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What are the big ideas shaping our world now?Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ science and social science explainers • psychology, neuroscience, behavior • public health, pandemics, sleep, addiction • economics of fairness, inequality, development • cities, rules, policing, crime • politics, democracy, trust, discrimination • technology, AI, big data • philosophy of consciousness, meaningThis podcast explores influential ideas shaping contemporary life by pairing the presenter with leading researchers and thinkers across disciplines including epidemiology, economics, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, criminology, anthropology, and data science. Conversations focus on how evidence and theory can illuminate everyday behavior and large-scale social outcomes, often highlighting where common assumptions are wrong or where uncertainty remains.
A recurring theme is the science of the mind and behavior: why people become addicted, how sleep affects health and decision-making, how emotions arise from brain–body signals, and why memory can be unreliable. The show also examines moral and social psychology, looking at disgust, laughter, outrage, fairness, bias and discrimination, and the conditions under which contact between groups can reduce hostility. Several discussions connect individual cognition to wider social dynamics, such as how inequality can shape anxiety and status-seeking, how trust is strained by misinformation, and why personal convictions and preferences may be more fragile than people think.
Public policy and institutions are another through-line. Episodes consider how to prepare for future pandemics, how democracies respond to famine, what drives national prosperity, and how governance and institutional quality affect social outcomes. Crime and justice topics appear through examinations of homicide rates, identifying abusive or “rogue” police officers, and the reliability of eyewitness testimony. Cities and urban life receive sustained attention, from how rules and norms influence creativity and order to why urbanization persists and how data can be used to measure a city’s “pulse.”
The podcast also looks forward, assessing how technology and scientific advances may reshape society—through artificial intelligence in medicine, the prospect of superintelligent machines, and new approaches to reducing climate impacts such as alternatives to livestock agriculture. Throughout, the emphasis is on clear explanations of major arguments, the methods behind influential findings, and what these ideas imply for how we understand human life and organize society.
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Fighting pandemics2020-Dec-19 11 minutes |
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The science of addiction 2020-Dec-12 11 minutes |
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The new normal 2020-Dec-05 11 minutes |
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Do cities need rules? 2020-Nov-28 9 minutes |
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The science of sleep 2020-Nov-21 14 minutes |
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The importance of fairness 2020-Nov-14 12 minutes |
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How do we spot rogue cops? 2020-Nov-07 11 minutes |
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Understanding emotions: Should we follow our hearts? 2020-Oct-31 12 minutes |
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Ubernomics 2020-Oct-24 15 minutes |
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Why living in the city could make you happier 2020-Oct-17 13 minutes |
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Why do we find things disgusting? 2020-Oct-10 13 minutes |
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The fragility of choice 2020-Oct-03 9 minutes |
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The truth about marriage 2020-Sep-26 10 minutes |
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How to topple a dictator 2020-Sep-19 9 minutes |
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Why do we laugh? 2020-Sep-12 10 minutes |
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The Afterlife 2018-Sep-23 9 minutes |
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Why Are Some Nations Rich? 2018-Sep-16 9 minutes |
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How does language work? 2018-Sep-09 10 minutes |
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A Future Without Doctors? 2018-Sep-02 8 minutes |
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The Intelligent Tree 2018-Aug-26 9 minutes |
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Consciousness: A Strange Theory 2018-Aug-19 10 minutes |
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The Teenage Brain 2018-Aug-12 10 minutes |
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How To Stop Murder 2018-Aug-05 9 minutes |
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Democracy and Famine 2018-Jul-29 9 minutes |
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Dimensions of Discrimination 2018-Jul-22 11 minutes |
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Inequality Makes Us Anxious 2018-Jul-15 10 minutes |
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Are We All Racist? 2018-Jul-08 11 minutes |
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The New Distrust 2018-Jul-01 10 minutes |
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Contact Theory 2018-Jun-24 9 minutes |
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Economics and Mosquito Nets 2018-Jun-17 10 minutes |
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Memory Wars 2018-Jun-10 10 minutes |
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A World Without Livestock? 2018-Jun-03 9 minutes |
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Outrage and Moral Conscience 2018-May-27 9 minutes |
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Friends 2018-May-20 9 minutes |
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Baby Boffins 2018-May-19 9 minutes |
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Super-Intelligence 2018-May-17 9 minutes |
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Social Physics 2018-May-16 9 minutes |
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The Growth Mindset 2018-May-15 9 minutes |
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Epigenetics 2018-May-14 9 minutes |
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Future Gazing 2018-May-13 9 minutes |
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Monkey Money 2018-May-12 10 minutes |
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The Big Preview: The Big Idea 2018-May-11 2 minutes |