The Most Important Question

Important, Not Important
  • 4.7 (116)
  • SCIENCE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Most Important Question

Science for people who give a sh*t. Want to feel better AND unf*ck the world? The 6-time Webby nominee delivers deep conversations with the world's smartest people (scientists, doctors, CEO's, farmers, and more!), and digestible news updates every single week, to help you answer the world's most important question: What can I do? We're talkin' clean energy and coral reefs, COVID vaccines and pediatric cancer research, clean water and carbon capture tech, asteroid deflection and artificial intelligence ethics. "A vital service in an era where important truths, outright fiction and mere trivia all compete for your attention.” - Craig Mazin, creator, writer, and executive producer of HBO's Chernobyl Hosted by Quinn Emmett

  1. No Country for Poor Men (or Women)

    6D AGO

    No Country for Poor Men (or Women)

    What can we do about land power? It's the most important question and my guest today is Mike Albertus. Mike is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He's the author of the new book, Land Power. Who has it? Who doesn't? And how that determines the fate of societies.  In the book, Mike examines how land became power, how it shapes power today still, and how who holds that power determines the fundamental social problems that societies grapple with. Mike studies how countries allocate opportunity and well-being among their citizens and the consequences this has for society, why some countries are democratic and others are not, and why some societies fall into civil conflict. ----------- Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. ----------- INI Book Club: Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William FinneganCaste and The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel WilkersonGet our booklist for essential Civil War and Reconstruction booksFind all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club Links: Read Mike's book Land PowerSubscribe to The Good SocietyFollow Mike on Twitter and BlueskyGet more of Mike's work on his websiteRead about Bruce's Beach reparations in LADonate to the World Wildlife Fund, Tompkins Conservation and the Stand For Her Land Campaign Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at a href="https://www.importantnotimportant.com/upgrade" rel="noopener

    52 min

  2. FEB 25 · BONUS

    Essay: The Story of Not Right Now

    This week: Not. Right. Now. I hope you enjoy our new show. It’s super, super informal, and fun, and full of profanity, and personal, and — I hope — something you or a parent in your life can identify with, and maybe get some relief from. It’s intentionally and decidedly NOT an advice show.  It is a once-a-week parasocial commiseration session about trying to raise kids and continue to be a human and maybe even a partner amid…all of this. Listen to Not Right Now here https://www.notrightnow.show/ Read Claire's intro to Not Right Now in her Evil Witches newsletter here https://www.evilwitches.com/p/out-now-a-witchy-project-in-pod-form Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve it Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

    13 min
  3. Push Them Down

    FEB 20 · BONUS

    Push Them Down

    Please enjoy the debut episode from our new show, Not Right Now. Every week, Claire (Evil Witches) and Quinn (Important, Not Important) dive into the chaotic reality of raising tiny humans in these wild times. From behavioral reflection forms and schoolyard diplomacy to the eternal question of "how many water bottles does one child need?", we explore the messy, hilarious, and occasionally terrifying truth about modern parenting. Plus: why every parent should have friends who don't make you add "...but of course I love them!" to your rants, the special anxiety of raising boys who won't become supervillains, and the paradox of counting down to bedtime while simultaneously scrolling through baby photos. A conversation for parents who know that both dreading dinner and cherishing every moment can be true at the same time. A new show from Important, Not Important. ----------- Have feedback or questions? Send a message to questions@notrightnow.show Get all of our episodes at https://www.notrightnow.show/ ----------- Follow us: Subscribe to Quinn's newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSubscribe to Claire's newsletter at https://www.evilwitches.com/Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notrightnowpodcast/Subscribe to our YouTube channelProduced and edited by Willow BeckMusic by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

    1 hr
  4. Introducing: Not Right Now

    FEB 14 · BONUS

    Introducing: Not Right Now

    Not Right Now is a podcast for parents navigating the impossible task of raising kids while *gestures wildly at everything*. Join Quinn Emmett (Important, Not Important) and Claire Zulkey (Evil Witches) for honest conversations about parenting in an era of climate change, artificial intelligence, social media anxiety, all while trying to get your kid to just please put on their shoes. From discussing how to talk to kids about the news without traumatizing them (or yourself), to debating the right age for a phone, to admitting that sometimes the best parenting happens when you're hiding in the pantry eating handfuls of trail mix for dinner- Quinn and Claire bring humor, empathy, and real talk to the wild adventure of raising tiny humans in these chaotic times. Because being a good parent doesn't mean having all the answers - it means figuring it out together, one "not right now" at a time. Join us every week, wherever you get your podcasts. ----------- Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. ----------- Links:  Follow Not Right Now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notrightnowpodcast/Email Not Right Now at questions@notrightnow.show Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

