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Big Ideas

English, Social, 1 season, 57 episodes, 2 days, 9 hours, 10 minutes
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Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) interview some of the world's leading economists, political scientists, and philosophers to discuss their ideas and what they mean for society, technology, and the economy.
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Corporal Dmytro on Serving on the Frontlines of Ukraine

Corporal Dmytro joins New Frontier to discuss his experiences in the Ukrainian military and the ongoing conflict with Russia. Some highlights:Firsthand account of the Russian invasion's early days and the chaos of initial combat operationsEvolution of the conflict from early artillery dominance to drone warfare and trench combatComparison of Ukrainian and Russian military capabilities and adaptations over timeImpact of Western aid on Ukraine's defensive capabilities and moraleRealities of frontline combat, including the constant threat of artillery and drone strikesChallenges of fighting against numerically superior Russian forcesShift in global perception of the conflict's duration and Ukraine's resilienceCritical role of continued Western financial and military support
10/2/202428 minutes, 21 seconds
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Brian Streem on Building a Startup in Ukraine

Brian Streem joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss building his startup in Ukraine and his thoughts on the conflict. Some highlights:Brian's company Vermeer and its vision-based navigation system for GPS-denied environmentsBrian's journey from film production and drone cinematography to defense technologyThe impact of Russian electronic warfare on GPS-dependent systemsWhy Brian decided to move to Ukraine to work on the groundThe challenges and opportunities of developing defense technology in an active war zoneDifferences between US and Ukrainian defense tech entrepreneursThe balance between innovation and immediate battlefield needs in UkraineBrian's perspective on the importance of the Ukraine conflict and its global implications
8/27/202427 minutes, 4 seconds
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Marian Tupy on Superabundance, Innovation, and Doomerism

Marian Tupy (@Marian_L_Tupy) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his book Superabundance, innovation, doomerism, and much more. Some highlights:Do we already live in an Age of Superabundance?Are the values of the Enlightenment getting stronger or weaker?Why do we still have so many dormers?Why is doomerism seemingly so embraced by elites?The power of Malthusian ideasIs underpopulation an existential risk?Can technology save us from underpopulation?What causes resource curses?Will we have civilizational collapses in our lifetime?How fragile is the world today?Are we actually in a Great Stagnation?The usefulness of Time PricesShould we pause AI?Which countries is Marian bullish/bearish on?
11/27/202349 minutes, 14 seconds
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Bilal Zuberi of Lux Capital on Bridging the Gaps Between Technology, Defense, and Policy

Bilal Zuberi of Lux Capital (@bznotes) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss Tech, Defense, Policy, and everything in-between. Some highlights:What Bilal looks for in a founder as a Lux GPWhat makes a great DefenseTech founder?How does DoD view Silicon Valley?Is DefenseTech in a bubble?Immigrant Founders in the Tech EcosystemTech’s Responsibility to SocietyShould we be pessimistic or optimistic about the world right now?Is AI headed towards regulatory capture?How Media isn’t actually against TechBilal’s Request for Startups
10/17/202357 minutes, 46 seconds
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Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber on the Future of AI and the Existential Risk of Safetyism

Byrne Hobart (@byrnehobart) and Tobias Huber (@TobiasAHuber) join Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence. They cover:Is AI going to kill us? Is AI going to take all of our jobs and cause massive inequality? Is it going to destroy truth?Is it better to be a tech incumbent or a startup right now?Is the future of software one-time-use?What are the consequences of negative mainstream media coverage of AI?Will model interpretability increase or decrease over time?Will AI be subject to regulatory capture? Will it be over regulated?What would the civilizational consequences of an AI ban be?What are the realistic trade offs of AI? What turmoil will it cause?How should DC approach regulating AI?What is the optimistic vision for AI?Is China ahead or behind the US in AI progress?How should people prepare themselves for AI?
6/19/20231 hour, 33 minutes, 20 seconds
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Bill Martin of Raging Capital Ventures on SVB's Collapse and What Happens Next

