If Books Could Kill

Who poses the greatest threat to democracy? Is it the movement that openly identifies with the symbols, goals and policies of fascist governments? Or is it the median bureaucrat at the Department of Health and Human Services? In 2008, a National Review nepo-baby attempted to answer this vexing question. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter&apo...

In our "Rules" and "Game" episodes we didn't get a chance to dissect the phenomenon of online dating (i.e. describe our worst dates and read cringe profiles out loud to each other), so that is what we are doing on today's bonus episode.  To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon....

Lots of subscribers asked us to release last month's bonus episode in full so here it is! Share it with the conservatives, the boomers and the Satanists in your life. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod   Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: h...

In 1995 a bestselling book proposed a simple dating strategy for women: Lose weight, wear bright colors and become a completely different person for the rest of your life. Thanks to Moira Donegan for helping us with this episode! Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources...

This week we're discussing "Atomic Habits," a book about how to use science (and also some stuff that’s definitely not science) to train yourself to be a more functional person. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: How 1% Performance Improvements Led...

Much has been said about globalization, but perhaps no one has said it worse than Thomas Friedman. Content Note: Discussions of xenophobic and racist content, especially toward the end of the episode. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Why The World Isn't Fl...

The Nudgening. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: David Gal's "Behavioral Winter" The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray Why Is Behavioral Economics So Popular? Applying Behav...

In 2021, scrappy young investors from across the world joined forces to buy GameStop stock, aiming to take down greedy hedge funds. What came next was tragedy, injustice, and a conspiratorial internet cult so stupid we had to do an episode about it. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 2008, an economist and a law professor proposed a radical new approach to politics: Telling people not to do bad stuff. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Mike's Maintenance Phase episode on the godfather of the "cafeteria nudge" Nudge: Concept,...

What’s your love language? Is it gifts? Words of affirmation? Or is it podcasts about books with extremely weird, reactionary gender dynamics? Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Can Gary Chapman Save Your Marriage? The Sixth Love Language Does Not Exist How ‘The...

Is it bootstraps? It's bootstraps. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 1997, Robert Kiyosaki revealed the secret to lifelong success: Deliver grifty seminars and hire child slaves. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad' Robert Kiyosaki Exp...

Get in loser, we're going to Oberlin. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 2016, J.D. Vance informally launched his political career with "Hillbilly Elegy," a memoir that blames the relative poverty of Appalachian and Rust Belt populations on their own culture. Despite its reactionary premise, mainstream and liberal press outlets were so enamored by the book that they accidentally made Vance a senator. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksP...

TRIGGER WARNING: if you're a SNOWFLAKE college professor afraid of how your students are expressing themselves, you might need a SAFE SPACE, because Michael and Peter are discussing "The Coddling of The American Mind," a book about campus culture that's light on facts and heavy on cherry-picked anecdotes. CORRECTION: The Socrates quote mentioned at the end of this episode is ap...

The nation's most prestigious newspaper insists on asking a very stupid question. So for this month's bonus episode, we decided to answer it. To hear the rest of the show, support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod As we mentioned at the top of the episode, we're donating this month's support to three of our trans journo-friends! They've been unbelievably p...

"If your thesis doesn't hold up to obvious criticisms, there's a chance that your thesis sucks." Thanks to Paul Musgrave and Alex Cruikshanks for helping us fact-check this episode! Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Links! Huntington’s 1993 article St...

Francis Fukuyama's "The End of History and the Last Man" changed political discourse forever. Peter and Michael peel back his muddled history and fluffy rhetoric, revealing several more layers of muddled history and fluffy rhetoric. Support us on Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Mainten...

In December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic began in Wuhan, China. In May 2021, America experienced one of the most cursed weeks of punditry we've ever seen. This is a condensed version of the full episode. To hear the rest go to patreon.com/IfBooksPod . See you next week!  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 1992 a yoga instructor with a distance-learning PhD had the courage to ask: "Are women not getting help around the house because they're using the wrong modal verb?" Support us on Patreon Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages? A...

Rhonda Byrne's "The Secret" sold millions of copies based on a simple premise: All of science is fake and the only reason anything ever happens is because people manifest it by communicating with the universe. Support us on Patreon Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Power Lines Oprah's Ugly Secret The...

How a Stanford lepidopterist convinced the world to fear the breeding habits of the poor. Again. Support us on Patreon Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: Sonia Shah’s “The Next Great Migration” Barbarian Hordes: The overpopulation scapegoat in international development discourse Optimism and Overpopulation The Population...

Our first premium episode is a deep dive into the blog of the infamously (and  dubiously) "canceled" Bari Weiss. To hear the full episode, subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod More free episodes are on their way!  Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Neil Strauss's "The Game" aimed to teach any man how to hook up with beautiful women. All he needed was a little bit of sociopathy, a lot of misogyny and a fanny pack full of props. Support us on Patreon Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: He's Simply Resistable   Pickup Artists Are Still A Thing. And...

David Brooks became liberals' famous conservative by telling them what they wanted to hear. But ... why did they want to hear something that was lazy and wrong? Support us on Patreon Where to find us:  Twitter Peter's other podcast, 5-4 Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase Sources: A Reasonable Man David Brooks: Boo-Boos in Paradise A Cartoon Elite David Brooks’s Conversion Story...