unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc

Travis Rieder, a bioethics professor, discusses societal attitudes towards opioids, his personal struggle with opioid withdrawal, and the ethical challenges in medicine and climate change. He explores the historical shifts in opioid perception and emphasizes the importance of individual decision-making in addressing structural issues like healthcare and climate change.

Eric Siegel, machine learning expert, discusses bridging technical expertise with business needs. He highlights challenges in deploying ML projects, emphasizing collaboration for success. The conversation explores cost analysis, managing buy-in, and utilizing ML for business improvement. Strategies for executives' upskilling are also covered.

Economics professor Daniel Susskind and Greg LeBlanc dive into the history of economic growth, the limitations of GDP, the impact of technology on work, and the need to redefine work's value in an automated world.

Anthropology professor Brian Fagan discusses how civilizations historically adapted to climate change, the role of climate in the rise and fall of societies, and the importance of learning from the past to tackle future climate challenges. They explore ancient fishing artifacts, meteorological records in ancient societies, and the impact of climate change on human ingenuity and societal structures across different civilizations.

Brad Wilcox, a sociology professor and director of the National Marriage Project, discusses the importance of marriage in societal well-being. They explore the impact of shifting societal norms on marriage decisions, the soulmate myth, gender roles, and the benefits of strong marriages. The conversation delves into the significance of extended family involvement, the challenges facing marriage in modern society, and the need to educate elites on the benefits of marriage for overall societal well-being.

Emeritus professor David Barash discusses the resistance in social sciences to studying human nature, violence, sex differences, and the risks of nuclear deterrence. The conversation also explores deception in animal communication and the intersection of literature with evolutionary wisdom.

Applied mathematician Coco Krumme and Greg LaBlanc explore the negative impacts of excessive optimization on essential human values and spontaneity. They discuss ethical trade-offs, the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, and question the fabric of modern living. The conversation delves into the pillars of optimization, the influence of corporations on personal life optimization, and the balancing act between efficiency and life in an optimization culture.

Political science professor Anna Maria Grzymala-Busse discusses the role of religion in shaping politics, including religious authorities' power over rulers, the influence on taxation, and modern politics. They explore the unique relationship between religion and politics in the United States and the impact of religious diversity. Examining historical research and contemporary analysis, they emphasize the continuity of human nature in societal concepts.

Geoffrey Hodgson and Greg delve into how Darwinian economics can explain historical shifts, the evolution of legal and financial institutions, and why traditional economic theories fall short in complex social systems. They discuss the theory of firms, the rapid evolution of institutions, and the impact of behavioral economics on traditional models.

David Toomey, Professor and Co-Director of the PWTC Program at the University, discusses the evolutionary parallels between improv and life's unpredictability. He explores the broader implications of play, challenging the separation of creation and judgment, and its profound impact on self and the world.