Conversations with Tyler
Tyler Cowen engages today’s deepest thinkers in wide-ranging explorations of their work, the world, and everything in between. New conversations every other Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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Peter Thiel on Political Theology
04/17/2024
Peter Thiel on Political Theology
In this conversation recorded live in Miami, Tyler and Peter Thiel dive deep into the complexities of political theology, including why it’s a concept we still need today, why Peter’s against Calvinism (and rationalism), whether the Old Testament should lead us to be woke, why Carl Schmitt is enjoying a resurgence, whether we’re entering a new age of millenarian thought, the one existential risk Peter thinks we’re overlooking, why everyone just muddling through leads to disaster, the role of the katechon, the political vision in Shakespeare, how AI will affect the influence of wordcels, Straussian messages in the Bible, what worries Peter about Miami, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded February 21st, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Jonathan Haidt on Adjusting to Smartphones and Social Media
04/03/2024
Jonathan Haidt on Adjusting to Smartphones and Social Media
In The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt explores the simultaneous rise in teen mental illness across various countries, attributing it to a seismic shift from a "play-based childhood" to a "phone-based childhood" around the early 2010s. He argues that the negative effects of this "great rewiring of childhood" will continue to worsen without the adoption of several norms and a more hands-on approach to regulating social media platforms. But might technological advances and good old human resilience allow kids to adapt more easily than he thinks? Jonathan joined Tyler to discuss this question and more, including whether left-wingers or right-wingers make for better parents, the wisest person Jonathan has interacted with, psychological traits as a source of identitarianism, whether AI will solve the screen time problem, why school closures didn't seem to affect the well-being of young people, whether the mood shift since 2012 is not just about social media use, the benefits of the broader internet vs. social media, the four norms to solve the biggest collective action problems with smartphone use, the feasibility of age-gating social media, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded February 14th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo Credits: Jayne Riew
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Fareed Zakaria on the Age of Revolutions, the Power of Ideas, and the Rewards of Intellectual Curiosity
03/27/2024
Fareed Zakaria on the Age of Revolutions, the Power of Ideas, and the Rewards of Intellectual Curiosity
Those who know Fareed Zakaria through his weekly column or CNN show may be surprised to learn he considers books the important way he can put new ideas in the world. But Fareed's original aspiration was to be an academic, and it was a chance lunch with Walter Isaacson that convinced him to apply for a job as editor of Foreign Affairs instead of accepting an assistant professorship at Harvard. His latest book, Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present is a testament to his enduring passion for ideas and his belief in the importance of classical liberalism in an age of increasing populism and authoritarianism. Tyler sat down with Fareed to discuss what he learned from Khushwant Singh as a boy, what made his father lean towards socialism, why the Bengali intelligentsia is so left-wing, what's stuck with him from his time at an Anglican school, what's so special about visiting Amritsar, why he misses a more syncretic India, how his time at the Yale Political Union dissuaded him from politics, what he learned from Walter Isaacson and Sam Huntington, what put him off academia, how well some of his earlier writing as held up, why he's become focused on classical liberal values, whether he had reservations about becoming a TV journalist, how he's maintained a rich personal life, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded March 8th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo Credit: Jeremy P. Freeman, CNN
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Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Interpretation, Calvinist Thought, and Religion in America
03/20/2024
Marilynne Robinson on Biblical Interpretation, Calvinist Thought, and Religion in America
