Podcasts about Better Angels

After a successful career as a banker, he decided to devote himself to making his country better off. Luis Miranda joins Amit Varma in episode 446 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss banking, India, education, healthcare, parenthood and the joy of working. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out 1. Luis Miranda on LinkedIn, Twitter, ISPP, CCS, Forbes and his own website. 2. The Indian School of Public Policy. 3. Centre for Universal Health Assurance. 4. HDFC Bank 2.0 -- Tamal Bandyopadhyay.  5. Gautam John is Figuring it Out — Episode 437 of The Seen and the Unseen. 6. Testaments Betrayed — Milan Kundera. 7. The Rooted Cosmopolitanism of Sugata Srinivasaraju — Episode 277 of The Seen and the Unseen. 8. The Case For India -- Will Durant. 9. The Life and Times of Gurcharan Das — Episode 425 of The Seen and the Unseen. 10. Where Has All the Education Gone? — Lant Pritchett. 11. Lant Pritchett Is on Team Prosperity — Episode 379 of The Seen and the Unseen. 12. Fixing Indian Education — Episode 185 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Karthik Muralidharan). 13. A Deep Dive Into Education — Episode 54 of Everything is Everything. 14. Biju Rao Won't Bow to Conventional Wisdom — Episode 392 of The Seen and the Unseen. 15. Can Economics Become More Reflexive? — Vijayendra Rao. 16. Fund Schooling, Not Schools (2007) — Amit Varma. 17. Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar — Rohini Nilekani. 18. Rohini Nilekani Pays It Forward — Episode 317 of The Seen and the Unseen. 19. The Closing of the American Mind -- Allan Bloom. 20. The Armchair Economist -- Steven Landsburg. 21. The Importance of the 1991 Reforms — Episode 237 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Shruti Rajagopalan and Ajay Shah). 22. The Life and Times of Montek Singh Ahluwalia — Episode 285 of The Seen and the Unseen. 23. The Forgotten Greatness of PV Narasimha Rao — Episode 283 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vinay Sitapati). 24. Why Freedom Matters -- Episode 10 of Everything is Everything. 25. The Reformers -- Episode 28 of Everything is Everything. 26. The 1991 Project. 27. Indian Liberals. 28. Sixteen Stormy Days — Tripurdaman Singh. 29. The First Assault on Our Constitution — Episode 194 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tripurdaman Singh). 30. Nehru: The Debates that Defined India — Tripurdaman Singh and Adeel Hussain. 31. Nehru's Debates — Episode 262 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tripurdaman Singh and Adeel Hussain). 32. Shruti Rajagopalan's YouTube talk on constitutional amendments. 33. Saving Capitalism From The Capitalists — Raghuram Rajan and Luigi Zingales. 34. India After Gandhi — Ramachandra Guha. 35. Luxury Beliefs. 36. Stay Away From Luxury Beliefs — Episode 46 of Everything is Everything. 37. On Inequality — Harry Frankfurt. 38. India's Problem is Poverty, Not Inequality — Amit Varma. 39. On Bullshit — Harry G Frankfurt. 40. Economic growth is enough and only economic growth is enough — Lant Pritchett with Addison Lewis. 41. Pandemonium in India's Banks — Episode 212 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tamal Bandyopadhyay.) 42. The Innovator's Dilemma — Clayton Christensen. 43. The Evolution of Everything — Matt Ridley. 44. The Evolution of Everything — Episode 96 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Matt Ridley). 45. The Nature of the Firm -- Ronald Coase. 46. Naval Ravikant on the size of a firm. 47. Order without Design: How Markets Shape Cities — Alain Bertaud. 48. The Surface Area of Serendipity — Episode 39 of Everything is Everything. 49. The Luck Factor: The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind -- Richard Wiseman. 50. Fire Bird -- Perumal Murugan. 51. Billion Readers. 52. Factfulness -- Hans Rosling. 53. The Better Angels of Our Nature -- Steven Pinker. 54. The Progress of Humanity -- Episode 101 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Steven Pinker). 55. Capitalisn't -- Podcast by Luigi Zingales and Bethany McLean. 56. Is a River Alive? -- Robert Macfarlane. 57. Black Butterflies -- Priscilla Morris. 58. General Brasstacks -- Probal DasGupta. 59. In Praise of Floods — James C Scott. This episode is sponsored by CTQ Compounds. Check out The Daily Reader and FutureStack. Use the code UNSEEN for Rs 2500 off. Amit Varma runs a course called Life Lessons, which aims to be a launchpad towards learning essential life skills all of you need. For more details, and to sign up, click here. And have you read Amit's newsletter? It's madly active right now! Subscribe right away to The India Uncut Newsletter! It's free! Also check out Amit's online course, The Art of Clear Writing. Episode art: 'Stay Alive' by Simahina.

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There's a story about of our past that you know well. It goes like this: At some point earlier in human evolution, we started to hunt. Men in particular—perhaps channeling some deep-seated aggressive impulses—began to seek out big game. This new food source, this bonanza of calories, was what allowed our brains to expand. It changed our bodies and our societies and sent our species off on a whole new track. In short, Man the Hunter made us human. This story—told in different versions, with different points of emphasis—has circulated for decades. It's been debunked and revived, rejected and reimagined. What is the history behind the Man the Hunter idea? How does it square with our current understandings of evolution? Is it, in fact, pure fiction? My guest today is Dr. Vivek Venkataraman. Vivek is an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Calgary, and an editor-in-chief of the journal Hunter Gatherer Research. He and his collaborators recently published an article on the different layers and meanings of the Man the Hunter idea. Here, Vivek and I lay out those meanings. We talk about how the phrase refers, first, to that popular myth about our evolution, but also to a landmark scientific conference in the 1960s, and to a major finding of research on contemporary hunter-gatherer groups—namely, that men generally do do most of the hunting. We do a little crash-course on the field of hunter-gatherer research, including the kinds of questions it asks and frameworks it uses. We dig into some of the key ingredients of the Man the Hunter myth: the idea that we have aggressive tendencies, the idea that only men hunt, and the idea that hunting played a transformative role in our evolution. We walk through three recent, high-profile studies challenging Man the Hunter ideas in various ways. And we talk about the ever-present danger of projecting our current norms and ideals back in time. Along the way, Vivek and I touch on 2001: A Space Odyssey; reasons why contemporary hunter-gatherers may differ from the hunter-gatherers of long ago; giant sloths; extractive foraging; the case of the Agta, a society in which women do engage in big-game hunting; the forest people and the fierce people; risk and cooperation in sexual divisions of labor; persistence hunting and endurance activities; caregiving and cognition; and honey. Alright friends, I think you'll enjoy this one. On to my conversation with Dr. Vivek Venkataraman.   Notes 3:30 – The article by Dr. Venkataraman and colleagues, 'The Meaning and Dividends of Man the Hunter.' Commentaries on the article can be read here. A recent popular essay by Dr. Venkataraman on the same ideas. 5:00 – Raymond Dart's "killer ape" was originally laid out in a 1953 article 'The Predatory Transition from Ape to Man' (unavailable online) and then developed in Robert Ardrey's book, African Genesis.  8:30 – The "dawn of man" scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 16:00 – The 1966 conference titled 'Man the Hunter' resulted in a 1968 volume of the same name. 27:00 – A philosophical discussion of the use of the "ethnographic analogy" in reconstructions of the past. The paper describing the "tyranny of the ethnographic record." 33:00 – The classic ethnography, The Forest People; the classic ethnography, Yanomamö: The Fierce People. 36:00 – The article by Chris Boehm on the concept of "reverse dominance hierarchy." See also his book Hierarchy in the Forest. 37:00 – Our earlier episode with Brian Hare.  38:00 – Steven Pinker's widely read and contested book, The Better Angels of our Nature.  44:00 – A study of the Agta, a society in which women hunt for big game.  48:00 – The paper by Judith Brown about childcare and subsistence. A paper by Haneul Jang and colleagues about how young girls help mothers during foraging.  55:00 – For a book-length treatment of hunting in evolution and history, see Matt Cartmill's A View to a Death in the Morning. 1:01:00 – For the 2023 paper by Anderson and colleagues on the prevalence of women's hunting across cultures, see here. For Dr. Venkataraman and colleagues' commentary on the paper, see here. For the related study by Dr. Venkataraman and colleagues about women's hunting, see here. 1:05:00 – For the 2020 paper by Haas and colleagues about female hunters of the Americas, see here. 1:13:00 – For the academic 'Woman the Hunter' papers by Lacy and Ocobock, see here (for the physiology paper) and here (for the archaeology paper). For their article in Scientific American, see here. For an interview on the podcast On Humans with Cara Ocobock, see here. 1:14:00 – For the recent study on persistence hunting in the ethnographic record, see here. 1:20:00 – The authors of the three critiques discussed here have all written commentaries on Dr. Venkataraman and colleagues' paper. These commentaries and others can be read here.  1:24:30 – For the commentary emphasizing the links between popularization and science, by Nadine Weidman, see here. 1:28:00 – For our earlier episode with Alison Gopnik, in which we discuss the overlooked cognitive capacities involved in caregiving, see here. 1:29:00 – For papers on the importance of honey in human evolution, see here and here. For one of Dr. Venkataraman's own honey-related studies, see here.   Recommendations Creatures of Cain, by Erika Lorraine Milam The Killer Instinct, by Nadine Weidman   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation to Indiana University. The show is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Bluesky (@manymindspod.bsky.social).

