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Articles by Sam Kahn
Can Jon Ossoff Go All the Way?
Jon Ossoff at the U.S. Capitol, January 7, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.) There used to be a kind of liberal parlor game in which you discussed whether America would be ready, first, for a female, black, or Jewish president. This was, oh, somewhere around the dawn of time, when WASP dynasties still roamed the land and more diverse representation in national politics appeared an unassailable barrier.
The Anti-Social Media
Dead gannet on a beach. (Photo by myLoupe/Universal Images.) Will you be in London on Thursday, October 8 at 6pm? Join Yascha Mounk and Dan Williams for this live recording of The Good Fight podcast at the Halycon International School as they discuss whether AI will doom us all! Get your FREE ticket here! Please note that you must reserve a ticket in order to attend. Pease email events@persuasion.communityif you have any questions.
The Anti-Social Media
Will you be in London on Thursday, October 8 at 6pm? Join Yascha Mounk and Dan Williams for this live recording of The Good Fight podcast at the Halycon International School as they discuss whether AI will doom us all! Get your FREE ticket here! Please note that you must reserve a ticket in order to attend. Pease email events@persuasion.community if you have any questions.
Jason Arday’s Fabulism Is an Institutional Problem Original
Cambridge University’s Senate House. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images.) This is a nasty story. In 2023, Jason Arday made international news for becoming, at age 37, the youngest black professor in the history of Cambridge University. It wasn’t just that, though. Arday had a really remarkable background. Raised on a council estate in south London, Arday was, in his account, diagnosed at age three with autism and global development delay and didn’t speak until he was 11.
Can Art Exist in the AI Era?
Dear Friends, I’m continuing to serialize my World Cup novella at Cult Classic. Best, Sam CAN ART EXIST IN THE AI ERA? Recently, I’ve come across the same — deeply depressing — idea from several different directions. The idea is that the history of art is finished, that in a real sense there can be no more art — and there are perfectly ironclad theoretical reasons to believe that this may be the case.
What I Learned From Moving to the Far Side of the World
A digital nomad working from a laptop, Spain, 2026. (Photo by Annette Ried.) About three years ago I pulled up stakes and moved to the far side of the world. My reasons for this were so personal and idiosyncratic that I don’t talk about this all that much—largely because I don’t feel that there’s much about this decision that would be particularly applicable to anybody else.
Trump’s Health Is… Complicated Original
It’s a big week for Persuasion in DC! On Wednesday July 15, Yascha Mounk sits down with Francis Fukuyama to discuss how liberalism should respond to postliberal critiques. Find out more and get tickets here! And on Friday July 17, we’re hosting drinks in the aftermath of the Liberalism for the 21st Century conference! This is your ideal chance to socialize with the Persuasion team and other readers. Note that you do not need to have attended the conference to come to this event.
How I Learned to Read Again
The new world is intent on inculcating short attention spans and insatiable dopamine cravings in its people. Reading has become more difficult and less common. In this piece, Sam Kahn—one of the greatest living essayists and co-founder of The Republic of Letters—tracks his journey with books from youth until today. He speaks honestly and specifically about the pressures working against his reading appetite and ability, and how he has attempted to counteract them.
Israel Is the Big Loser of the Iran Deal
On Thursday at 1pm ET, Sam will interview Nils Gilman on Substack Live about his recent article “The University As We Know It Is Finished.” Set your calendars and tune in! Netanyahu with Trump, December 29, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP.) Who are the biggest losers of Trump’s Memorandum of Understanding, signed last week with Iran? Well, it’s a long list. First and foremost is, almost certainly, the Iranian people.
Why Trump Seems Confused By His Own War
Will you be in Washington, D.C. on Friday, July 17? Join the Persuasion team and friends for drinks from 9:30pm at Hive Rooftop. If you’re planning to join us, please RSVP here. Hope to see you there! Donald Trump, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The Case of the Dems’ Missing After-Action Report
As a reminder, Persuasion’s Intellectual Bootcamp meets on Zoom on Fridays at 12pm EST! (Click here to read my reasons for starting the bootcamp.) This event is open to paying subscribers of Persuasion. To save your inboxes, we will send the meeting link out to people who opt in to a mailing list. If you are a paying subscriber, please write to events@persuasion.community and ask to be put on the mailing list. - Sam (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.) Well, now it’s just embarrassing.
The Canvas hack was a warning about our AI future. Are we listening?
