• Episode 134: Elizabeth Economy: Communist China's History in 60 Minutes
    Dec 20 2024

    Elizabeth Economy is a political scientist, a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a China expert, and the author of multiple books, including "The World According to China" and "The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State."

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    (00:00) Intro

    (01:00) Xi Jinping's father's story

    (07:16) The Cultural Revolution

    (12:02) "China's Holocaust" between 1950's-1970's

    (13:10) Why Marxism resonated in China

    (21:43) Darker aspects of the Cultural Revolution

    (33:48) The rise of Xi Jinping and the rise of China's economy

    (38:33) The meme of Xi Jinping as Winnie the Pooh

    (41:43) Xi Jinping's personality and vision for China

    (46:27) The near-term future of U.S-China relations

    (53:00) What America can do to win Cold War 2.0

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    56 mins
  • Episode 133: James Holland - D-Day, WWII, and What We Owe Our Veterans
    Dec 13 2024

    James Holland is a historian and the author of many books, including Normandy '44: D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France.

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    (00:00) Intro

    (00:46) The state of the world in June 1944

    (14:48) What was D-Day like for an average Allied soldier

    (21:13) Is D-Day the most important military conflict in history?

    (27:01) "Steel not flesh"

    (32:43) The Atlantic Wall

    (41:08) Cooperation and morale among the Allied troops

    (45:31) Dick Winters and men like him

    (51:15) Why James has committed so much of his life to WWII history

    (54:45) How can we best honor and remember veterans?

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Episode 132: Noam Dworman - Comedy, Free Speech, and Creating The Comedy Cellar
    Dec 6 2024

    Noam Dworman is a businessman, the co-host of the podcast "Live From The Table," and the owner of the world-famous Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village, NYC.

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    (00:00) Intro

    (00:59) How The Comedy Cellar came to be

    (02:38) Noam's dad, Manny

    (07:05) Why did Manny start The Comedy Cellar?

    (10:42) Notable comics early at The Comedy Cellar

    (12:00) The way to fame for comics pre-internet

    (14:32) Identifying comedic talent

    (18:36) Patrice O'Neal

    (24:12) How Noam took over The Comedy Cellar

    (27:37) The scene at The Comedy Cellar in early 2000's

    (29:52) Why The Comedy Cellar is so popular

    (32:19) The design of The Comedy Cellar venue

    (36:58) Quotes from Noam about free speech

    (38:11) Louis CK, free speech, and woke culture

    (43:58) How the left has changed regarding free speech

    (47:22) Comedy as a refuge

    (50:23) Defining wokeness and a story about Noam's daughter

    (56:30) The state of wokeness and cancel culture

    (59:02) Comedians and intellectuals with courage

    (01:02:58) What's next for Noam and The Comedy Cellar

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Episode 131: Sir Richard Evans - How the Nazis Rose to Power
    Nov 29 2024

    Sir Richard Evans is a historian, and the author of many books, including The Third Reich Trilogy, The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815–1914, and Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich, which is the primary focus of this conversation.

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    (00:00) Intro

    (01:00) The young Hitler

    (04:11) The Nazis were conservative, middle class Germans

    (10:20) How Hitler rose, his talents as a speaker

    (19:52) The Reichstag Fire and The Enabling Act

    (27:57) The romantic and personal life of Hitler

    (31:39) Hitler's romantic interest in Joseph Goebbels's wife

    (35:52) Demythologizing the Nazis: a story of Himmler in the sauna

    (39:27) "Ordinary Men" by Christopher R. Browning

    (44:50) The story of Dr. Karl Brandt

    (49:34) Why history and studying the Nazis matters

    (52:19) Threats to freedom and democracy in the modern world

    (54:22) Donald Trump is not a fascist

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    58 mins
  • Episode 130: Glenn Loury - My American Dream Story
    Nov 22 2024

    Glenn Loury‬ is an economist, a professor at Brown University, a podcaster, an essayist, and is the author of "Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative" and the essay "The Case for Black Patriotism."

    A rebroadcast from 2022.