Marilynne Robinson is one of America's best and best-known novelists and essayists, whose award-winning works like Housekeeping and Gilead explore themes of faith, grace, and the intricacies of human nature. Beyond her writing, Robinson's 25-year tenure at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop allowed her to shape and inspire the new generations of writers. Her latest book, Reading Genesis, displays her scholarly prowess, analyzing the biblical text not only through the lens of religious doctrine but also appreciating it as a literary masterpiece. She joined Tyler to discuss betrayal and brotherhood in the Hebrew Bible, the relatable qualities of major biblical figures, how to contend with the Bible's seeming contradictions, the true purpose of Levitical laws, whether we've transcended the need for ritual sacrifice, the role of the Antichrist, the level of biblical knowledge among students, her preferred Bible translation, whether The Winter's Tale makes sense, the evolution of Calvin's reputation and influence, why academics are overwhelmingly secular, the success of the Iowa Writer's Workshop, why she wrote a book on nuclear pollution, what she'll do next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded February 8th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo Credit: Alec Soth, Magnum Photos
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Marc Andreessen on AI and Dynamism
03/13/2024
Marc Andreessen on AI and Dynamism
In this interview, recorded at a16z’s 2024 American Dynamism Summit, Tyler and Marc Andreessen engage in a rapid-fire dialogue about the future of AI, including the biggest change we’ll see in the next five years, who will gain and lose status with the rise of LLMs, why open-source is important for national security, the best and worst parts of Biden’s AI directive, the most underrated energy source, what the US can do to speed up AI deployment, what gives Marc optimism about Gen Z, which thinker helps him make sense of American capitalism, and more. To hear more conversations from a16z’s American Dynamism Summit, please go to . Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded January 30th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Marc Rowan on Financial Market Evolution and University Governance
03/06/2024
Marc Rowan on Financial Market Evolution and University Governance
Marc Rowan, co-founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, joined Tyler to discuss why rising interest rates won't hurt Apollo's profitability, why liabilities have traditionally been the weak spot in insurance, why the concept of liquidity needs a rethink, the meaninglessness of the term "private credit", what role crypto will play in American finance, why Marc bought a brutalist apartment, which country has beautiful new neighborhoods, what motivated Apollo's office redesign, what he looks for in young hires, the different kind of decision-making required in debt versus private equity, the biggest obstacle to doing business in India, how university governance can be improved, what he's learned from running restaurants, the next thing he'll learn, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded February 5th, 2024. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Masaaki Suzuki on Interpreting Bach
02/21/2024
Masaaki Suzuki on Interpreting Bach
A conductor, harpsichordist, and organist, Masaaki Suzuki stands as a towering figure in Baroque music, renowned for his comprehensive and top-tier recordings of Bach's works, including all of Bach's sacred and secular cantatas. Suzuki's unparalleled dedication extends beyond Bach, with significant contributions to the works of Mozart, Handel, and other 18th-century composers. He is the founder of the Bach Collegium Japan, an artist in residence at Yale, and conducts orchestras and choruses around the world. Tyler sat down with Suzuki to discuss the innovation and novelty in Bach's St. John's Passion, whether Suzuki's Calvinist background influences his musical interpretation, his initial encounter with Bach through Karl Richter, whether older recordings of Bach have held up, why he trained in the Netherlands, what he looks for in young musicians, how Japanese players appreciate Bach differently, whether Christianity could have ever succeeded in Japan, why Bach's larger vocal works were neglected for so long, how often Bach heard his masterworks performed, why Suzuki's favorite organ is in Groningen, what he thinks of Glenn Gould’s interpretations of Bach, what contemporary music he enjoys, what he'll do next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded October 18th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Ami Vitale on Photojournalism and Wildlife Conservation
02/07/2024
Ami Vitale on Photojournalism and Wildlife Conservation
Ami Vitale is a renowned National Geographic photographer and documentarian with a deep commitment to wildlife conservation and environmental education. Her work, spanning over a hundred countries, includes spending a decade as a conflict photographer in places like Kosovo, Gaza, and Kashmir. She joined Tyler to discuss why we should stay scary to pandas, whether we should bring back extinct species, the success of Kenyan wildlife management, the mental cost of a decade photographing war, what she thinks of the transition from film to digital, the ethical issues raised by Afghan Girl, the future of National Geographic, the heuristic guiding of where she'll travel next, what she looks for in a young photographer, her next project, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded November 1st, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Rebecca F. Kuang on National Literatures, Book Publishing, and History in Fiction