This month, during the height of finals season, millions of college students opened their laptops and discovered that Canvas — the online platform holding their assignments, grades, syllabi and course communications — was down. In its place was a taunting message from a hacker group “ShinyHunters” threatening to release personal data on 275 million students, teachers and staff members unless institutions paid up. Within higher education, chaos ensued.
The Canvas hack was a warning about our AI future. Are we listening?
WhatsApp 6 hours ago WhatsApp Finally Lets Users Hide Phone Numbers With New Username Feature: How To Set It Up Now Mashable - Priya Singh • 6h WhatsApp is preparing to roll out usernames, giving users a new way to connect without sharing their mobile numbers. Similar to features already available on Telegram and Instagram, the update will let people share a unique handle instead of their phone number for conversations.
Intellectual Bootcamp Tomorrow!
Thank you to everyone who has come to the first two Intellectual Bootcamp sessions. The next session will be this Friday, May 22 at 12pm EST. (We are experimenting with additional meetings on a weekly basis for highly-motivated participants.) We will be discussing David Graeber’s “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” For those interested in reading more,…
OPUS: Prism Peak Review
Your primary way of interacting with the world is through Eugene’s camera. You frame shots of key details and objects, then use those photos to solve puzzles, uncover memories, and reveal hidden truths about the spirits around you. The photography mechanics start simple, but the camera gradually gains filters, exposure controls, and manual focus options. The camera never feels like a gimmick because it’s anchored to the story and its themes.
Link: Intellectual Bootcamp in 30 Mins!
Persuasion’s “Intellectual Bootcamp” will meet in 30 minutes, at 12pm EST. We will be discussing Gilles Deleuze’s article “Postscript on the Societies of Control.” Click here to read it. Here is the link to join by Zoom: If you have trouble joining or accessing the r…
Intellectual Bootcamp This Friday!
Thank you to everyone who joined our inaugural Intellectual Bootcamp the other week. The turnout and quality of discussion were fantastic! The next Bootcamp will meet this Friday, May 15 at 12pm EST. We will be discussing Gilles Deleuze’s article “Postscript on the Societies of Control.” Click here to read it. Here is the link to join by Zoom: https://us06…
It May Be Tucker In 2028
Our next Ask the Author livestream will take place today at 6pm ET on Substack Live. Cathy Young will discuss her article “They Went Hard Against Woke.
Reminder: Intellectual Bootcamp At Noon Eastern!
Persuasion’s first “Intellectual Bootcamp” will meet in a few hours, at 12pm EST. Here is the link to join by Zoom: If you have trouble joining, please email events@persuasion.community We will have introductions and then discuss Jonathan Haidt’s “Why the Past Ten Ye…
Link for Intellectual Bootcamp this Friday!
Persuasion’s first “Intellectual Bootcamp” will meet this Friday, May 1 at 12pm EST. Here is the link to join by Zoom: If you have trouble joining, please email events@persuasion.community For the first session, we will have introductions and then discuss Jonathan Ha…
Want To Save the Humanities? Start Reading
Want to keep up-to-date with our growing events offerings? Want to watch recordings of our recent Substack Lives? Check out our new events page! Harvard seminar, 1977. (Photo by Lee Lockwood/Getty Images.) Consider the following: Syracuse University shuts down 93 of its academic programs, including Classics and Classical Civilization. It’s hard to fault the university itself for the move—no students were majoring in 55 of the shuttered programs.
April 18, 2026 - Air Mail
PRESIDENT VS.
John Brockman, Jeffrey Epstein, and the Literary-Scientific World They Unlocked Together
It’s one of the more baffling aspects of a story with no shortage of them: What was Jeffrey Epstein, a college dropout and convicted sex offender, doing with all those intellectuals, scientists, and Nobel laureates? It’s fairly obvious what was in it for him. But why these luminaries would have chosen to associate with him has perplexed even seasoned Epstein-watchers.
Iran-Konflikt: Waffenstillstand ohne Deal
Es fällt schwer, sich einen Tag vorzustellen, der von einer ähnlich großen Beklemmung geprägt wäre wie der 7. April 2026. In seiner besten Darth-Vader-Imitation verkündete Donald Trump über Truth Social, dass „heute Nacht eine ganze Zivilisation untergehen wird, um nie wieder zurückzukehren“ – womit er „hektisches globales Rätselraten über seine wahren Absichten“ auslöste.
