Real Time with Bill Maher Overtime – Episode #705: Kaitlan Collins, Steven Pinker, Stephen Moore
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Sep 9, 2025 Dive into the contentious debates surrounding sports safety and the legal justifications for destroying a suspected drug smuggling boat. Explore the challenges of declining academic standards and student engagement, highlighting the effects of grade inflation and modern distractions. Unearth the passionate ties Alabamians have to their state through football and politics, while pondering the absurdity of rumors, including those about a former president. Also, consider the responsibilities of extreme wealth, especially regarding philanthropy and global challenges.
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How Rumors Self-Reinforce
- Rumors can snowball because people are sensitive to what others believe and react to perceived absence of public figures.
- Stephen Pinker notes the self-reinforcing dynamic of beliefs even when they are false, using the Trump-death rumor and Paul McCartney myth as examples.
Who Should Spend Enormous Wealth?
- Wealth concentration sparks debate about who should control vast resources and whether private actors or governments spend better.
- Stephen Pinker frames the argument as a practical question: who will spend money more effectively, wealthy entrepreneurs like Elon Musk or the government?
Charitable Impact Compared
- Pinker contrasts Bill Gates' massive charitable impact with his skepticism about Musk's cuts to aid programs.
- He claims Gates has saved tens of millions of lives while criticizing Musk for reducing USAID support.
