Podcasts about EconTalk

How does a nice Jewish boy who is also a gay atheist have the chutzpah to lecture Christianity on its obligations to democracy? Listen to author Jonathan Rauch talk about his book Cross Purposes with EconTalk's Russ Roberts as Rauch makes the case for what he calls a thicker Christianity.

How can we explain the world's underlying order? How does consciousness emerge? And why do people from such different cultures have such similar near-death experiences? Listen as Ross Douthat, New York Times columnist and author of the new book Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious, argues that these and other unanswerable questions underscore his argument for the rationality of religious belief. He and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss Douthat's reasons for embracing faith with confidence, why science only bolsters his belief, and why he thinks that more religion would be a good thing for society.

Send us a textRyan Streeter is the executive director of the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Today, he tells us about his time in the intersection of think tanks, government, and academic communities. We talk about cities, the importance of mobility and growth, how to foster those characteristics, skepticism of government, and living in and creating a community that fosters social cohesion and critical thinking. Want to explore more?Alain Bertaud on Urban Planning and Cities, a Great Antidote podcast.Raj Chetty on Economic Mobility, an EconTalk podcast.Scott Winship on Poverty and Welfare, a Great Antidote podcast.Charles Murray on Dignity and the American Dream, a Future of Liberty podcast.Jeremy Horpedahl, Americans are Still Thriving, at Econlib.Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

At the heart of the success of the Beatles was the creative chemistry and volatile friendship between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Listen as author Ian Leslie discusses his book, John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. It's a deep dive into music and friendship as well as a revisionist history about how John and Paul created musical magic.

Send us a textWe've talked about objectivism before on the podcast, but that was fairly introductory. Today, for the first time ever, I host two guests on the podcast to discuss the limitations of objectivism and where it fails to depict the good life. We talk about how they got interested in Rand's thought, how they philosophically dealt with works that were mostly fiction, and where their philosophy, individualistic perfectionism, diverges from Rand's and fills in some important blanks. Den Uyl is a resident scholar at Liberty Fund, and Rasmussen is a professor emeritus in philosophy at St. John's University and senior affiliated scholar at the Center for Economic Inquiry at Creighton University. Together, they have written extensively on the subject, including editing a collection called The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand. They've written a lot on the topic at the Journal for Ayn Rand Studies. Den Uyl has a book on the subject, titled The Fountainhead: An American Novel.Want to explore more?Jennifer Burns on Ayn Rand and the Goddess of the Market, an EconTalk podcast.Timothy Sandefur on Freedom's Furies, a Great Antidote podcast.Caroline Breashears, Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and the Power of Stories, at Econlib.Craig Biddle on Philosophy and Objectivism, a Great Antidote podcast.Dianne Durante on Innovations in Sculpture, a Great Antidote podcast.Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Should monkeys have the same rights as humans? What about elephants, ants, or invertebrates? NYU philosopher Jeff Sebo makes the case for expanding your moral circle to many more beings than you might expect, including those based on silicon chips. Listen as Sebo and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss to whom and what we owe moral consideration, how we determine a being's intrinsic moral significance, and why we have ethical obligations to others, anyway. They also discuss human exceptionalism--the idea that humans should be prioritized over other beings.

Send us a textJoin us today for a fun conversation about all things government, UK and US, with Lord Daniel Hannan of Kingsclere! Lord Hannan is a member of the House of Lords. Today, we talk about how the U.K.'s legislative is structured, what is up with executive power, the importance of the West and cohesion on the freedom front, and the idiocy of tariffs. Want to explore more?Yuval Levin on Burke, Paine, and the Great Debate, an EconTalk podcast.Phillip Klein on Fight Club Conservatives versus Disney, a Great Antidote podcast.Robert Higgs, Government Growth, in the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.Troy Senik on Grover Cleveland, a Great Antidote podcast.Is There a Role for Monarchy in a Free Society? A Liberty Matters forum at the Online Library of Liberty.Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Bright colors, long tails, and dances of seduction: they may hurt a bird's chances of survival in the wild, but they seem to increase the chances of reproduction. Is this all part of natural selection or is sexual selection its own force in the bird world? Is there such a thing as beauty for beauty's sake? What can we learn from birds about the human experience of beauty? Listen as author and naturalist Matt Ridley speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about a puzzle that kept Darwin up at night and that still troubles modern evolutionary biologists.

