Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchWhy the poor in America stay poor
Are we responsible for keeping poor people poor? Sean Illing is joined by Matt Desmond, a sociology professor at Princeton University and the author …
2 years, 9 months ago
The spiritual roots of our strange relationship to work
The pandemic caused many to rethink our relationship to work. But how did that relationship develop in the first place? Sean Illing talks with George…
2 years, 9 months ago
Mysteries of the mind
What do we know — and what don't we know — about how the human mind works? Sean Illing talks with Paul Bloom, professor of psychology and author of t…
2 years, 9 months ago
Why we can’t just blame capitalism for everything
There are many debates within the American left, but the fundamental dispute is over the viability of the current system. Part of the left wants a re…
2 years, 9 months ago
Being human in the age of AI
Will AI change what it means to be human? Sean Illing talks with essayist Meghan O'Gieblyn, author of God, Human, Animal, Machine, a book about how t…
2 years, 9 months ago
A philosopher's psychedelic encounter with reality
Why don't more philosophers take psychedelic drugs seriously as a means of examining reality? Sean Illing talks with Justin Smith-Ruiu, professor of …
2 years, 9 months ago
The project of Socratic love with Agnes Callard
What happens when you apply the Socratic method to personal relationships? Philosopher Agnes Callard joins Sean Illing to discuss how Socrates inspir…
2 years, 10 months ago
The chemistry of connection
Could our brains make us less lonely? Sean Illing talks with psychiatrist and author Julie Holland, whose new book Good Chemistry takes on the crisis…
2 years, 10 months ago
What a slow civil war looks like
Sean Illing is joined by reporter Jeff Sharlet, whose new book The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War takes readers on the ground across America …
2 years, 10 months ago
How to listen
Most of us don’t know how to truly listen, and it’s causing all sorts of problems. Sean Illing is joined by journalist Kate Murphy, the author of You…
2 years, 10 months ago