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    (00:00) Intro

    (01:01) Get to know Glenn Loury

    (03:56) South Side of Chicago culture when Glenn was a boy

    (06:11) Fatherhood at 18, working at RR Donnelley & Sons, and Mr. Andres

    (15:01) Opportunity launches Glenn to Northwestern and MIT

    (19:34) The culture and opportunity of MIT

    (28:48) The first African-American tenured economics professor in Harvard, at 33

    (37:30) Glenn's interest in politics and his heterodox political philosophy

    (47:44) A memorable incident with Glenn's uncle Alfred

    (55:35) How Glenn's conservatism informs his views on the campus

    (01:01:57) Glenn's defense of Western culture

    (01:06:43) "The Case for Black Patriotism"

    (01:23:17) An American Living "The American Dream"

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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • Episode 129: Greg Lukianoff - Cancel culture, censorship, and free speech
    Nov 15 2024

    Greg Lukianoff is a journalist, an attorney, the co-author of "The Coddling of the American Mind," and the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). Greg puts it well when he calls freedom of speech "the eternally radical idea."

    A rebroadcast from 2022.

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    (00:00) Intro

    (00:58) Greg's interest in free speech

    (06:35) Free speech: "the eternally radical idea"

    (10:55) What happens in societies without free speech

    (17:14) How free speech creates a more peaceful society

    (24:17) Key observations from "The Coddling of the American Mind"

    (34:32) Social media's effect on free speech

    (43:35) Examples of cancel culture

    (50:22) Respect for free speech must begin early in one's life

    (57:42) What is the point of education?

    (01:03:37) Antifragility and the importance of growth through struggle

    (01:08:48) How overcoming mental health struggles informs Greg's beliefs

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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Episode 128: Robert Greene - America's Inability To Talk Honestly About Power
    Nov 8 2024

    Robert Greene is the author of many best-selling books, including "The 48 Laws of Power," which is the primary subject of our conversation.

    A rebroadcast from 2022.

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    (00:00) Intro

    (01:00) ‘Power’ as explained in "The 48 Laws of Power"

    (04:33) Robert's depression before writing "The 48 Laws of Power"

    (09:03) Why are people reluctant to talk about power?

    (13:44) The link between the desire for fulfillment and power

    (17:58) From powerless to powerful: Robert’s story

    (22:30) Human's desire to gain power through autonomy and authenticity

    (27:19) How to live a life that increases one's power

    (33:00) The importance of self-mastery

    (38:03) Lincoln's quote about power

    (44:22) Is power inherently neutral, neither good nor bad?

    (47:49) Carl Jung's quote on "the shadow"

    (52:20) What are examples of America's shadow?

    (56:07) The importance of integrating one's shadow

    (01:04:56) How can the American center hold, given our polarization?

    (01:12:07) Four laws of power for modern times

    (01:14:44) The relationship between power and love

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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Episode 127: Merle Bombardieri - Kids: How to Make Life's Most Important Choice
    Nov 1 2024

    Merle Bombardieri is a clinical social worker, a psychotherapist and the author of "The Baby Decision: How to Make The Most Important Choice of Your Life."

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    (00:00) Intro

    (01:00) How Merle got involved in helping people decide about kids

    (07:21) How Merle decided whether to have kids

    (09:44) Maintaining neutrality when going through exercises

    (13:34) Being childfree should be the default

    (17:57) Role models for the childfree

    (21:00) When is not having kids a growth decision?

    (23:05) Is Merle disappointed that one of her kids is childfree?

    (26:30) Exercises for straight couples to decide whether to have kids

    (36:02) Long-term ambivalence should result in being childfree

    (38:50) How to better understand what it's like to have kids

    (40:48) What do the childfree not understand about parenthood?

    (42:30) "As a child-free person, you have a right to be ordinary.”

    (44:30) Suggestions for someone who wants to be childfree and has no support

    (49:05) Who should become parents?

    (56:49) Are we getting better at having this conversation?

    (58:34) The importance of growth for the child-free

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    1 hr and 3 mins