Podcast appearances and mentions of Matt Ridley

Jonathan Howard and Wendy Orent open with new evidence on myocarditis risk among vaccinated and unvaccinated young people, revisiting how vaccine-associated myocarditis was amplified while the cardiac and mortality risks of infection were minimized. They then turn to the resurgence of measles, the consequences of falling vaccination rates, and the gap between public-health leadership and the urgency of the moment. The heart of the episode is a wide-ranging critique of the lab-leak movement. Howard and Orent outline why they believe the available molecular, epidemiological, and geographic evidence supports a zoonotic origin for SARS-CoV-2. They argue that the debate has too often become a political weapon aimed at scientists and public-health officials, while zoonotic spillover, wildlife trade, habitat disruption, and pandemic preparedness receive less attention. The conversation focuses especially on the contradiction between expressing intense concern about the first infection while partnering with or defending figures who promoted herd immunity through widespread infection. Through discussions of Matt Ridley, Alina Chan, Richard Ebright, Bryce Nickels, Jay Bhattacharya, and others, the hosts describe what they call "toxic apathy": treating the origin of infection number one as paramount while overlooking the preventable infections, hospitalizations, and deaths that followed. In This Episode Why infection itself—not vaccination—was associated with the highest myocarditis, pericarditis, and mortality risk in the study discussed How fear-driven messaging about rare vaccine side effects may have shaped decisions among young people and parents The expanding measles crisis, falling MMR coverage, and the threat of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) Why the hosts believe public-health leaders must communicate far more forcefully about measles vaccination The molecular, evolutionary, geographic, and epidemiological case the hosts present for zoonotic emergence Why secrecy by Chinese authorities does not, by itself, establish that SARS-CoV-2 originated in a laboratory How lab-leak advocacy became intertwined with attacks on Anthony Fauci, Francis Collins, and other scientists The rhetoric used against researchers who support a zoonotic origin and the consequences of turning a scientific question into a loyalty test Matt Ridley's 2020 advocacy for infection-derived herd immunity and the claim that student infections could protect older adults Alina Chan's collaboration with Ridley and the hosts' critique of separating origin claims from pandemic-era policy positions Why knowing the origin of SARS-CoV-2 would not erase the need to prepare for both laboratory accidents and zoonotic spillover The episode's central warning: origin narratives should never become an excuse to abandon mitigation during the next pandemic Key Takeaway The hosts contend that pandemic preparedness requires more than assigning blame for how SARS-CoV-2 first entered the human population. It requires confronting misinformation, protecting people from preventable infection, supporting vaccination, preparing for multiple pathways of emergence, and judging public-health leaders by real-world outcomes. Referenced in the Conversation CIDRAP reporting on mRNA vaccination and myocarditis risk in teens and young adults The Great Barrington Declaration Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19 by Alina Chan and Matt Ridley Science-Based Medicine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Measles About the Podcast We Want Them Infected examines the doctors, academics, pundits, and political movements that promoted widespread infection during the COVID-19 pandemic—and the lasting consequences of those ideas for public health. Listen, Follow, and Share Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, share this episode with someone who follows public health and pandemic policy, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. Disclaimer This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed are those of the speakers. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding personal medical decisions.

