Best Stephen Perlstein Podcasts (2024)

1
How We Created an Age of Fire with Stephen Pyne 48:30

5d ago48:30

48:30

Our species didn't just stumble upon fire during our evolution; we evolved because of our unique relationship with it. From cooking food to burning fossil fuels to climate change, the entire history of humanity is intertwined with fire. This week's guest is Stephen Pyne, a world-renowned fire historian and author of The Pyrocene: How We Created an …

1
This Election is Historically F***ed Up with Rick Perlstein 1:02:12

12d ago1:02:12

1:02:12

The 2024 election cycle has been positively ludicrous. Between Biden's disastrous debate performance, the attempted assassination of Trump, every single thing about JD Vance, and Biden dropping out of the race, it seems like history is happening too fast to even keep track of. This week, Adam sits down with Rick Perlstein, political historian and a…

1
How Bankruptcy Shields Capitalists from Consequences with Melissa Jacoby 1:11:45

19d ago1:11:45

1:11:45

Bankruptcy can mean totally different things depending on your wealth. For the rich, it’s a shield; for the poor, it’s a punishment. Despite this debilitating divide, in a country where we need to take on debt for homes, transportation, and medical care, we still rely on the bankruptcy system to keep the economy from collapsing. This week, Adam sit…

1
The "Food Barons" Jacking Up Your Grocery Bill with Austin Frerick 1:07:11

26d ago1:07:11

1:07:11

Whether you're at the grocery store or a restaurant, food is becoming obscenely expensive. It's easy to point to inflation as the sole culprit, but that's only a narrow view of a much bigger picture. For years, the food industry has been falling to monopolists who have been edging out independent farmers. Food quality has gone down, prices have gon…

1
WTF did the Supreme Court Just Do with Leah Litman and Kate Shaw of Strict Scrutiny 46:02

1M ago46:02

46:02

The latest round of Supreme Court decisions will radically reshape America as we know it. From overturning the Chevron decision and stripping federal agencies of their ability to do their jobs, to giving presidents broad immunity for actions that would otherwise be considered criminal, it can be hard to fully grasp the impact of these rulings, both…

1
The A.I. Bubble is Bursting with Ed Zitron 1:15:49

1M ago1:15:49

1:15:49

Big tech is betting tens of billions of dollars on AI being the next big thing, but what if it isn't? ChatGPT burns obscene amounts of cash daily with little return, Google's AI dispenses useless and sometimes dangerous advice, and a recent study showed that tech companies will soon run out of new training data to improve their AI models. If AI is …

1
How Contrapoints Reinvented Philosophy for YouTube with Natalie Wynn 1:22:37

2M ago1:22:37

1:22:37

Since 2016, Natalie Wynn has been making wildly popular video essays on YouTube under the name ContraPoints. Her videos, which cover everything from politics, to gender, to society's obsession with the apocalypse, gracefully distill academia-level research into insightful and highly digestible packages. Despite winning a Peabody award and holding a…

1
Your Brain is Hardwired to Love Games with Kelly Clancy 1:04:36

2M ago1:04:36

1:04:36

Games often get a bad rap as mere distractions, the frivolous filler between so-called "important things." But research into the connection between people and games reveals that they’re not just beneficial—they're essential. This week, Adam is joined by bioscientist and neurophysicist Kelly Clancy, author of Playing with Reality: How Games Have Sha…

1
Your Houseplants Can Think with Zoë Schlanger 1:05:57

2M ago1:05:57

1:05:57

Our understanding of intelligence is always growing, but recent research has thrown a fascinating curveball: we're discovering that plants are intelligent too. Though they might not look like creatures we typically describe as intelligent, plants can store information, solve problems, and develop complex social networks. This week, Adam sits with Z…

1
The Human Cost of Banning Abortion with Shefali Luthra 1:04:05

2M ago1:04:05

1:04:05

Abortion is not just a political story; it's a personal one. In the two years since Roe was struck down by the Supreme Court in the Dobbs decision, a host of challenges has arisen for women, trans, and non-binary people seeking basic control over their own bodies. This week, Adam speaks with Shefali Luthra, author of Undue Burden: Life and Death De…

1
How Capitalism Murdered Journalism with Margot Susca 58:53

2M ago58:53

58:53

We’ve been discussing the slow death of journalism for a long time, but what if it didn’t just “die”? This week, Adam speaks with Margot Susca, a professor at American University and author of Hedged: How Private Investment Funds Helped Destroy American Newspapers and Undermine Democracy, about how private equity firms have dismantled journalism an…

1
How Google RUINED the Internet 19:32

3M ago19:32

19:32

(In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we to start sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factu…

1
Why Billionaires Should Be Banned with Ingrid Robeyns 1:07:02

3M ago1:07:02

1:07:02

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/FACTUALLY and get on your way to being your best self. We're happy to have conversations about eliminating poverty, but why are we so reluctant to talk about eradicating extreme wealth? Poverty is commonly regarded as an indication of a struggling society, and…

1
Can Unions Make a Comeback? with Hamilton Nolan 1:13:18

3M ago1:13:18

1:13:18

The labor movement is in a state of flux. Support for unions is the highest it's been in decades, including the explict support of the Biden administration, yet actual union membership has plummeted to a historical low. With only 10% of the workforce unionized, is the labor movement missing its best chance to organize more workers? This week Adam s…

1
Myths about Homeless People with Dr. Margot Kushel 1:14:10

3M ago1:14:10

1:14:10

Homelessness has reached a record high, with over 650,000 people experiencing it in the USA today. Despite this staggering number, many remain unaware of the true underlying causes of this crisis. Myths surrounding issues like drug use and immigration often serve as convenient scapegoats, deflecting attention from meaningful efforts to address the …

1
Technology Won’t Stop the Climate Apocalypse with Dr. Dana Fisher 1:26:10

3M ago1:26:10

1:26:10

The climate crisis is unfolding very day, with many inevitable consequences looming in the near future. While we may hope for clean energy or fossil fuel alternatives to save the day, climate change is more than just a technological issue—it's fundamentally a social problem. When tend to view climate change only from an ecological or technological …

1
Why Isn’t the Left Winning? with Bhaskar Sunkara 1:16:57

4M ago1:16:57

1:16:57

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/FACTUALLY and get on your way to being your best self. The term "socialism" has gained prominence in today's political discourse, yet it hasn't fully entered the political mainstream apart from moments like the Occupy Wall Street movement or Bernie Sanders' 2016 pr…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Stephen Perlstein Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
You Should Love Wrestling

Nick Gligor, Stephen Perlstein, Boardwalk Audio

1
Factually! with Adam Conover

Headgum

1
Improv Obsession - Conversations About Improvising Better

Boardwalk Audio

1
Fish Out Of Water: A Sketch Writing Podcast

Jeremiah Burton, Ryan Tweedy, Boardwalk Audio

1
How We Created an Age of Fire with Stephen Pyne 48:30

1
This Election is Historically F***ed Up with Rick Perlstein 1:02:12

1
How Bankruptcy Shields Capitalists from Consequences with Melissa Jacoby 1:11:45

1
The "Food Barons" Jacking Up Your Grocery Bill with Austin Frerick 1:07:11

1
WTF did the Supreme Court Just Do with Leah Litman and Kate Shaw of Strict Scrutiny 46:02

1
The A.I. Bubble is Bursting with Ed Zitron 1:15:49

1
How Contrapoints Reinvented Philosophy for YouTube with Natalie Wynn 1:22:37

1
Your Brain is Hardwired to Love Games with Kelly Clancy 1:04:36

1
Your Houseplants Can Think with Zoë Schlanger 1:05:57

1
The Human Cost of Banning Abortion with Shefali Luthra 1:04:05

1
How Capitalism Murdered Journalism with Margot Susca 58:53

1
How Google RUINED the Internet 19:32

1
Why Billionaires Should Be Banned with Ingrid Robeyns 1:07:02

1
Can Unions Make a Comeback? with Hamilton Nolan 1:13:18

1
Myths about Homeless People with Dr. Margot Kushel 1:14:10

1
Technology Won’t Stop the Climate Apocalypse with Dr. Dana Fisher 1:26:10

1
Why Isn’t the Left Winning? with Bhaskar Sunkara 1:16:57

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