Talk Cocktail

Jonathan Taplin, a film producer, scholar, and director emeritus of the Annenberg Innovation Lab, is a vocal critic of excessive techno-optimism. In his book, " The End of Reality : How Four Billionaires are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto," he argues that the California-centric billionaires Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Marc Andreessen are diverting publ...

The middle class stands as the most successful demographic in world history. By the time we reach 2030, it's projected that the fifth billionth person will have joined its ranks. This journey, which began just over two centuries ago by people in pursuit of a better life, has sparked an unparalleled global transformation. In today's landscape, where half of the global population finds themselves at...

Robert M. Sapolsky, a Stanford neurobiologist and MacArthur “genius” fellow, challenges our deeply ingrained beliefs about free will. Building on his seminal 2017 work " Behave ," which explored the dynamics of nature and nurture, Sapolsky's latest book, " Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will ," suggests that science, medicine, and philosophy may actually support determinism over free w...

In this WhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with Scott Keeter, the senior survey adviser at Pew Research Center. In this role, he guides all of Pew’s research and polling. An expert on American public opinion and political behavior, he is a co-author of four books on the subject. Keeter discusses the complexities of modern polling amid a climate of skepticism and change. As the 2024 elections approach, Keet...

As our nation teeters on the knife's edge of democracy, it's imperative to understand the historical roots of our current predicament. Heather Cox Richardson offers a deep dive into the intricate weave of America's past and present. A Professor of History at Boston College, Richardson is not only an acclaimed author but also the influential voice behind the daily Substack ' Letters From an America...

In this special WhoWhatWhy podcast, I talk with Zeke Faux, whose book Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall (Crown Currency, September 2023), unpacks the crypto phenomenon and its disintegration, culminating in Sam Bankman-Fried’s (SBF) conviction for fraud and potential 110-year sentence. Faux, a Bloomberg investigative reporter who has covered SBF and the crypto craze since...

On this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast, I explore the intricate landscape of global terrorism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the geopolitical reverberations of recent events. My guest is Kenneth Katzman , a senior adviser with The Soufan Group and a preeminent expert on the Middle East. Specializing in Iran, the Persian Gulf states, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Katzman has previously served as a seni...

Sam Ramani, is a distinguished Oxford scholar specializing in international relations. Ramani, also a member of London's Royal United Services Institute, brings a wealth of firsthand experience from Russia and Ukraine, as well as academic insights into Russia's military involvements in Chechnya and Syria. Ramani describes our global politics as increasingly volatile due to the erosion of internati...

In a digital age that often alienates us from nature, ecologist and author Carl Safina offers a transformative tale in ' Alfie & Me.' Rescuing Alfie, a near-death baby screech owl, with his wife Patricia, Safina challenges conventional ideas about interspecies boundaries and our philosophical relationship with the world. Set amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the story serves as a poignant reminder that...

On this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast, Harvard professor Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of the new book Tyranny of the Minority, takes a hard look at the institutional inertia and political extremism that is threatening the future of American democracy.  Ziblatt argues that the nation’s precarious condition is defined by two contrasting views of what George Washington called “the last great experiment for...

Updated October 8, 2023 — The podcast below was recorded earlier this week before the horrific events in Israel and Gaza. However, while the focus of the podcast is on Israel’s efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program, it clearly lays out what could be considered the precursor to the Hamas attack. The weakness and division within Israel, the broad effort to isolate Iran through the Abraham Accords,...

Our era is defined by trauma — from COVID-19 to climate change, divisive politics to economic pressures, gun violence and generational upheavals. And the collective effect of all these traumas can make it pretty hard to face the day. Robert J. Lifton, my guest on this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast, has inspiring and realistic ideas for coping with it all, as suggested by the title of his latest book,...

Teams and athletes often define more than games; they encapsulate eras and collective memories. While some teams symbolize a specific year, like the 1998 Yankees, others represent an entire era, such as the Celtics from 1960 to 1966. Rarely, individual athletes like Tiger Woods in 2000 become the face of a time period. Even rarer is a year that defines an entire league, and for the modern NBA, tha...

