The Human Progress Podcast The New Right Manufactures Misery
Dec 8, 2025
Yaron Brook, advocate for free markets and former executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute, joins Marian Tupy to tackle the New Right's pessimistic populism. They dissect Matt Walsh's negativity, attributing American despair to media sensationalism and educational failings. Brook discusses the GOP's shift post-Reagan and highlights key events like 9/11 and the financial crisis that eroded public confidence. He champions reason and individualism over tribalism, promoting a future driven by pro-reason thinkers who appreciate capitalism's benefits.
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Pessimism Overstates Decline
- Matt Walsh's claim that "everything" has declined is false on most examples according to Yaron Brook.
- Brook argues a deep-set cultural pessimism misreads measurable progress across many domains.
Intellectuals Fuel Cultural Pessimism
- Brook blames the intellectual class for betraying Enlightenment values and promoting emotion over reason.
- He links educational decline and emotionalism to tribalism and amplified fear in society.
Three Crises Shattered Optimism
- Brook identifies three crises—9/11, the financial crash, and COVID—that shattered American optimism.
- These events, plus intellectual narratives blaming capitalism, eroded trust in institutions and markets.