The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Jonah makes an unexpected return to the AEI studio for another in-person Remnant, this time featuring Keith Whittington, beloved egghead and Princeton political scientist. A deep dive ensues into America’s unique preoccupation with free speech and the nature of academic freedom, which raises a number of pertinent questions. How concerned should we be about the state of free speech on college campuses? What are some common misconceptions about academic freedom? And what should we make of Ron DeSantis’ approach to these issues? Those feeling free and expressive are particularly encouraged to tune in.Show Notes:- Keith’s page at Princeton- Keith: “Hamline Takes Quashing Academic Freedom to a Whole New Level”- Keith: “Academic Freedom for Whom?”- Nathan Glazer: “What Happened at Berkeley”- From the New College of Florida to DeSantis U? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what may be one of the most brazenly nerdy Remnant episodes ever recorded (which is really saying a lot) Duke University’s Bruce Caldwell joins the program to discuss the life and work of Friedrich Hayek. Dr. Caldwell, the pope of Hayekian geekdom, recently published the first installment of a two volume biography of the famed economist. Guided by Jonah’s gleeful prompting, he explores how Hayek rose to international prominence, what he was like as a man, and how we should view his great works today. If you woke up feeling all Austrian this morning, it’s a must listen.Show Notes:- Dr. Caldwell’s page at Duke- Dr. Caldwell’s new book, Hayek: A Life, 1899–1950 - Dr. Caldwell’s intellectual biography of Hayek, Hayek’s Challenge- Hayek: “The Intellectuals and Socialism”- Hayek: “The Use of Knowledge in Society”- Dr. Caldwell on -Political Economy with Jim Pethokoukis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s annoyingly whispered Ruminant comes to you live from Portland, where Jonah’s on a clandestine mission with his wife. Unfortunately, the city doesn’t seem to be doing so well, which prompts him to begin with a lengthy diatribe on urban decay, the crisis of homelessness in America’s cities, and what’s specifically wrong with Portland. Stick around afterward for some thoughts on Davos and the economic elite, and a rambling digression about the enduring relevance of Liberal Fascism.Show Notes:- Jonah: “One, Maybe Two, Cheers for Partisanship”- The LA Times on Portland’s homeless problem- The Remnant with Jim Pethokoukis- Philip Coupland: “H.G. Wells's 'Liberal Fascism'”- Jonah: “Bellamy’s Children” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Riedl, also known as the “balanced budget good government guy,” is back on the Remnant to answer a pertinent question: Should we believe that the GOP suddenly cares about fiscal responsibility? He and Jonah also provide some wonkified commentary on a whole host of other economic issues. What’s to be done about the national debt? How should conservatives approach the IRS? And is it possible to reform the tax system?Show Notes:- Jonah: “The GOP’s Spending Fight Is More About Fighting Than Spending”- Brian Riedl: “How Republicans Can Get Serious on Spending”- The Remnant with A.B. Stoddard- Byron Donalds spars with Joy Reid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Remnant gets back to basics today, as A.B. Stoddard returns to the show for some deeply rank punditry on (what else?) the dysfunctional state of our parties and the prospect of a second term for Biden. With insurgents rising among both Republicans and Democrats, how long will it take for the parties to get healthy again? For that matter, how concerned should Democrats be about the loss of black and Hispanic voters? Will the GOP actually raise the debt limit? And is there any way of excusing Biden’s document blunder?Show Notes:- A.B.’s page at RealClearPolitics- Jonah: “GOP’s deficit reduction is a cynical performative gesture”- A.B.: “Kevin McCarthy Is Already a Gift to Democrats”- Jonah: “McCarthy’s Misery”- A.B.: “Yes, He Will Burn It All Down” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s Ruminant, a self-described “rambling, weird, incoherent hot mess,” can perhaps be taken as a reflection of Jonah’s addled brain. With his wife and daughter on a road trip, his mind has regressed into bachelor mode, and he’s begun to subsist on chicken eaten over the kitchen sink. Thankfully, he still has opinions on the biggest stories of the day, including the Biden administration’s potential ban of gas stoves, how Biden’s classified document scandal compares with Trump’s, and technological developments that could counteract climate change. Come for the punditry, but stay for the strange digression about the mating habits of deer. Show Notes:- The Dispatch breaks down the battle over gas stoves- NPR: “We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change”- Jonah: “The Hypocritic Oath”- The Dispatch Podcast on Biden’s classified document scandal- Wall Street Journal: “Climate Startup Removes Carbon From Open Air in Industry First”- The Remnant with Jim Pethokoukis- Jonah: “Two Cheers for Techno-Marxism” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cass Sunstein, the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard and Jonah’s fellow disciple of the dingo, makes an overdue return to the Remnant to discuss his recent book, Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment. Noise, the book argues, is a deadly flaw in human judgment that clouds many of our decisions and produces errors in fields such as medicine, law, and public health. Dr. Sunstein and Jonah examine how noise should be defined, what separates it from bias, and what we can do to fight it. They also explore whether the phenomenon varies across the world, and how terrifying changes in AI and algorithms may affect it.Show Notes:- Dr. Sunstein’s recent book, Noise- Dr. Sunstein’s other recent book, Sludge- Dr. Sunstein: “Governing by Algorithm? No Noise and (Potentially) Less Bias” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For no particular reason, the Remnant returns to an in-person format today, as Jonah drops by the AEI offices to chat about what the future holds for humans and technology with James “Jimmy P” Pethokoukis. Together, they explore why we still haven’t achieved some of the major advancements that wonks were predicting in the ‘70s, occasionally stopping to ponder the merits of popular sci-fi television shows. AI, fusion power, and space elevators are all discussed, but by the end of it all, an important question still hasn’t received enough attention: Will highly intelligent, taxi-driving super-apes eventually overthrow mankind?Show Notes:- Jim’s Substack, Faster, Please!- Ezra Klein: “The Dystopia We Fear Is Keeping Us From the Utopia We Deserve”- Jim: “Who taught us to fear Dystopia? Who taught us we didn't deserve Utopia?”- Jim: “Paul Ehrlich interview on '60 Minutes' shows the need to finally defeat degrowth environmentalism”- Our World in Data- Jonah’s review of The Reactionary Mind- Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock- Arthur C. Clarke’s Profiles of the Future- Scientific American: “Space Elevators Are Less Sci-Fi Than You Think”- Jonah: “Two Cheers for Techno-Marxism”- Jim: “Billionaires, space, and the Blade Runner Fallacy” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah’s in especially ranty form on today’s Ruminant as he explores the continuing war over the House speakership and where most commentators are going wrong in their analysis of it. He also examines the broader prevalence of annoying misconceptions about Congress, what media bias really looks like, and how conservatism should be measured. Plus, tune in for discussion of a controversial Daily Beast story, the Damar Hamlin incident, and the political proclivities of big corporations.Show Notes:- Wednesday’s (members only) “news”letter- Jonah: “McCarthy’s Misery”- The Daily Beast's Matt Schlapp story- Joshua Green: “Can Ron DeSantis replace Donald Trump as the Face of the GOP?”- Philip Bump: “Can Ron DeSantis Ride an Anti-Business Message to the White House?”- Tim Carney’s - The Big Ripoff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what is sure to be the first of many appearances in 2023, Chris Stirewalt joins the Remnant to discuss the ongoing debacle that is Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House speaker. He and Jonah explore what McCarthy’s opponents hope to gain, whether it’s true that opposing him makes you more conservative, and why all of this actually may not matter very much. They also touch on whether wokeism has passed its peak, why scripted comedy is in such a strange position, and what’s irritating about generational generalizations. Plus, tune in for a few obligatory shots at the New York Times’ newest columnist.Show Notes:- The Remnant with Megan McCardle- Chris: “The Agonizingly Low Stakes of Today’s Vote for House Speaker”- This week’s Dispatch Live- Josh Kraushaar: “The Return of the Moral Majority”- David Halberstram’s - The Coldest Winter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices