Moral Mayhem

In this episode, we discuss Cass Sunstein’s “Why Nudge?” and his defense of “libertarian paternalism,” the idea that the state should steer people toward better choices and can do so without violating the tenets of classical liberalism. Get full access to Moral Mayhem Podcast at moralmayhem.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we discuss philosopher Hrishikesh Joshi's paper "Debunking Creedal Beliefs." A creedal belief is one where: (1) there's little personal cost to being wrong, (2) the belief is policed by your social circle, and (3) it's not trivial to verify. Joshi argues you should hold these beliefs with less confidence—not because they're false, but because you'd hold them regardless of whether...

In this episode, we sit down with Greg Salmieri , senior scholar of philosophy at the Salem Center at UT Austin, to discuss ethical egoism—the theory that central to what makes an action good, what makes it right, what makes it moral—is that it benefits the person taking it. Salmieri argues that unlike other living creatures who follow biological algorithms, humans must consciously compose their l...

In this episode, philosopher and host of the Elucidations podcast, Matt Teichman, joins us to explore conversational implicature & the hidden rules that help us understand what people mean beyond their literal words. We dive into Paul Grice's cooperative principle and discuss a few real-world examples where communication famously broken down, like the infamous Kathy Newman/Jordan Peterson intervie...

In this episode, we talk with Bryan Caplan about his letter to his daughter on feminism. We cover whether women have been historically disadvantaged, how male and female experiences stack up today, the problems with viewing identity groups through a justice lens, arranged marriages, the gender pay-gap or lack thereof, and more. Get full access to Moral Mayhem Podcast at moralmayhem.substack.com/su...

In this episode of Moral Mayhem, we stick up for those without a voice — bankers and hedge fund managers. We explore why middle men and financiers - from ancient moneylenders to modern hedge funds - are unique objects of scorn in the eyes of the public. We discuss the ethics of payday lending and consumer credit, the social value of public markets, positive externalities of active management and t...

This week we were joined by our friend Jacob Falkovich. Jacob publishes some of the best “White-pilled” dating advice out there on his blog Second Person , and in addition to being a great Twitter follow he’s also known for putanumonit . We discuss the importance of agency in dating, the negativity bias prevalent in dating discourse, and the limited use-cases for dating apps. Jacob suggests taking...

We’re talking about Love is Blind, the ‘scientific’ dating ‘experiment’ to discover how shallow reality TV stars really are (see the video version on Youtube ). The show involves men and women dating in pods where they can hear but not see one another, and ultimately getting engaged “sight unseen” (at least if they want to stay on the show). We discuss how the ‘experiment’ can be understood as an...

In this episode, we chat with Robin Hanson about his proposed solution to falling fertility rates in the US: since each newborn is effectively responsible for hundreds of thousands in national debt obligations, governments could endow parents with a portion of their children’s future tax payments - creating a win-win scenario where both parents and the nation's fiscal future benefit. Robin also sh...

In this conversation, we chat with Robin Hanson about his thesis on cultural drift, exploring the implications of the global monoculture and reduced selection pressures on the long-term future of humanity.  We think through the mechanisms for and potential solutions to cultural drift, such as deep multiculturalism, human-level AI, adaptive transcendent narratives, prediction markets (futarchy) and...

In this episode of Moral Mayhem, we discuss and debate the ideas presented in Robin Hanson's essays on cultural drift. We examine his central argument that the emergence of a global monoculture, coupled with reduced existential pressures such as war and famine, enables the persistence of biologically maladaptive cultural values— falling fertility rates being the case in point. Some related questio...

In this episode, we explore the moral tension surrounding illegal immigration in the United States. We discuss: * The ethical implications of deporting people who have built lives in America * The disparity in moral outrage between the fates of legal and illegal immigrants * The selection effects of illegal immigration * The fiscal impact of unauthorized immigrants * The need for democratic consen...

