Donors often dislike the idea of simply giving poor people cash, but it's usually the best way to help. Michael Faye (president of GiveDirectly) makes the philosophical and empirical case for cash transfers.

Humanity could thrive for millions of years -- unless our future is cut short by an existential catastrophe. Oxford philosopher Toby Ord discusses the possible risks we face, including climate change, pandemics, and artificial intelligence.

Kevin Esvelt, a scientist at MIT, argues that research intended to prevent pandemics is actually putting us in a lot more danger. Also discussed: Kevin's own research on engineering wild animal species. Are the risks worth the benefits?

Ezra Klein explains how Republican and Democrats in the US became so different from each other, ideologically and demographically, and why that trend + our institutions =  political gridlock.

Kathryn Paige Harden, author of “The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality” explains what scientists have learned about how our genes affect our educational success. Why is this research so controversial? And is it worth doing anyway?

Kelsey Piper (Vox) shares lessons from covering COVID: What has she been wrong about? How much can we trust the CDC? How good is the evidence for drugs like Fluvoxamine or Ivermectin? Should people try to evaluate evidence themselves - or defer to experts?

Two economists -- Raymond Niles and Amihai Glazer -- defend “price gouging” in emergencies (when sellers raise prices on important goods, like masks and hand sanitizer during COVID). Julia raises potential counterarguments.

You shouldn't blindly accept every statistic you read -- but neither should you dismiss everything you disagree with. Tim Harford, author of The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics, talks about the heuristics he follows.

How much do Uber and Lyft drivers really earn? Are they getting a raw deal by being classified as independent contractors? I explore the contentious debate over these questions with three guests: Louis Hyman, Veena Dubal, and Harry Campbell.

Law professor William Baude explains how widely-hated laws like qualified immunity came to be and why they're so hard to change. Also, Baude makes the case that judges should base their rulings on the original meaning of the Constitution.

Julia and Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum) discuss Vitalik's intellectually honest approach to leadership, why prediction markets appear to be biased in favor of Trump, whether it was rational to invest in Bitcoin ten years ago, and more.

Julia and Jonathan Haidt (The Righteous Mind) discuss his moral foundations theory, and argue about whether liberals should “expand their moral horizons” by learning to think like conservatives.

Matt Yglesias talks about One Billion Americans, his book arguing that the U.S. should dramatically increase its population. Also: Matt and Julia reflect on why they made the mistake of supporting the Iraq War in 2003.

Companies like Twitter and Facebook are increasingly willing to ban users -- and even if you agree with their decisions, is it worrying that a few companies have so much power? Julia discusses with Julian Sanchez, expert on tech and civil liberties.

Coleman Hughes explains why he favors a "colorblind" ideal and why the "race-conscious" camp disagrees with him. Coleman and Julia also discuss whether reparations are just, and what counts as racism.

Data scientist David Shor discusses some of the bad choices made by Democratic political campaigns. What's the cause of the errors? Is it irrationality, coordination problems, or something else?

Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel argues with Julia about human dignity, consensual cannibalism, and the case in his new book, The Tyranny of Merit, that meritocracy is to blame for recent populist backlashes in the U.S.

Economist and Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton discusses the rise in “deaths of despair” in the U.S. – deaths from drugs, alcohol or suicide. What's causing it? Also, Julia and Angus debate whether effective altruism can help the poor.

Millennials are struggling economically, which many people argue is the result of irresponsible policy choices made by Boomers. Are they right? How much blame do Boomers deserve? Featuring Jill Filipovic, Joseph C. Sternberg, and Patrick Fisher.

This episode features a pair of interviews. First, Stephanie Lepp discusses what she's learned from interviewing people who had a serious change of heart. Second, Buster Benson shares his tips for coming away from a disagreement feeling more alive.

Economist Bryan Caplan makes a compelling case for open borders in his new graphic nonfiction book, "Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration," illustrated by cartoonist Zach Weinersmith.

Philosopher of mind Keith Frankish is one of the leading proponents of "illusionism," the theory that argues that your subjective experience -- i.e., the "what it is like" to be you -- is a trick of the mind.

On this episode, Thibault Le Texier and Julia discuss his findings on the Stanford Prison Experiment, how the experimenters got away with such a significant misrepresentation for so long, and what this whole affair says about the field of psychology.

In this episode, decision theorist David Manheim explains the dynamics behind Goodhart's Law ("When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to become a good measure") and some potential solutions to it.