The Good Fight

Yascha Mounk and Kwame Anthony Appiah discuss cultivating thick identities (and thick skins). Kwame Anthony Appiah is a British-Ghanaian philosopher, Professor of Philosophy and Law and New York University, and the “Ethicist” columnist for The New York Times Magazine. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Kwame Anthony Appiah discuss why universities discarded an ethic of common humanity f...

Yascha Mounk and Vinay Prasad assess the strengths and weaknesses of America’s public health response. Vinay Prasad MD, MPH is a hematologist-oncologist and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco.   In this week’s episode, Yascha Mounk and Vinay Prasad discuss the impact and efficacy of mask mandates and lockdowns; how the stifli...

Yascha Mounk and Alexandra Hudson discuss how civility can be a tool for pursuing justice. Alexandra Hudson is a writer, an adjunct professor at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy, and the founder of the publication Civic Renaissance. Hudson’s first book is The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Alexan...

Yascha Mounk and Jonathan Haidt discuss the end of the play-based childhood and the rise of the phone-based childhood. Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist and the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at NYU's Stern School of Business. He is also a member of Persuasion's Board of Advisors. Haidt is the author of The Righteous Mind and, with Greg Lukianoff, co-author of The Coddling of...

Yascha Mounk and Jonathan Lynn discuss why the dysfunctional relationship between politicians and civil servants made for great TV, and what that tells us about the nature of politics. Jonathan Lynn is an English writer, director and producer. Lynn is best known as the co-creator of the series "Yes, Minister" and its sequel, "Yes, Prime Minister." He also directed the films "My Cousin Vinny" and "...

Yascha Mounk and Coleman Hughes discuss the difference between race blindness and racism blindness. Coleman Hughes is a writer and the host of Conversations with Coleman. His new book is The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Coleman Hughes discuss why race is a poor proxy for setting public policy; why being colorblind doesn’t m...

Yascha Mounk and Ed Luce discuss the sense of impending disaster in American politics. Ed Luce is the US national editor and columnist at the Financial Times. He is also a member of the Persuasion board of advisors. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Ed Luce discuss what worries Americans most about the state of the country heading into the next election; the presumptive re-match betwee...

Yascha Mounk and Alex Byrne discuss how to understand the differences between sex and gender—and why it matters. Alex Byrne is a philosopher and a professor at MIT in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. He is the author, most recently, of Trouble With Gender: Sex Facts, Gender Fictions. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Alex Byrne discuss the evolution of the concept of gende...

Yascha Mounk and Larry Summers also discuss the promise and perils of artificial intelligence. Larry Summers is an economist, the Charles W. Eliot University Professor and director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School, and a member of the board of directors of OpenAI. Summers is the former President of Harvard University, the former Secretary of the...

Yascha Mounk and Francisco Toro discuss the surprise election of Bernardo Arévalo and the broader state of Latin American politics. Francisco Toro is a Venezuelan journalist and the founder of Caracas Chronicles. He is also a contributing editor at Persuasion and the author of the Substack newsletter The Two Worlds of Climate. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Francisco Toro discuss th...

Yascha Mounk and Ricardo Hausmann discuss development economics and how globalization has changed the nature of knowledge. Ricardo Hausmann is an economist and the founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. Hausmann has also served as Minister of Planning of Venezuela (1992-1993) and on t...

Yascha Mounk and Martha Nussbaum discuss how to reflect on a life lived well. Martha Nussbaum is a philosopher and the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago. Nussbaum is the author of many books, including, most recently, Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Martha Nussbaum discuss th...

Yascha Mounk and Ruy Teixeira discuss what Biden would need to do to rebuild a broad coalition for the 2024 election. Ruy Teixeira is a political scientist, the co-founder and politics editor of The Liberal Patriot, and the author, with John Judis, of The Emerging Democratic Majority and, most recently, Where Have All the Democrats Gone?: The Soul of the Party in the Age of Extremes.  In this week...

Yascha Mounk and Albert Wu discuss how historical divisions explain the outcome of the island’s recent elections. Albert Wu is a Taiwanese historian and the author, with his wife Michelle Kuo, of the Substack newsletter A Broad and Ample Road. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Albert Wu discuss the electoral victory of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and what it portends for cro...

Yascha Mounk and Rob Henderson discuss his journey from poverty to the Ivy League—and how it has shaped his view of America. Rob Henderson is a writer and author of Rob Henderson’s Newsletter. His forthcoming book, Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class, will be released next month. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Rob Henderson discuss the importance of a stable...

Yascha Mounk and Tyler Austin Harper discuss the state of academia and the resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay. Tyler Austin Harper is a writer and an assistant professor of environmental studies at Bates College. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Tyler Austin Harper discuss how universities can reclaim their status as sites for the free exchange of ideas; why enrollment in t...

Yascha Mounk and Branko Milanovic discuss the history and trajectory of global inequality. Branko Milanovic is an economist and a professor in the Graduate Center at The City University of New York. Formerly a lead economist at the World Bank, he is the author, most recently, of Visions of Inequality: From the French Revolution to the End of the Cold War. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk...

Yascha Mounk and Mary Harrington debate whether or not societies have made significant progress towards gender equality. Mary Harrington is a writer and a contributing editor at UnHerd. She is the author of Feminism Against Progress.  In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Mary Harrington discuss second-wave feminism and the downstream consequences of the sexual revolution; the unintended e...

Yascha Mounk and Philip Pettit discuss small-r “republicanism” and how to make sure people don’t suffer from domination. Philip Pettit is the L.S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values at Princeton University. His latest book is The State. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Philip Pettit discuss the intellectual traditions of liberalism and republicanism; how fr...

Yascha Mounk and Tara Isabella Burton discuss the shift in modern societies away from external truths to a new gospel of finding one’s authentic self. Tara Isabella Burton is a writer and novelist. She is the author of Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World. Her latest book is Self Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk a...

Yascha Mounk and Tim Urban discuss making better choices, managing human foibles, and distilling big ideas into clear words. Tim Urban is a writer and author of the blog Wait But Why. He is the author of What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies.  In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Tim Urban discuss how to develop strong productive habits; the human tendency towards “chronocen...

Yascha Mounk and Bethany Allen discuss the historical trajectory of the modern Chinese economy. Bethany Allen is the China reporter at Axios and the author of Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World. In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Bethany Allen discuss how China’s unique “party-state capitalism” can act both as a boon to and a drag on its economic growt...

Yascha Mounk and Robert Sapolsky debate whether there is free will and if it would matter if there weren't. Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscientist and primatologist, is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor and professor of biology, neurology and neurosurgery at Stanford University. Sapolsky is the author of Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst. His latest book is Determined: A Scie...

Yascha Mounk and Anshel Pfeffer discuss how the war is transforming Israel, Palestine and the Middle East. Anshel Pfeffer is a British-Israeli journalist. He is a senior correspondent and columnist for Haaretz and the Israel correspondent for The Economist. Pfeffer is the author of Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu. In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Anshel Pfeffe...

Yascha Mounk and David Brooks discuss the role of character development in building strong liberal societies. David Brooks is a writer and a columnist at the New York Times. He is the author of Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There and The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement. His latest book is How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others...