CSPI Podcast

Understanding Right and Left | Bryan Caplan & Richard Hanania

May 1, 2023

01:32:49

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Episode notes

Introduction

2min

The Human Degradation of Politics

2min

How to Deal With University Bureaucracies

3min

The Difference Between Role Playing Games and Professional Sports

2min

The Anti-Human Degradation Rule

2min

The Evolution of Politics

2min

The Case for Democracy

4min

The Importance of Optimism

2min

The Problem With Genetic Engineering and Anti-Aging

3min

10.

The Future of Computing

2min

11.

The Future of Chatbots

3min

12.

The Simplistic Theory of Left Versus Right

3min

13.

The Left's Agitation About Inequality

2min

14.

The Left vs. Right Thing

2min

15.

The Leftists' Hate of Markets

3min

16.

The Rise and Fall of Transgenderism

2min

17.

The Reaction to the Transgender Movement

4min

18.

The Right and the Left

3min

19.

The Micro-Theory of Humanity

2min

20.

The Evolution of Leftists

3min

21.

The Anti-Marxists

2min

22.

The Right in the Left

2min

23.

The Power of Personal Read

3min

24.

The Illusion of Wanting a Conversation

2min

25.

The History of Miracles

3min

26.

The Forager Farmer Story

2min

27.

The Differences Between Libertarians and Farmers of the Area

2min

28.

The Internalized Status Hierarchy of Libertarians

2min

29.

The Advantages of Reading Philosophers

3min

30.

The Importance of Humility in Economics

2min

31.

The Big Facts Dilemma

2min

32.

The Future of George Mason University

2min

33.

The Differences Between Virginia and Florida in the State of Virginia

5min

34.

The Difference Between College Presidents and Democrats

3min

35.

Reagan's Failure to Get Rid of Affirmative Action

2min

36.

The Importance of Probabilistic Thinking

2min

37.

The Science and Ethics of Housing

2min

38.

Unbeatable: The Brutally Honest Case for Free Markets

3min

39.

The Unbeatable Case for Free Markets

3min

Bryan Caplan joins the podcast to talk about his new book, Voters as Mad Scientists: Essays on Political Irrationality.

Bryan begins by explaining why he hates politics. Much of the conversation then centers around Caplan’s simplistic theory of the right and left. This is compared and contrasted with Scott Alexander’s thrive/survive theory of the political spectrum, Robin Hanson’s theory of farmers and foragers, and Hanania’s “Liberals Read, Conservatives Watch TV.”

Near the end, the discussion turns to the political climate at GMU, and whether the intellectual community that has been built can survive the trend towards DEI. Caplan emphasizes that he has noticed a difference since Glenn Youngkin came to power in Virginia, showing that politics actually matters for determining the future of free speech and intellectual freedom.

For previous Bryan appearances on the podcast, see: May 2021, September 2022, and May 2022.

Listen in podcast form or watch on YouTube.

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