Podcast Episodes

Machiavelli on how democracies die

Almost nothing stands the test of time. Machiavelli's writings are a rare exception.

Why are we still talking about Machiavelli, nearly 500 years after his death? What is it about his political phil…

Published on 5 months, 1 week ago

Do you have moral ambition?

We’re told from a young age to achieve. Get good grades. Get into a good school. Get a good job. Be ambitious about earning a high salary or a high-status position.

Some of us love this endless clim…

Published on 5 months, 3 weeks ago

The science of ideology

What do you do when you’re faced with evidence that challenges your ideology? Do you engage with that new information? Are you willing to change your mind about your most deeply held beliefs? Are you…

Published on 5 months, 4 weeks ago

A new analysis of the pandemic

There are lots of stories to tell about the Covid pandemic. Most of them, on some level, are about politics, about decisions that affected people’s lives in different — and very unequal — ways.

Covi…

Published on 6 months ago

Halfway there: a philosopher’s guide to midlife crises

Philosophy often feels like a disconnected discipline, obsessed with tedious and abstract problems. But MIT professor Kieran Setiya believes philosophical inquiry has a practical purpose outside the …

Published on 6 months, 1 week ago

Whatever this is, it isn’t liberalism

What exactly is the basis for democracy?

Arguably Iiberalism, the belief that the government serves the people, is the stone on which modern democracy was founded. That notion is so ingrained in the U…

Published on 6 months, 2 weeks ago

A new way to listen

We have an exciting announcement! Vox Members now get access to ad-free podcasts. If you sign up, you’ll get unlimited access to reporting on vox.com, exclusive newsletters, and all of our podcasts —…

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago

The beliefs AI is built on

There’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to artificial intelligence. Technologists love to talk about all the good these tools can do in the world, all the problems they might solve. Yet, many of t…

Published on 6 months, 3 weeks ago

Stop comparing yourself to AI

Why do we keep comparing AI to humans?

Jaron Lanier — virtual reality pioneer, digital philosopher, and the author of several best-selling books on technology — thinks that we should stop. In his view…

Published on 7 months ago

Democrats need to do something

American government has a speed issue. Both parties are slow to solve problems. Slow to build new things. Slow to make any change at all.

Until now. The Trump administration is pushing through sweepin…

Published on 7 months, 1 week ago