Bill Martin of Raging Capital Ventures (@RagingVentures) joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his prediction of SVB's collapse and his views on the state of the world. Some highlights:How Did Bill Predict SVB’s Collapse?His Other Bets and What Happens Next?Who Is at Fault for SVB’s Collapse? SVB? The Fed? VCs?The Impact of Passive Investing and Woke Capital on the Investment LandscapeWhat Are the Lessons for Entrepreneurs and Regulators?Should Depositors Lose Their Money?Are We Learning Our Lessons from Crises?Should the Fed Continue Rate Hikes?How Should We Invest in the Current Climate? What’s Safe?Growing Tensions with ChinaWhat Would Bill Do If He Was Starting His Career out Today?"
4/11/202343 minutes, 21 seconds
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Michael Gibson on The Thiel Fellowship and The Future of Education and Innovation

Michael Gibson (@William_Blake) of 1517 Fund joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss his new book, “Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University.” They discuss:- What is the Paper Belt, and Why Should We Light it on Fire?- The Modern Indulgences of the University System- What are Alternatives to the College Degree?- What Can We Learn from the Success of the Thiel Fellowship?- Which Countries Can America Learn from on Education?- The Lost Culture of Progress, and How We’ve Given up on Solving Problems- The Decline of San Francisco- Is China More Innovative than the US?- What is America’s Next Frontier? - Why Doesn’t America Respect Builders Anymore?You can buy a copy of Michael's new book here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paper-belt-on-fire-michael-gibson/1141459334
11/28/202255 minutes
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Eli Dourado and Austin Vernon on Energy Superabundance and Creating a Prosperous 21st Century

Eli Dourado (@elidourado) and Austin Vernon (@vernon3austin) join Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss their recent paper, Energy Superabundance: How Cheap, Abundant Energy Will Shape Our Future. Other topics discussed:- How Energy Superabundance can Lead us from a Carbon Surplus to a Carbon Shortage- How did a Scarcity Mindset Take Root in America?- The Policies that we Need for a Prosperous Century- The Future of Nuclear Energy- Building More Rather than Less to Solve Climate Change - Will China Reach Superabundance Before America? - How we can Improve Utilities and the American Power Grid- Is the Government Getting Better or Worse at Funding Innovation?- How Painful will the Next Decade be?- How do we Improve Supply Chain Resilience?- Eli and Austin’s Request for Startups- What does a World with Superabundance Look Like?You can read their paper here: https://www.thecgo.org/research/energy-superabundance/
10/18/202249 minutes, 20 seconds
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Vitalik Buterin on the Future of Crypto and Technology

Vitalik Buterin (@VitalikButerin), co-founder of Ethereum, joins Patrick Blumenthal (@PatrickJBlum) to discuss the future of crypto and technology. Topics discussed:- How is crypto starting to influence mainstream culture and corporations?- Is crypto positive or negative for nation states?- How much of crypto is innovation versus regulatory arbitrage?- Should we be reforming existing institutions to adopt crypto, or forming new ones?- How is exit possible in 2022? What role could DAOs play?- Vitalik’s thoughts on the War in Ukraine- Vitalik’s thoughts on San Francisco after COVID- Is the world becoming more centralized or decentralized?- Is civilizational collapse in the next 50 years likely?- Vitalik’s request for startups- Vitalik’s thoughts on the future of cities
9/15/20221 hour, 5 minutes, 40 seconds
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Wes Yang on the Culture War

4/24/20223 hours, 18 minutes, 53 seconds
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Eric Cline on 1177 B.C. & The Late Bronze Age

Eric Cline (@digkabri) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss 1177 B.C. and the late Bronze Age.
1/22/202159 minutes, 54 seconds
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Ole Jacob Madsen on The Therapeutic Turn

Ole Jacob Madsen joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his book "The Therapeutic Turn" and the rise of therapy culture.
1/22/20211 hour, 21 minutes, 39 seconds
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Stephen Hicks on Postmodernism

Stephen Hicks (@SRCHicks) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss postmodernism.
1/22/20211 hour, 18 minutes, 47 seconds
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Adrian Goldsworthy on Ancient Rome

Adrian Goldsworthy joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss ancient Rome.
1/22/202155 minutes, 55 seconds
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Deirdre McCloskey on Innovism vs. Capitalism

Deirdre McCloskey (@DeirdreMcClosk) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss "innovism" vs. capitalism.
1/22/20211 hour, 13 minutes, 49 seconds
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Michael Millerman on The Relationship Between Politics and Metaphysics