Adam Miller is one of more than a dozen candidates running for mayor of Los Angeles, but unlike some of his rivals, he comes from the worlds of tech and nonprofit management rather than politics. Miller founded the e-learning company Cornerstone and the homelessness prevention nonprofit Better Angels, and says he entered the race because he believes the city's failures — especially around homelessness — are fundamentally operational. In this conversation, Miller explains why encampments persist outside housing facilities, why affordable housing costs have spiraled, why shelters can sit half-empty, and why the city still lacks basic real-time data on homelessness. He also addresses the strange dynamics of a campaign unfolding in an attention economy where reality star Spencer Pratt has emerged as a serious contender. Miller argues that while he and Pratt often identify the same problems, he has the management experience to actually implement solutions. Guest Bio: Adam Miller, a tech entrepreneur and chief executive of the nonprofit Better Angels, is running for mayor of Los Angeles.

"We don't live in a stable world anymore. We live in a rapidly changing, turbulent world. And in a dynamic environment, intelligence is not just your ability to think and learn, it's your capacity to rethink and unlearn."Adam Grant, organizational psychologist, podcaster, and author of the bestseller "Think Again", tells us why we are wrong in many of our assumptions about today's world, and why we would all benefit from tackling our own biases - not least the "I'm-not-biased" bias.And he explains why the wrong sorts of people too often get promoted or elected to positions of power.Adam spoke to Radio Davos at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.Links:Think Again: https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/Books Adam mentions:Factfulness: https://www.gapminder.org/factfulness-book/The Better Angels of Our Nature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_NatureNot the End of the World: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-worldReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/rethinking-with-adam-grant-transcripts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Veja também em youtube.com/@45_graus Steven Pinker é um psicólogo cognitivo, linguista e um dos mais influentes intelectuais públicos da atualidade. Professor na Harvard University, destacou-se pelo trabalho sobre linguagem, mente humana e natureza humana, bem como pela defesa dos valores do Iluminismo, como a razão, a ciência e o progresso. É autor de vários bestsellers internacionais, incluindo How the Mind Works, The Language Instinct, The Better Angels of Our Nature e Enlightenment Now. O seu trabalho combina ciência, história e filosofia para explicar como pensamos, comunicamos e organizamos a vida em sociedade. _______________ Tópicos: Latest book, on “common knowledge”, and its implications on society and politics How do different social behavioral equilibria emerge? | Game theory Nash Equilibrium Coordination Game When Sweden Switched To Driving On The Right Is Social Media eroding common / accepted knowledge? What will the post-social media information ecosystem look like? Has Generative AI surprised you? Does Gen AI lack models of the world? Parallels between LLMs and System 1 of our mind Does reliance on AI atrophy our critical thinking? Parallel with handheld calculatorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Miller is the Founder and former CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand, a Los Angeles–based leader in cloud talent management software. He grew the company from a startup in his apartment into a $5 billion public company with over 3,000 employees, while also helping build Team Rubicon into a 170,000-volunteer global disaster response organization. Adam is also the Founder of Better Angels, tackling homelessness in LA, and LA-Tech.org, which has delivered over 2,000 internships to underserved youth since 2021. Known for his "player-coach" leadership style, he's spent his career solving complex challenges at scale — and is now running for Mayor of Los Angeles. In this episode… What does it take to lead through a crisis and still come out stronger? How do you scale a company into the billions while staying true to your vision? And what can leaders learn from navigating both business challenges and real-world community issues? According to Adam Miller, a seasoned entrepreneur and nonprofit builder, effective leadership comes down to clarity of vision, alignment, and resilience under pressure. He highlights how staying anchored to a clear "North Star" helped him navigate near-failure moments — such as making payroll against the odds and walking away from deals that didn't align with his long-term goals. Drawing from both startup and nonprofit experiences, he emphasizes that strong relationships and shared purpose are critical to scaling impact. These principles, he explains, apply whether you're building a company or addressing complex social issues. His "player-coach" approach — balancing strategy with hands-on execution — has consistently driven meaningful results even in uncertain environments. In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, host Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Adam Miller to discuss leading through uncertainty and scaling impact. They explore surviving near-failure startup moments, building alignment across teams, and applying business leadership to public service. Adam also shares insights on making tough decisions and leading with integrity.

"We don't live in a stable world anymore. We live in a rapidly changing, turbulent world. And in a dynamic environment, intelligence is not just your ability to think and learn, it's your capacity to rethink and unlearn." Adam Grant, organizational psychologist, podcaster, and author of the bestseller "Think Again", tells us why we are wrong in many of our assumptions about today's world, and why we would all benefit from tackling our own biases - not least the "I'm-not-biased" bias.  And he explains why the wrong sorts of people too often get promoted or elected to positions of power. Adam spoke to Radio Davos at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. Links: Think Again: https://adamgrant.net/book/think-again/ Books Adam mentions: Factfulness: https://www.gapminder.org/factfulness-book/ The Better Angels of Our Nature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_Nature Not the End of the World:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world Related podcasts: ReThinking: Talking people out of hate with Daryl Davis and former neo-Nazi Jeff Schoep: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/rethinking-talking-people-out-of-hate-with-daryl/id1346314086?i=1000737195636 Radio Davos: AI can lie, hack and blackmail: Yoshua Bengio on how to tame the "baby tiger" of tech:  https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/yoshua-bengio-honest-ai/ Meet the Leader at 200: Top tips, pivots and lessons learned so far: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/episode-200-top-tips-pivots-lessons-learned/ The questions top Davos leaders are asking to start 2026: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/questions-davos-leaders-are-asking-2026/ Check out all our podcasts on wef.ch/podcasts:  YouTube: - https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts Radio Davos - subscribe: https://pod.link/1504682164 Meet the Leader - subscribe: https://pod.link/1534915560 Agenda Dialogues - subscribe: https://pod.link/1574956552

We're bringing you conversations with candidates running for mayor of Los Angeles — recorded live in front of an audience in a series of fireside chats. These conversations are conducted in my capacity as executive director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA. They're designed to be longer, more in-depth discussions about the nature of public leadership, the challenges facing the city and the ideas candidates have for addressing them.The race for mayor comes at a pivotal moment for Los Angeles. The city is still grappling with a homelessness crisis, immigration raids,concerns about public safety, and cuts to basic services. Voters will be deciding whether to give Mayor Karen Bass another term — or to choose a different direction.Today's guest is Adam Miller, a tech entrepreneur and nonprofit leader.Miller is the former CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand, an education software company he helped build into a global business. After leaving the company, he co-founded Better Angels, a nonprofit focused on addressing homelessness and developing new models for affordable housing. He entered the mayor's race in early 2026, arguing that Los Angeles faces a set of management challenges — from housing and homelessness to public safety — and needs stronger leadership at City Hall. Miller describes himself as a Democrat and an outsider candidate, and has said the city has the resources and talent it needs, but lacks effective execution and accountability in government.What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.

Why does condemnation feel so automatic?In this episode, John Ortberg invites us to slow down, breathe, and notice something surprising: judgment doesn't just live in our thoughts — it lives in our bodies.Returning to the story of Cain and Abel, John shows how God interrupts Cain with two gentle questions:- Why are you angry?- Why is your face downcast?Those questions open a doorway to freedom.Drawing on neuroscience from Jill Bolte Taylor and Antonio Damasio, John explains how condemnation becomes embodied through stress hormones, muscle tension, and emotional rehearsal. He introduces the difference between decisional non-condemnation (“I choose not to judge”) and emotional non-condemnation (asking God to transform what happens inside your body).You'll learn:• why condemnation feels physical• how the 90-second pause works• what it means to “feed the monster”• how blessing rewires your reactions• why you can disagree without condemningJohn also shares painfully honest examples of everyday judgment (hair gel, Tesla drivers, passive people — we've all been there

Hometown Radio 02/18/26 3p: Better Angels promotes civil dialogue

Using the Stone of Democracy to Slay the Goliath of Inequality Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse By: Luke Kemp Published: 2025 592 Pages Briefly, what is this book about? By most accounts, civilization, which is to say the large Hobbesian state, is a good thing. Kemp doesn't necessarily agree. In his account, states are lumbering, tyrannical, extractive Goliaths, cursed to grow bigger, more oppressive and more brittle until they are eventually brought down by a "stone" that hits in just the right place.  Civilization forms out of dominance hierarchies, and these hierarchies generally only move in one direction, towards greater inequality, greater extraction, and more self-interested decisions. This leads to ever increasing fragility and eventual collapse. Collapse might actually be a better place for the masses of people, though it's often quite bloody to get there. Though if that's how it played out in the past, Kemp doesn't think it will necessarily play out that way going forward. If (when?) civilization collapses this time, it will be far more apocalyptic.  What authorial biases should I be aware of? Kemp is associated with the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge. I was recommended this book by the sagacious Florian U. Jehn of the excellent Existential Crunch blog. Jehn knows his stuff which gives me the confidence to safely locate Kemp as an important scholar in the genre of collapse research, with an interesting, albeit populist/anti-elite take on the subject. Who should read this book? Kemp draws heavily on the ideas of James C. Scott (Seeing Like a State and Against the Grain) and writes in opposition to the ideas of Steven Pinker (in particular The Better Angels of Our Nature). If you find yourself similarly situated, you'll enjoy this book.  It's also a great book for anyone who can't get enough discussion of existential risk. And really given the stakes we should be considering as many viewpoints as possible. What does the book have to say about the future? As you might imagine, Kemp's vision of the future is pretty bleak. He is not a techno-optimist, rather he sees in technology the emergence of a new Goliath, a new arena of dominance and extraction. He has a certain amount of hope, but it all revolves around using democracy to disrupt the ratcheting up of inequality and elite power, which seems like a tall order.  Specific thoughts: Past, present, and future collapse

Part One- We speak with Mike DeRubis, who is with the non-partisan group Voters First Wisconsin, which is working to eliminate gerrymandering, reduce the influence of Big Money in politics, and to reform the way that certain elections are done in our state. Part Two- from 2018- historian Jon Meacham talks about his book "The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels." The book examines those periods in our country's history when we have been as bitterly divided as we are today- and how our nation was able to come together again.