01/24/2024
Rebecca F. Kuang on National Literatures, Book Publishing, and History in Fiction
Rebecca F. Kuang just might change the way you think about fantasy and science fiction. Known for her best-selling books Babel and The Poppy War trilogy, Kuang combines a unique blend of historical richness and imaginative storytelling. At just 27, she’s already published five novels, and her compulsion to write has not abated even as she's pursued advanced degrees at Oxford, Cambridge, and now Yale. Her latest book, Yellowface, was one of Tyler’s favorites in 2023. She sat down with Tyler to discuss Chinese science-fiction, which work of fantasy she hopes will still be read in fifty years, which novels use footnotes well, how she'd change book publishing, what she enjoys about book tours, what to make of which Chinese fiction is read in the West, the differences between the three volumes of The Three Body Problem, what surprised her on her recent Taiwan trip, why novels are rarely co-authored, how debate influences her writing, how she'll balance writing fiction with her academic pursuits, where she'll travel next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Sign up for our . Recorded September 15th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Image credit: John Packman
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Patrick McKenzie on Navigating Complex Systems
01/10/2024
Patrick McKenzie on Navigating Complex Systems
Few can measure the impact of a blog post they wrote, in the millions of dollars a year, but Patrick McKenzie has the receipts. His is read hundreds of thousands of times each year, and he has a Gmail folder brimming with success stories. This achievement is just of his many contributions, which include starting several businesses, advising Stripe and other software companies, and spearheading the launch of . Lately he's been writing y, a biweekly newsletter on the intersection of tech and finance. Tyler sat down with Patrick to discuss signature fields on the back of credit cards, whether bank tellers or waitstaff are more trustworthy, the gremlins behind spurious credit card declines, how debt collection and maple syrup heists should change your model of the world, Twitter’s continued success as the message bus for government and civil society, crypto vs traditional money transfers, the intended desolation of bank parking lots, why he moved to Japan and how it affected his ambition, why Tether hasn't collapsed, the internet as a Great Work, how he's experiencing reverse culture shock after returning to the US, what he'll learn about next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded October 26th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Conversations with Tyler 2023 Retrospective
12/27/2023
Conversations with Tyler 2023 Retrospective
On this special year-in-review episode, Tyler and producer Jeff Holmes look back on the past year in the show and more, including the most popular and underrated episodes, the origins of the show as an occasional event series, the most difficult guests to prep for, the story behind , Tyler's favorite podcast appearance of the year, and his evolving LLM-powered production function. They also answer listener questions and conclude with an assessment of Tyler's top pop culture recommendations from 2013 across movies, music, and books. to Conversations with Tyler and help us keep the conversations going. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded December 6th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Fuchsia Dunlop on the Story of Chinese Food
12/13/2023
Fuchsia Dunlop on the Story of Chinese Food
In her third appearance on the show, Chinese food expert Fuchsia Dunlop joins Tyler and a group of special guests to celebrate the release of , her new book exploring the history, philosophy, and techniques of Chinese culinary culture. As with her previous appearance, this conversation was held over a banquet meal at and was hosted by . As they dined, the group discussed why the diversity in Chinese cuisine is still only just being appreciated in the West, how far back our understanding of it goes, how it’s represented in the Caribbean and Ireland, whether technique trumps quality of ingredients, why certain cuisines can spread internationally with higher fidelity, what we can learn from the different styles in Indian and Chinese cooking, why several dishes on the table featured Amish ingredients, the most likely mistake people will make when making a stir fry, what Lydia has learned managing an empire of Chinese restaurants, Fuchsia’s trick for getting unstuck while writing, and more. Joining Tyler, Fuchsia, and Lydia around the table were , , , and . Special thanks to Chef Peter Chang, Lydia, and all the staff at Mama Chang for the wonderful meal. to Conversations with Tyler and help us keep the conversations going. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded November 9th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo Credit: Anna Bergkvist