Ceasefire is a big word for backing down With no agreement on core issues, the risk of renewed escalation between the US and Iran remains dangerously high
It’s difficult to think of a day with quite the same anxiety as 7 April 2026. Doing his best Darth Vader imitation, Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that ‘a whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again’, sparking what the Wall Street Journal called a ‘frantic global guessing game over his real intentions’.
Ceasefire Is a Big Word for Backing Down
Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images.) It’s difficult to think of a day with quite the same anxiety as April 7, 2026.
Why I (Still) Boycott AI
San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.) A couple of years ago, when AI had come onto the market and was clearly reshaping the society, I decided that I would have nothing to do with it—I would boycott. This decision was based partly on morals and partly on practicality—I suspected that, underneath the really impressive technological breakthrough, AI was still, essentially, a one-trick pony.
The End of “Legitimacy”
Tehran on March 1, 2026. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images.) As far back as I can remember, I always assumed that I was on the side of the good guys. The Cold War meant, at core, democracy against authoritarianism.
What Has Gone Wrong With Fiction in Our Era?
It’s lost its centrality to the culture. Neil Postman diagnosed the main issue well in 1985. He wrote, “The influence of the printed word in every arena of public discourse was insistent and powerful not merely because of the quantity of printed matter but because of its monopoly.” The issue isn’t about whether books are being published or not. The issue is, in a word, about market share.
George Saunders’s Reluctant Morality Tale
Vigil By George Saunders Random House, 224 pages, $28 Don DeLillo once remarked, with regard to twentieth-century American fiction, that it is “as though Hemingway died one day and Pynchon was born the next.” What he meant was a turn from fiction that was rooted in reality—in the granularly obsessive depiction of the real—to fiction that was about “systems.” In the work of Pynchon and his progeny, one needn’t concern oneself much with the authentic reality of Tyrone Slothrop or Mucho Maas,...
REANIMAL Review - Terrifying Yet Hauntingly Beautiful Horror - The Geekly Grind
Tarsier refines its horror formula to deliver its best game yet. REANIMAL. Credit: Tarsier Studios / THQ Nordic After its acquisition by the Embracer Group, Tarsier Studios could no longer continue the Little Nightmares series, since Bandai Namco retained the rights. Their new horror adventure, Reanimal, is a spiritual successor that takes a leap forward and becomes Tarsier’s strongest work to date. Like Little Nightmares, Reanimal is built around co-op play.
Stand Up To Bullies!
(Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images.) It’s the first thing you learn when you go to some rough-and-tumble new school—if you run into a bully, the trick is to stand up to them. More than the particular situation, what matters is the underlying psychology. The point is that, whatever else seems to be going on, bullies usually prefer to puff up than to follow through, and, once they sniff strength, they’ll tend to move on to someone they can more readily pick on.
They Keep Lying To Us
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem speaks on January 24 after the killing of Alex Pretti. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images.) Who are you gonna believe: Kristi Noem in a bomber jacket or your own lyin’ eyes? In the wake of the second killing this month of a U.S. citizen in the streets of Minneapolis, what’s become completely clear is the extent to which statements by federal agencies are unmoored from any sort of reality as glimpsed by eyewitness cell phone footage.
“Heritage Americans” Want to Make Citizenship About Blood
Supporters of ICE in Minnesota on January 9, 2026. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images.) If I’m traveling outside of the United States, there’s a particular turn that the conversation has a tendency to take. I’ve come to think of it as the “nationality game.” I’ve often had this experience in a taxi cab where the driver, without any other preamble, will suddenly lock eyes with me through the rear-view mirror and ask “Where are you from?” “I’m American,” I say.
The land that Westernisation forgot
The country is mountainous and largely rural, with proud nomadic traditions. Photo: Kairi Aun Central AsiaGeopoliticsSoft power When I first spent time in Kyrgyzstan in the mid-2000s, the drunk American military contractor was a familiar sight, almost a local institution. In Bishkek, the capital, the US had a significant Air Force base — initially named in honour of a firefighter who died in the 9/11 attacks, later renamed after the hero of Kyrgyzstan’s national epic.
Even After a Tragedy, Americans Can’t Agree on Basic Facts
Protesters clash with law enforcement outside an ICE facility on January 8, 2026. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images.) Let’s talk about a very 21st century scene. There’s an incident somewhere in the United States. The incident slots itself in neatly along the lines of preexisting ideological divisions. As the incident is unfolding, witnesses pull out their cell phone cameras to record it and those images are soon plastered across the web.
