EconTalk
Russ Roberts
EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious is an award-winning weekly podcast hosted by Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford's Hoover Institution. The eclectic guest list includes authors, doctors, psychologists, historians, philosophers, economists, and more. Learn how the health care system really works, the serenity that comes from humility, the challenge of interpreting data, how potato chips are made, what it's like to run an upscale Manhattan restaurant, what caused the 2008 financial crisis, the nature of consciousness, and more. EconTalk has been taking the Monday out of Mondays since 2006. All 900+ episodes are available in the archive. Go to EconTalk.org for transcripts, related resources, and comments.
Episodes
Mentioned books
17 snips
Jul 9, 2018 • 1h 15min
Patrick Deneen on Why Liberalism Failed
Political Scientist and author Patrick Deneen of the University of Notre Dame talks about his book Why Liberalism Failed with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. By liberalism, Deneen means the modern enterprise--the push for self-actualization free of the constraints of tradition, family, and religion that typifies modern culture. He argues that both the left and the right have empowered the state and reduced liberty. He argues for a smaller, more local, more artisanal economy and a return to the virtues of self-control and self-mastery.
Jul 2, 2018 • 1h 7min
Arnold Kling on Morality, Culture, and Tribalism
Arnold Kling, an economist and author, dives deep into the intertwining of culture, morality, and economics. He discusses the emotional roots of tribalism and how it shapes our moral choices, often favoring those close to us. Kling explores the historical evolution from tribes to complex societies, emphasizing trust and cooperation as keys to societal progress. He critiques traditional economic models for ignoring social dynamics and argues for a more nuanced understanding of decision-making that factors in cultural influences.
Jun 25, 2018 • 1h 12min
Michael Pollan on Psychedelic Drugs and How to Change Your Mind
Journalist and author Michael Pollan talks about his book, How to Change Your Mind, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Pollan chronicles the history of the use of psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD and psilocybin, to treat addiction, depression and anxiety. He discusses his own experiences with the drugs as well. Much of the conversation focuses on what we might learn from psychedelic drugs about their apparent spiritual dimension, the nature of consciousness, and the nature of the mind.
5 snips
Jun 18, 2018 • 1h 7min
Richard Reinsch on the Enlightenment, Tradition, and Populism
Richard Reinsch, editor of Law and Liberty and the host of the podcast Liberty Law Talk, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the Enlightenment. Topics discussed include the search for meaning, the stability of liberalism, the rise of populism, and Solzhenitsyn's indictment of Western values from his Harvard Commencement Address of 1978.
Jun 11, 2018 • 1h 14min
Moises Velasquez-Manoff on Cows, Carbon Farming, and Climate Change
Journalist and author Moises Velasquez-Manoff talks about the role of dirt in fighting climate change with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Velasquez-Manoff explains how changes in farming can allow dirt and plants to absorb carbon and potentially reduce climate change. At the end of the conversation he discusses the state of the science on hygiene, parasites, and auto-immune disorders that he discussed in his previous appearance on EconTalk in 2014.
Jun 4, 2018 • 1h 3min
Janet Golden on Babies Made Us Modern
Historian and author Janet Golden talks about her book, Babies Made Us Modern, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Golden chronicles the transformation of parenting in first half of the 20th century. It's a fascinating story of how our knowledge of infant health and behavior grew dramatically but remains imperfect. At the same time, government, business, and private organizations responded to that imperfect knowledge.
5 snips
May 28, 2018 • 1h 26min
Iain McGilchrist on the Divided Brain and the Master and His Emissary
Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist explores the divided brain and its impact on Western civilization. The discussion covers neuroscience, meditation, real conversations, narratives, the Enlightenment, immersive experiences, and the challenges of writing a book.
May 21, 2018 • 1h 3min
Glen Weyl on Radical Markets
Economist Glen Weyl of Microsoft Research New England and Visiting Senior Research Scholar at Yale University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book (co-authored with Eric Posner) Radical Markets. Weyl urges a radical transformation of land and housing markets using a new federal real estate tax based on self-assessment. Owners would be required to sell their houses at the self-assessed price. Weyl argues this would eliminate the market power home owners have in the re-sale market and the revenue tax would could be used to reduce inequality. In the last part of the conversation, Weyl proposes an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy by having residents sponsor immigrants for a fee.
May 20, 2018 • 1h 13min
Peter Boettke on Public Administration, Liberty, and the Proper Role of Government
Peter Boettke of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the proper role of the state in the economy. This is a wide-ranging conversation on political economy. Topics include Adam Smith's view of the state, the tension between the state as enabler of real vs. crony capitalism, the potential for the poor to flourish in a market economy, and the challenges of democracy.
May 7, 2018 • 1h 13min
Joel Peterson on Leadership, Betrayal, and the 10 Laws of Trust
How did the CEO of a real estate development company become chairman of an airline? How can a competent manager learn to trust his subordinates? Joel Peterson, chairman of the Board at JetBlue Airways and author of The 10 Laws of Trust, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his career at Trammell Crow and JetBlue and how the concept of trust, outlined in his book, has helped his career. He closes the conversation with a discussion of how he overcame his personal weaknesses that would have handicapped his career--or as he puts it, how he "rewrote his operating system."