Open your eyes, and use your heart

2025 has felt like a bit of a slog for many people - including, at points, the dragons. But despite that, and despite some longstanding terrible events in the News, lost of amazing things have happened this year. As has become tradition, Jules and Madeleine take a look a selection of 'good news' items from 2025 - including developments in science, technology and medicine, wins in conservation and environmental preservation and even a bit of culture. Join us for an upbeat discussion of the best bits of the year.   Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Happy Holidays from NALC! In this week's episode, learn more about New York, NY Branch 36's Better Angels of Our Human Nature toy drive. Hear from Branch 36 members Ernie Twomley and Tayry Vega about the program's history and where it is today.  Links: https://www.nalc.org/jcam https://betterangelsforkids.org/ 00:01:55 Joint Contract Administration Manual (JCAM) 00:03:56 Leave year 00:05:46 Christmas holiday 00:07:27 New Year's holiday 00:08:08 Article 11 00:11:39 Holiday leave credit 00:15:01 LMOU cases 00:17:16 What's ahead in 2026 00:23:42 Better Angels of Our Human Nature

The Author Events Series presents Steven Pinker  | When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . . In Conversation with Annie Duke Common knowledge is necessary for coordination, for making arbitrary but complementary choices like driving on the right, using paper currency, and coalescing behind a political leader or movement. It's also necessary for social coordination: everything from rendezvousing at a time and place to speaking the same language to forming enduring relationships of friendship, romance, or authority. Humans have a sixth sense for common knowledge, and we create it with signals like laughter, tears, blushing, eye contact, and blunt speech. But people also go to great lengths to avoid common knowledge-to ensure that even if everyone knows something, they can't know that everyone else knows they know it. And so we get rituals like benign hypocrisy, veiled bribes and threats, sexual innuendo, and pretending not to see the elephant in the room. Pinker shows how the hidden logic of common knowledge can make sense of many of life's enigmas: financial bubbles and crashes, revolutions that come out of nowhere, the posturing and pretense of diplomacy, the eruption of social media shaming mobs and academic cancel culture, the awkwardness of a first date. Artists and humorists have long mined the intrigues of common knowledge, and Pinker liberally uses their novels, jokes, cartoons, films, and sitcom dialogues to illuminate social life's tragedies and comedies.  Consistently riveting in explaining the paradoxes of human behavior, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows... invites us to understand the ways we try to get into each other's heads and the harmonies, hypocrisies, and outrages that result. Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has won many prizes for his teaching, his research on language, cognition, and social relations, and his twelve books, including The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Enlightenment Now, and Rationality. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and one of Time's ''100 Most Influential People in the World Today.'' Annie Duke is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund. Annie's latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, was released in 2022 from Portfolio, a Penguin Random House imprint. Her previous book, Thinking in Bets, is a national bestseller. As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She retired from the game in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Annie was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her master's degree. In 2021 she returned to her alma mater as a Visiting Scholar, where she also teaches executive education. In 2023 Annie completed her PhD in Cognitive Psychology. Because you love Author Events, please make a donation when you register for this event to ensure that this series continues to inspire Philadelphians. Books will be available for purchase at the library on event night! All tickets are non-refundable. (recorded 9/25/2025)

What can war teach us about how the human brain really works? And why is human decision-making a more significant factor than military strength in wars?Episode SummaryOn this episode, I'm exploring how the human brain truly manifests in conflict—and what that reveals about everyday decision-making. Dr Nicholas Wright, a neurologist-turned-neuroscientist who advises the Pentagon Joint Staff, joins me to discuss his new book Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain. In our conversation, Nick explains why fear is functional, how “will to fight” can outweigh superior force, and why democracies remain capable of catastrophic decisions. He also explains how perception operates as a controlled hallucination anchored to reality rather than a simple sensory feed, and why that distinction matters for strategy, leadership, and risk. Moving from fruit flies to front lines, Nick shows how simple neural chemicals regulate aggression, how the brain's grid cells create literal maps to navigate danger and opportunity, and how both biological and organisational models can mislead when mistaken for reality. The discussion ranges from 1940 France to Kyiv, from Stalingrad to Gaza, and from deception as a vice to deception as a civic virtue.Nick makes a compelling case for metacognition — the ability to think about one's own thinking— as the conductor of the brain's internal orchestra and argues that wisdom—not merely cleverness — must be deliberately designed into leaders and into the next generation of artificial intelligence.We end with practical insights: cultivating “better ignorance,” inviting real dissent in the spirit of Churchill, and creating deliberate spaces for reflection like (I'm delighted to report) long train journeys.Guest Biography Dr Nicholas Wright, MRCP, PhD, is a neuroscientist researching the intersections of the brain, technology, and security at University College London, Georgetown University, and the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, DC. He also serves as an adviser to the Pentagon Joint Staff. Beyond academia, Wright leads projects connecting neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and strategy, and has advised the Pentagon Joint Staff for more than a decade.He consults on AI for SAP and edited Artificial Intelligence, China, Russia, and the Global Order (Air University Press, 2019).His latest book, Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain, is published by St. Martin's Press (US) and Pan Macmillan (UK).AI_Generated Time-stamped Summary[00:00:00] Introduction [00:01:00] Nick Wright's journey from neurologist to defense advisor, applying neuroscience to strategy and AI.[00:04:29] How evolution shaped the human brain for survival and combat — we're “built to win or survive a fight.”[00:05:59] Fear as a vital yet double-edged emotion; anxiety as a side effect of peace.[00:08:26] Origins of the book Warhead and cultural perceptions of its title.[00:09:39] Why war remains relevant; critique of overconfidence in peace and Pinker's “Better Angels” thesis.[00:12:01] Lessons from France's WWII defeat — cognition and morale outweigh material strength.[00:14:41] Ukraine's resistance as an example of will to fight; psychology as a decisive factor.[00:15:42] Creativity and emotion as essential tools in decision-making; the brain as an orchestra balancing logic and instinct.[00:18:10] What fruit flies reveal about aggression and shared neural circuitry with humans.[00:21:13] Structure of Warhead — using neuroscience to reinterpret history and warfare.[00:26:37] Mental models and how the brain simulates reality to guide choices.[00:30:37] Perception vs. reality — the brain generates, not records, the world we see.[00:35:31] The “uncanny valley” and prediction errors — why imperfect mimicry unsettles us.[00:36:17] Moral symmetry in conflict — both sides perceive their cause as just.[00:38:00] Deception and fog of war — manipulating human perception as a timeless weapon.[00:41:00] WWII story of René Carmille — lying as moral resistance.[00:43:59] Social media, attention, and the loss of reflection — the modern “disease of abundance.”[00:45:41] Wisdom versus cleverness — Churchill's reflective habits and valuing dissent.[00:48:11] “Better ignorance” and intellectual humility as foundations of wise leadership.[00:51:26] Cognitive diversity, AI, and the need to embed wisdom—not just intelligence—into machines.[00:58:28] From WWII to China today — the enduring need for wisdom in navigating global conflict.LinksNick's website - https://www.intelligentbiology.co.uk/WarHead Nick's book - https://www.intelligentbiology.co.uk/booksNick on LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-d-wright-bba3a065/If you liked this episode, you might also like my discussion with Dr Mike Martin - https://www.humanriskpodcast.com/dr-mike-martin-on-war-politics/

A Note from JamesI first got really impressed with Steven Pinker when he wrote The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. He basically shows that over the past 10,000 years, every single century has been less violent than the one before it. You might think, “That can't include the 20th century,” right? We had World War I, World War II, atomic bombs, the flu pandemic of 1920, Vietnam—all these massive wars. But when you look at violent deaths per capita, the 20th century was actually less violent than the 1800s, which were less violent than the 1700s, and so on. It's a beautiful, data-driven argument for optimism.But it's his latest book that really fascinated me: When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life. That subtitle alone—“common knowledge and the mysteries of money, power, and everyday life”—you can't just skip past that. You have to know what it means.Take poker, for example. If someone bluffs you, you have to think: are they bluffing? Or are they making me think they're bluffing, but they're not? Or do they know that I think they're bluffing, so now they're actually not bluffing at all? That kind of circular reasoning—what philosophers call “common knowledge”—shows up in real life all the time.Like when you ask someone up for “a cup of coffee” after a date. You're not really talking about coffee. But you're also not saying what you actually mean. You're hinting. You're creating a safe, ambiguous space where both people know what's being suggested without anyone having to say it outright. The same thing happens when you ask your boss, “Can we discuss taking on more responsibilities?” instead of saying “I want a raise.” We give partial information all the time, because being direct can change the relationship—or close off possibilities.Steven and I talked about why we communicate this way, how shared knowledge shapes everything from flirtation to power to money, and what happens when that balance breaks down.And by the way—if you've never seen Steven Pinker—he looks exactly like what you'd imagine a Harvard professor to look like. Long white hair, sharp blue eyes, and this kind of wild genius energy. Jay and I joked that he looks like Einstein meets Jimmy Page meets Beethoven. He's the best-looking academic I've ever seen.Anyway, here's our conversation on When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life, with my good friend Steven Pinker.Episode DescriptionIn this conversation, James and Steven Pinker explore how much of life runs on signals, innuendo, and the unsaid. Pinker explains how “common knowledge”—what everyone knows that everyone else knows—shapes everything from romantic attraction to political polarization to financial panics.They discuss why laughter matters, how game theory explains social awkwardness, and why being “brutally honest” all the time can destroy relationships. From Seinfeld to poker tables to the stock market, Pinker shows that our most human moments depend on the subtle art of leaving things unsaid.What You'll LearnWhy subtle hints and shared assumptions keep relationships, negotiations, and societies stableHow laughter creates “common knowledge” and strengthens social bondsThe role of game theory and “recursive thinking” in everything from dating to diplomacyWhy total honesty isn't always a virtue—and how “rational hypocrisy” preserves relationshipsHow stock market behavior, toilet paper hoarding, and bank runs all reflect the same hidden logicTimestamped Chapters[00:00] Introduction – When everyone knows that everyone knows [03:00] A Note from James: Why Pinker's optimism matters [08:00] The hidden rules of communication and “weasel words” [10:00] Why we hint, wink, and avoid blurting the truth [13:00] “I love you” and the creation of common knowledge [16:00] How humor and laughter level the playing field [20:00] Politics, laughter, and social signaling [27:00] Bluffing, poker, and recursive thinking [31:00] Negotiation, honesty, and the limits of directness [38:00] Rational hypocrisy vs. radical honesty [42:00] Stock markets, speculation, and public knowledge [47:00] The toilet paper paradox: when panic becomes reality [56:00] Why intimacy can't be legislated [01:00:00] Trade-offs, awareness, and flexible social norms [01:01:00] The “Sagan Curse” and being a public intellectual [01:04:00] The logic behind life's unspoken rulesAdditional ResourcesSteven Pinker – When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday LifeSteven Pinker – The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has DeclinedSteven Pinker – Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It MattersSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a time when the headlines are bleak and social feeds are filled with outrage, what does it mean to be deliberately optimistic? In this episode of Gratitude Through Hard Times, host Chris Schembra sits down with returning guest Mattan Griffel, two-time Y Combinator–backed founder, award-winning Columbia Business School professor, and longtime startup coach, to rethink optimism from the inside out.This isn't a conversation about pretending everything is fine. It's a practical, science-backed exploration of how to keep moving forward when the world tries to convince you to freeze. Chris and Mattan unpack the psychology of negativity, including the brain's nine-to-one negative memory bias, nostalgia's hidden trap, and how media algorithms profit from fear, and then turn to the tools that can rewire us toward progress and resilience.Along the way, they revisit some of Mattan's most powerful ideas: the courage of “naive optimism” that makes founders start companies against impossible odds; serendipity bombs, small outward actions that quietly build networks and opportunity; and the truth that being wrong most of the time is the price of doing something original.The conversation is both personal and practical. Chris shares stories of producing a two-man play in Beverly Hills under the threat of a record-breaking El Niño storm, and how standing in the room with committed collaborators fueled hope despite fear. Mattan reflects on early YouTube criticism that almost derailed him, and how understanding our negativity bias changed his response to rejection and failure.Listeners will also hear how positive emotions aren't just nice-to-have; they're powerful mental technology. Chris cites Barbara Fredrickson's “broaden-and-build” research, showing how gratitude, curiosity, and empathy expand our thought–action repertoire, unlock creativity, and make new solutions visible. Together they argue that optimism isn't fluffy, it's a survival skill in an age of AI disruption, social media outrage cycles, and cultural pessimism.By the end of the episode, you'll have practical habits to invite luck and possibility into your own life: connect generously, say yes early and often, ship ideas at 90% instead of chasing perfection, and create rooms where pessimism can't dominate. Most importantly, you'll be reminded that hope is not passive, it's built one intentional step at a time.10 Quotes“Optimism isn't blind faith that everything will be fine, it's the conviction that progress is buildable.” — Mattan“Our brains take in nine bits of negative information for every one bit of positive. That's biology, not failure.” — Chris“Nostalgia can be beautiful, but it's often denial, an inability to process the present.” — Chris“Systems are self-healing if we let them. The line of human progress trends up and to the right, even if it wobbles.” — Mattan“Negativity sells. Each negative word in a headline can boost clicks by 2.3%, but positive words get ignored.” — Chris“You have to be wrong most of the time to create something new. Error tolerance is optimism in action.” — Mattan“The stupid way to be selfish is to seek happiness for yourself alone; the intelligent way is to work for the welfare of others.” — Dalai Lama (quoted by Chris)“Say yes early and often because most conversations won't go anywhere, but the one that does can change your life.” — Mattan“Progress comes from movement, not perfection. Press go at 90%.” — Chris“Positive emotions broaden your thought–action repertoire, gratitude and curiosity literally rewire your brain for resilience.” — Chris (referencing Barbara Fredrickson)10 Big TakeawaysOptimism is a discipline, not a mood. It's about choosing to believe in forward momentum despite uncertainty.Understand your brain's negativity bias. We're wired to remember threats — knowing this can help us reframe and resist doomscrolling.Question nostalgia. Looking back with rose-colored glasses can fuel pessimism about the present.Negativity is profitable — be aware of media incentives. Don't let clickbait headlines distort your worldview.Design serendipity. Small, outward-focused actions (helping others, showing up, connecting dots) compound over time.Practice error tolerance. Innovation and growth require being wrong most of the time; progress lives in mistakes.Generosity drives returns. Investing in other people — time, knowledge, introductions — creates long-term opportunity and resilience.Say yes more (strategically). Especially early in your journey, embrace exploration; one connection can transform everything.Start before you're ready. Perfectionism delays progress; ship at 90% and learn in motion.Positive emotions fuel creativity. Simple acts of gratitude, kindness, and curiosity expand your capacity to see solutions and possibilities.On Negativity Bias & Media OutrageAdam Mastroianni & Daniel Gilbert's Nature paper — The illusion of moral declineSteven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature (book summary)Tobias Rose-Stockwell — The Outrage MachineUpworthy headline negativity study (Columbia Journalism Review)On Positive Emotion & OptimismBarbara Fredrickson's “Broaden-and-Build Theory” explainerDalai Lama quote on “intelligent selfishness”Adam Grant's Give and TakeOn Startup Mindset & SerendipityMattan Griffel's Medium essay: “You Have to Be Wrong”Mattan Griffel on Designing Serendipity (Forbes)How to Build Serendipity in Your Career (Harvard Business Review)On Connection & GenerosityChris Schembra's Rolling Stone column archiveIkigai framework explainerPwC research on ROI of well-being programs

The Hidden Lightness with Jimmy Hinton – Schwarzenegger's words resonate because they remind us that healing doesn't begin with institutions—it begins with individuals. It begins with you and me. We cannot wait for Washington or the media to change. The cure to division is already within us: the choice to engage with humility, to disagree without dehumanizing, and to choose peace over escalation...

This episode is an episode of encouragement. When we live out of the best of who we can be in any given moment, it transforms the world. When we live out of the better angels of our nature, as Abraham Lincoln said, that is when we are truly who we are. It's not about being perfect!

Climate change sucks, not least when it causes violence - which it does more than you'd think. In a hundred ways it can add stress and trauma to brains already under huge pressure, and when that's all finally a bit much - well, the worse demons of our nature can, and do, come out. Grim. But are we doomed? Does it have to be like that? Can environmental peacebuilding turn climate violence into an engine of cooperation? Or is human nature a more powerful force when the chips are down, which they increasingly are? Joining me this episode is environmental journalist Peter Schwartzstein. We discuss his remarkable book of reportage from the world's climate and confrontational hotspots - The Heat and the Fury: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence - and what lies behind his termite theory of climate violence. Let me know your thoughts on the show - hello@yourbrainonclimate.com. Please rate, review and subscribe, and share the show on socials. Please consider chucking this humble indie podcaster a few quid at www.patreon.com/yourbrainonclimate. Owl noises = references: 15:33. Peter's piece for Columbia Journalism Review about how climate change is scuppering climate journalism. 16:43. A review of Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker. 21:09. Alessandro Massazza joined me last year, discussing climate change & mental heat. 39:15. Steven Pinker's Better Angels of our Nature. The show is hosted and produced by me, Dave Powell. You can follow the show on instagram @yourbrainonclimate, and I occasionally put up a Substack. YBOC theme music and iterations thereof, by me.  Show logo by Arthur Stovell at https://mondial-studio.com/. Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

(Jul 22, 2025) Police say a Canadian man murdered his nine-year-old daughter while vacationing in the U.S.; during a town hall in Plattsburgh over the weekend, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke out against President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and Republicans like North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik who supported it; and North Words host Mitch Teich speaks with Bloomberg Opinion columnist and part-time North Country resident Francis Barry about his book, "Back Roads and Better Angels," which chronicles his journey along the more than 3,000-mile long Lincoln Highway.