In this episode, we discuss the hidden pitfalls of modern dating apps and job search platforms. We explore how the necessity of filtering large pools of candidates, combined with the limitations of relying on easily legible traits, can lead to counterintuitive outcomes. We discuss: * Why the traits easiest to filter for aren't always the most important * How correlated preferences among users ampl...

In this episode, we sit down with Maxim Lott (author of Maximum Truth ) to dive into prediction markets, focusing on election betting markets. We explore liquidity, market depth, and whether concerns over market manipulation hold water. We also indulge in some meta-political analysis, offering our intuitions on the best arguments and tail risks for each candidate in the current race. Get full acce...

In this episode of Moral Mayhem, we bravely wade into the minefield of racial groups and racism. We start with the usefulness of race as a category and when it might be appropriate to view the world through this lens. We touch on genetic diversity, interracial relationships, affirmative action, cultural assimilation and more. Get full access to Moral Mayhem Podcast at moralmayhem.substack.com/subs...

In this episode, we chat with Alex Kaschuta , writer and host of the Subversive podcast. We discuss: --> Alex's journey from diversity management to dissident right activism to cultural commentary --> The evolution of dating in the age of apps and changing economic roles --> The risks of reflexively manifesting one's abstract ideological beliefs in relationships and one's personal life more broadl...

We’re joined for a second time by Martin Greenwald aka The Socratic Psychiatrist on Substack. We discuss whether corporal punishment would be a more ethical alternative to extended prison time, critiques of soft parenting and the infamous Collins’ “bop”, antisemitism and the cynical weaponization of rights based language and more. Also, Vaish teaches Regan and Martin some regional Indian stereotyp...

In this episode, we chat with Chris Best, CEO and Co-Founder of Substack. We discuss Substack's origin story, revenue model and its effects on the information ecosystem. We also speculate on the effects of remote work on productivity and trust, on why Canadians are more woke on average, and why Chris thinks Silicon Valley is still the best place to build a startup. Stay till the end for some fun "...

In this episode, we dissect (no pun intended) the issue of abortion, discussing both the object level political and moral considerations and the political polarization around the issue. We discuss the rights based framing of abortion but also spend time on the less discussed utilitarian/consequentialist frame. We discuss the reasonable moral intuitions on both sides and the tendency of each side t...

In this episode of Moral Mayhem, we dive into the recent political upheaval in the United States. We discuss our first impressions of Kamala Harris, debate the complexities surrounding Joe Biden's decision to step down, and the broader issues of norm violations in American politics. Get full access to Moral Mayhem Podcast at moralmayhem.substack.com/subscribe

In this show, Regan and I chat with psychiatrist and author of the publication Socratic Psychiatrist , Dr. Martin Greenwald. Martin shares his experience treating serious mental illness, while contextualizing it both historically and politcally. We discuss the relationship between serious mental illness and drug use, the bar for involuntary treatment and the feedback loops between psychiatric care...

In this episode, we talk about family YouTube channels and very briefly, the ethics of abandoning children before diving into the main topic: psychological and philosophical drivers of antinatalism. We discuss the relationship between climate change and fertility, between mental health and a suffering-focused worldview and finally, the downsides of using shame to promote pronatalism. Get full acce...

In this episode of Moral Mayhem, we dive into two unrelated topics: statutory rape laws in the western world and the state of Kerala in India. We explore the complexities of age-based consent laws, discussing agency, cultural norms, and the unintended consequences of well-intentioned legislation. Then we shift gears to examine Kerala's unique position in India - a state with high human development...

In this episode, we chat about the presidential debate and Biden's cognitive decline, respond to Mary Harrington's tirade against embryo selection and talk in depth about the objective function of universities, admission criteria, affirmative action, DEI and more. Get full access to Moral Mayhem Podcast at moralmayhem.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we welcome our first repeat guest back on the show, GMU economist Garett Jones. We discuss Garett's first book, the Hive Mind, comparing social versus individual returns to IQ. We spend a bulk of the episode talking about the mechanics of cooperation at the micro and macro scales - why smarter people are more cooperative, the 3Ps of repeated prisoner's dilemmas, principal agent pr...