Choosing Better

In this episode Enoch and Tim invite special guest and beloved colleague Denise Daniels to join them in reflecting on the question of, "What makes a good college?" Specifically, they discuss what they valued from their undergraduate experiences, what professional college ranking websites consider, and what they desire(d) regarding college selection for their children. Along the way, we h...

Inside everybody's head is a large set of things they know. We're made out of a whole bunch of tiny little atoms, the earth revolves around the sun, if I sneeze on someone they might get sick, the sun is really, really hot, we will (not) exist after death, vaccines (do not) work. Most of this knowledge wasn't obtained through your own observations. But how can I tell from personal expe...

Most of us would agree that the art of disagreeing well is a dying one. In this episode Enoch and Tim discuss what it means to effectively navigate different perspectives. In the process, they discover that, in the quest to disagree better, the stakes are far greater than they expected. Credits : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics &...

Will imposing tariffs, a tax on imports, benefit the economy? World history is rife with suspicion of international trade, but barriers to trade fell after World War II so that global markets have been fairly open throughout our lifetimes. As voters and politicians view trade with pessimism, Enoch and Tim discuss the nature and use of tariffs. How “America First” is blocking imports from our neigh...

What are the greatest inventions in history and how should we think about gains for human wellbeing? Join Enoch and Tim alongside special guest Dr. Jason Long, an economic historian at Wheaton College, as they discuss the greatest moments for growth and standards of living in economic history. In this episode, we explore key technologies and inventions that have fundamentally improved human lives...

The war on uncut lawns and drabby clothes lines is being waged across great cities and small towns alike! But is it reasonable to place limits on how one can use their own property when they live in neighborhoods where any one person’s actions affect their neighbors? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the purpose and use of zoning regulations and how these rules impact the private spaces of our ho...

When couples struggle with infertility and want their own baby, should they turn to the marketplace? Advances in modern medicine provide an array of options to individuals and couples, but should we be concerned when we put a price on fertility and childbirth? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the complexity of the modern global market for sperm, eggs, embryos, and surrogacy. They grapple with th...

The world will get smaller. Birth rate have fallen continuously for decades and are predicted to continue to decline. How big of a problem is this? And what is causing men and women across the world to choose smaller families? Join Enoch and Tim as they explore reasons for the decline in fertility and what, if anything, should be done to address the birth dearth. And be sure to listen as Enoch cas...

We cannot help but measure–whether it is what we look at or talk about – we are assessing. But we need to be careful about what we select to measure because it reflects what we value. And as we agree on particular measurements, they quickly influence the very things we value! Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss their favorite measurements and examine how our values are formed by our assessments. We...

The United States makes the most prolific use of economic sanctions in global affairs. But are these sanctions even effective? And are the benefits worth the costs? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the logic of sanctions and their effectiveness while exploring whether the carrot is more beneficial than the stick. And have some fun while wandering into topics of integrity and the Summer Olympics....

Better to be a realist or an idealist? Economists and political scientists often stress a view of how the world is rather than what it ought to be. But how should we as individuals view our world and the people inhabiting it? Enoch and Tim discuss the merits of both perspectives as they think through when we should choose to be realists and when is it better to be idealists. Credits : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew El...

What is the best way to craft a welfare system which best maximizing the flourishing of citizens? Tim and Enoch discuss the nature of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a replacement to existing welfare programs and review findings on the effectiveness of UBI. As usual, the discussion goes beyond economics and politics as they discuss why lower income populations have worse outcomes such as life expe...

Richard Hughes Gibson, a Professor of English at Wheaton College, joins Enoch and Tim to discuss the history and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society. How is AI distinct from other technological advances and how will it shape the course of history? Professor Gibson has written extensively on the topic and shares his insights as well as assuages fears for an imminent apocalypse. If you...

If people seek likeminded groups to avoid conflict, is our very anxiety toward disagreement fueling polarization? Having recently read The Anxious Generation (Jonathan Haidt), Enoch runs a new hypothesis by Tim about anxiety as a cause of polarization. They discuss the nature of polarization and whether young people are more polarized than older generations. Some theories are meant to fly while ot...

Civilizations across history have had an aristocracy to govern politics and culture. The advent of democracy levelled society and made us all equals, but can we ever truly rid ourselves of a ruling class which dictate trends and values? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the benefits and harms of an aristocracy and what is lost when we free ourselves from the ruling class. Credits : ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elli...

How far should we go when we plan our families and what should guide us when we consider fertility? Bioethicist Dr. Calum MacKellar joins Tim in conversation on the equality of all life and the growing challenges of eugenics as parents select which children to welcome into their families and which to turn away. What may have looked like the horrors of the 20th Century are making a resurgence in ma...

Free speech is a bedrock of American democratic society and oftentimes protected above other rights. However, many who consider some rhetoric as harmful and potentially violent have called for certain limits to free expression such as Scotland’s hate crime law (entered into force April 1, 2024). Enoch and Tim freely express themselves on the benefits and challenges of free speech toward a flourish...

Did you know that conditional on giving birth, the probability of having a C-section is 10 times more likely in Mexico than in Sudan? Perhaps more surprising is that people who give birth in our local hospital are more than two times as likely to have a C-section than in the next closest hospital. Life is inherently risky. Sometimes these risks lead to situations where we need outside help. But wh...

Reports of loneliness are soaring in some the most wealthy and peaceful societies in world history. According to a CDC study from 2021, 57 percent of teenage girls “felt persistently sad or hopeless”, an alarming rise from the already high 36 percent of teenage girls who reported hopelessness in 2011. Enoch and Tim discuss the scale of the problem and consider what could possibly be causing so man...

What should be the top priorities when designing a country’s education system? There has been a slow movement in school curriculum away from the moral formation of the person and toward job preparedness. Enoch and Tim discuss the challenges of moral instruction under pluralism and ask each other what we most prioritize in the education of our children. Grab your copy of Plato’s Republic and sharpe...

Many societies are advancing assisted suicide as a viable option in the arsenal of the healthcare provider. But this breaks from longstanding duties of the physician to not administer poisons as evidenced in the Hippocratic Oath from antiquity. Enoch and Tim discuss the limits of individual autonomy and the morality of assisted suicide in a liberal democratic society. Warning: In this episode, the...

Who determines what land can be owned and the rules of ownership? From the freedom to roam in Scotland to communal decisions in Oaxaca to racial restrictions in American Samoa, the rules of private property are as diverse as the nations. Enoch and Tim discuss these differences and talk about some of the benefits and challenges of private property rights. But first, some trivia!   Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dre...

Who would want to grant a legal monopoly to an individual or even a corporation? While we want to encourage research and development, creativity, and taking risks, we also love the competition of the marketplace and the resulting lower prices for our favorite inventions and creations. In this episode, Enoch and Tim discuss intellectual property rights and consider the optimal duration to grant mon...

The academic seas are stormy, and the typical landmarks are in flux. Sometimes the best path forward is to look to the past. Join us as we reflect on the purpose of education and the role of the liberal arts. Credits: Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠ Post-Production - Michael Morris Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠ for their support of our...

The penalties for breaking the law vary dramatically across time and space. In this episode we reflect on why certain patterns might emerge in how crimes are treated with respect to GDP per capita. We also consider the tradeoffs in play for those receiving punishment as well as the broader society. Credits: Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Post-Production - Michael Morris Additional thank...