What's up, everybody? It's Tom Bilyeu here:Want my help starting a business? Join me here inside Zero To FounderSign up for my AI Masterclass: AI MasterclassFOLLOW TOM:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=enTwitter: https://twitter.com/tombilyeuYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeuWOI EPISODES:FOLLOW LISA:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisabilyeu/Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisabilyeuYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/womenofimpactTik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lisa_bilyeu?lang=enCash App: Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/v6nymgjl #CashAppPod*Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. 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Use code IMPACT at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/impact ATT Business: Switch to AT&T Business at https://business.att.comPique: 20% off at https://piquelife.com/impactThe team dissects the viral Konstantin Kisin vs. Steve Keen debate—both former Impact Theory guests—on the central climate question of our time: is the answer to use less and shrink (de-growth), or to innovate our way forward? The host, who knows both men and calls them smart and well-intentioned, explicitly urges viewers not to pick a side and dismiss the other as stupid, but to find the one factual disagreement worth reasoning from. His own position leans hard toward innovation: drawing on Matt Ridley's The Rational Optimist, he argues that 80,000 years of human progress make "it all ends now" an irrational bet, that we've innovated our way out of every prior crisis, and that de-growth—especially any talk of reducing world population—would trigger economic collapse that causes far more suffering than the problem it aims to solve. He respects Steve Keen's economic mind but argues Keen has essentially "given up," wishing we'd listened to engineers 50 years ago rather than charting a path forward now. He reframes the climate fight around tradeoffs the doom narrative ignores: citing Bjørn Lomborg's "it's real but overstated, and the solutions can be worse than the disease" framing, the roughly 140,000-plus annual heat deaths that air conditioning could prevent, and Jordan Peterson's warning about sacrificing today's actual poor for tomorrow's hypothetical poor. The conversation ranges across the East-vs-West Germany innovation contrast, a Peter Diamandis-style geoengineering thought experiment, why "politics is downstream of culture," and the host's more contested claim that climate panic often masks a desire for control and resentment—before ending on a speculative, openly-unsupported musing about the psychology behind who pushes it. A wide-ranging argument for optimism, first-principles thinking, and refusing to let "we're doomed" become the whole story.The team breaks down Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's latest move to tame rising long-term bond rates—and why the bond market is likely to keep testing him. After Bessent doubled buybacks from $2B to $4B per round (which briefly knocked yields down before they rebounded past where they started), two off-the-record Treasury officials leaked to CNBC that the Treasury General Account—the government's roughly $1-trillion checking account at the Fed—could be tapped to buy bonds en masse. The host walks through why that's a bigger deal than expected: using cash to retire long-duration bonds without issuing new supply makes the debt "evaporate," and the market has, at least for now, believed the rumor enough to push the 30-year and 10-year yields down. But he's clear about the catch: the TGA isn't a magic war chest—every dollar in it was borrowed via prior auctions, so spending it down just defers the problem and eventually requires selling more debt, pressuring the curve again. He frames the backdrop honestly: $40 trillion in debt, ~123% debt-to-GDP, climbing interest costs, Japan (the largest buyer of US debt) in trouble, China dumping Treasuries while hoarding gold, and gold overtaking the dollar as the top central-bank reserve asset. His throughline is that there's no silver bullet, only tradeoffs, and the only real fix is growing the real economy—rising middle-class wages adjusted for inflation, GDP moving from ~1.2% toward 3–4%—rather than financial engineering. Absent that, he lays out the grim menu every over-indebted empire faces: austerity, default, or inflating the currency to shrink the debt (which quietly impoverishes everyone paid or saving in dollars), and warns that another Covid-scale inflation spike without real growth is how you get to "pitchforks." The conversation closes on a lengthy, contested tangent about immigration incentive structures, the Nordic model, and social trust—with the host explicitly noting the Nordic countries themselves say they aren't socialist. A dense, sobering economics breakdown.The team breaks down the escalating US-Canada trade war after Canada walked away from a deal that would have sharply lowered tariffs on several key Canadian industries. The host argues Canada is making a serious economic miscalculation—laying out the dependency math: roughly 78% of Canadian exports rely on US consumer markets, and exports make up about 33% of Canada's GDP, versus Canada representing only around 13% of US imports and a small slice of US GDP. In his read, that asymmetry means Canada has far more to lose, and pivoting toward China—geographically distant and, as he notes, a non-market economy—is a poor substitute. He digs into what actually broke the deal per PM Mark Carney: autos, French-language and cultural protections, and, most importantly, a US demand to restrict Canada's ability to sign independent trade deals with other countries (read: China), pointing to Canada's stated goal of a 50% export increase to China by 2030, Carney's January Beijing visit, and a flurry of mutual tariff cuts (including slashing Canada's 100% EV tariff to ~6%) as evidence of a rapidly warming relationship. But the host is pointedly two-sided: he says the US had understandable strategic reasons to push for guarantees, while blasting Trump's "51st state" rhetoric and bullying public posture as counterproductive—using it as a lesson he teaches entrepreneurs about always showing the other side how a deal is a win for them, and the human psychology of how people resist being forced into even things that serve their interests. He walks through the granular US demands (auto assembly, procurement, energy allocation, language laws) and their second-order effects, and closes on a contested hypothesis that Canada may be more ideologically aligned with China than the US. A dense, numbers-driven, deliberately even-handed breakdown of leverage, strategy, and a deal gone sideways.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You can watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hjoyImW6a8sThis week's journey in the rocket of right thinking opens with an exclusive announcement from co-pilot Pearson in her case against the Essex police and Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst.Back in November 2024 Allison received a visit from Essex police regarding a year old post on the social media platform X. Mr Hirst later appeared on LBC and veered into making personal claims against Allison and the situation, for which he has now apologised.Liam discusses Andy Burnham's first 10 days and amongst the ‘maybe this' or ‘maybe that' promises of the new Prime Minister, wonders when he will start acting like a statesman and wear a shirt when meeting world leaders; as his meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed a casual T-Shirt affair.Joining your co-pilots is science writer and former member of the house of Lords, Matt Ridley, who tells your co-pilots why the claim that climate change is the only reason for wild fires, is only a fraction of the real story….HighlightsPlanet Normal: The case of the Essex police vs Allison Pearson and the co-pilots victoryAllison updates on her case against Essex policeLiam breaks down the Burnham bounce promisesMatt Ridley on the raging wildfires in Europe and across the globeSign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison ‘We want a properly dressed statesman in No 10, not a mate‘: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/28/britain-want-statesman-ino-10-not-mate/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam: ‘Burnham is oblivious to the looming oil shock'https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/07/26/burnham-is-oblivious-to-the-looming-oil-shock/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam's Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“A place that doesn't have great philosophers will not have great technologists either.” — Mehran Gul on Europe's inexplicable underperformance The digital revolution, we were promised, would mean the end of geography. From Beijing to Birmingham to Berlin to Barcelona, anyone could invent anything anywhere, and so the geography of innovation would no longer matter. But that's not the way it has worked out. At least according to the Geneva-based innovation geographer Mehran Gul. Gul's acclaimed The New Geography of Innovation is a travelogue of innovation. But what he finds on his journey around the world in search of innovation is the end of the end of geography. Yes, Gul reports, there's innovation in Beijing and in Birmingham (USA) — but not in Birmingham (England), Berlin or Barcelona. All the important invention is in China and the US. There simply isn't much radical stuff going on anywhere else. Gul began his journey expecting to find ten or twelve countries able to innovate competitively with the United States and China. But what he discovered is either niche players or, in the case of South Korea, Israel, and India, just an extension of the US-centric system. Europe — as renters rather than owners of American technology — comes off worst. When PayPal went public, it minted 160 millionaires who went on to help build SpaceX, Tesla, LinkedIn and Palantir; when Skype exited at about the same value, it minted 11. And if you put London aside, the rest of the UK is now poorer per capita than Mississippi. And the AI boom has only compounded all this, with half of last year's key research papers coming from China, 40% from America, and just 4% from Europe. So really the new geography of innovation is the old geography. Only with China replacing Europe as the only serious competitor to American innovation. Oh lord, oh lord. As a Mississippi bluesman might summarize Europe's predicament. Five Takeaways •       Golden Shares: The Two Systems Are Converging. OpenAI offering Washington a 5% stake, the US government owning Intel — these are Chinese moves, and Gul argues the two models are becoming more alike than either admits. But he pushes back on the lazy version of the China story: its tech sector rose despite the state, not because of it. Jack Ma exiled to Japan, Didi hit with a billion in fines, entire sectors decapitated overnight in 2021 under the banner of common prosperity. In a country with no independent media and no opposition parties, the only rival to centralized power is the tech sector — and the party knows it. •       Two Countries — and Everyone Else. Gul started writing expecting to find ten or twelve countries punching at America's level; the honest answer turned out to be two. Only China has broad-based competence across technologies and a genuinely competitive relationship with the US. The middle powers — South Korea, Israel, India — are extensions of the American system, not rivals to it. That finding surprised the author as much as anyone: it's not the book he set out to write. •       Europe: Renters, Not Owners. After the Fable 5 and Mythos bans, Europe woke up to being a renter of American technology — foundation models, NVIDIA GPUs, all of it. Its best companies keep leaving: DeepMind to Google, Arm to a New York listing, Hugging Face from Paris to Manhattan — while Volvo, Supercell, and KUKA sold to China. Gul's diagnosis is institutional, not cultural: European employees own half as much of their startups as American ones, so there is no European PayPal mafia. His fixes: a European Nasdaq to replace 41 competing capital markets, and pension funds unleashed into venture capital. •       The Question Nobody Is Asking. Since 1990, America's share of global GDP has held at 25% while China's multiplied tenfold — the loser is Europe. The top ten American tech companies are worth $27 trillion, more than the GDP of every country on earth except America itself. Tech is not one industry among many; it is the foundation of all of them — the new cars came from Tesla, not GM. Gul's message to the skeptical Spaniard enjoying long lunches: the last sixty years of American platform dominance skewed power across the Atlantic, and the next sixty will add China to the bill. •       The Rest of the Map: Anti Case Studies. Japan tops the freedom indexes, has the technical schools, and still never escaped the keiretsu — disproving Matt Ridley's claim that innovation is simply the child of freedom. Taiwan's relevance comes down to one company and Morris Chang's missed promotion at Texas Instruments. Singapore is an inspiration, not a model — a one-party city-state that invoices NVIDIA's chips and banks ASEAN's venture capital. India underperforms while Indians excel — 56 notable American foundation models last year, 35 Chinese, barely one Indian. And Switzerland reminds us innovation isn't only venture-backed: a train network running on renewables since the 1960s. About the Guest Mehran Gul writes about technology and business. He is the winner of the Financial Times/McKinsey Bracken Bower Prize, from which The New Geography of Innovation grew. He attended Yale as a Fulbright Scholar, Fox International Fellow, and Teaching Fellow, has been a Lead for the Digital Transformation of Industries at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, and served as an expert on entrepreneurship and industrial policy at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna. Born in Pakistan, he lives in Switzerland. The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster), a Financial Times Book of the Year, is his first book, out in paperback this month in the US and UK. References: •       The New Geography of Innovation: The Global Contest for Breakthrough Technologies by Mehran Gul (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster). The Wall Street Journal: “An ambitious tour of technological innovation.” •       Sebastian Mallaby — author of The Power Law, which argues China's tech rise owes more to American-style risk capital arriving in Shanghai and Shenzhen than to the state; recently on the show discussing his biography of Demis Hassabis. •       Kai-Fu Lee — author of AI Superpowers, cited by Gul as the classic account of tech written through a Chinese lens. •       Matt Ridley — author of How Innovation Works, whose thesis that innovation is “the child of freedom and the parent of prosperity” Gul tests against the anti case study of Japan. •       Andrew Keen — author of How t...

On this week's Spectator Out Loud: Freddy Gray asks whether the Iran deal will destroy J.D. Vance; Matt Ridley argues that Britain must finally embrace gene editing; Peter Parker explains the problem with ‘queer art'; and finally, Lloyd Evans says the NHS treats everyone fairly – with contempt. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's Spectator Out Loud: Freddy Gray asks whether the Iran deal will destroy J.D. Vance; Matt Ridley argues that Britain must finally embrace gene editing; Peter Parker explains the problem with ‘queer art'; and finally, Lloyd Evans says the NHS treats everyone fairly – with contempt. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

As I'm sure you know, it is all but impossible to destroy gold. Yes, yes, nuclear explosions, blah blah, mercury, aqua regia, but to all intents and purposes gold is permanent. It's been here since before the earth itself, and it'll be about long after it's gone, shining away.That also means that all the gold that has ever been mined still exists. Some of it has been lost, of course, but it's still there somewhere, even if it's sitting in sunken Spanish galleon off the coast of Tobago.There are just under 7 billion ounces of gold in the world, and just over 8 billion people, so about 4/5 of an ounce per person. Until the gold rushes of the 19th century, there were roughly 2/5 of an ounce per person.As you can see by the chart below there is now more gold per capita than ever before.What's really interesting, however, is how closely cumulative gold supply tracks global population growth. The two rise at remarkably similar rates over centuries.Gold supply expands slowly, organically and roughly in line with humanity itself. No central bank planned it that way.Right there is why gold is nature's money. But there are some changes afoot.Population growth is slowing rapidly. It is actually going backwards in some parts of the world. The Matt Ridley argument is that this is a result of prosperity. Merryn Somerset Webb thinks it's even more specific than that. She blames smart phones. She may have a point. South Korea is perhaps the most advanced smart phone nation. When I went there in 2015 I remember thinking that, technologically, it was a good 10 years ahead of Western Europe. Recently we learn it has the slowest population growth of the lot.Annual gold mining supply is at record levels, however: 3,600 tonnes last year. Does this mean gold per capita is set to increase?Probably but there is a big but and it looks like this.How about that for a table?No new major discoveries - 2 million ounces or more - in 2023 or 2024. As far as I know there were three in 2025 - in China, in Saudi Arabia and in Iran.But look at the trend. We have been below the 10-discovery threshold since 2009. Discoveries peaked in 1995.The long-term implications of this are enormous. If you live in a third world country such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The pound will be further devalued, as will the euro and dollar. The bullion dealer I use and recommend is The Pure Gold Company. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe. More here.Gold is not like other commodities, copper, oil or wheat, say, where annual production dramatically affects price because so much of what was produced previously has already been consumed. Almost all the gold ever mined still exists somewhere, as i say.But mining supply still matters at the margin.The collapse in discoveries has not yet translated into falling production because it takes such a long time to bring a deposit into production. The average time from discovery to production is now around 17 years.But we are now roughly 17 years on from the late 2000s, when the discovery rate began to fall off a cliff.In other words, we may not be far away from the point where the collapse in discoveries finally starts feeding through into stagnating or declining mine supply.And unlike previous cycles, there do not appear to be dozens of giant new deposits waiting quietly in the wings.(Obviously, a higher gold price offsets some of this because lower-grade ore becomes economic to mine.)Here is the long-term production chart. You can see how supply has largely plateaued over the last ten years .Perhaps that also helps explain why, after 50,000 years of use (yes, that figure is correct), demand for gold from individuals, institutions and central banks remains so strong.Lots of interviews to share with you this weekI've been promoting the release of The Secret History of Gold in the US. First up with my US BFF, Tom WoodsOn Financial Sense with Jim Puplava (audio only)On Kitco News with Jeremy SzafronAnd, finally, Clem ChambersLast, but not least, here is this week's commentary, in case you missed it, looking at the precarious state of the UK's finances.Thank you for being a subscriber to the Flying Frisby.Until next timeDominic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

As I'm sure you know, it is all but impossible to destroy gold. Yes, yes, nuclear explosions, blah blah, mercury, aqua regia, but to all intents and purposes gold is permanent. It's been here since before the earth itself, and it'll be about long after it's gone, shining away.That also means that all the gold that has ever been mined still exists. Some of it has been lost, of course, but it's still there somewhere, even if it's sitting in sunken Spanish galleon off the coast of Tobago.There are just under 7 billion ounces of gold in the world, and just over 8 billion people, so about 4/5 of an ounce per person. Until the gold rushes of the 19th century, there were roughly 2/5 of an ounce per person.As you can see by the chart below there is now more gold per capita than ever before.What's really interesting, however, is how closely cumulative gold supply tracks global population growth. The two rise at remarkably similar rates over centuries.Gold supply expands slowly, organically and roughly in line with humanity itself. No central bank planned it that way.Right there is why gold is nature's money. But there are some changes afoot.Population growth is slowing rapidly. It is actually going backwards in some parts of the world. The Matt Ridley argument is that this is a result of prosperity. Merryn Somerset Webb thinks it's even more specific than that. She blames smart phones. She may have a point. South Korea is perhaps the most advanced smart phone nation. When I went there in 2015 I remember thinking that, technologically, it was a good 10 years ahead of Western Europe. Recently we learn it has the slowest population growth of the lot.Annual gold mining supply is at record levels, however: 3,600 tonnes last year. Does this mean gold per capita is set to increase?Probably but there is a big but and it looks like this.How about that for a table?No new major discoveries - 2 million ounces or more - in 2023 or 2024. As far as I know there were three in 2025 - in China, in Saudi Arabia and in Iran.But look at the trend. We have been below the 10-discovery threshold since 2009. Discoveries peaked in 1995.The long-term implications of this are enormous. If you live in a third world country such as the UK, I urge you to own gold or silver. The pound will be further devalued, as will the euro and dollar. The bullion dealer I use and recommend is The Pure Gold Company. They deliver to the UK, the US, Canada and Europe. More here.Gold is not like other commodities, copper, oil or wheat, say, where annual production dramatically affects price because so much of what was produced previously has already been consumed. Almost all the gold ever mined still exists somewhere, as i say.But mining supply still matters at the margin.The collapse in discoveries has not yet translated into falling production because it takes such a long time to bring a deposit into production. The average time from discovery to production is now around 17 years.But we are now roughly 17 years on from the late 2000s, when the discovery rate began to fall off a cliff.In other words, we may not be far away from the point where the collapse in discoveries finally starts feeding through into stagnating or declining mine supply.And unlike previous cycles, there do not appear to be dozens of giant new deposits waiting quietly in the wings.(Obviously, a higher gold price offsets some of this because lower-grade ore becomes economic to mine.)Here is the long-term production chart. You can see how supply has largely plateaued over the last ten years .Perhaps that also helps explain why, after 50,000 years of use (yes, that figure is correct), demand for gold from individuals, institutions and central banks remains so strong.Lots of interviews to share with you this weekI've been promoting the release of The Secret History of Gold in the US. First up with my US BFF, Tom WoodsOn Financial Sense with Jim Puplava (audio only)On Kitco News with Jeremy SzafronAnd, finally, Clem ChambersLast, but not least, here is this week's commentary, in case you missed it, looking at the precarious state of the UK's finances.Thank you for being a subscriber to the Flying Frisby.Until next timeDominic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

Greencoat UK Wind PLC (LSE:UKW) co-head Matt Ridley joined Proactive's Stephen Gunnion to discuss a strong Q1, with wind generation 4.2% above budget and net cash generation of £131 million - equivalent to 2.3 times the dividend paid in the period. Better wind speeds and stronger power prices contributed to a portfolio return of 11.5%, with NAV broadly flat after discount rate and inflation adjustments. Ridley also flagged the potential introduction of Contracts for Difference for existing renewable assets as a positive development, offering price certainty for generators while reducing costs for consumers. Looking ahead, the focus is on operational performance, reducing gearing and selective reinvestment, with £30 million of the revolving credit facility already repaid. For more insights like this, visit Proactive's YouTube channel, give this video a like, subscribe to the channel, and enable notifications so you never miss future updates. #GreencoatUKWind #UKWind #RenewableEnergy #WindEnergy #EnergyMarkets #DividendStocks #InfrastructureInvesting #NetAssetValue #CleanEnergyUK #EnergyPolicy #CFD #PowerPrices #InvestorUpdate

Why do we generally feel like the world is getting worse, when by almost all measures it’s getting better? How do ideas "have sex”, and why does that matter for innovation? Why do brains tend to systematically misread the future? What if optimism is a more rational stance than pessimism? If innovation isn’t primarily about lone geniuses, what’s it really about? Join Eagleman with scientist and author Matt Ridley to explore what it means to be, in Ridley’s phrasing, a "rational optimist".

In this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with science writer Matt Ridley for a wide ranging conversation on the collapse of the post war consensus, the crisis of expertise, and the growing distrust in global institutions.We examine the failure of international organisations, from the WHO to the United Nations, and why the rules based order is now being challenged across the world. Ridley explains how technocratic systems, built after 1945, have become detached from reality, and why top down control has repeatedly failed to account for how complex systems actually work.The conversation explores the politicisation of science, from Covid origins to climate change, and how institutional incentives, funding pressures, and groupthink can distort the pursuit of truth. We discuss the suppression of debate, the lab leak theory, and the growing perception that scientific authority is being used to defend power rather than question it.We also debate Net Zero, energy policy, and why Britain's economic stagnation is increasingly tied to high energy costs, overregulation, and political decision making that prioritises ideology over growth. Ridley outlines how innovation, markets, and technological breakthroughs are transforming the United States, and why the UK risks being left behind.A deep and challenging conversation about science, power, and whether the institutions that shaped the modern world are now losing the trust of the people they were built to serve.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To see more exclusive content and interviews consider subscribing to my substack here: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:Substack: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/X: https://twitter.com/mrwinmarshallInsta: https://www.instagram.com/winstonmarshallLinktree: https://linktr.ee/winstonmarshall----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapters00:00 Introduction01:31 The Collapse of the Post-War Consensus03:01 The Rise of the “Expert Class” and Technocracy05:00 Bottom-Up vs Top-Down Systems Explained07:49 Covid Origins: The Lab Leak Cover-Up10:00 When Science Became Political11:09 Protecting Institutions Over Truth13:18 Climate Science and the Incentive to Exaggerate15:00 The WHO, China and the Failure of Accountability18:05 Why Covid Attribution Matters20:00 Biological Risk and the Failure of Global Oversight23:05 Bureaucracy, Incentives and Institutional Self-Preservation25:46 Net Zero and the Climate “Consensus”29:36 The Hockey Stick Scandal and Scientific Groupthink31:43 Why Dissent Is Shut Down in Science33:36 Climate as Religion and Moral Dogma37:02 The Threat to Enlightenment Values43:13 Are We Witnessing the End of the Enlightenment?48:06 Britain's Economic Stagnation and Energy Crisis49:40 Why Energy Policy Determines Prosperity52:46 How Britain “Designed a Stupid Energy System”55:00 America's Energy Revolution: Shale and Fracking56:59 The Nuclear Bottleneck and Regulatory Failure59:19 A New Era of Innovation and Growth1:01:21 Why Britain Is Falling Behind1:02:25 Overregulation and the Collapse of UK Industry1:04:10 What Would It Take to Fix Britain?1:07:10 Can Britain Recover or Face Long-Term Decline?1:08:09 Final Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Ridley discusses an NIH invitation from Jay Bhattacharya to speak on scientific freedom and argues the COVID-19 pandemic was more likely caused by a lab leak than a natural spillover, citing Wuhan research on engineered sarbecoviruses, lack of an infected animal host, and alleged cover-ups. He says scientific institutions resisted debate, harming trust in science, and notes historical lab leaks and ongoing biosecurity and bioterrorism risks. Ridley also critiques overclaims about COVID measures and vaccines and connects pandemic-driven skepticism to climate debates. He then explains themes from his books on progress and on bird sexual selection, lekking, bowerbirds, and how female choice drives beauty, plus brief Darwin and family-history anecdotes.00:00 NIH Invite and Lab Leak01:08 Evidence and Coincidences02:50 Establishment Pushback04:49 Science Trust Fallout07:00 History of Lab Leaks08:34 Biosecurity and Terror Risk10:32 Defining Gain of Function11:57 Pandemic Cynicism and Policy14:14 Climate Debate Parallels18:44 Rational Optimist Progress21:12 Neanderthals and Exchange25:36 Gene Culture Coevolution31:33 Bird Sex and Beauty Intro33:56 Sexy Son Hypothesis36:14 Sexual Selection vs Natural37:10 Why Birds Look Beautiful40:27 Wood Thrush Song Evolution41:28 Bowerbirds Invent Art43:26 Peacock Tail Debates45:33 City Life Drives Evolution47:47 Traffic and Telegraph Selection51:42 Birds Are Poetry53:18 Irish Elk Mega Antlers56:25 Black Grouse Lek Video58:13 Darwin Marries Cousin01:00:45 Family Estate Through Centuries01:03:59 Wrap Up and Invitationhttps://x.com/mattwridleyhttps://www.mattridley.co.uk/blog/=========Slides, summaries, references, and transcripts of my podcasts: https://tomn.substack.com/p/podcast-summariesMy Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tomanelson1

As the official Covid Inquiry comes to an end, the Spectator has convened a panel of our own experts to ask the questions that the Inquiry didn't – or wouldn't – answer. The Spectator's commissioning editor Lara Brown is joined by science writer and Conservative peer Matt Ridley, Oxford professor of theoretical epidemiology Sunetra Gupta, former Supreme Court judge Jonathan Sumption, journalist Christopher Snowdon and science writer Tom Whipple. This is a condensed version of the event. Subscribers can access the full event via Spectator TV and you can find more events from the Spectator here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the official Covid Inquiry comes to an end, the Spectator has convened a panel of our own experts to ask the questions that the Inquiry didn't – or wouldn't – answer. The Spectator's commissioning editor Lara Brown is joined by science writer and Conservative peer Matt Ridley, Oxford professor of theoretical epidemiology Sunetra Gupta, former Supreme Court judge Jonathan Sumption, journalist Christopher Snowdon and science writer Tom Whipple. This is a condensed version of the event. Subscribers can access the full event via Spectator TV and you can find more events from the Spectator here.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddy Gray is joined by the biologist Matt Ridley to discuss the recent discovery of an illegal Chinese biolab operating in Las Vegas apartment, how equipped the Chinese are to start biowarfare and why politicians refuse to demand answers for the unresolved questions about Covid and Wuhan.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Net Zero Destroyed Britain - A compilation of clips from various interviews and TV appearances discussing the realities of Net-Zero. Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Substack! https://triggernometry.substack.com/ OR Support TRIGGERnometry Here: Bitcoin: bc1qm6vvhduc6s3rvy8u76sllmrfpynfv94qw8p8d5 Shop Merch here - https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/shop/ Advertise on TRIGGERnometry: marketing@triggerpod.co.uk Find TRIGGERnometry on Social Media: https://twitter.com/triggerpod https://www.facebook.com/triggerpod/ https://www.instagram.com/triggerpod/ About TRIGGERnometry: Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians. 00:09 - Kathryn Porter (https://youtu.be/MzCiEHGVMwA?si=E7XDbjHVhF1KT4cf) 05:21 - Matt Ridley (https://youtu.be/LFPj8tNVoLQ?si=2dTwBTnvvhSyedrq) 08:59 - Liam Halligan (https://youtu.be/jgYSq04nxgg?si=WRG7byc9k0AC3aiL) 16:42 - Robert Jenrick (https://youtu.be/f8qCtV6g_oA?si=3sWVidIYHKL9jJAw) 19:09 - Mallen Baker (https://youtu.be/GLFl5f8jipM?si=G0vmtvHKAC1Hp1Ml) 25:59 - Konstantin On BBC Question Time (https://youtu.be/_AN1zudqyy8?si=U8WnZVUPrJWSv9yd) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's Spectator Out Loud: Piers Morgan reveals what Donald Trump told him from his hospital bed; Melanie McDonagh ponders the impermanence of email, amidst the Peter Mandelson scandal; Matt Ridley argues that polar bears – which are currently thriving – pose problems for climate enthusiasts; and finally, Rachel Johnson attends the memorial service for Dame Jilly Cooper – and says she made a fool out of herself. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's Spectator Out Loud: Piers Morgan reveals what Donald Trump told him from his hospital bed; Melanie McDonagh ponders the impermanence of email, amidst the Peter Mandelson scandal; Matt Ridley argues that polar bears – which are currently thriving – pose problems for climate enthusiasts; and finally, Rachel Johnson attends the memorial service for Dame Jilly Cooper – and says she made a fool out of herself. Produced and presented by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonah Goldberg is joined by returning guest Matt Ridley, author of Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Charles Darwin's Strangest Idea. The two discuss the beauty of birds and the distinction between natural selection and sexual selection, how species evolve to adapt to city life, and the origins of the COVID-19 virus.Show Notes:—Matt's previous appearance on The Remnant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Ridley's seminal book, The Rational Optimist, has inspired many since its publication in 2010 and greatly influenced the creation of The Optimism Institute.  In this far-ranging discussion, Matt will describe an early education that he said was steeped in pessimism but how later in life he found that much of what he'd been taught was simply not true.  This led him to set on a nearly evangelical quest to spread the word that interaction and trade between people and nations, including the free exchange of ideas, will continue to set us on an inexorable path towards increasing prosperity.    Chapters:  00:00 Introducing Matt Ridley Bill Burke introduces Matt Ridley, acclaimed author of "The Rational Optimist" and other influential books. He highlights Ridley's extensive background, including his service in the House of Lords and his work on various scientific committees.  02:39 From Pessimism to Rational Optimism  Matt Ridley shares his personal journey from a pessimistic upbringing in the 1970s to becoming a 'rational optimist' based on evidence. He recounts how his research for 'The Rational Optimist' revealed that many assumed negative trends, like decreasing happiness with wealth, were actually false.  06:01 The Genesis of "The Rational Optimist"  Ridley explains his evangelical motivation for writing 'The Rational Optimist,' aiming to counter pervasive doom and gloom, especially among young people. He also sought to explore the evolutionary roots of human prosperity and growth, driven by an innate curiosity about why the world was improving.  07:28 Ideas Have Sex: Cooperation and Trade  Matt Ridley delves into his concept of "ideas having sex," explaining how human cooperation, trade, and the exchange of specialized skills drive prosperity. He posits that this fundamental human tendency to swap goods and ideas is as crucial to cultural evolution as sex is to natural evolution.  13:50 Social Media's Impact: Polarization and Progress  Ridley reflects on social media's impact on his 'ideas having sex' theory, acknowledging its initial promise for communication but also its role in political polarization.   19:29 Panglossian vs. Rational Optimism  Ridley distinguishes his rational optimism from Panglossian optimism, emphasizing that he believes the world can and should be improved, not that it's already perfect. He counters common pessimistic arguments by pointing to long-term improvements in living standards and the gradual nature of good news compared to sudden bad news.  23:56 Trust and the Pencil's Lesson Matt Ridley discusses the importance of interpersonal trust for societal prosperity, contrasting it with institutional trust. He also elaborates on the 'I, Pencil' essay, illustrating how millions of specialized individuals unknowingly collaborate to produce even a simple item like a pencil.  33:15 Gratitude, Specialization, and Daily Miracles  Ridley encourages gratitude for the vast network of people who contribute to our daily lives, using the example of a simple meal.   36:50 Climate Change: A Problem to Be Solved Matt Ridley shares his nuanced perspective on climate change, acknowledging it as a real threat but cautioning against panic and exaggeration. He suggests viewing it as a problem solvable through human ingenuity, while also highlighting the overlooked environmental benefits of CO2 and the harm caused by some climate prevention measures.  42:51 The Future of Innovation: Worries and Hopes  Ridley discusses the limitless nature of knowledge and innovation, emphasizing communication over population size for progress.  

In Episode 2 of this season, we explore the evolution of beauty (especially in birds) and the beauty of innovation, with guest Matt Ridley.Matt Ridley's books have sold over a million copies, been translated into 31 languages and won several awards. His books include The Red Queen, Genome, The Rational Optimist, The Evolution of Everything, How Innovation Works, and Viral: the search for the origin of covid-19 (co-authored with Alina Chan). His latest book is Birds, Sex, and Beauty.He served the House of Lords between 2013 and 2021 and served on the science and technology select committee and the artificial intelligence select committee.He was founding chairman of the International Centre for Life in Newcastle. He created the Mind and Matter column in the Wall Street Journal in 2010 and was a columnist for the Times 2013-2018. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He lives in Northumberland.In this episode, we talk about:The myth of “disruptive innovation” and the overlooked beauty of incremental progressThe real relationship between basic science and technologyWhy Ridley still calls himself a “rational optimist”Why freedom, not brilliance, is the secret sauce of innovationHow universities and industry can collaborate to keep creativity aliveTo learn more about Matt's work, you can find him at: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/ Books and resources mentioned:Birds, Sex and Beauty (by Matt Ridley) How Innovation Works (by Matt Ridley)The Rational Optimist (by Matt Ridley)The Mating Mind (by Geoffrey Miller)The Descent of Man (by Charles Darwin)The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (by Ronald Fisher)Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty (by Nancy Etcoff)The Rational Optimist Society – rationaloptimistsociety.com This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

In Episode 2 of this season, we explore the evolution of beauty (especially in birds) and the beauty of innovation, with guest Matt Ridley.Matt Ridley's books have sold over a million copies, been translated into 31 languages and won several awards. His books include The Red Queen, Genome, The Rational Optimist and The Evolution of Everything. His book on “How Innovation Works” was published in 2020, and "Viral: the search for the origin of covid-19", co-authored with Alina Chan, was published in 2021.He served the House of Lords between 2013 and 2021 and served on the science and technology select committee and the artificial intelligence select committee.He was founding chairman of the International Centre for Life in Newcastle. He created the Mind and Matter column in the Wall Street Journal in 2010 and was a columnist for the Times 2013-2018. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.He lives in Northumberland.In this episode, we talk about:How Ridley's childhood fascination with birds led him to study evolutionThe courtship rituals of black grouse and the surprising role of female choiceHow Ronald Fisher's “sexy sons” hypothesis changed everythingWhat bowerbirds can teach us about aesthetics and artSexual selection as a driver of creativity, humor, and the human brainTo learn more about Matt's work, you can find him at: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/ Books and resources mentioned:Birds, Sex and Beauty (by Matt Ridley) How Innovation Works (by Matt Ridley)The Rational Optimist (by Matt Ridley)The Mating Mind (by Geoffrey Miller)The Descent of Man (by Charles Darwin)The Genetical Theory of Natural Selection (by Ronald Fisher)Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty (by Nancy Etcoff)The Rational Optimist Society – rationaloptimistsociety.com This season of the podcast is sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust.Support the show

How can both of the following be true? (1) The world has record crop harvests this year; (2) climate change is ruining crop harvests and threatening food security. Does that make sense? Is it even really a contradiction? We look into how climate change is affecting crop yields, whether positively or negatively, and try to answer the biggest question of all: do we actually have to hand it to climate change deniers who say “CO2 is plant food”?The Science Fictions podcast is brought to you by Works in Progress magazine. You can now hear the editors of Works in Progress on their own podcast, talking to interesting people from the worlds of science, policy, technology, and history. Their most recent episode, on how traffic has ruined cities, is available at podcast.worksinprogress.co.Show notes* Hannah Ritchie's new book, Clearing the Air* Her article on record harvests in 2025* An example of Matt Ridley making the argument that “CO2 is plant food”* Our World in Data on crop yields* Paper on the slower growth in crop yields due to climate change* Nature Plants paper on trees in the Amazon getting bigger over time* 2016 paper on the effects of climate change on crops and weeds* EarthArxiv preprint on the balance of the effects of temperature and CO2 on crop yields* The World Bank on fertilizer use per hectare* And on cereal yields* China's fertiliser use peaking in around 2015* Less good news from Sub-Saharan Africa* Our older episode on climate sensitivity* Global per capita dietary data on calories consumed per day* Emissions from different kinds of food transportationCreditsWe're very grateful to Dr. Hannah Ritchie from the University of Oxford and Our World in Data for talking to us for this episode. Any errors are ours, not hers. The Science Fictions podcast is produced by Julian Mayers at Yada Yada Productions. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sciencefictionspod.substack.com/subscribe

Author Matt Ridley is well known for his book "The Rational Optimist," which argued that the world is consistently getting better year after year. In the 15 years since that book was published, however, world events have convinced many people that the opposite is actually true. Matt Kibbe sits down with Ridley to discuss his next book project, in which he will update and reflect on his earlier conclusions to see whether there is still reason to be optimistic or if in fact it is rational to be a pessimist.

On today's episode, Clay brings back David Gardner to discuss his new book, Rule Breaker Investing. Throughout David's investing career, he seemed to have taken all of Buffett's rules to investing and thrown them out the window. In this episode, he shares his unique rule-breaking framework, providing you with the guidance and the gumption to win at investing by finding and owning the best companies of the future. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: 00:00 - Intro 04:50 - Why David decided to ignore Buffett's value investing principles and discover his own way to invest. 08:21 - Why he decided to break Buffett's number one rule of investing. 11:01 - The story of David's early investment in AOL, which rose by over 150x. 21:04 - Why David neglects the phrase, “long-term investor.” 28:36 - The six traits of rule breaker stocks and the six habits of the rule breaker investor. 40:11 - Why David prefers to buy stocks that professional commenters say are overvalued. 49:46 - Why the best companies are so good they almost seem to be cheating and don't play by traditional rules. 01:00:42 - What conscious capitalism is and how it enables all parties in business to win. 01:27:49 - His Rule Breaker stock picks for 2025. Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join Clay and a select group of passionate value investors for a retreat in Big Sky, Montana. Learn more ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join the exclusive ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Mastermind Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members. David Gardner's book: Rule Breaker Investing. David's company: The Motley Fool. Matt Ridley's book: The Rational Optimist. John Macket's book: Conscious Capitalism. Related Episode: TIP385: Breaking the Rules w/ David Gardner. Follow David on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ & ⁠X⁠. Follow Clay on LinkedIn & X. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Feed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. NEW TO THE SHOW? Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Intrinsic Value Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Check out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We Study Billionaires Starter Packs⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow our official social media accounts: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TIP Finance Tool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy exclusive perks from our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠favorite Apps and Services⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠best business podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our ⁠sponsors⁠: Simple Mining⁠ ⁠HardBlock⁠ ⁠AnchorWatch⁠ ⁠Human Rights Foundation⁠ ⁠Linkedin Talent Solutions⁠ ⁠Vanta⁠ ⁠Unchained⁠ ⁠Onramp⁠ ⁠Netsuite⁠ ⁠Shopify⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

First: a warning from history Politics moving increasingly from the corridors of power into the streets, economic insecurity exacerbating tensions and the centre of politics failing to hold; these are just some of the echoes from Weimar Germany that the Spectator's editor Michael Gove sees when looking at present-day Britain. But, he says, ‘there are grounds for hope' – what are they? Michael joined the podcast to discuss.   Next: why did science succumb to the ‘culture wars'? Biologist and peer Matt Ridley bemoans the ‘cultification of science', arguing that ‘left-wing ideological nonsense' ended up permeating through all scientific disciplines. Thinking ‘neutral facts' were safe, Matt admits he – and colleagues – may have been naïve as one by one different battlefields emerged. Matt joined the podcast to discuss. Has science thrown off the shackles of the ‘culture wars'?And finally: how many books have you read?Emily Hill delves into the world of competitive reading this week – the rise of people publicising the books they've read, particularly through social media. Emily calls this ‘conspicuous' and notes it appears to be a trend amongst mainly female influencers. But is this solely performative or – in a world of diminishing attention spans – could the trend be promoting the act of reading? Emily joined the podcast alongside BookTok blogger Lucas Oakeley.Plus: Mark Mason provides his notes on guided walks. Mark will also be hosting a guided walk for the Spectator, for tickets go to www.spectator.co.uk/eventsHosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.Produced by Patrick Gibbons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First: a warning from history Politics moving increasingly from the corridors of power into the streets, economic insecurity exacerbating tensions and the centre of politics failing to hold; these are just some of the echoes from Weimar Germany that the Spectator's editor Michael Gove sees when looking at present-day Britain. But, he says, ‘there are grounds for hope' – what are they? Michael joined the podcast to discuss.   Next: why did science succumb to the ‘culture wars'? Biologist and peer Matt Ridley bemoans the ‘cultification of science', arguing that ‘left-wing ideological nonsense' ended up permeating through all scientific disciplines. Thinking ‘neutral facts' were safe, Matt admits he – and colleagues – may have been naïve as one by one different battlefields emerged. Matt joined the podcast to discuss. Has science thrown off the shackles of the ‘culture wars'?And finally: how many books have you read?Emily Hill delves into the world of competitive reading this week – the rise of people publicising the books they've read, particularly through social media. Emily calls this ‘conspicuous' and notes it appears to be a trend amongst mainly female influencers. But is this solely performative or – in a world of diminishing attention spans – could the trend be promoting the act of reading? Emily joined the podcast alongside BookTok blogger Lucas Oakeley.Plus: Mark Mason provides his notes on guided walks. Mark will also be hosting a guided walk for the Spectator, for tickets go to www.spectator.co.uk/eventsHosted by William Moore and Lara Prendergast.Produced by Patrick Gibbons.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts. Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NB Sundays, as ever, are for thought pieces, lately all about gold as my book on that subject is about to come out. Midweek remains for markets We are now into launch week, so lots to promote: Secret History of Gold FeverThis week I've been in interview mode* Above we have me telling Ian Collins on Talk TV how rubbish the government is. * Here is me talking to Tom Winnifrith* Here James Delingpole.I have been working on a short film as well, which I hope to have ready for tomorrow.The book also had its first review - in the Telegraph.Here is what people have said so far“A fabulous, fascinating, fantastical tale” Matt Ridley, author of How Innovation Works”It doesn't just tell you about gold – it makes you feel its weight through history. It's just so interesting," Toby Young, Spectator”Written with both insight and Dominic's signature humour, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the lengths human beings will go to for the promise of riches,” Rory Sutherland, author of Alchemy.“This delightful book is a most insightful and enjoyable romp through history and a well-researched, educational tour de force,” James Turk, author of The Money Bubble”Dominic Frisby's writings about economics and finance are, like his comedy, intelligent, beautifully crafted and always ahead of the curve. The Secret History of Gold is well-informed, utterly coherent and very, VERY timely.” Liam Halligan, Telegraph“Dominic Frisby is most trusted source of information for anything to do with gold,” Konstantin Kisin, Triggernometry”Well-researched and razor-sharp. Written with passion, principle - and the occasional punchline,” Al Murray, comedian and historian”Possibly the best-timed book ever,” Merryn Somerset Webb, Bloomberg“A brilliant, highly readable guide to the most alluring material of all,” Luke Johnson, investor and entrepreneur."Understand the history of gold, and you start to see what politicians and central banks would rather you didn't. Dominic reveals all with clarity and force,” Rob Dix , author of The Price of Money.“Frisby entertains impressively and convincingly … his tales of German and Japanese gold-hunting during the Second World War are eye-popping … a colourful and sly adversary to contemporary financial and political pieties,” Simon Ings, the TelegraphThe Secret History of Gold is available at Amazon, Waterstones and all good bookshops. The book comes out on August 28.Amazon is currently offering 20% off.Until next time,Dominic This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.theflyingfrisby.com/subscribe

In this episode of Money & Meaning: Perspectives, host Jeff Bernier explores the tension between recognizing serious economic headwinds—such as massive government debt, rising interest rates, and a shifting global financial system—and maintaining a posture of rational optimism. Drawing on insights from Howard Marks, Brian Westbury, Matt Ridley, Mion Tuby, Gail Pooley, and Nick Murray, Jeff examines how to address sobering realities while staying committed to progress, resilience, and long-term investing. It's a call to balance—informing your perspective without letting fear dictate your financial or life decisions.   Topics covered: ● The reality and risks of rising U.S. government debt and higher interest costs ● Howard Marks' concerns about ignoring economic fundamentals ● Brian Westbury's warning on government crowding out private innovation ● Foreign demand for U.S. debt and potential consequences of decline ● The psychological trap of pessimism in investing and life decisions ● Matt Ridley's framework for rational optimism ● Data from Superabundance on human progress and resource abundance ● Nick Murray's reminder to “own the future” through consistent participation ● The role of resilience in both economies and investment portfolios ● Diversification as a tool for emotional and financial stability ● Practical ways to stay informed without becoming paralyzed by fear   Useful Links:   Jeff Bernier on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jeffberniercfp_the-money-and-meaning-show-activity-7202103509700227072-h0Qn/ TandemGrowth Financial Advisors: https://www.tandemgrowth.com/

What can you manifest this week? New habits, new ideas, a new box for your life, for starters. Astro-Insight for August 18-24, 2025. Please do not forward w/o copyright notice intact, which is: Text & recording ©℗ Kathy Biehl 2025. Photo by Matt Ridley on Unsplash. Transcription of this episode Energy management tips in my Actions You Can Take playlist Bonus content at Patreon Join my mailing list Listen to Celestial Compass on OM Times Radio and TV Support this podcast   Find out what this means for you! Facebook: Empowerment Unlimited and the Astro-Insight Lounge  

I'm delighted to announce my new book, The Secret History of Gold - Myth, Money, Politics and Power, published by Penguin Life. It tells the epic tale of humanity's oldest and most treasured currency – from its explosive cosmic origins to its role in the power games of modern geopolitics.Watch the unboxing above

Matt Ridley is a British science writer, journalist, and businessman. He is known for his writings on science, the environment, and economics. Follow Matt on X - https://x.com/mattwridley SPONSOR. We're honoured to partner with Hillsdale College. Learn for free at https://hillsdale.edu/trigger SPONSOR: Manscaped. Get 15% Off PLUS Free Shipping with the code TRIGGER15 at https://manscaped.com Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Substack! https://triggernometry.substack.com/ OR Support TRIGGERnometry Here: Bitcoin: bc1qm6vvhduc6s3rvy8u76sllmrfpynfv94qw8p8d5 Shop Merch here - https://www.triggerpod.co.uk/shop/ Advertise on TRIGGERnometry: marketing@triggerpod.co.uk Find TRIGGERnometry on Social Media: https://twitter.com/triggerpod https://www.facebook.com/triggerpod/ https://www.instagram.com/triggerpod/ About TRIGGERnometry: Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@francisjfoster) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians. 00:00 Introduction 02:36 The Covid Lab Leak Lies In The Scientific Community 08:13 Was It A Coverup? 13:25 Will People Listen If There's Another Pandemic? 23:14 Is Gain Of Function Research Worth It In The Long-Term? 27:06 Getting Funding 30:09 Climate Change 34:18 We're In A Period Of Warming 42:12 Would You Scrap Net-Zero? Should We Reduce Carbon Emissions? 47:55 Greta Thunberg 50:00 The Great Man Theory Of Science 01:00:14 What's The One Thing We're Not Talking About That We Should Be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A famous essay argues that “not a single person on the face of this earth” knows how to make a pencil. How true is that? In this 2016 episode, we looked at what pencil-making  can teach us about global manufacturing — and the proper role of government in the economy. SOURCES:Caroline Weaver, creator of the Locavore Guide.Matt Ridley, science writer, British viscount and retired member of the House of LordsTim Harford, economist, author and columnist for the Financial TimesJim Weissenborn, former CEO of General Pencil CompanyThomas Thwaites, freelance designer and associate lecturer at Central Saint Martins. RESOURCES:"When ideas have sex," by Matt Ridley (TED, 2010)."How I built a toaster — from scratch," by Thomas Thwaites (TED, 2010)."Look on this toaster, ye mighty, and despair!" by Tim Harford (Financial Times, 2009)."I, Pencil," by Leonard Read (Foundation for Economic Education, 1958). EXTRAS:“Fault-Finder Is a Minimum-Wage Job,” by Freakonomics Radio (2025).