I was watching that short documentary that PKGD released about mezcalero Carlos Mendez Blas, “Capitan Palomo.” And I was struck by the revelations in that film and how I think there's something in Carlos' world view that could solve the problems around immigration.Agave Road Trip is a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast that helps gringx bartenders better understand agave, agave spirits, and rural Mexico. This episode is hosted by Lou Bank with special guest Chef Oto Michel of Estrella Negra with wisdom from Carlos Mendez Blas of Mezcal Palomo.Episode NotesIf you haven't yet watched “Capitan Palomo,” do that here.This episode cover is from the Loteria illustrated by Jose Guadalupe Posada.Shout outs this episode to PKGD, the National Association to Protect Children, Erika Valenciana's “Brewer," Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature, The HERO Child-Rescue Corps, Blue Oyster Cult's “In Thee,” Lalocura, and Milt Rosenberg!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tercera parte y final del Especial Monográfico dedicado a la trayectoria del gran Al Foster, en la que repasaremos la etapa final de su carrera, desde 1988 hasta el 2024, escuchando estupendas colaboraciones con músicos como David Kikoski, Eddie Gomez, Michel Petrucciani, Roy Hargrove, Dave Liebman y Richie Beirat y Quest, de nuevo junto a McCoy Tyner, con Michael Stern, los Scolohofo de Joe Lovano, John Scofield y Dave Holland, Bruce Barth y su trío, Charlie Haden y Joe Henderson, Jorge Rossy y su estupendo Vibes Quintet, su último álbum grabado como líder, Reflections de 2022 y su último trabajo junto a Peter Bernstein, Brad Mehldau y Vicente Archer, Better Angels del 2024, con el que cerraremos este repaso a la trayectoria y música de uno de los grandes.Muchas gracias por tanto y tan bueno Mr. Foster!

Welcome back to our Podcast. and in this episode, we are going to explore the mysterious junction between human potential and the human predicament. Today, we're diving into an idea that may sting a little at first, but, if we look closely, it might also open a hidden door to hope. It involves the unfortunate observation that while human technology, what we do, has evolved at an astonishing pace, human consciousness, who we actually are, has lagged significantly behind. Our ability to split atoms, utilize instant global communications, and code digital realities has raced ahead at lightning speed, fueling our Modern Times. But our capacity for empathy, humility, compassion and having the capacity to be able to live a peaceful, and meaningful life looks much more like we're still stuck the Middle Ages. Which brings us to the content of this episode called “Spears and Switchblades: One Stubborn Species.” To help bring the basic idea into focus, we're going to compare two of the most iconic love tragedies ever put on the stage: William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and its mid-20th century musical reincarnation, West Side Story. Though separated by more than 350 years, these two narratives—one set in Renaissance Verona and the other in 1950s New York City—are mirrors reflecting the same fundamental human flaws. Jealousy. Tribalism. Miscommunication , Stubborness and Pride, among many others. All of which are run by an emotional impulsivity that can turn love into war, and beauty into ashes. So, the first question that we want to explore is: have we grown at all in the past 400 years? Or have we simply become more sophisticated in the weaponry that we have developed in order to kill each other more efficiently? Let's start with the core human dynamics that drive both plays, because even though they are separated by centuries, their basic human flaws remain exactly the same. In Romeo and Juliet, two teenagers fall in love across the boundary of a family feud. The Montagues and Capulets have nursed a blood vendetta for so long that no one even remembers how it started. And it doesn't matter anymore. They just plain hate each other. And its consequences are clear: violence in the streets, death, heartbreak, and ultimately, a double suicide. What are the dominant negative human traits here? Hatred passed down like an heirloom Honor culture run amok Impetuous emotion overpowering reason A lack of inner stillness or reflection, overcome by rage Fast forward 400 years to West Side Story, and we meet Tony and Maria, two lovers from opposing street gangs: the Jets, composed mostly of white working-class youths, and the Sharks, made up of Puerto Rican immigrants. Once again, love blossoms in hostile soil, and once again, the terrible price of primal tribal hatred is death. Different clothes, different slang, different soundtrack. Same madness. And this is the bottom line of the issue. Totally different external world, everything has changed, as well it should. After all, four hundred years have gone by and the situation facing the teenagers living in the streets of New York City would be absolutely unimaginable to the kids running around in the late 1500's.  Completely different on the outside – yet the inner madness remains exactly the same. And the ramifications of this imbalance are immense. Let's compare the outer worlds of these two stories: Romeo and Juliet takes place in late 16th-century Verona. It's a world without electricity, medicine as we know it, or organized police. Family ruled everything. Honor was a matter of life and death. Raw emotions emerged dramatically and physically. And the sword was both symbol and solution. West Side Story unfolds in 1950s Manhattan, post-WWII. Televisions had entered the living room. Jet engines had conquered the sky. The UN had been formed, civil rights movements were stirring. Science had given us vaccines, electricity, and refrigeration. And yet... disputes were still settled with violence. In this case, the weapon of choice was the switch blade. Anger and tribal pride still led to bloodshed. And the beauty of love still ended in the tragedy funerals. So, what changed? The world around us got faster, smarter and ever-more connected. But the world inside us? Pretty much the same old garbage pail. And one of the primary central drivers in both stories is basic tribalism—the instinct to form in-groups and out-groups. The name of the game is us-versus-them. In Romeo and Juliet, the tribes are defined by blood. In West Side Story, by race and ethnicity. In both, the borders are irrational and absolute. This human trait is ancient, seemingly almost hardwired into our survival code. We evolved in small tribes where loyalty equaled life, and strangers equaled threat. But now we live in megacities, online echo chambers where we're still addicted to tribalism. We divide ourselves by politics, religion, race, nationality, gender identity, and more—often with a sense of inner hostility that's far more emotional than rational. In both plays, the pride of belonging to an in-crowd becomes a major fuse. Tybalt's stone cold sense of us and them, along with an ego based identification with personal honor won't let him ignore Romeo's presence at the Capulet ball. Four hundred years later, Bernardo's defense-based sense of belonging to the Sharks won't let him see Tony as anything but another American self-entitled Jet. In both cases, primal tribal dignity demands a serious and significant attack against the perceived enemy. So, the basic recipe for tragedy that spans the centuries remains the same: paranoid pride, mixed with anger and fear, driven by impulse and untampered by any wisdom or understanding turns into a violent weapon of darkness and death. In a certain sense, what happened to us over the years isn't evolution at all. It's just plain repetition Unfortunately, of course this didn't end in the late 1950's. Far from it. While we've vastly upgraded our weaponry, we've also developed more subtle, yet powerful ways to threaten and hurt each other, like social media shaming for example,  where it becomes pretty easy to ruin someone's life just by pressing a few buttons. In the time between William Shakespeare and Leonard Bernstein, humans invented calculus, steam engines, telegraphs, airplanes, televisions, and atomic bombs. We mapped the human genome. We put men on the moon. But we still haven't figured out what we're really all about. Oh, we all know how to chase things, but are these things that we've been programmed to chase real, or they just illusions? Maybe we're just addicted to chasing, itself. In that regard, we've all heard about the tendency of dogs to chase cars. But there are two key aspects to that particular pursuit. One – the dog can never really catch the car. It is much too fast for it. And secondly – what happens if the dog actually does catch the car and we all know the answer to that – nothing. The dog can't do anything if and when it catches the car. It's the same way for us. We're just running after things on the outside, oblivious to who we really are and what we are really made of, not to mention what can actually make us truly happy and satisfied. And all of this goes on while we continue to improve our technology by leaps and bounds. Yet, we still don't know how to disagree without resorting to violence. We still haven't universally adopted the idea that every human being, regardless of their identity, has intrinsic value. We still raise children who feel unloved, unheard, or unsafe. We're still driven by fear disguised as pride. We still confuse dominance with dignity. And we still kill the thing we love because we don't know how to hold it. And the bottom line of it all is basically defending the inherent illusion of our ego selves, which is still at the basic foundation of our inner C-Suite. As such, we still confuse noise with strength. And we still take most the good things in our life for granted, which is truly tragic. Like Joni Mitchell sang in a seemingly earlier age, “Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone.” As it all continues to spiral further, in so many ways, the message to us is crystal clear – It's time to wake up and grow up. Romeo and Juliet loved across a line they weren't supposed to cross. Tony and Maria did it too. Their love was a shining light in the midst of all this darkness. Even though everything seemed to be against them, they knew what they had. And we knew it too. And despite what we knew it was that they were facing, we all rooted for them, because something about the higher thing in life, the Better Angels of Our Nature, speaks to the deepest part of our intelligence, both in our hearts and in our minds. We have more tools than ever to connect across cultures, to educate, to innovate, to heal. And yet, we still face the same old demons. But here's the good news: we are capable of change. Unlike the characters in those plays, our story isn't written yet. We are not locked in a script. We can choose awareness. We can choose evolution. The keynote to both of these tragedies is that it is time to individually bring our inner light to our own inner darkness. The Wisdom of the Ages as well as modern brain science tell us that we do have the power to protect this light from the winds of hate, fear and pride, and that we can, and essentially must, cultivate the inner skills of patience, compassion, empathy, and yes - courage. NeuroHarmonics: Inner Technology for a New Humanity That's what the NeuroHarmonic Method is all about: cultivating the inner circuitry to match the brilliance of our outer inventions. It's not just about brainwaves or affirmations or even spirituality. It's about training the nervous system to return to equilibrium, to respond rather than react, to perceive the human being behind the mask, and ultimately to shift from emotional immaturity to presence. From the rage of vengeance to an intuitive sense grace. But this is a path toward real evolution that can only be travelled one person at a time. Because the world won't evolve until we do it individually. Not really. So here we are, somewhere between Shakespeare's Verona and the 21st century, still caught in the drama. But I hate to tell you that the Bard didn't invent this particular tale. The truth is, it stands atop a mountain of ancient stories echoing the same theme—love thwarted by fate, culture, or conflict. And this motif is not unique to the Renaissance or even to Western civilization. The same basic story can be found in the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome, Babylon, ancient Egypt, Persia, and India. Indeed, it's one of the most enduring themes in human storytelling. And the deeper you dig, the further back you go, the more you realize: the tragedy of love versus society and the battle of light versus darkness is as old as storytelling itself. But maybe, just maybe, we're ready to write a different ending. One where love doesn't die. One where pride yields to peace. One where technology finally partners with wisdom. Let's imagine a future version of West Side Story, maybe 400 years from now. What would it take for that version not to be a tragedy? Maybe the gangs might still exist, but their interchange would consist of words instead of weapons. Maybe love would not be hidden in the shadows, but declared in daylight. Maybe reconciliation would be taught in schools, right alongside science and math. Maybe forgiveness would be considered a mark of strength, not weakness. Consciousness evolution would be about not just developing new tools, but new tendencies, moving us from: From reaction to reflection From judgment to curiosity From pride to presence From tribalism to universalism It means valuing not just intelligence, but wisdom. This all represents something to look forward to and welcome into our lives in the here and now, as much as we are able. And if we're not able to yet, at least we can make our intentions known to ourselves. Well, this will be the end of this episode. As always, keep your eyes, mind and heart open, and let's get together in the next one.

