Words & Numbers

In this episode, we look at what happens when artificial intelligence is put in charge of real-world systems, starting with an experiment in automated pricing and what it reveals about incentives, scarcity, and control. We turn to Denmark’s decision to shut down its national postal service, using it to examine the decline of physical mail, environmental tradeoffs, and why government monopolies struggle to compete with private delivery. We highlight the week’s “foolishness,” including the rise of competitive spreadsheet championships, before turning to a broader discussion about inequality. We examine IQ distributions, bell curves, and why inequality is often confused with poverty, exploring the limits of measures like the Gini coefficient, the difference between snapshot and lifetime earnings, and the role of incentives, envy, and value creation. We close by contrasting equality of opportunity with equality of outcome and asking what societies should actually care about when assessing fairness and prosperity. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:27 AI Runs a Vending Machine at the Wall Street Journal 01:52 When AI Meets Communism and Price Controls 03:52 Why AI Isn’t Replacing Humans Anytime Soon 04:32 Denmark Shuts Down Its Postal Service 06:11 Is Physical Mail Environmentally Absurd? 07:39 Why the Postal Service Can’t Compete 11:43 The Foolishness of the Week: Excel World Championships 13:25 Are Spreadsheets More Important Than Football? 15:08 Main Topic Setup: Should We Care About Inequality? 16:13 IQ, Bell Curves, and Random Distributions 23:05 Why Inequality Is Not the Same as Poverty 25:36 The Gini Coefficient and Its Limits 28:57 Sports, Superstars, and Value Creation 38:00 Taxes, Transfers, and the Illusion of Inequality 41:57 Lifetime Earnings vs Snapshot Inequality 45:14 Equality of Opportunity vs Equality of Outcome 49:30 Envy, Incentives, and Human Motivation 53:38 Closing Thoughts on Inequality and Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we revisit the debate over restricting social media access for children, responding to listener feedback and examining why parental responsibility alone can’t address the scale of the problem. We discuss proposals for age verification, the risks of digital ID systems, and how privacy and surveillance concerns are often dismissed with the claim that people have “nothing to hide.” We then turn to California’s energy situation, looking at refinery closures, the Jones Act, and why state climate policies have little impact on global emissions while driving higher fuel costs. We examine a lawsuit involving Donald Trump and the BBC, followed by the week’s “foolishness” surrounding the Oscars’ move to YouTube. Our main discussion explores the concept of victimless crime, how outdated laws persist long after society moves on, what entrepreneurship signals about obsolete regulations, and why enforcement-heavy approaches to poverty, drugs, and everyday behavior continue to fail. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 01:02 Listener Feedback on Social Media Bans for Kids 02:06 Why Parenting Alone Cannot Solve the Social Media Problem 03:16 Age Verification and the Push Toward Digital ID 04:43 Privacy, Surveillance, and Why “Nothing to Hide” Fails 06:45 How Governments Can Abuse Data in the Future 07:20 California Refinery Closures and Energy Reality 08:13 The Jones Act and Why California Imports Fuel from Abroad 11:02 Why California’s Climate Policies Barely Affect Global CO2 13:00 Trump’s Lawsuit Against the BBC 14:27 Why Trump Would Have to Testify Under Oath 15:34 Foolishness of the Week: The Oscars Move to YouTube 17:42 Main Topic Setup: Victimless Crime and Enforcement 18:36 Entrepreneurship as a Signal That Laws Are Obsolete 20:47 Blue Laws, Alcohol, and How Societies Outgrow Bad Rules 24:27 Are There Any Victimless Crimes Left? 28:42 Speed Limits and Everyday Criminality 31:28 Is Government the Evolution of Crime? 34:31 The Cash Benchmark Test Explained 36:20 Why the War on Poverty Failed 40:16 The True Cost of the War on Drugs 43:55 Why Freedom No Longer Drives Policy 45:31 Closing Reflections and Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss the growing role of humanoid robots in everyday life, why new technologies always reach the wealthy first, and how falling costs eventually make innovation accessible to the middle class. We turn to global efforts to restrict social media access for children, examining the real harms platforms create, why enforcement rarely works, and how questions of consent and freedom apply differently to minors. We highlight the week’s “foolishness,” including exaggerated tariff claims and the political incentives behind economic misinformation, before looking at how public discourse has deteriorated as cruelty and performative outrage become normalized. We then examine California’s accelerating business exodus, focusing on energy companies leaving the state, the consequences of heavy regulation and taxation, the limits of government control over capital-intensive industries, and what these trends reveal about tradeoffs, governance, and long-term economic sustainability. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:37 Humanoid Robots as Household Tools, Not Job Killers 02:31 Robots as Productivity Multipliers for the Middle Class 04:14 Why Wealthy People Will Always Get New Tech First 05:57 Technology Gets Cheaper, Better, and More Accessible Over Time 08:46 The Inevitable Cultural Direction of Robot Technology 09:17 Social Media Bans for Minors Go Global 11:13 The Real Harm Social Media Does to Children 14:25 Foolishness of the Week: Trump’s $18 Trillion Tariff Claim 17:15 Why the Tariff Math Doesn’t Pass the Smell Test 18:23 Political Incentives, Lies, and Follower Frenzy 21:09 Trump’s Rob Reiner Statement and the Collapse of Decorum 23:45 When Leaders Normalize Public Cruelty 26:09 Why Businesses Are Fleeing California 28:53 Taxes, Regulations, and the Real Price of Gas 33:14 Environmental Tradeoffs and Global CO2 Reality 38:50 California’s Plan to Nationalize Oil Refineries 40:53  Why Government Cannot Run Capital-Intensive Businesses 44:44 Diminishing Returns and Regulatory Overreach 47:23 Pareto Optimality and Why Tradeoffs Matter 55:06 The Economic Death Spiral of Business Exodus 57:32 Is California Too Big to Govern Effectively? 01:02:07 Closing Reflections and Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we look at the story of a young boy who found purpose working for the DC Metro and later became a transportation engineer, and we examine a proposal for the U.S. to screen tourists’ social media accounts before entry, highlighting the logistical and constitutional problems such a system would create. We cover the week’s “foolishness,” including In-N-Out removing order number 67 from its queues and a Montreal lottery winner who chose a disastrous payout option, and discuss what these cases reveal about human judgment and bad incentives. We also explore the Mandela Effect and why memory often fails us. Later, we’re joined by Todd Huntley to talk about U.S. drug interdiction on the high seas, the legal gray zone between warfare and law enforcement, the risks of escalating conflicts with countries like Venezuela, and the constitutional limits on presidential war powers. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:30 The DC Metro Kid Who Became an Engineer 02:44 U.S. Plans to Screen Tourists’ Social Media 05:43 Foolishness of the Week: In-N-Out Removes Order #67 08:10 Foolishness Part Two: The Montreal Lottery Payout Disaster 11:16 The Psychology of Bad Financial Decisions 12:34 The Mandela Effect and Faulty Memory 14:36 Reunions and Remembering the Past 18:24 Guest Introduction: Todd Huntley on Drug Boat Strikes 20:16 How U.S. Drug Interdiction Changed with Drone Warfare 23:08 Is This War or Law Enforcement? The Legal Debate 26:44 International Waters, Venezuela, and Escalation Risks 30:13 Regime Change in Venezuela 32:45 The Positive Case for Blowing Up Boats 36:42 The Negative Case for Blowing Up Boats 41:11 Who Is Conducting the Strikes? 43:40 Congress, War Powers, and Constitutional Limits 48:57 Closing Thoughts with Guest 52:10 Outro Banter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This discussion dives into recent arrests linked to social media, highlighting the contrasting policing cultures in Britain and America. It explores Alaska's innovative AI-driven digital identity system and the implications of automated benefits and digital currency. The hosts tackle the sentience of AI, questioning its ability to be genuinely inquisitive. Plus, they reflect on a notorious racist incident and analyze Bitcoin's turbulent market performance. Finally, the impact of AI on personal relationships and the importance of curiosity in education take center stage.

In this episode, we examine why arts education often maintains higher standards even as liberal arts programs shrink in schools and universities, and what students lose when curriculum narrows to job training. We discuss how platforms like X are adding country-of-origin labels to identify foreign influence and bot activity, and highlight the “foolishness of the week” involving the controversy over the “world’s strongest woman” and the broader questions it raises about biology and competitive fairness. We turn to Australia’s proposal to ban social media for kids under sixteen, exploring the practical limits of age verification, the tension between parental authority and government regulation, and why teens remain vulnerable to algorithmic manipulation. We close by considering where society should draw age boundaries, how platforms shape behavior, and what genuine responsibility looks like in the digital age. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:29 The State of Arts Education Today 02:57 Why Liberal Arts Are Disappearing From Schools 05:45 What a Liberal Arts Education Actually Provides 06:59 X Adds Country-of-Origin Labels 09:56 Foolishness of the Week: “World’s Strongest Woman” 11:31 Biology, Fairness, and Competition in Sports 17:51 Age Rules and Arbitrary Lines 20:53 Australia’s Proposed Social Media Ban for Under-16s 23:21 Why Age Verification Won’t Work in Practice 26:08 Should the Government Regulate Children’s Social Media Use? 27:32 Algorithmic Bubbles and Teen Vulnerability 33:45 96% of Australian Children Ages 10-15 Use Social Media 34:55 Where to Draw the Line: 13, 16, or 18? 39:34 Parental Responsibility vs. Government Control 46:34 Closing Thoughts on Freedom, Parenting, and Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we open with a look at how news coverage distorts public perception of danger, from shark attacks to terrorism, and why our instincts so often fail to match the data. We analyze the betting markets in regards to potential 2028 GOP presidential candidates. We discuss Ohio’s new proposal to offer paternity testing at birth, raising deeper questions about truth, family, and whether the state should standardize knowledge people may prefer not to have. We explore what consent really means in modern politics, how taxation relates to self-ownership, and whether withdrawing consent is even possible inside a democratic system. We dig into the philosophy of “future selves,” weighing whether personal choices today can violate the rights of the person we eventually become, and how this idea might reshape debates about children, drug laws, responsibility, and property rights. We wrap with the growing implications of deepfake technology, including one startling clip that hits very close to home. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:31 America’s Real Causes of Death vs. Media Coverage 04:54 Heart Disease, Suicide, Homicide: Comparing Risk to Headlines 07:47 Terrorism Coverage and the Outlier Problem 09:27 Why Our Brains Misread Danger 11:48 New Ohio Bill on Paternity Testing 13:59 The Ethics of Mandatory vs. Optional Paternity Tests 17:05 PolyMarket Odds for 2028 GOP Presidential Candidates 21:48 What Yoga Can Teach Economists About Property Rights 23:31 Self-Ownership, Labor, and the Logic of Markets 27:01 Voting, Consent, and Withdrawing From the Regime 34:13 Environmental Ethics and “Not Stealing From the Earth” 36:23 Can You “Steal” From Your Future Self? 37:25 Identity Over Time: Are You the Same Person Decades Later? 42:08 Do Children Have Full Rights? And When Should They? 43:42 Drug Laws, Nanny States, and Personal Autonomy 45:21 Age Restrictions and the Problem of Arbitrary Lines 50:34 Should Your Future Self Be Considered a Separate Entity? 56:28 AI Voice Impersonation and AI Safety Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss the fallout from the government shutdown and how delays in federal economic data, including the Consumer Price Index and jobs reports, leave policymakers and the public effectively “driving without headlights.” We examine the broader risks of making monetary decisions without timely information and the political incentives surrounding data transparency. We turn to new reporting on Border Patrol surveillance, exploring constitutional concerns raised by nationwide license-plate monitoring, predictive algorithms, and civil asset forfeiture. We highlight the “foolishness of the week,” a Thanksgiving trend piece on secretly stoned dinner guests, before shifting to a Thanksgiving tradition of our own as we reflect on what we’re thankful not to have, from VAT taxes and debtors’ prisons to hostile borders, historic diseases, and restrictions on homeschooling and peaceful protest. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:33 The Government Shutdown’s Aftermath 04:55 Border Patrol’s Expanding 100-Mile Authority 07:13 Predictive Policing, License Plate Tracking, and Searches 11:24 Civil Asset Forfeiture and Presumed Guilt 13:41 Foolishness of the Week: The “Stoned Thanksgiving Guests” Trend 15:57 What We’re Thankful to Not Have 16:35 Value Added Tax 18:28 Vaccines and the Elimination of Deadly Diseases 20:50 Free Speech and Peaceful Protest 22:08 Women’s Rights 23:53 Guns as the Great Equalizer 28:08 Homeschooling Freedoms and Education Restrictions of the Past 32:40 Criminalization of Debt and Bankruptcy Laws 34:05 Why Jailing People for Using Drugs is a Stupid Idea 36:08 Friendly International Neighbors 37:11 Declining Poverty 38:46 Closing Thoughts on Gratitude and a Better World Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, we discuss the firing of an FBI trainee over an LGBTQ+ flag and the broader tensions surrounding free speech, impartiality, and government workplaces. We examine conflicting messages from Trump and J.D. Vance about the state of the economy, along with the role tariffs and consumer sentiment play in shaping public perceptions. We highlight the “foolishness of the week,” involving a MAGA supporter accused of staging a hate crime, and we explore new polling that reveals surprising levels of national consensus on political violence, facts versus opinions, multiculturalism, and the influence of wealthy donors. We also break down what Americans really agree on, why those shared beliefs matter, and how they shape the health of our democratic system. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:29 FBI Fires Agent Over LGBTQ Flag Dispute 02:39 Political Neutrality and Ideology in Law Enforcement 04:48 Trump’s Economic Messaging vs. Consumer Sentiment 07:38 J.D. Vance’s Call for Patience 09:25 The Lingering Impact of Tariffs on the Economy 11:39 Foolishness of the Week: The MAGA Hoax Incident 15:46 Historical Parallels: Jussie Smollett and Tawana Brawley 17:55 National Consensus: Americans Overwhelmingly Reject Political Violence 22:13 Are Facts Real? Public Pushback Against Moral Relativism 25:51 What Americans Really Think About Diversity and Multicultural Strength 37:27 Where Consensus Breaks: Pace of Cultural Change 39:50 Government’s Role in Basic Needs 45:24 Wealth, Billionaires, and Limiting Political Influence 50:11 Is Democracy the Best System—and Is Ours Working? 53:15 Closing Thoughts on Civic Respect and Shared Values Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Words & Numbers Live is a members only series exclusive to CiVL.com in which Antony and James discuss politics, philosophy, and economics, and invite listeners for a live Q&A session. To participate, subscribe at CiVL.com, where you can see what lectures we have coming up, and access all of our Words & Numbers content. James and Antony take listener questions on politics, philosophy, and economics and how they matter for upgrading civilization. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices