Episode 433

How Did We Get Here?

A Conversation with Dan Carlin

September 6, 2025

Sam Harris speaks with Dan Carlin about the decades-long buildup to our current political moment. They discuss the growing powers of the presidency, executive orders, different factions within the Republican Party, the fragmentation of our society, Libertarianism, the growing prospect of political violence, racism and scapegoating, foreign interference in American politics, immigration, global trends towards autocracy, whether “gatekeepers” in the media are necessary, holocaust denialism, and other topics.

Dan Carlin is a podcast host and journalist. He is best known for hosting the shows Hardcore History and Common Sense. Formerly a radio host and television news reporter, Carlin is renowned for his in-depth historical analysis and accessible storytelling approach. He is also the author of The New York Times bestseller The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses (2019). 

Website: https://www.dancarlin.com/

X: @hardcorehistory