26 September 2017
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Scientology vs. the IRS
In this video:
Can identity politics win over average voters?
Mark Lilla, author of the new book The Once and Future Liberal, on why progressives should organize around principles rather than identity.
Is Facebook dangerous?
Bill Scher and Matt Lewis discuss Russia’s use of the site to influence American public opinion.
Why good grades aren’t everything
Glenn Loury explains how academia could benefit from more flexible measures of merit. Plus: Is there a downside to social uplift?
Turning your autopilot off
Developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik and Robert Wright discuss how meditation can disrupt rigid patterns in adult cognition. Plus: Did Hume borrow from Buddhism?
Play this clip on MeaningofLife.tv
Unfit in every sense
Aryeh Cohen-Wade and actress Zandy Hartig speculate on Trump’s mental and physical constitution. Plus: Coping with Trump.
Military monks
Scholar of religion Michael Jerryson, author of Buddhist Fury, on responses to Muslim-Buddhist violence in southern Thailand. Plus: The Buddhist apocalypse.
Play this clip on MeaningofLife.tv
From Gamergate to white supremacy
YouTuber ContraPoints explains how the far right came to dominate political discussion on YouTube.
Whose heritage are we protecting?
Historian William R. Black explains how Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest came to replace Robert E. Lee as an icon of white dominance in the Neo-Confederate movement. Plus: Alternate histories of the South.
The DMZ
The “death panel” charge returns
Bill Scher and Matt Lewis predict likely Republican responses to Bernie Sanders’ new “Medicare-for-All” bill. Plus: Why single-payer won’t be a slam dunk.
MeaningofLife.tv
Practice makes perfect
Jazz pianist Aaron Goldberg explains the cognitive feat of performing improvisational music. Plus: The meeting of musical minds.
Play this clip on MeaningofLife.tvThe DMZ
Trump’s DACA debacle
Bill Scher and Matt Lewis on why Trump’s DACA repeal is a no-win situation for Republicans. Plus: Should Trump’s wall be a deal breaker?
MeaningofLife.tv
What Peter Singer overlooks
Philosopher Stephen Asma, author of the new book The Evolution of Imagination, says that advocates of “effective altruism” should consider how imagination aids moral development. Plus: What came before consciousness?
Play this clip on MeaningofLife.tvMeaningofLife.tv
Are we doomed?
Futurist Phil Torres tries to convince Robert Wright that the side-effects of artificial intelligence may include our extinction. Plus: Can climate change help terrorists?
Play this clip on MeaningofLife.tvThe Glenn Show
Why class is key
Penn Law professor Amy Wax identifies the bourgeois habits and virtues extolled in her controversial recent op-ed. Plus: Are upper-middle class values “superior”?