The Disagreement

Today we have a disagreement on whether there’s a retirement crisis in the United States. To have this conversation, we’ve brought together two thought leaders on the topic. Andrew Biggs is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He studies social security reform, pensions and public sector benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Securi...

The disagreement over the concept of white privilege is at the center of many of our political and cultural struggles at the moment.  On the Left, white privilege is a bedrock principle, a foundational assumption that motivates much of the discourse around race in America. On the Right, the concept is primarily an object of derision. It’s dismissed, mocked and held up as the sign of the Left’s mor...

Today’s disagreement is on whether or not extraterrestrial life exists. We’ve brought on two guests who are out of this world. ;) Dr. Avi Loeb is an astrophysicist and professor of Science at Harvard University. As head of The Galileo Project at Harvard, Dr. Loeb directs the search for evidence of extraterrestrials. Avi is also the author of more than eight hundred scientific papers and the books...

Today’s disagreement is about criminal justice reform, specifically the state of policing and incarceration in the United States. To explore its contours, we’ve brought on two experts in criminal justice. Rafael A. Mangual works on the Policing & Public Safety Initiative at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. He is a contributing editor of City Journal AND is the author of Criminal (In)Ju...

What you’re about to hear is a powerful and sustained disagreement with the current discourse on youth gender medicine and the more extreme voices who tend to dominate the public conversation.  Gender-affirming care, as defined by the World Health Organization, includes social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions “designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity” whe...

Today's disagreement is about the "math wars." The "math wars” is a debate happening in K-12 education about the best way to teach math. Broadly speaking, there are two camps that have conflicting pedagogical approaches: Explicit instruction focuses on procedural fluency, guided practice, and repetition. Inquiry-based instruction focuses on conceptual understanding, open-ended problems, and produc...

Should the United States ban or force the sale of TikTok? What are the implications for free speech?  In mid-April 2024, the United States Congress passed legislation that gave ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, 270 days to sell TikTok or it would be banned in the United States. In response, TikTok filed a lawsuit declaring the legislation unconstitutional on a number of free speech grounds....

Today’s disagreement is on medical aid in dying. In the United States, this term refers to the right for a terminally ill, adult patient to end their own life by taking a medication prescribed by a doctor. Medical aid in dying is currently legal in ten states and Washington, D.C. We’ve brought together an activist and a doctor to dive into the topic: Dr. Ira Byock is a physician, author, and advoc...

This is a special bonus episode of The Disagreement. In our most recent episode, nurse Megan Tucker and parent coach Sarah Moore talked about sleep training: specifically, the “cry-it-out” method (also known as the extinction method). It’s a controversial parenting technique — one which Megan often advises, but Sarah Moore does not. We wanted to get into the alternatives, but didn’t have enough ti...

The “Cry-It-Out” method is also known as the extinction method. Here’s what it looks like: at bedtime, parents put the baby in the crib drowsy, but still awake. Then they leave the room and get the baby at a set time the next morning. They don’t respond to crying or protest unless there’s a concern for health or safety. Is this the best way to help a new baby sleep through the night? Or are there...

In this episode, The Disagreement asks a wide range of important questions about marijuana legalization. Is marijuana harmful? And if so, what is the nature of the harm? Has the increasing regulation of marijuana over the past few years been positive or negative for public health, criminal justice, and the US economy? What are the most compelling arguments for and against regulation?   Guests Paul...

What role should the United States be playing on the global stage? Shadi Hamid is an American author and political scientist, who is currently a columnist and member of the Editorial Board at The Washington Post. He is also a host on the Wisdom of Crowds podcast. Daniel Bessner is the Annett H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Associate Professor in American Foreign Policy at the University of Washington. He a...

Today we have a sharp disagreement about circumcision with  two cutting-edge experts in the field. Professor Brian Morris is professor emeritus of molecular medical sciences at the University of Sydney in Australia. Over the last few decades, he has become perhaps the most prolific researcher in the world when it comes to the medical benefits of circumcision.   Dr. Ted Handler is a pediatrician at...

Today's disagreement is about the relationship between Israel and American Jews. To have this conversation, we’ve brought together two prominent American Rabbis with two very different perspectives on the current conflict.   The Guests Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt founded Congregation B’Nai Tzedek in Potomac, Maryland in 1988 and is the Senior Rabbi there. He is the Chair of the Zionist Rabbinic Coaliti...

Today's disagreement is about nuclear energy and how much it should or should not be a part of our energy grid. We’re working through most of the major arguments for and against nuclear power – such as: Pragmatic concerns with nuclear energy: specifically, the cost and timing China’s advantages over the United States when it comes to creating nuclear power plants The strengths and weaknesses of re...

Today’s disagreement is about ADHD and its meteoric rise in the United States. Specifically, what are the causes of ADHD? Is it biological or environmental or both? And given that, what is the right approach to medicating and treating our children? In today’s episode: two health experts with very different perspectives on ADHD.   The Guests Marilyn Wedge (Phd, LMFT) is a practicing Family Therapis...

Today's disagreement is on U .S. immigration. We're going to focus on two things. First, the border: how did we get here and what should we do now? Second, what is the right strategic approach to U.S. immigration? How do we weigh the costs and benefits? How do we balance national interests and humanitarian concerns? In today's episode: two immigration experts with two very different perspectives o...

Introducing The Disagreement with Alex Grodd. Questions or comments about this episode? Email us at podcast@thedisagreement.com or find us on X and Instagram @thedisagreementhq. Subscribe to our newsletter: https://thedisagreement.substack.com/