The idea of giving poor people cash, no strings attached, is “very unappealing” for most donors, admits economist Michael Faye — but it’s still one of the best ways to help the poor. Michael and Julia discuss the philosophy behind his organization (GiveDirectly), the evidence we have so far about cash transfers as an anti-poverty … Read more

Humanity could thrive for millions of years — unless our future is cut short by an existential catastrophe. Oxford philosopher Toby Ord explains the possible existential risks we face, including climate change, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. Toby and Julia discuss what led him to take existential risk more seriously, which risks he considers underrated vs. … Read more

Kevin Esvelt, a scientist at MIT, argues that research intended to prevent pandemics is actually putting us in a lot more danger. Also discussed: Kevin’s own research on engineering wild animal species. Are the risks worth the benefits? (November 30, 2021) Additional links: Kevin’s lab at MIT, Sculpting Evolution Kevin Esvelt on Twitter: @kesvelt “Manipulating … Read more

Ezra Klein explains how Republican and Democrats in the US became so different from each other, ideologically and demographically, and why that trend + our institutions =  political gridlock. Questions covered include: Is polarization necessarily bad? Has the left polarized more than the right? And what should we make of polls that seem to show … Read more

Kathryn Paige Harden, author of “The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality” explains what scientists have learned about how our genes affect our educational success. Why is this research so controversial? And is it worth doing anyway? (October 15, 2021) Links to things mentioned in the episode: Paige’s book, The Genetic Lottery: Why … Read more

Journalist Kelsey Piper (Future Perfect / Vox) discusses lessons learned from covering COVID: What has she been wrong about, and why? How much can we trust the CDC’s advice? What does the evidence look like for different drugs like Fluvoxamine and Ivermectin? And should regular people really try to evaluate the evidence themselves instead of … Read more

Every time there’s an emergency, the prices of certain goods (like masks and hand sanitizer during COVID) skyrocket and the public gets angry about “price gouging.” In this episode two economists (Raymond Niles and Amihai Glazer) make the case for why so-called price gouging is actually a good thing, and Julia raises counterarguments. (August 18, … Read more

When you see a statistic reported in the news, like “10% of University of California Berkeley students were homeless this year,” how do you evaluate it? You shouldn’t blindly accept every statistic you read. But neither should you reject everything that sounds surprising. Tim Harford, economist and author of The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules … Read more

How much do Uber and Lyft drivers really earn, after expenses? Are they getting a raw deal by being classified as ‘independent contractors’ instead of employees? I explore the debate over these questions with three guests: Louis Hyman (Cornell), Veena Dubal (UC Hastings College of the Law), and Harry Campbell (The Rideshare Guy). (April 9, … Read more

Is there any justification for seemingly unjust laws like “qualified immunity,” which allows cops to get away with bad behavior? Law professor William Baude explores how these laws came to be and why they’re so hard to change. Also, Baude makes the case for originalism, the view that judges should base their rulings on the … Read more