Reflections on the intersection of economics, history, politics, psychology and science
This podcast is about the psychology and economics around always trying to get ahead – to “beat the system.” It seems pretty obvious that so many of us want to get ahead, but there are many issues about how we think we *can* beat the system and the many reasons why we think we *should*
31: Jumping the Line Read More »
Ever wonder why the Trump administration keeps repeating debunked claims? Or why it regularly denies objective evidence, and encourages everyone else to do the same? Welcome to the wonderful world of gaslighting! Tune in to the latest from your favorite amphibians to learn more! This podcast is a bit lighter than other episodes but uses
This podcast explores the notion of income inequality. Although it’s an oft-discussed subject, it’s not always defined well or only discussed in the narrow band of the moral arguments against it. This discussion is meant to go deeper, including examining both the positive and negative aspects of inequality and its role in an economic system.
29: Ribbiting Disparities Read More »
This episode examines the political debates around public health and public health policy. It is a perfect case study to illustrate so many of the principles covered in earlier podcasts, such as capitalism, externalities, risk, paranoia, and the dumbing down of America. Public health policy is a particularly odd political topic, because in a completely
Welcome to The Boiling Frog reboot! The first 26 episodes were examinations of general topics, such as understanding capitalism, how social psychology belies the principles of capitalism, and how this all shapes political dialog. The new podcasts will look at specific policies of the new administration and use those as case studies to illustrate the
A recent article in Nature reported on the results of the first (so far as I know) research into how search algorithms might encourage/promote partisanship. Turns out readers, not algorithms, are the issue. Readers, Not Algorithms, Are the Issue
Readers, Not Algorithms, Are the Issue Read More »
There was an interesting op ed in the journal Science recently, talking about how, even in something as objective as the pursuit of scientific insights, you need a high-functioning community. The common image that truth is found when a single individual (usually a guy) in a white coat shouts “Eureka!” is flat out wrong. It
The Community Is Critical Read More »
This podcast is all about labor unions – why they exist, their history in the U.S., a brief comparison with unions in other countries, the pros and cons of unions, and the larger political implications of their existence. This is a controversial topic in U.S. politics, with many voters (and most elected officials) falling squarely
Building off the prior podcast on learning from the past, this discussion is all about success and failure. We all know the common wisdom that we all learn more from failure than from success, but of course we don’t strive to fail all of the time! Defining success and failure is not as simple as
I’m embarrassed to admit that, like I suspect many White Americans, when I think about “Martin Luther King” and “speeches” I only come up with one: “I Have a Dream”. Granted, it is great, because it’s beautiful, intense, emotional and thought-provoking. But it’s not the only thing he ever delivered deserving of recognition. Jamelle Bouie,