commensalism, which basically means eating together, sharing a table, is not only on the decline, but rapidly declining. A very high percentage of meals in the united states are consumed in isolation. We need to make time and space to actually sit down at a table, share a meal and engage in a conversation. Anyone who works to develop that habit is probably doing reat deal of good in their family and in their community.
Physician and careful reader Richard Gunderman of Indiana University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about how Adam Smith and Leo Tolstoy looked at greed. Drawing on Tolstoy's short story, "Master and Man," and adding some Thomas Hobbes along the way, Gunderman argues that a life well-lived requires us to rise above our lower desires. Join Gunderman and Roberts for a sleigh ride into a snowy blizzard, where you won't find your way by following rules, but rather by recognizing what needs to be seen.