Aug 5, 2026 · 1 hr 13 min · 12 segments
Hasan sits down with writer and journalist, Ta-Nehisi Coates, to talk about his latest Vanity Fair article, the difference between intelligence and wisdom, and the inherent violence of Empire…
Hasan MinhajHostIf you want to say that the endpoint of our dream, of our struggle, you know, is simply to, you know, get us in, you know, positions of power to integrate us into the machine and to not, you know, change the machine, then don't talk about Fannie Lou Hamer.
There is no quality in American intellectual life that is more overrated than intellect itself.
And we talked about the inherent violence of empire and whether Americans can shift their country in a different direction.
How long are we going to go on with this, man? Like, is this going to be every presidency after every presidency and then each one make some sort of excuse for why we have to do this? I just I don't want to be part of that project.
If you want to say that the endpoint of our dream, of our struggle, you know, is simply to, you know, get us in, you know, positions of power to integrate us into the machine and to not, you know, change the machine, then don't talk about Fannie Lou Hamer.
There is no quality in American intellectual life that is more overrated than intellect itself.
And we talked about the inherent violence of empire and whether Americans can shift their country in a different direction.
How long are we going to go on with this, man? Like, is this going to be every presidency after every presidency and then each one make some sort of excuse for why we have to do this? I just I don't want to be part of that project.
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