The Munk Debates Podcast

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus. On this edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the show with a discussion of the week’s remarkable events in Israel. After months of protests, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu passed the first in a series of sweeping “judicial reform” laws aimed at curbing the power of Israel’s supreme court. Is this the beginning of the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state? On the back half of the program, Janice shares her suggestion for a great summer read in the form of the new book Radical Uncertainty: Decision Making Beyond Numbers. Enjoy! To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Chaos is unfolding on the streets of Israel as protesters face off against riot police and water cannons. Millions of Israelis are expressing their anger and frustration at the right wing coalition government - led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - for a series of judicial reforms that they argue will dismantle the country’s liberal institutions and its ability to function as a thriving democracy. On this Munk Dialogue, we’re joined by one of the government’s fiercest and most outspoken critics. Yossi Klein Halevi is a best-selling author, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the show with a discussion of the heatwaves affecting China, the Middle East, Europe and the Southern U.S. What do these events tell us about the future of climate change? And, what is China’s role in curbing global emissions going forward as the U.S. continues to pressure Beijing on Taiwan, technology transfers and military supremacy in Asia Pacific? The back half of the program explores Trump’s ever-expanding federal and state felony charges. How will U.S. democracy cope with not only the extreme partisan rancour of the 2024 election cycle but multiple criminal trials of the presumptive Republican nominee for President? This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

On this Munk Debate podcast, we're talking about the clash of generations: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.  How are these age groups - with vastly different life experiences and upbringings - interacting and competing with each other at home, at school, and in the workforce? Author and psychologist Jean Twenge, often referred to as the “reigning expert on generational change”, argues that evolving technology, more so than major historical events like the great recession of 2008 or the terrorist attacks of September 11th, has had a greater impact on how generations have come to see themselves, and what they want for the future. She joins us for a wide ranging discussion to dispel common misconceptions about certain generations (IE/ millennials aren’t as doomed as they believe to be) and why the young are postponing adult milestones for longer than any previous generation.   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the show with a discussion of what we learned from this week’s big NATO summit. Why was Ukraine not given a timeline for NATO membership? What are the new weapon systems the Biden Administration is promising, and what is the risk they will cross a Russian “red line”? The second half of the program debates Google’s ominous decision to include Canada with the likes of Russia and Afghanistan as one of the few countries worldwide who currently don’t have access to the company’s powerful new AI chatbot. What exactly is Google doing, and why? How should the Canadian government respond? And what does this bizarre development forewarn about a world where powerful AI is controlled by Big Tech companies seemingly willing to use it to reward their friends and punish their enemies? This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

In a landmark ruling, The United States Supreme Court rejected affirmative action at US colleges, determining that race should not be a factor in achieving educational diversity. The controversial decision is expected to lower the admission rates of black and hispanic students at elite universities. Many supporters of the court's decision believe that affirmative action - that is, policies that aim to increase opportunities provided to underrepresented members of society - should be based on class, not race. Focusing on the disadvantaged of all races would create a more fair environment that is based on real need. Furthermore, they argue, affirmative action in its current form lowers standards for black students applying to universities, promoting different criterions based on race and therefore perpetuating a system of racism and inequality on campus. Others argue that replacing race-based affirmative action with economic need will hurt black students more as they will now be judged against a much bigger population percentage of poor whites and asians. Affirmative action was introduced in the 1960’s in order to address the country’s history of systemic racism towards black Americans that victims of class-based inequalities did not face. The decision by SCOTUS reverses years of racial progress and ignores the reality of racism in modern America, because, as Justice Ketanji Jackson wrote in her descent, “deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.” Arguing for the motion is John McWhorter, Associate Professor of English at Columbia University, and the author of Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America Arguing against the motion is Randall Kennedy, Harvard Law Professor and the author of For Discrimination: Race, Affirmative Action, and the Law SOURCES: Associated Press   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the show with a discussion of the riots in France and what they say about the state of Europe as it heads into a key NATO meeting next week. How racially divided is France and other major European states? How do domestic divisions play into Europe’s ability to sustain Ukraine in its fight with Russia? The second half of the program explores the growing battle between Big Tech and the Government of Canada, who wants to see the former subsidize news and journalism in Canada through new legislation. Can Canada go on its own in its fight against two of the world’s most powerful companies? What is at stake for our democracy when the distribution of news is increasingly dependent on large technology platforms? This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

On June 22nd we gathered at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall for a live, sold out debate on Artificial Intelligence. We were joined on stage by four AI experts and pioneers to debate the resolution Be it Resolved, AI research and development poses an existential threat. MIT’s Max Tegmark and Mila’s Yoshua Bengion argued in favour of the resolution, while Meta’s Yann Lecun and the Santa Fe Institute's Melanie Mitchelll argued against it. In this episode of the Munk Dialogues, we bring you the pre-interviews our host Rudyard Griffiths conducted with each debater prior to the debate. How did they intend to argue their case? What made them want to take part in this event? And what is it about AI that has them most worried, or alternatively, most excited?   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates. The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.   On this week’s edition of the Friday Focus podcast, Janice and Rudyard start the show with a recap of the last week of events in Russia. What exactly happened? How will Putin respond to the biggest domestic crisis in his twenty-year-plus rule? And what should Ukraine and its Western allies take away from it all? On the back half of the show, exclusively for Munk donors, the conversation turns to the U.S. Supreme Court decision on ending affirmative action policies based on race at American universities. What are the implications of the ruling? Is there a better way for universities to select for the vast human potential in society today and not on the basis of race, class or test score performance? Janice's Article in the Texas National Security Review: https://tnsr.org/2023/06/escalation-management-in-ukraine-learning-by-doing-in-response-to-the-threat-that-leaves-something-to-chance/ Rudyard's Article in The Hub: https://thehub.ca/2023-06-26/rudyard-griffiths-what-did-we-learn-from-russias-borat-coup/ This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue. More information at www.munkdebates.com.

With the debut of ChatGPT, the AI once promised in some distant future seems to have suddenly arrived with the potential to reshape our working lives, culture, politics and society. For proponents of AI, we are entering a period of unprecedented technological change that will boost productivity, unleash human creativity and empower billions in ways we have only begun to fathom. Others think we should be very concerned about the rapid and unregulated development of machine intelligence. For their detractors, AI applications like ChatGPT herald a brave new world of deep fakes and mass propaganda that could dwarf anything our democracies have experienced to date. Immense economic and political power may also concentrate around the corporations who control these technologies and their treasure troves of data. Finally, there is an existential concern that we could, in some not-so-distant future, lose control of powerful AIs who, in turn, pursue goals that are antithetical to humanity’s interests and our survival as a species. Arguing for the motion is Yoshua Bengio, one of the leading worldwide experts on AI whose pioneering work in deep learning earned him the 2018 Turing Award, often referred to as “the Nobel Prize of Computing. Yoshua’s debate partner is Max Tegmark, an internationally renowned cosmologist, global leader in machine learning research, and a professor at the M.I.T.  Arguing against the motion is Yann Lecun. Yann is an acclaimed computer scientist of mobile robotics and computational neuroscience, the Silver Professor of the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at N.Y.U. and Vice-President, Chief AI Scientist at Meta. His debate partner is Melanie Mitchell, a bestselling author and world-leading expert in the various fields of artificial intelligence and cognitive science at the Santa Fe Institute.   The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.   Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/ To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.   To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events. This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/ Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz Editor: Kieran Lynch