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John Gray on Pessimism, Liberalism, and Theism
11/29/2023
John Gray on Pessimism, Liberalism, and Theism
John Gray is a philosopher and writer renowned for his critical examination of liberalism, atheism, and the human condition. His unique perspective is shaped over a decades-long career, during which he has authored influential books on topics ranging from political theory to what we can learn from cats about on how to live a good life. His latest book, The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism, delivers a provocative examination of the 2020s' political landscape, challenges liberal triumphalism with a realistic critique of ongoing global crises and the persistent allure of human delusions. Tyler and John sat down to discuss his latest book, including who he thinks will carry on his work, what young people should learn if liberalism is dead, whether modern physics allows for true atheism, what in Eastern Orthodoxy attracts him, the benefits of pessimism, what philanthropic cause he’d invest a billion dollars in, under what circumstances he’d sacrifice his life, what he makes of UFOs, the current renaissance in film and books, whether Monty Python is still funny, how Herman Melville influenced him, who first spotted his talent, his most unusual work habit, what he’ll do next, and more. to Conversations with Tyler and help us keep the conversations going. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded October 24th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Jennifer Burns on Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand
11/15/2023
Jennifer Burns on Milton Friedman and Ayn Rand
Jennifer Burns is a professor of history at Stanford who works at the intersection of intellectual, political, and cultural history. She’s written two biographies Tyler highly recommends: her 2009 book, Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right and her latest, Milton Friedman: The Last Conservative, provides a nuanced look into the influential economist and public intellectual. Tyler and Jennifer start by discussing how her new portrait of Friedman caused her to reassess him, his lasting impact in statistics, whether he was too dogmatic, his shift from academic to public intellectual, the problem with Two Lucky People, what Friedman’s courtship of Rose Friedman was like, how Milton’s family influenced him, why Friedman opposed Hayek’s courtesy appointment at the University of Chicago, Friedman’s attitudes toward friendship, his relationship to fiction and the arts, and the prospects for his intellectual legacy. Next, they discuss Jennifer’s previous work on Ayn Rand, including whether Rand was a good screenwriter, which is the best of her novels, what to make of the sex scenes in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, how Rand and Mises got along, and why there’s so few successful businesswomen depicted in American fiction. They also delve into why fiction seems so much more important for the American left than it is for the right, what’s driving the decline of the American conservative intellectual condition, what she will do next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded August 30th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Brian Koppelman on TV, Movies, and Appreciating Art
11/08/2023
Brian Koppelman on TV, Movies, and Appreciating Art
Brian Koppelman is a writer, director, and producer known for his work on films like Rounders and Solitary Man, the hit TV show Billions, and his podcast The Moment, which explores pivotal moments in creative careers. Tyler and Brian sat down to discuss why TV wasn’t good for so long, whether he wants viewers to binge his shows, how he’d redesign movie theaters, why some smart people appreciate film and others don’t, which Spielberg movie and Murakami book is under appreciated, a surprising fact about poker, whether Jalen Brunson is overrated or underrated, Manhattan food tips, who he’d want to go on a three-day retreat with, whether movies are too long, how happy people are in show business, his unmade dream projects, the next thing he’ll learn about, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded August 22nd, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Githae Githinji on Life in Kenya
11/02/2023
Githae Githinji on Life in Kenya