On this special Memorial Day episode of Uncomfy, host Julie Rose sits down with retired U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer Gary Zelinski, author of “A Walk Among Heroes: Searching for America's Better Angels,” to discover the hidden stories buried at Arlington National Cemetery. From boxing legend Joe Louis to Audie Murphy's unsung wife, Pamela Opal Lee, Zelinski shares the deeply personal journeys that led him to uncover the silent heroes of our nation's military past—and why he believes the families of service members deserve our honor just as much as the fallen themselves. What does Memorial Day mean to you? Who are the heroes in your family? Tell us in the comments or email us at uncomfy@byu.edu. Get Gary's book, “A Walk Among Heroes: Searching for America's Better Angels” - https://garyzelinski.com/books/ Check out Julie's other podcast, Top of Mind with Julie Rose - https://lnkfi.re/TopofMind Subscribe/follow for more conversations that challenge, inspire, and invite us to grow. Episode transcript - https://uncomfypodcastbyu.blogspot.com/2025/05/the-hidden-heroes-of-arlington-and-what.html CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:44 Memorial Day and Arlington National Cemetery 01:13 Intro to Gary Zelinski: A Walk Among Heroes 01:28 Gary's Personal Connection to Arlington 03:56 Joe Louis: A Hero Beyond the Ring 06:51 The Story of Pamela Opal Lee 09:32 Honoring Military Families 11:11 Reflections on Memorial Day 14:44 Conclusion

Send us a textPete Price's musical journey began in a church choir where elderly parishioners would compliment his singing after service. That early encouragement sparked a lifetime devoted to music that's taken him from singing an octave too high in his first band at age 12 to performing with the Fry's Band for crowds of 5,000 people thirty years later.As Pete reveals in this intimate conversation, his path wasn't always straightforward. Recognizing his shyer temperament didn't suit the frontman role, he taught himself guitar and found his true calling in harmonies and instrumental work. The Fry's Band evolved from an acoustic trio specializing in vocal harmonies during the "unplugged era" of the 90s to a versatile five-piece electric outfit that maintains those signature harmonic elements while expanding their sonic palette.A turning point came when Pete sent a song to a friend who had Nashville connections. Watching professional musicians transform his composition in a Nashville studio "lit a fire" under him, resulting in an explosion of creativity that produced two acclaimed albums: "Department of the Interior" and "Pictures in Time." Pete's thoughtful approach to songwriting—crafting lyrics that offer genuine insights from his life experiences—demonstrates his belief that music should create meaningful connections. His newest single "Better Angels" tells an unresolved story of post-breakup courage that showcases his storytelling abilities.Drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan ("you don't have to have the greatest voice but you need something to say"), Jackson Browne, and the Allman Brothers, Pete has crafted an Americana sound that moves fluidly between folk, rock, blues and light jazz. Whether performing with the Fry's Band, his duo 39 North, or in solo appearances featuring his original music, Pete embodies the joy of authentic musical expression. As he puts it: "Music is super important to me... it gets me up every morning to go down and work on my music." Listen to his story and discover the hidden treasures in his songs at petepricemusic.com.Want to be a guest on Living the Dream with Curveball? Send Curtis Jackson a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628631536976x919760049303001600

Hey everybody. This week we are discussing Tony Kaye and David McKenna's American History X. Listen as we breakdown this tragic story of how hate and anger can infect and destroy your life and finding the path to break the cycle. Enjoy!

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Harry sits down with Steven Pinker, who wears many intellectual hats, all well: linguist, psychologist, political philosopher, historian, and social critic, for starters. After some brief discussion of his childhood and background, they dive into Pinker's best-selling “The Better Angels of Our Nature,” (Bill Gates's favorite book at the time), “Enlightenment Now,” and Rationality” (Bill Gates's new favorite book). In those works, Pinker lay out an argument that by and large, in fits and starts, society is advancing incrementally in health, safety, knowledge, and other key benchmarks of Enlightenment values. The two also touch on Pinker's strong if idiosyncratic views about writing (he rejects much of modern pedantry about correct usage); his original Promethean work in linguistics; and his views about certain human cognitive biases. A wide-ranging and provocative discussion with one of the great public intellectuals of our time.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's episode features a new song by Pete Price, that embodies the heartfelt storytelling that has become a hallmark of Pete's work. “This Time” is part of Pictures in Time, a deeply introspective album released in 2024. Tracks like “House of Mirrors” and “Better Angels” showcase Price's evolution as an artist and storyteller.Here is the inspiration behind Pete's song, "This Time":Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds" in advocating the right for a person to change in order to experience greater personal growth. Don't limit yourself because of the expectations of others. "This Time" is a song about having the right to reinvent yourself. You have no real responsibility to be consistent, although you should always try to be kind and ethical. Those who knew you as a certain kind of person have no right to expect for you to remain that way. However, they have the right to take you or leave you at any time, whether you stay the same or change.Featuring Casey Davis on electric guitar, Allen Seals on mandolin and recorded at Triangle Road Studio, “This Time” captures Pete Price's roots/Americana essence with rich instrumentation and reflective lyricism.Find out more about Pete's music at www.petepricemusic.com

Vegans have a marketing problem: they're perceived to be annoying, self-righteous, judgmental, and inflexible. Author Matthew Halteman's book Hungry Beautiful Animals is designed to fix that perception and make veganism more appealing and less threatening. Visit his website about Hungry Beautiful Animals. Matthew Halteman and I discuss his book Hungry Beautiful Animals. Here's the timeline of our discussion in case you want to skip to a section. 00:00 Intro 04:30 Marketing Problem? 07:00 Practical Tips 10:00 Kindergarten Values 12:00 Abstract food 16:30 Aspirations 20:40 Fish Watch the Video Book review In his excellent book "The Better Angels of Our Nature," Steven Pinker observed that humanity has become less barbarous with each passing century. Consider the improvements to: - Women's rights - Gay rights - Racism - Slavery - Death penalty - Wars - Prisons Pinker was asked, "What will people in the 22nd century think of us? What are we doing that will seem barbarous and immoral to future humans?" Pinker said (I'm paraphrasing), "The way almost everyone financially supports the barbarous and inhumane treatment of animals by buying and eating animals." True. Today's vegans are like the anti-slavery people 200 years ago: annoying, and everyone wished they would just go away. How can vegans be more inviting? It seems like an all-or-nothing club.  This book says, "Relax. You're welcome to join the tribe." Hungry Beautiful Animals is a vibrant and engaging exploration of veganism.  The book stands out for its joyful and inclusive approach, aiming to transform the often polarizing topic of veganism into an inviting conversation.  Halteman's writing can be too verbose, but it is filled with humor and anecdotes that resonate regardless of one's dietary choices. ### Key Themes - Joy and Kindness: Halteman emphasizes that adopting a vegan lifestyle can be a source of joy rather than a burden. He encourages readers to view veganism as a journey filled with possibilities rather than a strict set of rules that can lead to feelings of shame or guilt.    - Personal Stories: The book is rich with anecdotes that illustrate the interconnectedness of all living beings. For instance, Halteman reflects on moments his dog (Gus), who inspired him to write this book. - Community Focus: Halteman invites readers from all backgrounds to join in a collective movement towards kindness and compassion for animals, promoting the idea that everyone is welcome in this exploration of veganism, even if you're not hardcore, full-time. - Practical Guidance: Beyond philosophical discussions, the book provides practical suggestions for leading a more animal-friendly life, including tips on creating pollinator-friendly habitats in one's yard. The book offers profound insights and the ability to provoke thought without condemnation.  It is an engaging read that challenges preconceived notions about veganism while fostering a sense of community and shared purpose. Overall, Hungry Beautiful Animals is a book about veganism and an invitation to live more compassionately and joyfully with all beings. VERDICT: 9 out of 10 stars!