In this episode of The Poetry of Reality, Richard Dawkins joins Matt Ridley for an insightful conversation touching on evolution, genetics, science, and culture. They explore Richard's latest book, The Genetic Book of the Dead along with a wide array of topics including Matt Ridley is a science writer and journalist whose work spans evolutionary biology, economics, and the role of innovation in human progress. Join Substack: https://richarddawkins.substack.com/ Subscribe to The Poetry of Reality Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmwfdgHA_R9fzr1L0_hxdVw Socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.poetry.of.reality/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardDawkinsBooks Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThePoetryofReality

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Matt Ridley is a science writer, journalist, and author. Evolution is a strange theory. If survival is all that matters, why do we find things beautiful? Why does beauty exist at all? And if aesthetics are so important, how do some species thrive without it? Expect to learn what Darwin's strangest ideas were, the fundamental mystery of sexual selection, why females choose certain males based on beauty and performance rather than obvious survival traits, if females actually have as much agency in mate selection as we assume, or if other forces dictate choice, the alternative explanations for beauty and why aesthetics are so important and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get 10% discount on all Gymshark's products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get the Whoop 4.0 for free and get your first month for free at https://join.whoop.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/43hv6y59 #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: https://tinyurl.com/2rtz7avf #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/3ccn5vkp - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We discuss evolution, natural selection, sexual selection, evolutionary psychology, sexual signalling in birds, and the lab leak theory of COVID among many other fascinating topics. Matt's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/Birds-Sex-Beauty-Extraordinary-Implications/dp/0063342987/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0 _______________________________________ If you appreciate my work and would like to support it: https://subscribestar.com/the-saad-truth https://patreon.com/GadSaad https://paypal.me/GadSaad To subscribe to my exclusive content on Twitter, please visit my bio at https://twitter.com/GadSaad _______________________________________ This clip was posted on March 27, 2025 on my YouTube channel as THE SAAD TRUTH_1829: https://youtu.be/qYhJSTmS60c _______________________________________ Please visit my website gadsaad.com, and sign up for alerts. If you appreciate my content, click on the "Support My Work" button. I count on my fans to support my efforts. You can donate via Patreon, PayPal, and/or SubscribeStar. _______________________________________ Dr. Gad Saad is a professor, evolutionary behavioral scientist, and author who pioneered the use of evolutionary psychology in marketing and consumer behavior. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Saad is a leading public intellectual who often writes and speaks about idea pathogens that are destroying logic, science, reason, and common sense.  _______________________________________

In all animals, mating is a deal. But few creatures behave as if sex is a simple, even mutually beneficial, transaction. Many more treat it with reverence, suspicion, angst, and violence. Matt Ridley revisits Darwin's revelatory theory of mate choice through the close study of the peculiar rituals of birds, and considers how this mating process complicates our own view of human evolution. Ridley also explores the scientific research into the evolution of bright colors, exotic ornaments, and elaborate displays in birds around the world. Charles Darwin thought the purpose of such displays was to “charm” females. Though Darwin's theory was initially dismissed and buried for decades, recent scientific research has proven him newly right—there is a powerful evolutionary force quite distinct from natural selection: mate choice. In Birds, Sex and Beauty, Ridley reopens the history of Darwin's vexed theory, laying bare a century of disagreement about an idea so powerful, so weird, and so wonderful, we may have yet to fully understand its implications. Matt Ridley is the bestselling author of The Rational Optimist and Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19 (with Alina Chan). His books have sold over a million copies. Ridley served in the House of Lords from 2013 to 2021 and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His latest book is Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Charles Darwin's Strangest Idea.

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.

Be it the extravagant displays of peacocks fanning their tails, the beautiful, complex song of nightingales or the meticulous art installation-like structures built by bouwerbirds, the animal kingdom filled with a huge variety of fascinating mating rituals. But more than being mere quirks of evolution, these behaviours play a significant role in driving the process itself. In this episode, we catch up with science writer and best-selling author Matt Ridley to talk about his latest book, Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Darwin's Strangest Idea. He tells us about the runaway processes that have led to the development of these flamboyant displays and behaviours, why choosing a mate may well be a popularity contest, and why it's so important to give birth to sexy sons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week: why is economic growth eluding Labour? ‘Growing pains' declares The Spectator's cover image this week, as our political editor Katy Balls, our new economics editor Michael Simmons, and George Osborne's former chief of staff Rupert Harrison analyse the fiscal problems facing the Chancellor. ‘Dominic Cummings may have left Whitehall,' write Katy and Michael, ‘but his spirit lives on.' ‘We are all Dom now,' according to one government figure. Keir Starmer's chief aide Morgan McSweeney has never met Cummings, but the pair share a diagnosis of Britain's failing economy. Identifying a problem is not, however, the same as solving it. As Rachel Reeves prepares her Spring Statement, ministers are bracing themselves for cuts in day-to-day spending as the public finances deteriorate. Is austerity back? Michael and Rupert joined the podcast to discuss further. (1:02) Next: survival of the fittest vs seduction by the hottest Biologist and Conservative peer Matt Ridley writes about the concept of sexual selection in the magazine this week, explaining that evolution might not just be driven by survival of the fittest but also by section by the hottest. This, he says, would explain some of nature's most colourful oddities, particularly within birds, as outlined in his new book Birds, Sex and Beauty. Charles Darwin proposed this as a later part of his evolutionary theory, but it caused a rift amongst his contemporaries – why is it a controversial concept? And could it be true for other species such as humans? Matt joined the podcast alongside David Puts, Professor of Anthropology and Psychology at Penn State University. (19:13) And finally: what makes historic murders so fascinating? Historian and author Hallie Rubenhold's new book, Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen, retells the famous murder case from the perspective of the women involved. Lisa Hilton declares it an ‘intellectual adventure' in the lead book review in the magazine this week. But why do these cases continue to capture our imaginations, decades and even centuries later? And, whether as victims or as accomplices, what makes women such compelling subjects in historic cases like these? Hallie joined the podcast alongside the historian and broadcaster Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives. (30:40) Presented by William Moore and Lara Prendergast. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

This week: why is economic growth eluding Labour? ‘Growing pains' declares The Spectator's cover image this week, as our political editor Katy Balls, our new economics editor Michael Simmons, and George Osborne's former chief of staff Rupert Harrison analyse the fiscal problems facing the Chancellor. ‘Dominic Cummings may have left Whitehall,' write Katy and Michael, ‘but his spirit lives on.' ‘We are all Dom now,' according to one government figure. Keir Starmer's chief aide Morgan McSweeney has never met Cummings, but the pair share a diagnosis of Britain's failing economy. Identifying a problem is not, however, the same as solving it. As Rachel Reeves prepares her Spring Statement, ministers are bracing themselves for cuts in day-to-day spending as the public finances deteriorate. Is austerity back? Michael and Rupert joined the podcast to discuss further. (1:02) Next: survival of the fittest vs seduction by the hottest Biologist and Conservative peer Matt Ridley writes about the concept of sexual selection in the magazine this week, explaining that evolution might not just be driven by survival of the fittest but also by section by the hottest. This, he says, would explain some of nature's most colourful oddities, particularly within birds, as outlined in his new book Birds, Sex and Beauty. Charles Darwin proposed this as a later part of his evolutionary theory, but it caused a rift amongst his contemporaries – why is it a controversial concept? And could it be true for other species such as humans? Matt joined the podcast alongside David Puts, Professor of Anthropology and Psychology at Penn State University. (19:13) And finally: what makes historic murders so fascinating? Historian and author Hallie Rubenhold's new book, Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen, retells the famous murder case from the perspective of the women involved. Lisa Hilton declares it an ‘intellectual adventure' in the lead book review in the magazine this week. But why do these cases continue to capture our imaginations, decades and even centuries later? And, whether as victims or as accomplices, what makes women such compelling subjects in historic cases like these? Hallie joined the podcast alongside the historian and broadcaster Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives. (30:40) Presented by William Moore and Lara Prendergast. Produced by Patrick Gibbons.

The Best of Our Inheritance: Restoring Our Foundations is a collection of essays on the foundations of our civilisation, published by the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC). With contributions from 15 of the world's top thinkers, including Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nigel Biggar, Brian Griffiths, Matt Ridley, Andrew Roberts, Bjorn Lomborg, Os Guinness and Konstantin Kisin, the book recalls the foundations of Western Civilisation and asks how we renew and strengthen them to equip us to face current and future challenges. The book is available for pre-order at £20 from the ARC website: https://www.arcforum.com/store/p/the-best-of-our-inheritance-arc-research Join our exclusive TRIGGERnometry community on Substack! https://triggernometry.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this installment of “A Bit of Blue Sky,” host Bill Burke describes five books he recommends that will help listeners be more optimistic (and hopefully, fulfill their New Year's resolution to do so)!    Blue Sky Bookshelf: Link    Chapters:   00:00 Welcome to A Bit of Blue Sky Host Bill Burke introduces the podcast and its mission to inspire optimism through engaging discussions. He sets the stage for a conversation about books that can help listeners maintain their New Year's resolutions.  01:29 Factfulness: A New Perspective Bill discusses ‘Factfulness' by Hans Rosling, a book that challenges common misconceptions about the world and highlights the progress we've made. He emphasizes the importance of understanding facts to foster a more optimistic outlook.  03:56 The Enlightenment and Its Impact Next, Bill explores ‘Enlightenment Now' by Steven Pinker, which reflects on the values established during the European Enlightenment. He highlights how these values have contributed to a more peaceful and prosperous world.  05:31 Humankind: A Case for Optimism Bill introduces ‘Humankind' by Rutger Bregman, a book that argues for the inherent goodness of humanity. Through compelling examples, Bregman refutes the notion that humans are naturally violent and emphasizes cooperation.  06:49 The Rational Optimist: A Thoughtful Approach In this chapter, Bill revisits ‘The Rational Optimist' by Matt Ridley, discussing how free trade and cooperation have historically led to human progress. He advocates for a rational approach to optimism based on facts.  07:12 The Power of Kind Words Bill shares insights from ‘The Power of A Few Kind Words' by Tracy Gates, a book inspired by the author's father that encourages expressing appreciation through handwritten letters. This practice aims to uplift both the sender and the recipient. 