In this WhoWhatWhy podcast, I talk with Harvard Law Professor John Coates who discusses his new book, "The Problem of Twelve ," which warns against the alarming concentration of financial power in the U.S. Four index funds control 25% of the S&P 500, and along with dominant private equity firms and "too big to fail" banks, they wield outsized influence over the economy and politics. Coates argues...

As we mark the 60th Annerversay of the March on Washington, it takes us back to the issues of mid-century America.  So it's only appropraite to be joined by Drew Gilpin Faust, a Bancroft and Francis Parkman Prize winner and former Harvard president. Her memoir, " Necessary Trouble: Growing Up in Midcentury," is more than a personal story; it's a lens into the pivotal moments of the 1950s and '60s....

In the 1960s, baby boomers captured the world's attention with their youthful zeal, setting the cultural tone for fifty years. Today, as they age, the spotlight has shifted to aging, reflecting our concerns about older leaders and a fondness for bygone times. The adage "60 is the new 50" is common, yet we must question the reality of modern aging. Has our progress truly allowed us to age more grac...

Today we idolize those who excel in nearly every sport, viewing them as heroes and role models, and they are among the highest earners in our society. Undeniably, these individuals bring innate talents to their respective sports. However, these talents alone are insufficient. Their success hinges on what they do with their abilities—the discipline, practice, conditioning, resilience, and dedicatio...

It appears we're not alone. No one enjoys solitude, and based on yesterday's testimony, we seem to have company in the cosmos. Science fiction has certainly presented us with a myriad of interpretations of what might exist beyond our planet. However, the individual manner in which we conceptualize the possibility of extraterrestrial life becomes a sort of Rorschach test—reflecting our worldviews,...

In the latest WhoWhatWhy podcast, I talk with award-winning author Sam Quinones about the growing crisis of fentanyl in America, arguing it's transforming not just individual lives, but also affecting cities and society at large. Highlighting the impact of potent synthetic drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine, Quinones links their widespread availability to increased mental illness, homelessnes...

Exactly 78 years ago this week, the first atomic bomb test took place in Alamogordo, New Mexico.  A scene so profound it was likened to witnessing creation.  Our guest is Greg Mitchell, author of " The Beginning or the End ", a book that explores the crossroads of science, politics, and Hollywood in the Atomic Age." revealing how an early movie about Oppenheimer became pro-bomb propaganda and shap...

Today, every major news network is steered by women; Fox, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, not to mention leading papers like The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and even the New York Times. A scenario that would have been scoffed at just two decades ago, but now made possible thanks to the tireless efforts of countless trailblazers. Pioneers like Margaret Fuller, Nellie Bly, and Ida B. Wells pave...

Unleashing the power of AI and supercomputers, we're on the brink of a cosmic revelation. The creation of galaxies in code, a feat akin to the invention of the telescope, is revolutionizing our understanding of the universe.  Renowned cosmologist Andrew Pontzen , harnessing the might of these computational behemoths, is leading us into a new era where virtual worlds mirror reality, offering unprec...

Our celebration of Juneteenth as a federal holiday is a direct result of the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. The battles led by Martin Luther King Jr. and many others created an enduring legacy on which the continued fight for civil rights rests. But what happens when this legacy is manipulated, distorted, and appropriated to further agendas far removed from the original purpose? What does it...

The recent congressional budget battles have underscored the scarcity of public funds for space, science, and technology. This has paved the way for the private sector, a world that Ashlee Vance delves into in this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast and in his new book, When the Heavens Went On Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach. My WhoWhatWhy conversation with Ashley Vance: Ge...

The concept of American individualism, is a fundamental aspect of our culture and the American dream. Historically shaped by the westward expansion, manifest destiny, and the Puritan theology of self-reliance, this ideology is now facing a shift.  Current trends suggest that a growing number of young Americans are rejecting the traditional American dream. We'll explore the reasons behind this shif...