Conversations With Coleman

Guest Josh Mitchell, Wall Street Journal reporter who covers debt and finance, discusses the history of government involvement in student loans, the soaring college tuition, the value of a four-year college degree, the similarities between the student loan crisis and the housing crisis, President Biden's student loan forgiveness program, and more.

Buddhist nun and spiritual teacher, Samaneri Jayasāra, discusses the purpose of meditation, the true nature of emotions, core teachings of Buddhism, the illusion of boredom, the difference between Buddhism and Abrahamic religions, the possibility of enlightenment, and the cycle of pleasure and pain.

Music, Movies, And Innovation is an entertaining podcast featuring Ted Gioia, author of 'Music: A Subversive History'. They discuss the evolutionary aspect of music, the transition from analog to digital in the music industry, the competition between old and new music in streaming platforms, the disappointment with major record labels, the phenomenon of fake artists on Spotify, and the rise of alternative platforms like TikTok and Substack.

Maryam Namazie, an Iranian-born writer and activist, discusses the Iranian protests, the death of Masa Amini, the Iranian morality police, laws governing women's behavior and dress, the alliance between conservative Islam and Western feminism, the legacy of the Iranian Revolution, the black market for Western content in Iran, and suggestions for supporting Iranian women and protesters.

Richard Reeves, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, discusses male-specific problems in American society including gender differences, feminization of society, advantage of girls in education, suicide gap, intersection of race and maleness, struggles of black boys, and more.

Freddie DeBoer, independent writer and author of 'The Cult of Smart', discusses Karl Marx and the labor theory of value. They also delve into intelligence and the broken American higher education system. The conversation touches upon President Biden's student loan forgiveness executive order and wokeness. The podcast explores the changing perception of Marxism, challenges the denial of natural differences in ability, and questions the belief that college is the only path to success. The tension between reducing bias and objective assessments in education is explored, as well as the difficulties of finding suitable terms for social and political changes. The impact of language and the internet on communication is also analyzed.

Will MacAskill, associate professor of philosophy at Oxford University, discusses various topics including moral obligations, population ethics, wealth inequality, AI futures, and the trade-off between economic growth and future interests. They also explore the impact of human extinction, the Repugnant Conclusion, the ethics of abortion, China's influence, moral progress, and the role of AI.

Claire Lehmann, the founder of Quillette, discusses the origins and purpose of Quillette, the COVID divide within the intellectual dark web, audience capture, and gun control in Australia and America.

Rafael Mangual, Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, discusses defunding and depolicing, root causes of crime, '13th' and 'The New Jim Crow', mass incarceration, cash bail reform, and legalizing weed.

Ian Rowe, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, discusses his book "Agency" and the obstacles facing low-income Black and Hispanic kids. He challenges the "blame the system" and "blame the victim" mindsets, explores the challenges faced by charter schools, and discusses the role of religion in upward mobility.