How The New Yorker Became Irrelevant
(Photo by Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images.) As that bon vivant Eustace Tilley might have put it, The New Yorker was recently spotted in an unlikely locale—on Substack. In a jaunty little note, the storied magazine declared, “Yep, we’re on Substack toö. Your favorite hundred year-old magazine is crashing the party.” And the reaction on the platform was… a bit different from what might have been expected. “Oh FUCK OFF please,” wrote one user in a comment that was liked over 100 times.
The Strange Death of Trump's Signature Policy
Trump on December 2. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.) ‘Member DOGE? ‘Member the excitement that the year started out with? There was Elon with a buzzsaw. There was a righteous effort to shed $1 trillion—or maybe it was $2 trillion?—from the federal budget. If that strikes only a distant chord, maybe it’s because it’s been lost in all the other swirling promises with which Trump started his second term.
What Does Nick Fuentes Think He’s Doing?
I did Model UN a little bit in high school and always felt that there was something off about it.
What Does Nick Fuentes Think He’s Doing?
(Nick Fuentes on the PBD podcast. Image via Youtube.) I did Model UN a little bit in high school and always felt that there was something off about it.
Sozialist Mamdani vor Einzug ins New Yorker Rathaus
Im Jahr 2024 erlitt die Demokratische Partei eine der verheerendsten Wahlniederlagen ihrer Geschichte. Sie unterlag eindeutig einem Kandidaten, dessen letzte Amtshandlung darin bestanden hatte, einen Angriff auf den eigenen Kongress zu unterstützen.
Sozialist Mamdani vor Einzug ins New Yorker Rathaus
Im Jahr 2024 erlitt die Demokratische Partei eine der verheerendsten Wahlniederlagen ihrer Geschichte. Sie unterlag eindeutig einem Kandidaten, dessen letzte Amtshandlung darin bestanden hatte, einen Angriff auf den eigenen Kongress zu unterstützen.
Zohran Mamdani Is a Spectacular Own Goal
In 2024, the Democratic Party suffered about as terrible an electoral rebuke as it’s possible to have. They lost—decisively—to a candidate whose last act in office had been trying to attack his own Congress. They lost ground among Hispanics to a candidate who favored mass deportations and among African-Americans to a candidate who—as events would prove—was dedicated to rolling back landmark pieces of civil rights legislation.
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Review — The Geekly Grind
Digimon Story: Time Stranger from developer Media.Vision and publisher Bandai Namco was my first Digimon title, despite the franchise’s long history. I expected a straightforward Pokémon clone but was surprised by the complexity of its systems and more mature storytelling. The game features deep customization mechanics, strategic turn-based combat, and a time-traveling narrative that takes itself seriously.
Now Israel Must Choose
For anybody who’s visited Israel, submerged themselves in the thousands of years of history there, of every form of triumph and transcendence and brutality that you can imagine, there’s one site that stands out from all the others. It’s a flat promontory on the top of an astonishingly steep precipice located at the eastern edge of the Dead Sea. It’s called Masada and it is as close as anything that nature could design to an impregnable fortress.
The Closed Society Is Ascendant. Don’t Get Taken In
We’re delighted to feature this conversation as part of our new series on Liberal Virtues and Values. That liberalism is under threat is now a cliché—yet this has done nothing to stem the global resurgence of illiberalism. Part of the problem is that liberalism is often considered too “thin” to win over the allegiance of citizens, and that liberals are too afraid of speaking in moral terms. Liberalism’s opponents, by contrast, speak to people’s passions and deepest moral sentiments.
The Short Story News
Dear Republic, We run our regular monthly feature of reviewing short stories in major magazines. These are pieces that ran in August. -ROL THE SHORT STORY NEWS Kiran Desai, “An Unashamed Proposal,” The New Yorker A-.
It's Time To Stop Being Carried Away By Conspiracy Theories
Recently, I’ve been in a situation where I had to engage in a lot of small talk. My favorite icebreaker: what do you think is really in the Epstein Files?
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree Gameplay Preview — The Geekly Grind
The Tsurugi carries two swords, one for each skill. Swords have durability and will quickly wear out, forcing you to switch to your other sword to refresh the first. The melee combat is about juggling the skills of the two swords as you swap them, building a rhythm with the quickdraw attack you trigger whenever a blade is unsheathed, and waiting for the right moment to unleash your powerful Fatal Blow attack after it’s powered up. Meanwhile, the Kagura follows the Tsurugi automatically.
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