As a follow-up to , we’re releasing two bonus conversations showing the daily life, culture, and politics of Nairobi and Kenya at large. This second installment features Githae Githinji, a Kikuyu elder and businessman working in Tatu City, a massive mixed-used development spearheaded by Jennings. Born in 1958 and raised in a rural village, he relocated to seek opportunities in the Nairobi area where he built up a successful transportation company over decades. As a respected chairman of the local Kikuyu councils, Githae resolves disputes through mediation and seeks to pass on traditions to the youth. In his conversation with Tyler, Githae discusses his work as a businessman in the transport industry and what he looks for when hiring drivers, the reasons he moved from his rural hometown to the city and his perspectives on urban vs rural living, Kikuyu cultural practices, his role as a community elder resolving disputes through both discussion and social pressure, the challenges Kenya faces, his call for more foreign investment to create local jobs, how generational attitudes differ, the role of religion and Githae's Catholic faith, perspectives on Chinese involvement in Kenya and openness to foreigners, thoughts on the devolution of power to Kenyan counties, his favorite wildlife, why he's optimistic about Kenya's future despite current difficulties, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded June 12th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Harriet Karimi Muriithi on Life in Kenya
11/02/2023
Harriet Karimi Muriithi on Life in Kenya
As a follow-up to , we’re releasing two bonus conversations showing the daily life, culture, and politics of Nairobi and Kenya at large. This first installment features Harriet Muriithi. Harriet is a 22-year-old hospitality professional living and working in Tatu City, a massive mixed-used development spearheaded by Jennings. Harriet grew up in the picturesque foothills of Mount Kenya before moving to the capital city as a child to pursue better schooling. She has witnessed Nairobi's remarkable growth firsthand over the last decade. An ambitious go-getter, Harriet studied supply chain management and wishes to open her own high-end restaurant. In her conversation with Tyler, Harriet opens up about her TikTok hobby, love of fantasy novels, thoughts on improving Kenya's education system, and how she leverages AI tools like ChatGPT in her daily life, the Chinese influence across Africa, the challenges women face in village life versus Nairobi, what foods to sample as a visitor to Kenya, her favorite musicians from Beyoncé to Nigerian Afrobeats stars, why she believes technology can help address racism, her Catholic faith and church attendance, how COVID-19 affected her education and Kenya’s recovery, the superstitions that persist in rural areas, the career paths available to Kenya's youth today, why Nollywood movies captivate her, the diversity of languages and tribes across the country, whether Kenya’s neighbors impact prospects for peace, what she thinks of the decline in the size of families, why she enjoys podcasts about random acts of kindness, what infrastructure and lifestyle changes are reshaping Nairobi, if the British colonial legacy still influences politics today, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded June 12th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Stephen Jennings on Building New Cities
11/01/2023
Stephen Jennings on Building New Cities
Stephen and Tyler first met over thirty years ago while working on economic reforms in New Zealand. With a distinguished career that transitioned from the New Zealand Treasury to significant ventures in emerging economies, Stephen now focuses on developing new urban landscapes across Africa as the founder and CEO of Rendeavour. Tyler sat down with Stephen in Tatu City, one of his multi-use developments just north of Nairobi, where they discussed why he’s optimistic about Kenya in particular, why so many African cities appear to have low agglomeration externalities, how Tatu City regulates cars and designs for transportation, how his experience as reformer and privatizer informed the way utilities are provided, what will set the city apart aesthetically, why talent is the biggest constraint he faces, how Nairobi should fix its traffic problems, what variable best tracks Kenyan unity, what the country should do to boost agricultural productivity, the economic prospects for New Zealand, how playing rugby influenced his approach to the world, how living in Kenya has changed him, what he will learn next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded June 12th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Jacob Mikanowski on Eastern Europe
10/18/2023
Jacob Mikanowski on Eastern Europe
Jacob Mikanowski is the author of one of Tyler’s favorite books this year called . Tyler and Jacob sat down to discuss all things Eastern Europe, including the differences between Eastern and Western European humor, whether Poles are smiling more nowadays, why the best Polish folk art is from the south, the equilibrium for Kaliningrad and the Suwałki Gap, how Romania and Bulgaria will handle depopulation, whether Moldova has an independent future, the best city to party in, why there are so few Christian-Muslim issues in Albania, a nuanced take on Orbán and Hungarian politics, why food in Poland is so good now, why Stanisław Lem hasn’t gotten more attention in the West, how Eastern Europe has changed his view of humanity, his ideal two week itinerary in the region, what he’ll do next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links. Recorded September 5th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Re-release: Claudia Goldin on the Economics of Inequality