This week: President Trump's plan to Make America Greater In the cover piece for the magazine, our deputy editor and host of the Americano podcast, Freddy Gray, delves into Trump's plans. He speaks to insiders, including Steve Bannon, about the President's ambitions for empire-building. Could he really take over Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal? And if not, what is he really hoping to achieve? Academic and long-time friend of J.D. Vance, James Orr, also writes in the magazine this week about how the vice president-elect could be an even more effective standard-bearer for the MAGA movement. Freddy and James joined the podcast, just before Freddy heads off to cover Trump's inauguration. (1:00) Next: the child-free influencers waging war on motherhood Kara Kennedy also writes in the magazine about the popularity of social media influencers advocating child-free lives. It's well documented that more and more young people are choosing not to have children. However, while some might think this is about championing different lifestyles, Kara writes that many of these influencers are, in fact, shaming those who choose to have children. What motivates them? Kara joined the podcast alongside Brittany Brantley, an influencer who started out in the child-free community, before choosing to have a child. (16:58) And finally: can fact-checking ever be objective? Following the news that Mark Zuckerberg's Meta will reduce its fact-checking service, Matt Ridley examines the world of fact-checking and declares the practice ‘corrupted'. Matt argues that fact-checking is riddled with bias – can it ever be objective? Matt joined the podcast alongside The Spectator's very own fact-checking team, Sam McPhail and Michael Simmons – who get a positive mention in Matt's piece. They lift the lid on how the magazine approaches fact-checking. (26:58) Hosted by Lara Prendergast and William Moore. Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Oscar Edmondson.

Jason Hartman discusses real estate investing trends and economic factors impacting the housing market. He highlights rising construction costs, labor shortages, and material price increases as key drivers of housing prices. Hartman emphasizes the importance of being an active investor rather than trying to time the market. He analyzes business startup trends across the US, noting Florida's strong performance. The potential impact of Trump's immigration policies on construction labor and housing affordability is explored. Hartman also touches on the Airbnb market and debunks predictions of a crash. He encourages investors to optimize their portfolios for various factors like cash flow, appreciation, and ease of management, offering free consultations. Visit JasonHartman.com today! #RealEstateInvesting #ConstructionCosts #HousingMarket #BusinessStartups #EconomicTrends #FloridaEconomy #ImmigrationPolicy #AirbnbMarket #PropertyInvestment #HousingSupply #LaborShortage #ProsperityTrends #TechnologyAdvances #TrumpPolicies #InvestmentStrategies Key Takeaways: 1:34 Changing careers 2:17 Dubai and communism 3:38 Let's talk housing 8:10 Corelogic Chart: Construction costs 13:41 Where's the inventory? 15:56 Prosperity Read "Rational Optimist" by Matt Ridley 22:36 "The customer does not need a faster horse" 25:55 New Business Applications, 2023 29:57 Trump, the border and the effects on housing affordability and construction   Empowered Investor Pro members, join our upcoming Zoom meeting every first Tuesday of the month! https://www.empoweredinvestor.com/ For everybody, join Jason's FREE Masterclass every second Wednesday of every month! JasonHartman.com/Wednesday Call us! (714) 820-4200 then press 2 to get one of our investment counselors and a FREE consultation and portfolio makeover.   Follow Jason on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM & LINKEDIN Twitter.com/JasonHartmanROI Instagram.com/jasonhartman1/ Linkedin.com/in/jasonhartmaninvestor/ Call our Investment Counselors at: 1-800-HARTMAN (US) or visit: https://www.jasonhartman.com/ Free Class:  Easily get up to $250,000 in funding for real estate, business or anything else: http://JasonHartman.com/Fund CYA Protect Your Assets, Save Taxes & Estate Planning: http://JasonHartman.com/Protect Get wholesale real estate deals for investment or build a great business – Free Course: https://www.jasonhartman.com/deals Special Offer from Ron LeGrand: https://JasonHartman.com/Ron Free Mini-Book on Pandemic Investing: https://www.PandemicInvesting.com    

Every simple story about it is wrong: Hinduism contains multitudes. And it went into the directions it did for specific reasons. Manu Pillai joins Amit Varma in episode 405 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe the role of history in the shaping of Hinduism -- and Hindu nationalism. (FOR FULL LINKED SHOW NOTES, GO TO SEENUNSEEN.IN.) Also check out: 1. Manu Pillai on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Amazon and his own website. 2. Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity -- Manu Pillai. 3. The Deccan Before Shivaji — Episode 98 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 4. Our Colorful Past — Episode 127 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 5. Kerala and the Ivory Throne — Episode 156 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 6. The Multitudes of Our Maharajahs -- Episode 244 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 7. Jeff Bezos on The Lex Fridman Podcast. 8. The Changing Forms of Creativity -- Episode 72 of Everything is Everything. 9. Hardcore History — Dan Carlin. 10. Devdutt Pattanaik and the Stories That Shape Us -- Episode 404 of The Seen and the Unseen. 11. Fixing the Knowledge Society -- Episode 24 of Everything is Everything. 12. Robert Sapolsky's biology lectures on YouTube. 13. William Dalrymple kicking off a controversy. 14. Who We Are and How We Got Here — David Reich. 15. Early Indians — Tony Joseph. 16. Tony Joseph's episode on The Seen and the Unseen. 17. The Evolution of Everything — Matt Ridley. 18. The Evolution of Everything — Episode 96 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Matt Ridley). 19. Merchants of Virtue -- Divya Cherian. 20. The Logic of Collective Action — Mancur Olson. 21. Caged Tiger — Subhashish Bhadra. 22. Subhashish Bhadra on Our Dysfunctional State — Episode 333 of The Seen and the Unseen. 23. Much Maligned Monsters -- Partha Mitter. 24. Literotica. 25. Genealogy of the South-Indian Gods -- Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg. 26. The Big Questions -- Steven Landsburg. 27. State, Politics, and Cultures in Modern South India: Honour, Authority, and Morality -- Pamela Price. 28. The Broken Script — Swapna Liddle. 29. Swapna Liddle and the Many Shades of Delhi — Episode 367 of The Seen and the Unseen. 30. The History of British India -- James Mill. 31. Vindication of the Hindoos -- Charles Stuart. 32. Tuḥfat al-Muwaḥḥidīn -- Ram Mohan Roy. 33. Devangshu Datta Traded His Corduroy Pants — Episode 348 of The Seen and the Unseen. 34. Satyarth Prakash -- Dayanand Saraswati. 35. Gulamgiri -- Jyotirao Phule. 36. How the BJP Wins — Prashant Jha. 37. The BJP's Magic Formula — Episode 45 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Prashant Jha). 38. Three Statesmen -- BR Nanda's biographies of GK Gokhale, MK Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. 39. Essentials of Hindutva -- Vinayak Savarkar. 40. Savarkar: The True Story of the Father of Hindutva -- Vaibhav Purandhare. 41. Hindutva and Violence: VD Savarkar and the Politics of History — Vinayak Chaturvedi. 42. Vinayak Calling Vinayak -- Episode 385 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vinayak Chaturvedi). 43. The Savarkar Boxset -- Vikram Sampath. 44. Savarkar and the Making of Hindutva -- Janaki Bakhle. 45. Niranjan Rajadhyaksha Is the Impartial Spectator -- Episode 388 of The Seen and the Unseen. 46. Anne with an E -- Moira Walley-Beckett. 47. Arcane -- Christian Linke and Alex Yee. This episode is sponsored by CTQ Compounds. Check out The Daily Reader and FutureStack. Use the code UNSEEN for Rs 2500 off. Amit Varma and Ajay Shah have launched a new 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. Amit and Ajay also bring out a weekly YouTube show, Everything is Everything. Have you watched it yet? You must! And have you read Amit's newsletter? 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: ‘Open-Source Religion' by Simahina.

From the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the rise of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives and Artificial Intelligence, in this episode Steven Pinker, Matt Ridley, and Michael Shermer challenge conventional narratives and explore how we can continue to move forward. They discuss the state of democracy, autocracy, and the lessons learned from historical crises, while offering insights into how innovation, rationality, and education can lead us through challenging times. This session was presented at FreedomFest 2024. To see more speeches and sessions from FreedomFest, visit freedomfest.com/civl.