EconTalk

Russ Roberts
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EconTalk

EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 900+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.

  1. 38M AGO

    The Past and Present of Privacy and Public Life (with Tiffany Jenkins)

    A paradox of our time is our willingness to bare all to strangers while worrying about who exactly is watching us online and anywhere else. Listen as author Tiffany Jenkins discusses her book, Strangers and Intimates, with EconTalk's Russ Roberts. In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore the role of Martin Luther, J.S. Mill, reality TV, and social media, among other factors, in creating the norms of the public and private spheres over time and today.

    1h 23m

  2. MAY 5

    The Economics of Tariffs and Trade (with Doug Irwin)

    Is the United States victimized by trade? What causes trade deficits? Are higher tariffs a good idea? Can manufacturing jobs return to the United States? Economist Doug Irwin of Dartmouth College answers these questions and more in this wide-ranging conversation with EconTalk's Russ Roberts.

    1h 33m

  3. APR 28

    The Past and Future of AI (with Dwarkesh Patel)

    Dwarkesh Patel interviewed the most influential thinkers and leaders in the world of AI and chronicled the history of AI up to now in his book, The Scaling Era. Listen as he talks to EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the book, the dangers and potential of AI, and the role scale plays in AI progress. The conversation concludes with a discussion of the art of podcasting.

    1h 37m

  4. APR 21

    Why Christianity Needs to Help Save Democracy (with Jonathan Rauch)

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

    1h 20m

  5. APR 14

    Rational and Religious (with Ross Douthat)

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

    1h 18m

  6. APR 7

    The Music and Magic of John and Paul (with Ian Leslie)

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

    1h 18m

  7. MAR 31

    Do All Creatures, Great and Small, and Made From Silicon, Have Rights? (with Jeff Sebo)

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

    1h 16m

  8. MAR 24

    Bird Brains, Bird Sex, and All Kinds of Beauty (with Matt Ridley)

    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.

    1h 17m
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
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About

EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 900+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.

Information

  • Creator
    Russ Roberts
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2025
  • Episodes
    997
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2006-2025
  • Show Website
    EconTalk

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