Elisabeth Anderson on Agents of Reform

Princeton UP Ideas Podcast | 11 April 2022 | 1h 09m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Elisabeth Anderson about her book Agents of Reform: Child Labor and the Origins of the Welfare State. Argues that the modern welfare state emerged out of the passage of child labour laws, rather than the later labour movement and policymakers’ efforts to appeal to working-class voters. Contrasts the advocacy of child labour laws in Germany, France, Belgium, Massachusetts, and Illinois, drawing lessons about how institutional change is effected.

Manvir Singh: Going Beyond the Nomadic-Egalitarian Model of Hunter-Gatherers

The Dissenter | 17 June 2022 | 1h 09m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Manvir Singh about his paper Human Social Organization During the Late Pleistocene: Beyond the Nomadic-Egalitarian Model. Argues that some of our late Pleistocene forbears lived in large, sedentary, dense communities, not just as nomadic-egalitarian hunter-gatherers. Discusses the nomadic-egalitarian hunter-gatherer model, his diverse histories model, the implications it has for our evolved psychology, and how we think about evolutionary mismatches; how human societies get organized; the origins of agriculture; the transition to large-scale agricultural societies, and non-agricultural state societies; the sympathetic plot in fiction, and its psychological origins; and the functionality of beliefs.

I nearly missed this episode – don’t make that mistake – it is truly excellent. I suggest checking out his writing. I also recommend Razib Khan’s interview.

Rick Emerson on Unmask Alice

Thecuriousmanspodcast | 27 July 2022 | 1h 11m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Rick Emerson about his book Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries. Explains how “Go Ask Alice”, the supposed diary of a middle-class drug addict, with its portrayal of sex, drugs and teenage self-destruction, demonised LSD, and led to the war on drugs.

Leopoldo López on Activism Under Autocratic Regimes

Conversations with Tyler | 27 July 2022 | 0h 49m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Leopoldo López discussing Venezuela’s recent political and economic history, the effectiveness of sanctions, his experiences in politics and activism, how happiness is about finding purpose, how he organized a protest from prison, the ideal daily routine of a political prisoner, how extreme sports prepared him for prison, his work to improve the lives of the Venezuelan people, and more.

The Man Who Escaped Auschwitz to Warn the World, with Jonathan Freedland

Intelligence Squared | 22 July 2022 | 1h 02m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Jonathan Freedland about his book The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World. Poignant story of Rudolph Vrba escaping Auschwitz to warn the world about the Holocaust, and the little that was done with that information by the Allies and even Jews.

Larry Summers on Inflation And Mistakes

The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan | 29 July 2022 | 1h 25m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Larry Summers about the US economy of the last 30 years and the inflation of today. Suggests the macroeconomic response was too little in 2008 and much too much in 2020. The working class would benefit from increased housing supply, with fewer zoning restrictions, and increased investment in infrastructure.

The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, Revisited

The New Bazaar | 28 July 2022 | 1h 04m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Benjamin Friedman about his 2005 book The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth. Argues that sustained economic growth not only leads to higher living standards but also can make a society more virtuous. Discusses the events since 2005 that confirm or complicate its arguments, and the relationship between economic growth and issues like inequality, social mobility, and the environment. Also discusses the main themes in his book Religion and the Rise of Capitalism – and why our thinking about the economy remains influenced by religious schisms that date back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

Nick Wallis – The Great Post Office Scandal

Books Podcast | 1 July 2022 | 0h 39m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Nick Wallis about his book The Great Post Office Scandal. Describes how the UK Post Office prosecuted, financially ruined, and imprisoned innocent people to cover up a multimillion pound IT disaster.

A salutary reminder of the capriciousness of bureaucracy.