Feedback on exams and papers--grades and comments--should be more than an assessment. It should point the way to improvement. So argues educational consultant Daisy Christodoulou, emphasizing that actionable feedback has to be more than comments scribbled in the margins of a paper or at its end. Listen as she speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about a new model for enabling educational improvement, with implications for learning to get better at writing and just about everything.

You demanded, we supplied! This week we are honored to have Prof. Russ Roberts join us on Ask A Jew. Russ is the host of the wildly successful podcast EconTalk (where he talks about everything from tariffs to the Opera), president of Shalem College in Jerusalem, and a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford. He's also the author of many books, including How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness , and the economics-based novel, The Price of Everything. It is only natural that this internationally renowned economist and influential podcaster sit down with us to explain, like, what is economics anyway.We discuss tariffs, AI, Jerusalem, incentives, empathy, and prayer, among other things. We also dive into whether or not being a Jew and a Zionist makes sense from an economics stand point, and which careers we should all invest in when the robots come for our jobs.Make sure to check out “EconTalk: Conversations for the curious” wherever you get your podcasts, follow Russ right here on Substack Russ Roberts, and take a sneak peak at his new book currently titled The Agnostics Guide to Jewish Prayer. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit askajew.substack.com/subscribe

What can the restaurant business teach us about leadership and management? Listen as Will Guidara, the former owner of Eleven Madison Park, explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how his restaurant became good enough to be named the best restaurant in the world. Foodies will enjoy a look behind the scenes of a restaurant at the very top of its game, but the lessons for leadership and organizational culture are useful for anyone interested in creating and sustaining excellence.

Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East but it seems a lot more alien and chaotic than many of the older democracies of the West. Hear Rachel Gur of Reichman University explain to EconTalk's Russ Roberts how the Israeli political system works and sometimes, doesn't work. The conversation brings into relief the challenges all democracies face and the ways that political minorities can wield power or be ignored depending on the political rules of the game.

Send us a textWhat is Universal Basic Income (UBI) and why is it so popular among economists and freedom lovers relative to other types of poverty policy solutions? What does it even mean to “solve a problem” or to “learn” in the social sciences?  Join us today to explore the answers to these two questions and many more. Today, I am excited to welcome on Peter Van Doren to talk about the history of poverty policy and policy debates and the reality about universal basic income. We talk about some pretty conclusive economic studies which highlight the effect of UBI type policies and what to make of them!  Peter Van Doren is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the editor of Regulation, a quarterly magazine about applied microeconomics and economic policy issues.Want to explore more?Michael Munger on the Basic Income Guarantee, an EconTalk podcast.Thomas Koenig, Adam Smith, Francis Fukuyama, and the Indignity of the UBI, at Speaking of Smith.Bruce Meyer on Poverty, an EconTalk podcast.Scott Winship on Poverty and Welfare, a Great Antidote podcast.Clark Nardinelli, Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living, in the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.Jeremy Horpedahl on the Real Cost of Thriving Index, a Great Antidote Podcast.Support the showNever miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Fredrik talks to Barry O'Reilly about software architecture. Barry has spent a lot of time and energy connecting software architecture to actual code and development work, and finding good ways of actually training new generations of software architects. Architecture is a level above programming, it is a different skill, and it needs to be properly taught so that more people can think and make active decisions about it. Oh, and architecture happens at a group level. You can't really do it alone. Barry's quest led him to complexity science, a PhD to actually prove his ideas hold up, and two books. The idea that you have to understand what goes on in the code in order to do good architecture is more controversial than one might think. Thank you Cloudnet for sponsoring our VPS! Comments, questions or tips? We a re @kodsnack, @tobiashieta, @oferlundand @bjoreman on Twitter, have a page on Facebook and can be emailed at info@kodsnack.se if you want to write longer. We read everything we receive. If you enjoy Kodsnack we would love a review in iTunes! You can also support the podcast by buying us a coffee (or two!) through Ko-fi. Links Barry Black tulip Complexity science IDE Antifragile Nassim Taleb Nassim guesting Econtalk talking about antifragility while the book was in progress Barry's papers: No More Snake Oil: Architecting Agility through Antifragility (2019) An introduction to residuality theory: Software design heuristics for complex systems (2020) The Machine in the Ghost: Autonomy, Hyperconnectivity, and Residual Causality (2021) The Philosophy of Residuality Theory (2021) Residuality Theory, random simulation, and attractor networks(2022) Residuality and Representation: Toward a Coherent Philosophy of Software Architecture (2023) Domain driven design Europe Leanpub Residues - Barry's first book Barry's NDC talks - on process and on philosophy Support us on Ko-fi Our agile release train engineer stickers The architect's paradox - Barry's second book Accelerate Øredev Kodsnack 346 - Tomer Gabel about the golden age of tomfoolery Dataföreningen Dataföreningen kompetens Titles How we design and think about structure Climbed the greasy pole Keep close to the code Remove themselves from the code as a status symbol I would see a lot of grey There's a generation missing A level of thinking above programming When you look up from your IDE We had to rescue architecture When they say “architect” Headed for that ivory tower A self-titling profession Comfortable in uncertainty Multiple books, and a PhD How does this thing break Everything will always break Patching those cracks Do you have any proof of this? The key to good software architecture is pessimism The mincing of academic criticism Typing furiously Hope for the future He's from the real world!

Until the end of WWI, the Middle East as we know it didn't exist. No Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, or Iraq. Instead, there was the Ottoman Empire, whose dissolution using an arbitrary line on a map set the region on a course of upheaval that's still with us. Listen as historian James Barr speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, and how, in the century that followed, the machinations of the French, the British, and the local residents created the modern Middle East and affected the lives of millions.

For more than a century, some economists have insisted that central planning can outperform markets. Economists like Mises, Hayek, and Friedman disagreed. Who won this debate? Is it over? Does AI change how we should think about the power of planning? Listen as economist Peter Boettke of George Mason University discusses what is known as the "socialist calculation debate" with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.

Send us a textThe most common statistic cited regarding marriage and relationships in the United States is that the 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Another one that is gaining traction is that more Americans than ever before will end up unmarried and alone. Nobody likes these statistics. How did we get from the 60s, hairdos and stay at home moms, to a 50% divorce rate and a high probability of dying alone? Should we care? How do we balance the benefits of modernity – women in the workplace, higher incomes, more interesting jobs – with the benefits of structured families, love, and children?  Today, UVA Professor Brad Wilcox is here to explain to us how we can have both: better economic status and better family life. After all, the highest indicator of long-term happiness, meaning, and satisfaction is close relationships. He is the director of The National Marriage Project and the author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization. Want to explore more?Emily Oster on The Family Firm, an EconTalk podcast.Jessica Todd Parker on Beauty, Family, and Photography, an EconTalk podcast.Amy Willis, Could Too Much Division of Labor Be Bad? at Speaking of Smith.Erik Rostad, Friedrich Engels' The Origin of the Family, at Speaking of Smith.Patrick Fitzsimmons, Adam on Polygamy and Kin Networks, at AdamSmithWorks.Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Why do we buy stuff we don't need? Maybe for the same reason that some people can't stand stuff at all. Listen as author Michael Easter speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about how two seemingly opposed approaches to our possessions--minimalism and hoarding--may stem from the same impulse to cope with uncertainty. They also discuss the downsides of minimalism and how to figure out whether we're really buying the right things.

Surely perfection is better than imperfection. But applying technology to improve decision-making can backfire. Listen as ed-tech innovator Daisy Christodoulou and EconTalk's Russ Roberts talk about the costs of seeking perfection when technology is used to improve refereeing in sports. They also talk about ways to embrace imperfection and how the economist Ronald Coase can help us understand the power of the rules of the game, both in sports and in life.

Send us a textTrade is all the rage these days. Or, at least, raging about trade is. Today, we unpack what trade and free trade are, and how to talk about it. We also address the abundance of lawyers in trade policy. Douglas Irwin is a professor of economics at Dartmouth College and the author of several books including Clashing Over Commerce and Against the Tide: An Intellectual History of Free Trade.Want to explore more?Douglas Irwin, International Trade Agreements, in the Concise Encyclopedia of EconomicsSamuel Gregg on National Security and Industrial Policy, a Great Antidote podcast.Why Industrial Policy is (Almost) Always a Bad Idea (with Scott Sumner), an EconTalk podcast.Colin Grabow on the Jones Act 2: Treason and Cruises, a Great Antidote podcast.Jon Murphy, Does National Security Justify Tariffs? at Econlib Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Should we worry about the human future in a world of AI? Reid Hoffman is unafraid and even optimistic. He argues that the brave new world that awaits is going to be great for humanity. Listen as he talks about his book Superagency with EconTalk's Russ Roberts and argues that the future is bright not just for AI, but for the people who remake the world using it.

Send us a text Today, I am excited to host Anna Claire Flowers to discuss F. A. Hayek and the mesocosmos. The mesocosmos is a fancy way to describe all the social groupings on the spectrum between the extremes of individualism and society. Think families, neighborhoods, farmers markets, firms, and universities. We talk about the importance of characterizing this missing middle piece of social organization and how it can resolve issues than a single individual or government can. She characterizes some of the important aspects of these associations for us. We talk about the family's role in particular, and what benefits it brings to individuals and society. Anna Claire Flowers is pursuing a PhD in Economics from George Mason University. She is a PhD Fellow with the Mercatus Center and a Graduate Fellow with the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics for 2024-2025. Want to explore more?Bruce Caldwell on Hayek: A Life, a Great Antidote podcast.Amy Willis, Could Too Much Division of Labor be Bad? at Speaking of Smith.Dan Klein on Hayek and the Band Man, a Great Antidote podcast.Viviana Zelizer on Money and Intimacy, an EconTalk podcast. Profile in Liberty, Friedrich A. Hayek, at Econlib.Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

How can opera, with words we rarely understand, make us cry? Why does opera, filled with melodrama, move us? Listen as poet and librettist Dana Gioia explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts why words matter more than we think, in both opera and on Broadway.

Send us a textWelcome back! Happy New Year! Glad to be back! Come one, come all! Eric Leeper is the Paul Goodloe McIntire Professor in Economics at the University of Virginia. He also is a visiting scholar at the Mercatus Center at GMU. Today, we talk about inflation. He explains to us how inflation theory has evolved and how we forgot about the relationship between the fiscal and monetary sides of the economy.Want to explore more?John Cochrane on Monetary versus Fiscal Policy, A Great Antidote podcast.Leonidas Zelmanovitz, The Boundaries of Fiscal and Monetary Policy, at Econlib.Allen Meltzer on Inflation, an EconTalk podcast.Thomas Hoening on Inflation and the Federal Reserve, a Great Antidote podcast.Maryann Keating, Adam Smith and the Public Debt, at AdamSmithWorks.Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Can Musk use DOGE to reduce the size and power of the bureaucracy and big government? Michael Munger of Duke University thinks not, but EconTalk's Russ Roberts isn't so sure. Listen as they discuss the risks of empowering bureaucrats to rein in other bureaucrats and whether change can really happen given the power of the political forces operating below the surface.

Public health officials should tell the truth, even when it's complicated. Even when some people might misunderstand. Otherwise, says economist Emily Oster of Brown University, the public will come to distrust the people we need to trust if we are to make good decisions both personally and publicly. Listen as Oster talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about vaccines, fluoride, raw milk, and the lessons learned and yet-to-be learned from the Covid pandemic.

Why are European cities charming and American cities often so charmless? Simple, says urbanist Alain Bertaud: most American cities are zoned for single-family housing. The result is not enough customers within walking distance of a business, and not enough parking for the customers who drive. Why American cities are zoned that way is related to culture and history. Hear Bertaud and EconTalk's Russ Roberts talk about urban problems and how to solve them--not through urban design or planning, but by respecting what makes each place unique.

Is Israel's war with Lebanon going to end differently from past attempts to secure Israel's northern border? Journalist Matti Friedman, who recounted his experience as a soldier in Lebanon in his book Pumpkinflowers, reflects on that experience in light of current events and looks to the future in this conversation with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.

What does it take to translate a 900-page Russian novel written before the fall of the Soviet Union? For Robert Chandler it meant living in a seaside cottage for four months to immerse himself completely in the characters' lives and to meet his publisher's deadline. Listen as Chandler, the translator of Vasily Grossman's masterpiece Life and Fate and many of his other works, speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about Grossman, the art of translation, and the challenges of bringing a sprawling Russian classic to English-speaking readers.

Life and Fate might be the greatest novel of the 20th century or maybe ever. Tyler Cowen talks about this sprawling masterpiece and its author, Vasily Grossman, with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.

In this crossover episode with EconTalk, Tyler joins Russ Roberts for an in-depth exploration of Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate, a monumental novel often described as the 20th-century answer to Tolstoy's War and Peace. Russ and Tyler cover Grossman's life and the historical context of Life and Fate, its themes of war, totalitarianism, freedom, and fate, the novel's polyphonic structure and large cast of characters, the parallels between fascism and communism, the idea of “senseless kindness” as a counter to systemic evil, the symbolic importance of motherhood, the psychology of confession and loyalty under totalitarian systems, Grossman's literary influences including Chekhov, Tolstoy, Dante, and Stendhal, individual resilience and moral compromises, the survival of the novel despite Soviet censorship, artificial intelligence and the dehumanization of systems, the portrayal of scientific discovery and its moral dilemmas, the ethical and emotional tensions in the novel, the anti-fanatical tone and universal humanism of the book, Grossman's personal life and connections to its themes, and the novel's enduring relevance and complexity. Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video. Recorded November 4th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Follow Russ on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here.

Over the last 30 years, the Israeli public has moved to the right on the question of how to deal with the Palestinians. Why did this happen? How has this changed Israeli politics and the strategy of the Palestinians? Listen, as journalist Haviv Rettig Gur explores the political and military history of the last three decades in Israel with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. The conversation ends with lessons for the future and a discussion of the differences between American and Israeli Jews.

How can we cultivate a sense of awe in our lives? Easy, says physicist and author Alan Lightman: Pay more attention. When we take the time to examine the world around us, from shooting stars to soap bubbles to everything in between, we can feel a sense of wonder and appreciation akin to spirituality. And the best part is, you can take your scientific worldview with you on your awe-inducing journey. Join Lightman and EconTalk's Russ Roberts as they discover that discovering the science behind things can be a truly miraculous experience.

After filmmaker Penny Lane decided to donate a kidney to a stranger, it took three years and a complex, often infuriating, sometimes terrifying process to make it happen. Along the way, being a filmmaker, she eventually decided to chronicle her experience and explore the question: How can a choice that seems so obvious to the donor seem so strange to everyone else? Listen as she tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts what she learned, what's still a mystery, and what she hopes we'll all take away from her story.

Why do we like sad music or that poignant feeling that comes from attending a funeral? Author Susan Cain talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about her book Bittersweet and the seductive and sometimes deeply satisfying power of melancholy.

Send us a textHow do you teach about a man who does not fit neatly into a box? Hayek is one such man, and today, we tackle the difficult task of putting him in a box. We conclude that we cannot put someone like F. A. Hayek into boxes such as “economist” or “philosopher” or “political theorist”, because he did it all. How and when do you teach the ideas of a man who did it all? I'm excited to welcome Tawni Hunt Ferrarini to the podcast today to talk to us about teaching Hayek and his most important ideas. Ferrarini is a co-author of Common Sense Economics and an economic educator worldwide. We go through multiple ideas of in-class examples and places his thought could be applied in the context of modern education. Keep listening to hear me talk about how I, Pencil is scary. Want to explore more?Explore the Common Sense Economics website.Tawni Hunt Ferrarini, Real Life Economics: Rational or Complex, at EconTalk.Ryan Yonk on the China Dilemma, a Great Antidote podcast.Come explore Hayek with us in these two upcoming Online Programs led by Dr. Ferrarini:A Timeless [asynchronous] discussion, October 28-November 3 in the LF Portal.Dive Deep into Hayek's "Use of Knowledge in Society," a one session Virtual Reading Group, November 13th.Never miss another AdamSmithWorks update.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Housing is artificially expensive. Bryan Caplan of George Mason University and the author of Build, Baby, Build talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the causes behind high housing prices and what can be done to bring prices down.

How big a problem is misinformation for a democracy? How do we arrive at the truth? Listen as economist and author Arnold Kling talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about how we should think about truth-seeking. The conversation also revisits Kling's classic work, The Three Languages of Politics, and the relevance of its framework for the current moment.

Is tribalism destroying democracy? According to cultural psychologist Michael Morris of Columbia University, just the opposite may be the case. As he explains in his new book, Tribal, our tribal instincts can also be the source of our success--in politics, society, business, and even professional sports. Listen as Morris and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss real examples of how smart leaders pulled tribal levers to improve performance, solve stubborn problems, and create positive change.

Friedrich Hayek credited Bruno Leoni with shaping his ideas on laws and legislation. James Buchanan said that Leoni identified problems that led to his own work on public choice. How is it possible, then, that so few of us know of the groundbreaking Italian political philosopher? Listen as Duke economist Michael Munger talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about Leoni's ideas and the gruesome murder that ended his life before its time.

An owl will eat a rabbit whole, but owls can't digest the fur or the bones. So how do they survive? Why do their eyes face forward rather than to the side? Long-eared Owls don't have ears, so what's up with the name and how do they hear? How can dogs help us track owls--that seems impossible. Owls don't make nests, so where do they live? Listen as Jennifer Ackerman, author of What an Owl Knows, talks about the book with EconTalk's Russ Roberts, peeling back the feathers to reveal the astonishing biology and behavior of owls, as well as the amazing stories of those who love and study them.

Johns Hopkins surgeon Dr. Marty Makary talks about his book Blind Spots with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. Makary argues that the medical establishment too often makes unsupported recommendations for treatment while condemning treatments and approaches that can make us healthier. This is a sobering and informative exploration of a number of key findings in medicine that turned out to be wrong and based on insufficient evidence.

British Army major and Sandhurst lecturer Andrew Fox recently spent a week with the Israel Defense Forces including a day inside Gaza. He was struck by the IDF's control of Gazan territory and shocked by the level of physical devastation. Listen as Fox and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss Fox's analysis of Israel's performance in the Gazan war, why Fox believes that Israel is succeeding, and what he thinks Israel's critics get right and wrong.

Many boys and men in America are doing worse than girls and women in education while struggling with a culture that struggles to define what masculinity is in the 21st century. Is this a problem? Richard Reeves thinks so which is why he started the American Institute for Boys and Men. Listen as Reeves discusses the state of boys and men and what might be done about it with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.

Physicist J. Doyne Farmer wants a new kind of economics that takes account of what we've learned from chaos theory and that builds more accurate models of how humans actually behave. Listen as he makes the case for complexity economics with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. Farmer argues that complexity economics makes better predictions than standard economic theory and does a better job dealing with the biggest problems in today's society.

Physician Adam Cifu keeps a binder of every patient of his who has passed away. Every once in a while, he opens it and remembers the lives of his past patients. Morbid? Maybe a little. But it's just one of the ways Cifu tries to make his practice of medicine more mindful. In this conversation with EconTalk's Russ Roberts, Cifu explores the human side of medicine and the challenges of being a good doctor.

A soldier goes off to war. Damaged in combat, he returns home, forever changed. Master sculptor Sabin Howard captures this tragic and powerful journey in bronze, for the new World War I Memorial that will be unveiled in Washington, D.C. on September 13, 2024. Howard talks about his craft with EconTalk's Russ Roberts as they discuss Howard's hatred of war, his love for humanity, and what makes art great.

The universe, points out economist Noah Smith, is always trying to kill us, whether through asteroids hurtling through space or our every-few-hours hunger pains. Why, then, should we expect anything but a gravitational pull toward poverty? Listen as Smith explains to EconTalk's Russ Roberts why he believes that poverty will always be our "elemental foe," and how what he calls "industrial modernity" is key to keeping poverty at bay. They also discuss Smith's impatience with the "degrowth movement," which he thinks jeopardizes our gains in the fight against the elemental foe.

Neuroscientist and author Sam Harris of the podcast Making Sense talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about rising Jew-hatred in the West and what Harris sees as the dangers of radical Islam and Jihadism.

Does parenting make you a better person? Can it improve your life? Neuroscientist Erik Hoel makes the self-interested case for parenting arguing that it makes you less jaded and more heartbroken (in a good way) for how you experience the world. Listen as new father Hoel speaks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the universal and particular truths surrounding parenting, and why the perception presented by the media is often at odds with our own experience. Topics include different parenting styles and their effects, how parents shape children's personalities and preferences, and the famous children's books that both men love and hate. The conversation closes with a discussion of the reliability of recent studies condemning homeschooling.