21 April 2018
“Secular” meditation as sacred
Jon Kabat-Zinn, creator of mindfulness-based stress reduction, discusses the practice’s deep Buddhist roots.
In this video:
Whither the nerd?
Aryeh Cohen-Wade and Miles Klee consider the place of the social outcast after nerd culture has gone mainstream.
Are conservatives getting the “out-group” treatment?
Mark Kleiman and Megan McArdle discuss perceived prejudice against conservatives in academia and other fields.
Flirting with impeachment
Bill Scher and Matt Lewis discuss whether it would be smart politics for Trump to fire Robert Mueller or Rod Rosenstein. Plus: Did Paul Ryan fail in his vision?
Sex and the death of Backpage
Aryeh Cohen-Wade and Elizabeth Nolan Brown discuss how sex workers will adapt to the federal government’s recent closure of the controversial website.
Why Medicare for All is not as simple as it sounds
Harold Pollack and David Perry point to services for the disabled as something often overlooked by supporters of single-payer healthcare.
The Cambridge Analytica story is overblown
Michael Brendan Dougherty makes the case.
When neuroscience falls short
Massimo Pigliucci, co-editor of the new book Science Unlimited?: The Challenges of Scientism, explains why science alone can never answer all questions about human consciousness. Plus: Why there is no empirically grounded “good”.
Play this clip on MeaningofLife.tv
The futility of “blame and shame”
Bill Scher and Matt Lewis evaluate the aggressively partisan tactics of gun control activists. Plus: Roseanne returns.
The Wright Show
What the Stoics thought about revenge
Ryan Holiday, author of Conspiracy, a new book on the destruction of Gawker, discusses how the Stoics might have viewed the conflict between Peter Thiel and Nick Denton. Plus: A genuine conspiracy
The DMZ
Comey wrestles with a pig
Bill Scher and Matt Lewis weigh whether James Comey’s memoir has sullied his reputation.
Culturally Determined
Will good television stand the test of time?
Aryeh Cohen-Wade and media critic Sonny Bunch discuss the past and future of the changing medium.
MeaningofLife.tv
What brain imaging doesn’t tell us
Stephen Asma and Rami Gabriel discuss the limits of neuroscience in understanding human emotion and cognition.
Play this clip on MeaningofLife.tvThe DMZ
Why impeachment isn’t going to happen
Bill Scher argues that pushing for impeachment is a waste of effort and that a criminal indictment of the president is a surer outcome.
The #MeToo moment in children’s publishing