Michael Millerman joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the relationship between politics and metaphysics.
1/22/20211 hour, 17 minutes, 30 seconds
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Patrick Wyman on Communication & Mobility Throughout History

Patrick Wyman (@Patrick_Wyman) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss communication & mobility throughout history.
1/22/202157 minutes, 44 seconds
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Bryan Ward-Perkins on Late Antiquity

Bryan Ward-Perkins joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss late antiquity.
1/22/202150 minutes, 17 seconds
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Rod Dreher on the Culture War

Rod Dreher (@roddreher) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the culture war.
1/22/20211 hour, 4 minutes, 19 seconds
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Collin Hansen on the Decline of Christianity in Western Culture

Collin Hansen (@collinhansen) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the decline of Christianity in western culture.
1/22/202136 minutes, 9 seconds
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Kyle Sammin on American Conservatism

Kyle Sammin (@kylesammin) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss American Conservatism.
1/22/202152 minutes, 43 seconds
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Alexis Coe on George Washington & American History

Alexis Coe (@AlexisCoe) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss George Washington & American History.
1/22/202157 minutes, 28 seconds
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James K.A. Smith on How (Not) to Be Secular

James K.A. Smith (@james_ka_smith) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss How (Not) to Be Secular.
1/22/20211 hour, 4 minutes, 36 seconds
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Rudyard Lynch on Alternate History

Rudyard Lynch (https://www.youtube.com/user/WhatifAltHist) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Patrick Blumenthal (@patrickjblum) to discuss alternate history.
1/22/202147 minutes, 52 seconds
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Carl Trueman on The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self

Carl Trueman joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.
1/22/20211 hour, 1 second
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Matt Ridley on the Evolution of Everything

Matt Riddley (@mattwridley) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss the Evolution of Everything.
2/12/202052 minutes, 44 seconds
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Sean Carroll on the Questions of the Universe

Sean Carroll (@seanmcarroll) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss humanism, reconciling science and morality, and the role of physics in evolution.
2/12/202058 minutes
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Geoffrey West on Scale & Exponential Growth

Geoffrey West joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss scale, exponential growth, and cross pollination in scientific research.
2/12/20201 hour, 1 minute, 7 seconds
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Raghuram Rajan on Growth and Sustainable Development

Raghuram Rajan (@GRaghuramRajan) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on growth and sustainable development.
2/12/202056 minutes, 25 seconds
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Donald Hoffman on The Illusion of Reality

Don Hoffman (@donalddhoffman) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to discuss the Illusion of Reality, Religion, and Morality.
2/12/202057 minutes, 32 seconds
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Jonathan Pageau on Religion & Society

Jonathan Pageau (@PageauJonathan) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on religion and society.
2/12/20201 hour, 5 minutes, 50 seconds
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Gary Basin on How Trading Works

Gary Basin (@garybasin) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss how algorithmic trading crypto works.
2/12/20201 hour, 3 minutes, 19 seconds
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John Horgan on Consciousness and the Upper Limits of Science

John Horgan (@jjhorgan) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss consciousness and the upper limits of science.
2/12/20201 hour, 2 minutes, 44 seconds
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Soumaya Keynes on the State of Trade

Soumaya Keynes (@SoumayaKeynes) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) for this episode to discuss trade. They cover:- Does trade lead to job loss- Policies of the Trump administration- The future of the WTO and the rising trend of protectionism- Will future administrations become more closed off- Is the dollar being strong a good thing for the global economy- Did NAFTA achieve its goals- Should the WTO have been harder on China- The importance of the WTO’s dispute settlement system- The biggest unanswered questions in trade
2/11/20201 hour, 9 minutes, 58 seconds
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Samuel Hammond on Welfare Policy

Samuel Hammond (@hamandcheese) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss welfare policy and neo-medievalism.
2/11/20201 hour, 14 minutes, 37 seconds
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Doug Irwin on Trade Policy

Doug Irwin (@D_A_Irwin) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss U.S. trade policy.
2/11/202034 minutes, 36 seconds
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Sevilla King on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Sevilla King (@aqualityx) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
2/11/20201 hour, 7 minutes, 50 seconds
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Buster Benson on the Art of Productive Disagreement