Rebroadcast: this episode was originally released in November 2022.Is war in long-term decline? Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature brought this previously obscure academic question to the centre of public debate, and pointed to rates of death in war to argue energetically that war is on the way out.But that idea divides war scholars and statisticians, and so Better Angels has prompted a spirited debate, with datasets and statistical analyses exchanged back and forth year after year. The lack of consensus has left a somewhat bewildered public (including host Rob Wiblin) unsure quite what to believe.Today's guest, professor in political science Bear Braumoeller, is one of the scholars who believes we lack convincing evidence that warlikeness is in long-term decline. He collected the analysis that led him to that conclusion in his 2019 book, Only the Dead: The Persistence of War in the Modern Age.Links to learn more, highlights, and full transcript.The question is of great practical importance. The US and PRC are entering a period of renewed great power competition, with Taiwan as a potential trigger for war, and Russia is once more invading and attempting to annex the territory of its neighbours.If war has been going out of fashion since the start of the Enlightenment, we might console ourselves that however nerve-wracking these present circumstances may feel, modern culture will throw up powerful barriers to another world war. But if we're as war-prone as we ever have been, one need only inspect the record of the 20th century to recoil in horror at what might await us in the 21st.Bear argues that the second reaction is the appropriate one. The world has gone up in flames many times through history, with roughly 0.5% of the population dying in the Napoleonic Wars, 1% in World War I, 3% in World War II, and perhaps 10% during the Mongol conquests. And with no reason to think similar catastrophes are any less likely today, complacency could lead us to sleepwalk into disaster.He gets to this conclusion primarily by analysing the datasets of the decades-old Correlates of War project, which aspires to track all interstate conflicts and battlefield deaths since 1815. In Only the Dead, he chops up and inspects this data dozens of different ways, to test if there are any shifts over time which seem larger than what could be explained by chance variation alone.In a nutshell, Bear simply finds no general trend in either direction from 1815 through today. It seems like, as philosopher George Santayana lamented in 1922, "only the dead have seen the end of war."In today's conversation, Bear and Rob discuss all of the above in more detail than even a usual 80,000 Hours podcast episode, as well as:Why haven't modern ideas about the immorality of violence led to the decline of war, when it's such a natural thing to expect?What would Bear's critics say in response to all this?What do the optimists get right?How does one do proper statistical tests for events that are clumped together, like war deaths?Why are deaths in war so concentrated in a handful of the most extreme events?Did the ideas of the Enlightenment promote nonviolence, on balance?Were early states more or less violent than groups of hunter-gatherers?If Bear is right, what can be done?How did the 'Concert of Europe' or 'Bismarckian system' maintain peace in the 19th century?Which wars are remarkable but largely unknown?Chapters:Cold open (00:00:00)Rob's intro (00:01:01)The interview begins (00:05:37)Only the Dead (00:08:33)The Enlightenment (00:18:50)Democratic peace theory (00:28:26)Is religion a key driver of war? (00:31:32)International orders (00:35:14)The Concert of Europe (00:44:21)The Bismarckian system (00:55:49)The current international order (01:00:22)The Better Angels of Our Nature (01:19:36)War datasets (01:34:09)Seeing patterns in data where none exist (01:47:38)Change-point analysis (01:51:39)Rates of violent death throughout history (01:56:39)War initiation (02:05:02)Escalation (02:20:03)Getting massively different results from the same data (02:30:45)How worried we should be (02:36:13)Most likely ways Only the Dead is wrong (02:38:31)Astonishing smaller wars (02:42:45)Rob's outro (02:47:13)Producer: Keiran HarrisAudio mastering: Ryan KesslerTranscriptions: Katy Moore

(one of our favorite interviews from 2024) - David Lapp, co-founder of the group Braver Angels (originally known as "Better Angels) - which seeks to help people from different sides of the political divide to find ways to communicate with each other and come to a more thoughtful understanding of each other's perspectives. He came to Southeastern Wisconsin for a national Braver Angels convention that occurred at Carthage. Also participating in the interview was Cameron Swallow, who has been an active part of the organization for several years.

Are things really as bad as they seem? Has Gen Z given up hope for the world? And why was the father of positive psychology a lifelong pessimist? SOURCES:Albert Bandura, professor of psychology at Stanford University.David Brooks, author and opinion columnist. Andrew Grove, former C.E.O. and chairman of Intel Corporation.Kalev Leetaru, founder of the GDELT Project.Steven Maier, professor of behavioral neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder.Michelle Obama, attorney, author, and former first lady of the United States.Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University.Amanda Ripley, journalist and author.Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University.Edward Zigler, professor emeritus of psychology at Yale University. RESOURCES:"Chicken Littles Are Ruining America," by David Brooks (The Atlantic, 2024).Generations, by Jean Twenge (2023).Enlightenment Now, by Steven Pinker (2018)."The Short History of Global Living Conditions and Why It Matters That We Know It," by Max Roser (Our World in Data, 2016)."Learned Helplessness at Fifty: Insights from Neuroscience," by Steven F. Maier and Martin E. P. Seligman (Psychological Review, 2016)."Short- and Long-Term Consequences of Stressor Controllability in Adolescent Rats," by Kenneth H. Kubala, John P. Christianson, Steven F. Maier, et al. (Behavioural Brain Research, 2012).The Better Angels of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker (2011)."Forecasting Large-Scale Human Behavior Using Global News Media Tone in Time and Space," by Kalev Leetaru (First Monday, 2011)."Motivational Aspects of Changes in IQ Test Performance of Culturally Deprived Nursery School Children," by Edward Zigler and Earl C. Butterfield (Child Development, 1968)."Failure to Escape Traumatic Shock," by Martin E. P. Seligman and Steven F. Maier (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1967).Upworthy. EXTRAS:"Why Is U.S. Media So Negative?" by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

How many lives will be saved with the help of AI over the next decade? Reid and Aria sat down with Bill Gates to discuss his main areas of focus: climate change, energy, global health, and education—and how AI will help transform each of them. Taking a bird's-eye view of society's challenges, it's easy to give in to pessimism. But as one of the most influential people in the world, Bill Gates has a unique perspective on how far humanity has come and what our potential—and timelines—for meaningful change really look like. He gets granular on everything from cows (5% of global emissions) to disease reduction and eradication (Guinea worm disease). At each turn, he has data at his fingertips to ground his beliefs. So, what current set of innovations is Bill most excited about? And what is realistically on the horizon for AI, climate change, energy, global health, and education? For more info on the podcast and transcripts of all the episodes, visit https://www.possible.fm/podcast/  Topics: 03:18 - Hellos and intros 03:24 - Projects Bill is most excited about 05:46 - Bill's recent Netflix series 08:14 - Technology that will change what's possible 10:41 - Solutions for malnutrition 12:09 - Cow-based solutions for climate change and nutrition 17:06 - What Bill is working toward for climate change 19:19 - Viable alternative energy sources 23:80 - What will make solar work? 26:47 - Nuclear fission and fusion 29:30 - How AI will help mitigate climate change 32:38 - What to focus on in global health 37:24 - AI and drug discovery 39:52 - What else will AI unlock in public health? 42:28 - Personalized medicine: is it worth it? 44:02 - Conditions on the ground in the poorest countries 47:29 - AI in education 51:24 - Khanmigo and early GPT-4 54:59 - Non-tech levers for change in education 56:34 - What would Bill ask someone from 2100? 58:25 - AI in 3-5 years, and what comes next for work 01:03:05 - Rapid-fire Questions Select mentions:  The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Better_Angels_of_Our_Nature  What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xxhYr4gbQE  Bill Gates Visits First Avenue School: Commends Innovative Use of Technology https://www.nps.k12.nj.us/schools/first-avenue-school/bill-gates-visits-first-avenue-school-commends-innovative-use-of-technology/  Possible is an award-winning podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. Most of all, it asks: what if, in the future, everything breaks humanity's way? Tune in for grounded and speculative takes on how technology—and, in particular, AI—is inspiring change and transforming the future. Hosted by Reid Hoffman and Aria Finger, each episode features an interview with an ambitious builder or deep thinker on a topic, from art to geopolitics and from healthcare to education. These conversations also showcase another kind of guest: AI. Whether it's Inflection's Pi, OpenAI's ChatGPT or other AI tools, each episode will use AI to enhance and advance our discussion about what humanity could possibly get right if we leverage technology—and our collective effort—effectively.

Frank Barry takes us on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country. His new book is "Back Roads and Better Angels."

An Evensong meditation by the Rev. Dr. Thee Smith on the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels (September 29, 2024) at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta

The 2024 DNC ended Thursday night, so the next morning podcasters Fong and Kemp were excited to compare notes about what they heard, saw and felt during throughout this 4-night gathering of Democratic delegates to make VP Harris and Gov. Walz their 1-2 punch to keep the White House and also to prevent Trump, MAGA, and Project 2025 from gaining power. As Kemp put it, the GOP's RNC portrayed American as a bleak and doomed dystopia if Harris and Walz were to win. But the Dem's DNC painted a compelling, utopian vision of America where every person was free to make his, hers, or their own choices, while simultaneously promoting the common good. We also discuss Frank Schaeffer's position that evangelical Christians as a whole won't dump Trump before November due to their particular prophetic framing of what's happening.

Linguist, noted ‘Pinkerologist' and friend of the show Dr. Caitlin Green (@Caitlinmoriah) joins me to analyze and discuss the Extremely Rational thoughts of one Steven Pinker. In pt 2 we discuss Pinker's constant downplaying of r*pe statistics and the inadequate, cherry-picked sources he uses to support his flawed arguments. —— If you have experienced sexual assault or violence here are some helpful resources: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safe-campuses-bc/what-is-consent https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/promotion/sexual-health-sex-101-sexual-assault-dating-violence-learn-more-alcohol-other-drugs-learn-more Brown University: Yes, it is possible to establish consent if you and/or your partner(s) have been drinking or using other drugs. Consent cannot be obtained through the use of coercion or force or by taking advantage of the incapacitation of another individual. If anyone is incapacitated for any reason, they cannot give consent. If someone has been using alcohol or other drugs and you are thinking about having any kind of sexual interaction with them, it is your responsibility to check in, ask, and make sure they consent to what is going on. Being intoxicated yourself does not absolve you of the responsibility of obtaining consent. If you are unsure whether you can establish consent, don't have sex. https://endingviolencecanada.org/sexual-assault-centres-crisis-lines-and-support-services/ https://www.wannatalkaboutit.com/ca/sexual-violence/ https://www.rainn.org/international-sexual-assault-resources —— Links: Great thread by Kate Manne which came up in the episode https://x.com/kate_manne/status/1149902823200632833?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw Detailed thread on Pinker's discussion on R*pe in Better Angels of our Nature https://x.com/magi_jay/status/972958282125062144?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw! If you enjoy the show pls consider supporting via patreon.com/nicemangos

This is a public SAMPLE of an upcoming episode. Please subscribe via patreon.com to hear the full episode. Part 2 is available via Patreon.com/nicemangos ——- Linguist, noted ‘Pinkerologist' and friend of the show Dr. Caitlin Green (@Caitlinmoriah) joins me to analyze and discuss the Extremely Rational thoughts of one Steven Pinker. In pt 2 we discuss Pinker's constant downplaying of r*pe statistics and the inadequate, cherry-picked sources he uses to support his flawed arguments. —— If you have experienced sexual assault or violence here are some helpful resources: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safe-campuses-bc/what-is-consent https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/health/services/promotion/sexual-health-sex-101-sexual-assault-dating-violence-learn-more-alcohol-other-drugs-learn-more Brown University: Yes, it is possible to establish consent if you and/or your partner(s) have been drinking or using other drugs. Consent cannot be obtained through the use of coercion or force or by taking advantage of the incapacitation of another individual. If anyone is incapacitated for any reason, they cannot give consent. If someone has been using alcohol or other drugs and you are thinking about having any kind of sexual interaction with them, it is your responsibility to check in, ask, and make sure they consent to what is going on. Being intoxicated yourself does not absolve you of the responsibility of obtaining consent. If you are unsure whether you can establish consent, don't have sex. https://endingviolencecanada.org/sexual-assault-centres-crisis-lines-and-support-services/ https://www.wannatalkaboutit.com/ca/sexual-violence/ https://www.rainn.org/international-sexual-assault-resources —— Links: Great thread by Kate Manne which came up in the episode https://x.com/kate_manne/status/1149902823200632833?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw Detailed thread on Pinker's discussion on R*pe in Better Angels of our Nature https://x.com/magi_jay/status/972958282125062144?s=61&t=w7q_ejvwZ_gCFj9WV50Lqw!

Stand Up is a daily podcast that I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 700 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Check out StandUpwithPete.com to learn more My conversation with Frank Barry begins at 21 minutes Francis S. Barry is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and member of the editorial board covering national affairs. He is the author of the forthcoming book, "Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey Into the Heart of American Democracy." He served as chief speechwriter on the Bloomberg 2020 presidential campaign after having been director of speechwriting for Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in City Hall, where he also helped create a variety of government and election reform initiatives. He is also the author of The Scandal of Reform: The Grand Failures of New York's Political Crusaders and the Death of Nonpartisanship. He received degrees from the University of Notre Dame and New York University. ABOUT BACK ROADS AND BETTER ANGELS “Enlightening and inspiring.”  — Walter Isaacson “Barry probes the American soul, finding its biases, but also, nurtured by its complicated past, our better angels — with an opportunity to move forward.”  — Ken Burns Bringing together two of America's unifying loves — road trips and Abraham Lincoln — Frank Barry takes readers on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country A year into his marriage and having never driven an RV, Frank and his wife Laurel set out from New York City in a Winnebago to drive the nation's first transcontinental route, the Lincoln Highway, which zigzags through small towns and big cities from Times Square to San Francisco. Using the spirit of Abraham Lincoln to guide them across the land, they hope to see more clearly what holds the country together — and how we can keep it together, even amidst political divisions have grown increasingly rancorous, bitter, and exhausting. Along the way, Frank and Laurel meet Americans whose personal experiences help humanize the nation's divisions, and they encounter historical figures and events whose legacies are still shaping our sense of national identity and the struggles over it. This unforgettable journey is full of what makes any great road trip memorable and enjoyable: music, conversation, and laughter. By the end, readers will have a clearer picture of how we have arrived at a period that carries echoes of the Civil War era, and — using Lincoln as a guide — where the path forward lies. Pete on Tik Tok Pete on YouTube Pete on Twitter Pete On Instagram Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page All things Jon Carroll Follow and Support Pete Coe Buy Ava's Art  

Whatever your thoughts are about Shane, we think he went out in an amazing episode of the show. Dramatic and moody and impactful. We're stoked to be joined by my friend Aaron Peterson of The Hollywood Outsider to talk it out.Check out Aaron's podcasts like The Hollywood Outsider, Inspired By A True Story, and many more at thehollywoodoutsider.com.Next up: TWD S2E13 “Beside the Dying Fire”! Let us know your thoughts.You can email or send a voice message to talk@podcastica.com. Or check out our Facebook group, where we put up comment posts for each episode, at facebook.com/groups/podcastica.Join Karen, David, and I (Jason) for a listener meetup at an as-yet-to-be-determined pub in Glasgow on Wednesday July 17. More details to come soon. Show support and get ad-free episodes and a bunch of other cool stuff: patreon.com/jasoncabassi Or go to buymeacoffee.com/cabassi for a one-time donation.

Back Roads and Better Angels A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY By Francis S. Barry

2 Better 2 AngelsSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Jeffrey Epstein's Science of SleazePinker's response to Epstein allegationsHow Jeffrey Epstein Captivated HarvardJeffrey Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race With His DNAIt's Official — Steven Pinker Is Full of ShitPinker, Epstein, Soldier, SpyA century of sexual abuse victimisation: A birth cohort analysisThe prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse addedHave Sexual Abuse and Physical Abuse Declined Since the 1990s?Explanations for the Decline in Child Sexual Abuse CasesThe Decline in Child Sexual Abuse CasesWhy Have Child Maltreatment and Child Victimization Declined?Spanking and Other Corporal Punishment of Children by Parents: Undervaluing Children, Overvaluing PainWere There Really More Hate Crimes Last Year?Hate Crime Reported by Victims and PoliceThe Sexual Victimization of College WomenThe "Discovery" of Child AbuseA Short History of Child Protection in America Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

This week we're tackling Steven Pinker's 900 page dissection of the reasons why violence, torture and war have declined over the last 10,000 years. Was it an indeterminate mixture of politics, economics, technology and serendipity?  Or did some European guys write some books that said murder was bad?Special thanks to Philip Dwyer, Eleanor Janega, David M. Perry and Doug Thompson for help researching and fact-checking this episode!Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:The Darker Angels of Our NatureGetting Medieval On Steven PinkerThe Decline of Violence in the West: From Cultural to Post-Cultural HistoryPinker's (Mis)Representation of the Enlightenment and ViolenceHerding and Homicide: An Examination of the Nisbett-Reaves HypothesisPeace in Our TimeJohn Gray: Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and warThe business class doesn't understand the EnlightenmentDelusions Of PeacePinker And ProgressNorbert Elias and the History of ViolenceModernization, Self-Control And Lethal ViolenceExplaining Long Term Trends in Violent CrimeThe Enlightenment's Dark Side Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Has America lost its sense of humor? In Jonah's view, only a Brit with a distinctly stiff upper lip can answer that question. He's joined on today's Remnant by journalist and politician Daniel Hannan, who's back on the show to explore when and why America began to take a turn for the crazy. Why do recessions lead to populism? Is political apathy actually a good thing? And has the United Kingdom become besotted by its own post-liberal movement? Show Notes: – Daniel's webpage – Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature – Matt Ridley's The Rational Optimist – The Remnant with Yuval Levin - Watch this episode on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices