Best New York City Skeptics Podcasts (2024)

1
Is cash the best way to help the poor? (Michael Faye) 52:13

2+ y ago52:13

52:13

The idea of giving poor people cash, no strings attached, is "very unappealing" for most donors, admits economist Michael Faye -- but it's still one of the best ways to help the poor. Michael and Julia discuss the philosophy behind his organization (GiveDirectly), the evidence we have so far about cash transfers as an anti-poverty intervention, and…

1
Humanity on the precipice (Toby Ord) 1:08:54

2+ y ago1:08:54

1:08:54

Humanity could thrive for millions of years -- unless our future is cut short by an existential catastrophe. Oxford philosopher Toby Ord explains the possible existential risks we face, including climate change, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. Toby and Julia discuss what led him to take existential risk more seriously, which risks he consid…

1
Dangerous biological research - is it worth it? (Kevin Esvelt) 1:07:57

2+ y ago1:07:57

1:07:57

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?By Rationally Speaking

1
Why we're polarized (Ezra Klein) 1:18:57

2+ y ago1:18:57

1:18:57

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. Questions covered include: Is polarization necessarily bad? Has the left polarized more than the right? And what should we make of polls that seem to show Repu…

1
The genetic lottery (Kathryn Paige Harden) 1:04:12

2+ y ago1:04:12

1:04:12

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?By Rationally Speaking

1
How to reason about COVID, and other hard things (Kelsey Piper) 1:17:55

2+ y ago1:17:55

1:17:55

Journalist Kelsey Piper (Future Perfect / Vox) discusses lessons learned from covering COVID: What has she been wrong about, and why? How much can we trust the CDC's advice? What does the evidence look like for different drugs like Fluvoxamine and Ivermectin? And should regular people really try to evaluate the evidence themselves instead of deferr…

1
"Price gouging" in emergencies 52:08

2+ y ago52:08

52:08

Every time there’s an emergency, the prices of certain goods skyrocket -- like masks and hand sanitizer during COVID -- and the public gets angry about price gouging. In this episode, two economists (Raymond Niles and Amihai Glazer) make the case for why “price gouging” is actually a good thing, and Julia raises potential counterarguments.…

1
How to be a data detective (Tim Harford) 1:02:45

3y ago1:02:45

1:02:45

When you see a statistic reported in the news, like "10% of University of California Berkeley students were homeless this year," how do you evaluate it? You shouldn't blindly accept every statistic you read. But neither should you reject everything that sounds surprising. Tim Harford, economist and author of The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Ma…

1
Are Uber and Lyft drivers being exploited? 1:01:51

3y ago1:01:51

1:01:51

How much do Uber and Lyft drivers really earn, after expenses? Are they getting a raw deal by being classified as 'independent contractors' instead of employees? I explore the debate over these questions with three guests: Louis Hyman (Cornell), Veena Dubal (UC Hastings College of the Law), and Harry Campbell (The Rideshare Guy).…

1
Unfair laws / Why judges should be originalists (William Baude) 1:03:17

3y ago1:03:17

1:03:17

Is there any justification for seemingly unjust laws like "qualified immunity," which allows cops to get away with bad behavior? William Baude, a leading scholar of constitutional law, explores how these laws came to be and why they're so hard to change. Also, Baude makes the case for originalism, the view that judges should base their rulings on t…

1
Intellectual honesty, cryptocurrency, & more (Vitalik Buterin) 1:16:40

3y ago1:16:40

1:16:40

Julia and guest Vitalik Buterin (creator of the open-source blockchain platform Ethereum) explore a wide range of topics, including: 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, Vitalik's defense of life extension res…

1
Understanding moral disagreements (Jonathan Haidt) 1:06:04

3y ago1:06:04

1:06:04

Julia and social psychologist 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. Julia solicits Jon’s help in understanding her disagreement with philosopher Michael Sandel, in episode 247, over the morality of consen…

1
The case for one billion Americans, & more (Matt Yglesias) 1:40:49

3y ago1:40:49

1:40:49

Matt Yglesias talks about One Billion Americans, his book arguing that it’s in the United States’ national interest to dramatically boost its population, by expanding immigration and having more babies. Matt and Julia also discuss arguments for and against the “YIMBY” movement, which pushes for building more housing; what they’ve both learned from …

1
What’s wrong with tech companies banning people? (Julian Sanchez) 56:48

3+ y ago56:48

56:48

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.By Rationally Speaking

1
The case for racial colorblindness (Coleman Hughes) 1:10:26

3+ y ago1:10:26

1:10:26

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.By Rationally Speaking

1
Are Democrats being irrational? (David Shor) 1:21:34

3+ y ago1:21:34

1:21:34

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?

1
The moral limits of markets / The problem with meritocracy (Michael Sandel) 59:10

3+ y ago59:10

59:10

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.By Rationally Speaking

1
Deaths of despair / Effective altruism (Angus Deaton) 1:04:07

3+ y ago1:04:07

1:04:07

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, and how do we know? Also, Julia and Angus debate whether effective altruism can help the poor.By Rationally Speaking

1
Are Boomers to blame for Millennials' struggles? 59:52

3+ y ago59:52

59:52

Rationally Speaking returns from hiatus with a look at a clash between two generations: Millennials, and their parents' generation, the Baby Boomers. Faced with stagnant wages and rising costs of education, rent, and health care, Millennials have a tougher path to economic security than Boomers did. And a growing number of millennial writers argue …

1
Rationally Speaking #244 - Stephanie Lepp and Buster Benson on "Seeing other perspectives, with compassion" 42:15

4+ y ago42:15

42:15

This episode features a pair of interviews on a similar topic: First, Stephanie Lepp (host of the Reckonings podcast) discusses what she's learned from interviewing people who had a serious change of heart, or "reckoning," including a former Neo-nazi and a former sex offender. What causes a reckoning? Second, Buster Benson (author of Why Are We Yel…

1
Rationally Speaking #243 - Bryan Caplan on "The Case for Open Borders" 49:21

4+ y ago49:21

49:21

The idea of open borders -- letting people move freely between countries, taking a job wherever they can find a job they want -- is still a pretty fringe position, politically speaking. But economist Bryan Caplan makes a compelling case for it in his new graphic nonfiction book, "Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration," illustrated by …

1
Rationally Speaking #242 - Keith Frankish on "Why consciousness is an illusion" 43:27

4+ y ago43:27

43:27

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. It's a counterintuitive theory, but Keith makes the case for it in this episode, while explaining the other leading theories of consciousness…

1
Rationally Speaking #241 - Thibault Le Texier on "Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment" 54:59

4+ y ago54:59

54:59

The Stanford Prison Experiment is one of the most famous psychology experiments in history. For decades, we've been told that it proves how regular people easily turn sadistic when they are asked to role play as prison guards. But the story now appears to be mostly fraudulent. Thibault Le Texier is a researcher who dug into the Stanford archives an…

1
Rationally Speaking #240 - David Manheim on "Goodhart's Law and why metrics fail" 59:10

4+ y ago59:10

59:10

If you want to understand why things go wrong in business, government, education, psychology, AI, and more, you need to know Goodhart's Law: "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to become a good measure." In this episode, decision theorist David Manheim explains the dynamics behind Goodhart's Law and some potential solutions to it.…

1
Rationally Speaking #239 - Saloni Dattani on "The debate over whether male and female brains are different" 48:05

4+ y ago48:05

48:05

Several recent books have argued there's no difference between male and female brains. Saloni Dattani, a PhD in psychiatric genetics, discusses some of the problems with the argument, and what we really know so far about gender and the brain.By NYC Skeptics

Podcasts Worth a Listen

New York City Skeptics Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

51
Rationally Speaking Podcast

New York City Skeptics

1
Is cash the best way to help the poor? (Michael Faye) 52:13

1
Humanity on the precipice (Toby Ord) 1:08:54

1
Dangerous biological research - is it worth it? (Kevin Esvelt) 1:07:57

1
Why we're polarized (Ezra Klein) 1:18:57

1
The genetic lottery (Kathryn Paige Harden) 1:04:12

1
How to reason about COVID, and other hard things (Kelsey Piper) 1:17:55

1
"Price gouging" in emergencies 52:08

1
How to be a data detective (Tim Harford) 1:02:45

1
Are Uber and Lyft drivers being exploited? 1:01:51

1
Unfair laws / Why judges should be originalists (William Baude) 1:03:17

1
Intellectual honesty, cryptocurrency, & more (Vitalik Buterin) 1:16:40

1
Understanding moral disagreements (Jonathan Haidt) 1:06:04

1
The case for one billion Americans, & more (Matt Yglesias) 1:40:49

1
What’s wrong with tech companies banning people? (Julian Sanchez) 56:48

1
The case for racial colorblindness (Coleman Hughes) 1:10:26

1
Are Democrats being irrational? (David Shor) 1:21:34

1
The moral limits of markets / The problem with meritocracy (Michael Sandel) 59:10

1
Deaths of despair / Effective altruism (Angus Deaton) 1:04:07

1
Are Boomers to blame for Millennials' struggles? 59:52

1
Rationally Speaking #244 - Stephanie Lepp and Buster Benson on "Seeing other perspectives, with compassion" 42:15

1
Rationally Speaking #243 - Bryan Caplan on "The Case for Open Borders" 49:21

1
Rationally Speaking #242 - Keith Frankish on "Why consciousness is an illusion" 43:27

1
Rationally Speaking #241 - Thibault Le Texier on "Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment" 54:59

1
Rationally Speaking #240 - David Manheim on "Goodhart's Law and why metrics fail" 59:10

1
Rationally Speaking #239 - Saloni Dattani on "The debate over whether male and female brains are different" 48:05

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