Buster Benson (@buster) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the idea of productive disagreements, Buster's thoughts on nonviolent communication, and conflict theory.
2/9/202046 minutes, 25 seconds
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Margaret Peters on the Politics of Immigration

Margaret Peters (@migrationnerd) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the politics of migration, both in historical periods and in modern times, and why U.S. policy has shifted.
2/9/202045 minutes, 3 seconds
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Agnes Callard on Reconciling Egalitarianism & Meritocracy

Agnes Callard (@AgnesCallard) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the weakness of human will and various contradictions of the mind — especially the reconciliation between egalitarianism and meritocracy.
2/9/20201 hour, 8 minutes, 25 seconds
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Matt Prewitt on Radical Markets

Matt Prewitt (@m_t_prewitt) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss RadicalxChange, the future of nation states and corporations, data privacy, and improving democracy.
2/9/202056 minutes, 18 seconds
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Daron Acemoglu on Government and Economy

Daron Acemoglu (@DrDaronAcemoglu) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the state of democracy, China's model, charter cities, and why nations fail.
2/9/202056 minutes, 58 seconds
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Brian Nosek on Open Science & The Replication Crisis

Brian Nosek (@BrianNosek) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) and Laura Deming (@laurademing) to open science, the replication crisis, and incentives in scientific research.
2/9/202057 minutes, 38 seconds
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Yuval Levin on the Past, Present and Future of Conservatism

Yuval Levin joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss conservatism, the future of various institutions, and how social media is affecting institutions.You can find a copy of his new book, "A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream" here: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Build-Community-Recommitting-Institutions-ebook/dp/B07SGQB1NH
2/9/202057 minutes, 50 seconds
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Scott Sumner on the History of Monetary Policy

Scott Sumner (https://www.themoneyillusion.com/) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the Fed, historical financial crises, and the economic outcomes of war.
2/9/202050 minutes, 45 seconds
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Dinny McMahon on the Chinese Economy

Dinny McMahon (@DinnyMcMahon) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss China's debt, monetary policy, and the future of the Chinese economy.
2/9/202050 minutes, 42 seconds
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Frederick Crews on the Legacy of Freud

Frederick Crews joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the legacy of Freud, why he persists in popularity, and his thoughts on Carl Jung.
2/9/20201 hour, 7 minutes, 8 seconds
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Bryan Cutsinger on Monetary Policy & the Gold Standard

Bryan Cutsinger (@BryanCutsinger) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss monetary policy in the U.S. as well as the gold standard.
2/9/202055 minutes, 1 second
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Jared Bernstein on the Fed & the Financial Crisis

Jared Bernstein (@econjared) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the Fed, the biggest lessons in fiscal policy from the past decade, and the financial crisis.
2/9/20201 hour, 2 minutes, 35 seconds
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Daniel Kaufman on the Problems in Philosophy

Daniel Kaufman (@ElectricAgora) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the various problems in philosophy.
2/9/20201 hour, 10 minutes, 32 seconds
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Carola Binder on the Policy of the Fed

Carola Binder (@cconces) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the policy of the Fed.
2/9/202047 minutes, 16 seconds
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Donald Kohn on the History of the Fed

Donald Kohn joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the history of the Fed.
2/9/202042 minutes, 2 seconds
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Binyamin Appelbaum on How Economists Have Shaped the World

Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss how economists have shaped the world.
2/9/202044 minutes, 35 seconds
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Ioana Marinescu on the Future of Economic Policy

Ioana Marinescu (@mioana) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss the future of Economic Policy.
2/9/202051 minutes, 53 seconds
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John Mearsheimer on American Foreign Policy

John Mearsheimer joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on American foreign policy.
2/9/20201 hour, 16 minutes, 22 seconds
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Crispin Sartwell on Aesthetics & Philosophy

Crispin Sartwell (@CrispinSartwell) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on aesthetics and philosophy.
2/9/202056 minutes, 33 seconds
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Massimo Pigliucci on Stoicism

Massimo Pigliucci (@MPigliucci) joins Erik Torenberg (@eriktorenberg) to discuss his views on Stoicism and how it can help us in our lives.
2/9/202055 minutes, 10 seconds