10/09/2023
Re-release: Claudia Goldin on the Economics of Inequality
Harvard professor Claudia Goldin has made a name for herself tackling difficult questions. What was the full economic cost of the American Civil War? Does education increase or lessen income inequality? What causes the gender pay gap—and how do you even measure it? Her approach, which often involves the unearthing of new historical data, has yielded lasting insights in several distinct areas of economics. Claudia joined Tyler to discuss the rise of female billionaires in China, why the US gender earnings gap expanded in recent years, what’s behind falling marriage rates for those without a college degree, why the wage gap flips for Black women versus Black men, theoretical approaches for modeling intersectionality, gender ratios in economics, why she’s skeptical about happiness research, how the New York Times wedding announcement page has evolved, the problems with for-profit education, the value of an Ivy League degree, whether a Coasian solution existed to prevent the Civil War, which Americans were most likely to be anti-immigrant in the 1920s, her forthcoming work on Lanham schools, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links. Recorded September 1st, 2021 Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on Twitter Follow on Twitter Email us: to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox. Thumbnail photo credit: BBVA Foundation
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Ada Palmer on Viking Metaphysics, Contingent Moments, and Censorship
10/04/2023
Ada Palmer on Viking Metaphysics, Contingent Moments, and Censorship
Ada Palmer is a Renaissance historian at the University of Chicago who studies radical free thought and censorship, composes music, consults on anime and manga, and is the author of the acclaimed Terra Ignota sci-fi series, among many other things. Tyler sat down with Ada to discuss why living in the Renaissance was worse than living during the Middle Ages, how art protected Florence, why she’s reluctant to travel back in time, which method of doing history is currently the most underrated, whose biography she’ll write, how we know what old Norse music was like, why women scholars helped us understand Viking metaphysics, why Diderot's Jacques the Fatalist is an interesting work, what people misunderstand about the inquisition(s), why science fiction doesn’t have higher social and literary status, which hive she would belong to in Terra Ignota, what the new novel she’s writing is about, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded June 28th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo Credit: Jason Smith
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Lazarus Lake on Endurance, Uncertainty, and Reaching One’s Potential
09/20/2023
Lazarus Lake on Endurance, Uncertainty, and Reaching One’s Potential
Lazarus Lake is a renowned ultramarathon runner and designer. His most famous creation (along with his friend Raw Dog) is the Barkley Marathons, an absurdly difficult 100-mile race through the Tennessee wilderness that only 17 people have ever finished in its nearly 30-year existence. Tyler and Laz discuss what running 100 miles tells you about yourself that running 26 miles does not, why so many STEM professionals do ultramarathons, which skill holds people back the most, why his entrance fee is no more or less than $1.60, the importance of the Barkley’s opaque application process, how much each race costs to mount, whether he sees a decline in stoicism and inner strength in America, what accounting taught him about running, which books influenced him the most, who's going to win the NBA title next year, how he’s coping with increasing fame, the competition he’s most focused on now, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded June 29th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Jerusalem Demsas on The Dispossessed, Gulliver's Travels, and Of Boys and Men
09/06/2023
Jerusalem Demsas on The Dispossessed, Gulliver's Travels, and Of Boys and Men
In this special episode, Tyler sat down with Jerusalem Demsas, staff writer at The Atlantic, to discuss three books: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, and Of Boys and Men by Richard V. Reeves. Spanning centuries and genres and yet provoking similar questions, these books prompted Tyler and Jerusalem to wrestle with enduring questions about human nature, gender dynamics, the purpose of travel, and moral progress, including debating whether Le Guin prefers the anarchist utopia she depicts, dissecting Swift's stance on science and slavery, questioning if travel makes us happier or helps us understand ourselves, comparing Gulliver and Shevek's alienation and restlessness, considering Swift’s views on the difficulty of moral progress, reflecting on how feminism links to moral progress and gender equality, contemplating whether imaginative fiction or policy analysis is more likely to spur social change, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded May 22nd, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Vishy Anand on Staying in the Game
08/30/2023
Vishy Anand on Staying in the Game
A five-time World Chess Champion, Vishy became India's first grandmaster at age 18, spurring a chess revolution in the country. Now 53, he is still a world top ten player and has been India's number one ranked player for 37 years. As newer talents emerge and old ones retire, Anand's continued excellence showcases an endurance seldom seen. Tyler and Vishy sat down in Chennai to discuss his breakthrough 1991 tournament win in Reggio Emilia, his technique for defeating Kasparov in rapid play, how he approached playing the volatile but brilliant Vassily Ivanchuk at his peak, a detailed breakdown of his brilliant 2013 game against Levon Aronian, dealing with distraction during a match, how he got out of a multi-year slump, Monty Python vs. Fawlty Towers, the most underrated Queen song, how far to take chess opening preparation, which style of chess will dominate in the next ten years, how AlphaZero changes what we know about the game, the key to staying a top ten player at age 53, why he thinks he's a worse loser than Kasparov, qualities he looks for in talented young Indian chess players, picks for the best places to eat in Chennai, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded August 7th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Special thanks to Nabeel Qureshi for his help with the video and transcript.
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Celebrating Marginal Revolution's 20th Anniversary
08/23/2023
Celebrating Marginal Revolution's 20th Anniversary
When Alex Tabarrok and Tyler Cowen launched in August of 2003, they saw attracting a few thousand academic-minded readers as a runaway success. To their astonishment, the blog soon eclipsed that goal, and within a decade had become one of the most widely read economics blogs in the world. Just as remarkably, the blog maintained its relevance in its second decade, bringing in a new generation of readers without a dip in the pace or quality of the posts. As Alex and Tyler jest, only the onset of senility could possibly rein them in. To mark MR's entrance into its third decade, long-time readers Ben Casnocha, Vitalik Buterin, and Jeff Holmes joined Alex and Tyler to talk about MR's legacy, including the golden age of blogging in the mid-2000s, the decline of independent blogs and the rise of social media, why Tyler usually has a post at 1 AM, the consistent design of the site, the peak of the blogosphere in the Great Recession, the robust community—and even marriage—forged through MR, the site's most underrated feature, Alex and Tyler's favorite commenters, how MR catalyzed separate real-world pandemic responses by each of them, the cessation of book clubs, Alex and Tyler's distinct writing style, iconic MR memes, what's happened to Tyrone, whether the site's popularity has tempted them into self-censoring, why it was Alex and Tyler who paired up amongst the other Mason econ bloggers, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded August 5th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on X Follow on X Follow on X Follow on X Follow on X Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo credit: Lathan Goumas/Office of Communications and Marketing at GMU
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Paul Graham on Ambition, Art, and Evaluating Talent
08/09/2023
Paul Graham on Ambition, Art, and Evaluating Talent
Tyler and Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham sat down at his home in the English countryside to discuss what areas of talent judgment his co-founder and wife Jessica Livingston is better at, whether young founders have gotten rarer, whether he still takes a dim view of solo founders, how to 2x ambition in the developed world, on the minute past which a Y Combinator interviewer is unlikely to change their mind, what YC learned after rejecting companies, how he got over his fear of flying, Florentine history, why almost all good artists are underrated, what's gone wrong in art, why new homes and neighborhoods are ugly, why he wants to visit the Dark Ages, why he's optimistic about Britain and San Fransisco, the challenges of regulating AI, whether we're underinvesting in high-cost interruption activities, walking, soundproofing, fame, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links. Recorded July 15th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on Twitter Follow on Twitter Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo credit: Dave Thomas
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Noam Dworman on Stand-Up Comedy and Staying Open-Minded
07/26/2023
Noam Dworman on Stand-Up Comedy and Staying Open-Minded
Tyler sat down at Comedy Cellar with owner Noam Dworman to talk about the ever-changing stand-up comedy scene, including the perfect room temperature for stand-up, whether comedy can still shock us, the effect on YouTube and TikTok, the transformation of jokes into bits, the importance of tight seating, why he doesn’t charge higher prices for his shows, the differences between the LA and NYC scenes, whether good looks are an obstacle to success, the oldest comic act he still finds funny, how comedians have changed since he started running the Comedy Cellar in 2003, and what government regulations drive him crazy. They also talk about how 9/11 got Noam into trouble, his early career in music, the most underrated guitarist, why live music is dead in NYC, and what his plans are for expansion. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded March 15th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on Twitter Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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David Bentley Hart on Reason, Faith, and Diversity in Religious Thought
07/12/2023
David Bentley Hart on Reason, Faith, and Diversity in Religious Thought
David Bentley Hart is an American writer, philosopher, religious scholar, critic, and theologian who has authored over 1,000 essays and 19 books, including a very well-known translation of the New Testament and several volumes of fiction. In this conversation, Tyler and David discuss ways in which Orthodox Christianity is not so millenarian, how theological patience shapes the polities of Orthodox Christian nations, how Heidegger deepened his understanding of Christian Orthodoxy, who played left field for the Baltimore Orioles in 1970, the simplest way to explain how Orthodoxy diverges from Catholicism, the future of the American Orthodox Church, what he thinks of the Book of Mormon, whether theological arguments are ultimately based on reason or faith, what he makes of reincarnation and near-death experiences, gnosticism in movies and TV, why he dislikes Sarah Ruden’s translation of the New Testament, the most difficult word to translate, a tally of the 15+ languages he knows, what he’ll work on next, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded March 23rd, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on Twitter Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts .
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Reid Hoffman on the Possibilities of AI
06/28/2023
Reid Hoffman on the Possibilities of AI
In his second appearance, Reid Hoffman joined Tyler to talk everything AI: the optimal liability regime for LLMs, whether there’ll be autonomous money-making bots, which agency should regulate AI, how AI will affect the media ecosystem and the communication of ideas, what percentage of the American population will eschew it, how gaming will evolve, whether AI’s future will be open-source or proprietary, the binding constraint preventing the next big step in AI, which philosopher has risen in importance thanks to AI, what he’d ask a dolphin, what LLMs have taught him about friendship, how higher education will change, and more. They also discuss Sam Altman’s overlooked skill, the biggest cultural problem in America, the most underrated tech scene, and what he’ll do next. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Reid's podcast Possible is back this summer with a three-part miniseries called “AI and The Personal,” which launched on June 21st. Featured guests use AI, hardware, software and their own creativity to better people's daily lives. . Recorded May 9th, 2023. Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on Twitter Follow on Twitter Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo credit: David Yellen
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Noam Chomsky on Language, Left Libertarianism, and Progress
06/14/2023
Noam Chomsky on Language, Left Libertarianism, and Progress
Noam Chomsky joins Tyler to discuss why Noam and Wilhelm von Humboldt have similar views on language and liberty, good and bad evolutionary approaches to language, what he thinks Stephen Wolfram gets wrong about LLMs, whether he’s optimistic about the future, what he thinks of Thomas Schelling, the legacy of the 1960s-era left libertarians, the development trajectories of Nicaragua and Cuba, why he still answers every email, what he’s been most wrong about, and more. Read a enhanced with helpful links, or watch the . Recorded February 27th, 2023 Other ways to connect Follow us on and Follow on Twitter Join our Email us: Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts . Photo credit:
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