times, the rise of outrage-driven content and right-wing podcasts, and why seemingly fringe ideas can migrate into the political mainstream. Polskin also reflects on his effort to understand—rather than simply caricature—the conservative media landscape, the internal divisions within the American right over issues like Iran, and why he believes liberals, journalists, policymakers, and anyone seeking to better understand contemporary conservatism should pay closer attention to the stories shaping conservative audiences. In the second half of the program, Ioannis (Ian) Vlahos, editorial assistant and writer at Antiwar.com and a history and journalism student at George Mason University, joins us to discuss his Antiwar.Com article "Gen Z Is Tired of War." Vlahos argues that Generation Z's worldview has been shaped less by the trauma of 9/11 itself than by growing up amid the consequences of the War on Terror and witnessing the failures of two decades of U.S. interventionism. We explore how social media, alternative media, and independent voices have helped cultivate anti-war sentiment among younger Americans, while also fueling broader distrust of institutions and the spread of conspiracy theories. Vlahos explains why many in Gen Z increasingly prioritize domestic concerns such as healthcare, student debt, and economic insecurity over foreign military interventions, discusses the cross-partisan nature of contemporary anti-interventionism, and reflects on whether this growing skepticism toward America's foreign policy establishment could eventually develop into a lasting political movement.
- 2 weeks ago1h 15m
A Nation Wrestles With God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands w/ Ilan Stavans
👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, acclaimed writer, cultural critic, translator, and literary anthologist Ilan Stavans joins us to discuss his new anthology, A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands. Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College and a prolific author whose work explores language, identity, religion, and culture, offers a sweeping look at how Americans have grappled with the idea of God from the colonial era to the present day. Rather than presenting a history of belief or unbelief, Wrestling with God traces the ongoing conversation (and often fierce argument) over faith, doubt, morality, and meaning that has shaped American life. We discuss the anthology's remarkable range of contributors, which includes figures such as Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Christopher Hitchens, Will Arbery, Molly McCully Brown, and many others. Among the topics explored are why even outspoken skeptics and atheists like H.L. Mencken continued to wrestle with God through language, symbolism, and imagery; how religious belief and doubt have served as engines of American political, philosophical, and cultural life; and why Stavans believes America's defining religious tradition is less about consensus than about continual debate. We also examine the democratization of America's conversation about God. As Stavans explains, the nation's religious imagination is no longer shaped solely by theologians, clergy, philosophers, or academic elites, but increasingly by novelists, filmmakers, comedians, musicians, and pop culture figures. The discussion explores how "high" and "low" culture alike have become arenas where Americans negotiate questions of faith, morality, transcendence, and identity. Additionally, Stavans reflects on the editorial process behind assembling such an expansive anthology, the significance of concluding the volume with younger voices like playwright Will Arbery and poet Molly McCully Brown, the enduring influence of the Bible on American literature and public discourse, and why the American experiment has always involved a uniquely pluralistic struggle over the meaning of God. Whether you're interested in religion, American history, philosophy, literature, politics, or contemporary culture, this conversation offers a fascinating exploration of one of the most enduring questions at the heart of the American experience.
- 3 weeks ago35 min
Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines w/ Tahir Amin
👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, J.G. Michael is joined by Tahir Amin, founder and CEO of the Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK) and co-author, with Rohit Malpani, of the new book Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines. Why have prescription drugs and life-saving medicines become so expensive? Is it simply the cost of innovation, or is the modern pharmaceutical industry built around monopoly power? In this brisk, information-packed conversation, Amin examines how patents, intellectual property law, global trade agreements, financialization, and neoliberal economic policies have reshaped the pharmaceutical industry and transformed medicine into one of the world's most profitable businesses. Drawing on the arguments in Pharma Monopoly, Amin explains how patent monopolies can delay generic competition, why the pharmaceutical industry's definition of "innovation" deserves closer scrutiny, how Wall Street increasingly influences drug development, and what the pandemic exposed about the global system for producing and distributing medicines. The conversation also explores the role of Third Way neoliberalism in the problems we face with the emergence of the pharma monopoly, criticisms of the medicines patent pool, the access-to-medicines movement, the influence of major philanthropic organizations (i.e.: Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation) and the issue of philanothro-capitalists, the financialization of the pharmaceutical industry, why the issues we are facing are not just limited to the "pharma bros." like Martin Shkreli, the potential for AI (artificial intelligence) to intensify monopoly power, and why debates over affordable medicine are inseparable from questions of democracy, public health, economic power, and who ultimately controls access to medical knowledge. Whether you're interested in healthcare, prescription drug prices, Big Pharma, patents, public health, globalization, political economy, or the future of medicine, this episode offers a concise but wide-ranging look at the structural forces shaping modern healthcare and why the battle over medicines affects far more than the price you pay at the pharmacy.
- 3 weeks ago2h 9m
The Politics of the UFC: Dana White, Trump, Ari Emanuel, & Freedom 250 Aftermath w/ Nate Wilcox
👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, Nate Wilcox of The MMA Draw joins us for an in-depth conversation about the politics, business, and corporate power behind the UFC, examining how Dana White, Donald Trump, Ari Emanuel, Endeavor, WME, TKO, and Silver Lake have transformed mixed martial arts into one of the most politically visible sports in America. We trace the history of the UFC from its origins in 1993 and the evolution of MMA, including the influence of Brazilian Vale Tudo, Japanese MMA, and catch wrestling, before exploring the organization's dramatic shift following Endeavor's $4 billion acquisition of the UFC in 2016. Nate explains how Dana White's political evolution differed from that of the Fertitta family, their earlier relationship with Democratic politicians like Harry Reid, and how White's alliance with Donald Trump fundamentally changed the UFC's public image. We also examine the complex corporate relationships connecting Ari Emanuel, TKO, WME, David Ellison, Larry Ellison, major media companies, and private equity, discussing how ownership and corporate interests shape the UFC's direction far beyond what fans see inside the Octagon. We discuss fighter pay, revenue sharing, athletic commissions, Nevada politics, and the business incentives driving modern combat sports. From there, we dive into the controversial Freedom 250 event at the White House, discussing its symbolism, security concerns, officiating controversies, fighter safety, the Association of Boxing Commissions, and the headline bout featuring Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. We also examine the political messaging surrounding the event and why the UFC has become an increasingly prominent stage for American politics. Nate and I also discuss controversial UFC personalities including Sean Strickland and Bryce Mitchell, media figures such as Ariel Helwani and Luke Thomas, and the role of independent MMA journalism in covering the sport's political and business dimensions. We examine the influence of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, sovereign wealth funds, boxing, media consolidation, lobbying, AIPAC, and the intersection of combat sports, entertainment, and geopolitics. Finally, Nate discusses his work with Zach Arnold on The MMA Draw, where they investigate the business, financial, legal, and political forces shaping the UFC, TKO, professional wrestling, and the wider combat sports industry.
- Jun 24, 202647 min
Senate Bill Would Force Sensitive Intel Sharing With Israel w/ Paul Pillar
Recorded: 6-12-26 👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, former CIA intelligence officer and Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Non-Resident Fellow Paul R. Pillar joins us to discuss his recent Responsible Statecraft article, “Senate wants to force US to share sensitive intel with Israel,” and the implications of Section 622 of the Senate Intelligence Authorization Act. The provision, championed by Sen. Tom Cotton, would require the executive branch to expand and enhance intelligence sharing with Israel while making it significantly more difficult for any administration to limit or suspend such cooperation. Drawing on his 28-year career in the U.S. intelligence community—including service as National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia, Deputy Chief of the DCI Counterterrorist Center, and Executive Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence—Pillar explains why he considers the proposal highly unusual and potentially dangerous. He argues that intelligence-sharing relationships are complex arrangements normally managed by intelligence professionals and the executive branch, not dictated by congressional mandate. Pillar also discusses the often-overlooked world of intelligence liaison relationships, the risks associated with sharing sensitive intelligence, Israel's history of espionage against the United States—including the Jonathan Pollard affair—and concerns that intelligence provided by Washington could be used in ways that conflict with broader U.S. interests in the Middle East. He further contends that the legislation reflects a broader effort to deepen U.S.-Israeli integration through mechanisms that receive less public scrutiny than direct military aid. Among the topics explored in this conversation: What Section 622 would actually do and why it has received relatively little attention How intelligence-sharing relationships are normally managed Why Pillar calls congressional mandates on intelligence liaison "bizarre" The history of Israeli espionage against the United States The Jonathan Pollard case and its continuing significance Intelligence sharing, executive authority, and congressional oversight U.S.-Israel relations in the lieu of the Iran war Whether American and Israeli interests are increasingly diverging in the Middle East The broader push toward deeper U.S.-Israeli military and intelligence integration Paul R. Pillar is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Security Studies, and a retired 28-year veteran of the U.S. intelligence community. He is the author of several books, including Intelligence and U.S. Foreign Policy: Iraq, 9/11, and Misguided Reform and Why America Misunderstands the World: National Experience and Roots of Misperception.
- Jun 20, 20261h 5m
The View from Israel: Israel & Its Supporters Going Crazy Over Trump-Iran MOU w/ Ori Goldberg
👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around: https://wallstreetwindow.com/ Note: Sorry for mispronunciation of Ben Gvir's name. Should be pronounced "guh-veer" not "geever". A rather stupid mistake on my end that makes me sound ignorant. On this edition of Parallax Views, Israeli dissident commentator Ori Goldberg returns to discuss how Israel has reacted to the Trump-Iran MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) and the "crazy-making" state of Israeli politics today. Goldberg argues that Israeli politics has come to revolve around the axis of Benjamin Netanyahu rather than policy or problem-solving. There are those who support Bibi and those who don't. But questions pertaining to the world outside Netanyahu's leadership, he says, are ignored. He reports a sense of aimlessness or listlessness in Israeli political life and criticizes not only Netanyahu, but also the Yair Lapid-led opposition and the Yair Golan-led Democrats party for bending towards neoliberalism and ignoring the Israel-Palestinian issue in favor of saber-rattling about Iran or, increasingly, even Turkey and Syria. We'll also discuss the news that Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz due to Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon and dissect some of the misinformation/disinformation or about Israel's engagement in Lebanon and Hezbollah's response. Moreover, Goldberg comments on JD Vance's warning to Israel that the Trump administration is the only ally Israel has left and that Israel cannot solve all its problems through killing. Although Goldberg does not trust Trump or Vance, he does believe that the administration's relationship with Israel is fraying and that it may find Israel less useful going forward. All that and much more on this edition of Parallax Views!
About Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael
A podcast where politics, history, and culture are examined from perspectives you may not have considered before. Call it a parallax view.
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