[ANNUAL LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EconTalk2022Fav. Vote for your 2022 favorites!] According to neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris, rationality is the key to safeguarding everything we cherish, and its only true enemy is dogmatic inflexibility. Harris speaks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the views that have made Harris famous, teasing out the often mind-blowing subtleties of his […] The post Sam Harris on Meditation, Mindfulness, and Morality appeared first on Econlib.

[ANNUAL LISTENER SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EconTalk2022Fav. Vote for your 2022 favorites!] Oncologist and epidemiologist Vinay Prasad argues that too many very expensive drugs get approved by the FDA that have very limited impact on the lives of patients. Prasad explains the incentives that distort the current system. The general problem, he explains to EconTalk host Russ Roberts, […] The post Vinay Prasad on Pharmaceuticals, the FDA, and the Death of Duty appeared first on Econlib.

[ANNUAL LISTENER SURVEY: Delayed till later this week. Watch here for the url as soon as it’s available!] Dwayne Betts was a 16-year-old in solitary confinement when a fellow inmate slid a book of poetry under his cell door. What happened next is an astounding story of transformation: from desperation to the discovery of beauty, even […] The post Dwayne Betts on Beauty, Prison, and Redaction appeared first on Econlib.

Should the British Museum return the Elgin Marbles, taken from the Parthenon in Athens about 200 years ago? What should be the purpose of museums, education or social justice? Listen as Tiffany Jenkins, author of Keeping Their Marbles, discusses these questions and more with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. The post Tiffany Jenkins on Plunder, Museums, and Marbles appeared first on Econlib.

When OpenAI launched its conversational chatbot this past November, author Ian Leslie was struck by the humanness of the computer’s dialogue. Then he realized that he had it exactly backward: In an age that favors the formulaic and generic to the ambiguous, complex, and unexpected, it’s no wonder that computers can sound eerily lifelike. Leslie […] The post Ian Leslie on Being Human in the Age of AI appeared first on Econlib.

Having completed several degrees in environmental science, Hannah Ritchie nearly left the field out of helplessness and frustration, worried she would never make a real difference. Today, she’s a passionate advocate for changing climate messaging, replacing what she believes are paralyzing–and often false–claims with empowering arguments that people can embrace. Listen as the head of […] The post Hannah Ritchie on Eating Local appeared first on Econlib.

Economic historian Judge Glock talks to EconTalk host Russ Roberts about zoning and the housing market. Glock argues the impact on zoning on housing affordability is small and that we should learn to love property taxes as long as they’re administered properly. The conversation includes a discussion of the environmental impact of urban sprawl–Glock argues sprawl […] The post Judge Glock on Zoning and Local Government appeared first on Econlib.

Economist and author Arnold Kling talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the recent drama in the tech world–Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, the collapse of FTX, and the appearance of ChatGPT. Underlying topics discussed include the potential for price discrimination to make social media profitable, whether you could tell Jeff Bezos from Sam Bankman-Fried […] The post Arnold Kling on Twitter, FTX, and ChatGPT appeared first on Econlib.

In our highly polarized times, everyone seems obsessed with the truth: what is it, who has it, and which side’s got it all wrong. What we don’t seem to care about, says journalist Monica Guzman, is the truth behind perspectives other than our own. Listen as Guzman and host Russ Roberts discuss Guzman’s book I […] The post Monica Guzman on Curiosity and Conversation in Contentious Times appeared first on Econlib.

How does the mind work? What makes us sad? What makes us laugh? Despite advances in neuroscience, the answers to these questions remain elusive. Neuroscientist Patrick House talks about these mysteries and about his book Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. House’s insights illuminate not just what we know and don’t […] The post Patrick House on Consciousness appeared first on Econlib.