    3 min

  5. FEB 10 · BONUS

    Essay: Have Mercy

    This week: I’m not religious. But I did (barely) successfully major in religious studies. For better and often for worse, the history of faith and organized religion has been the backbone of human history, political science, culture, wars, sexual ethics, and more. Subtle or not, religion and faith are most often the answer to why people do what they do, and to how we got here, even now as the west barrels towards majority secularism. Here's What You Can Do:Donate to the Climate Justice Alliance to amplify grassroots leadership working towards a Just Transition.🌏️ Volunteer with the Green Faith Alliance and get your faith group involved in climate action.🌏️ Learn about how colonialism is a historical and ongoing driver of climate change and its impacts.Be heard about science-based health care and tell your Senator to vote “No” on RFK Jr’s nomination.Invest in a more equitable world by investing in the Black Farmer Fund to increase the representation and success of Black agricultural and food businesses. Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve it Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

    21 min

  6. FEB 3 · BONUS

    Essay: Build Something Useful

    This week: You're wasting your talent on bullshit while the world burns. You — yes, you — can actually use your very unique set of skills for good. Even and especially at scale, even — yes — right now. Here's What You Can Do:Donate to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to help get Zuckerberg’s grubby little paws off of your data.Volunteer with Tech Shift and start creating technology that actually contributes to the betterment of humanity.🌎️ Get educated about social media, deepfakes, misinformation, and all the other internet foes by taking this Media Literacy Crash Course.Be heard about creating the appropriate safeguards for AI by urging your representatives to support the Algorithmic Accountability Act.🌏️ Invest in tech that reduces emissions instead of dismantling democracy using Carbon Equity. Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve it Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

    28 min
  7. We Need To Talk About Bird Flu

    JAN 27

    We Need To Talk About Bird Flu

    We (Quinn) has been avoiding this question for quite a while. I even wrote a few thousand words about it a couple months ago and didn't publish it because it was a bit of a downer. But that's kind of malpractice in a way because we promised we don't shy away from the hard stuff even if the goal is to help you understand what you can do about it. Just like there's never really an optimal time in your life to get married, or have a baby, or get arrested, there's never a good time to talk about bird flu, which means it's always the right time to talk about bird flu, and especially when you've got the best of the best on the line. What can I do about bird flu? That's today's big question and my returning guest is the wonderful Dr. Nahid Bhadelia. Dr. Bhadelia is the founding director of the BU Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases. She's a board certified infectious diseases physician and an associate professor at the BU School of Medicine. She served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Global COVID 19 Response for the White House COVID 19 Response Team in 2022 and 2023, where she coordinated the interagency programs for global COVID 19 vaccine donations from the United States. Nahid was also the policy lead for Project NextGen, a 5 billion dollar health and human services program aimed at developing next generation vaccines and treatments for pandemic prone coronaviruses.  She also served as the interim testing coordinator for the White House mpox response team and is the Director and Co-founder of Biothreats Emergence Analysis and Communications Network, or BEACON, an open source outbreak surveillance program.  ----------- Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com. ----------- Links: Keep up with Dr. Bhadelia's work at BUFollow Dr. Bhadelia on BlueskyFind air filters at Filterbuy.comLearn more about what you can do to support public health Follow us: Subscribe to our newsletter at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchFollow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our a...

    42 min

  8. JAN 13 · BONUS

    Essay: Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

    This week: Be prepared — because these fires that are still burning are only the beginning. Start somewhere, start right in front of you, do what you can. Here's What You Can Do:LA isn’t the only place suffering this week, but it was home for a long time, so here’s vetted ways you can contribute right now, from near or afar. Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at importantnotimportant.comSupport our work and become a Member at importantnotimportant.com/upgradeGet our merchGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpFollow us on Threads: www.threads.net/@importantnotimportantSubscribe to our YouTube channelFollow Quinn: on Twitter - twitter.com/quinnemmett; Bluesky - bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social; Threads - www.threads.net/@quinnemmettProduced by Willow BeckIntro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.comTake a nap you deserve it Advertise with us: importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors

    12 min
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4.7
out of 5
116 Ratings

About

Science for people who give a sh*t. Want to feel better AND unf*ck the world? The 6-time Webby nominee delivers deep conversations with the world's smartest people (scientists, doctors, CEO's, farmers, and more!), and digestible news updates every single week, to help you answer the world's most important question: What can I do? We're talkin' clean energy and coral reefs, COVID vaccines and pediatric cancer research, clean water and carbon capture tech, asteroid deflection and artificial intelligence ethics. "A vital service in an era where important truths, outright fiction and mere trivia all compete for your attention.” - Craig Mazin, creator, writer, and executive producer of HBO's Chernobyl Hosted by Quinn Emmett

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