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362 | Luis Bettencourt on the Universal Properties of Self-Organizing Cities
Yesterday01:20:07Tap to summarizePodcast: Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas (LS 69 · TOP 0.05% what is this?)Episode: 362 | Luis Bettencourt on the Universal Properties of Self-Organizing CitiesPub date: 2026-07-27Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationPeople who live in large cities produce more patents per person than those who live in small towns. They also walk faster down the street, and use less infrastructure per person. Indeed, the relationships between these quantities and city population obey power laws with apparently universal exponents, reminiscent of scaling laws is biological organisms? Luis Bettencourt argues that they can be explained in similar ways, using ideas from complex systems and network theory. Blog post with transcript: https://preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026/07/27/362-luis-bettencourt-on-the-universal-properties-of-self-organizing-cities/ Support Mindscape on Patreon. Luis Bettencourt received a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Imperial College London. He is currently the Lorna Puttkammer Straus Professor Department of Ecology and Evolution & Data Sciences Institute, as well as Associate Faculty and Special Friend in the Department of Sociology, at the University of Chicago. He is the author of Introduction to Urban Science: Evidence and Theory of Cities as Complex Systems. Web site University of Chicago web page Google Scholar publications Wikipedia The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Sean Carroll, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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How populists turn distrust into power
2d ago00:31:11Tap to summarizePodcast: Reasonably Optimistic (LS 43 · TOP 1.5% what is this?)Episode: How populists turn distrust into powerPub date: 2026-07-08Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationPopulist candidates have a way of making politics feel simple. They tell voters that the problem is obvious, the villains are known and the solution is to break through corrupt institutions standing in the way. That message can be emotionally powerful, but what happens after populists win? Why do they so often win the crowd but lose the plot?Host Megan McArdle is joined by Richard Hanania, a political scientist and writer whose ideological journey has taken many turns. His new book, "Kakistocracy," argues that populism tends to produce worse leaders, weaker institutions, more corruption and a politics driven by resentment and conspiratorial thinking. They discuss why populism is so appealing and whether liberal democracy can rebuild trust.Subscribe to The Washington Post here.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Washington Post, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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Lana Swartz on Digital Money and Digital Cultures of Money
3d ago01:24:03Tap to summarizePodcast: Peoples & Things (LS 32 · TOP 5% what is this?)Episode: Lana Swartz on Digital Money and Digital Cultures of MoneyPub date: 2026-07-27Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationPeoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with Lana Swartz, Associate Professor of Media Studies and Shannon Mid-Career at the University of Virginia, where she runs the Digital Cultures and Economies Lab. Swartz is a creative and wide-ranging thinker and researcher. The pair focuses on Swartz's book, New Money: How Payment Became social media, and talks about her recent work on youth money cultures and on the rich business and media dimensions of contemporary nail artists and salons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesThe podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Peoples & Things, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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#136 - Katharine Birbalsingh - Why Britain Stopped Believing Children Need Discipline
4d ago01:06:13Tap to summarizePodcast: Thinking Class (LS 30 · TOP 5% what is this?)Episode: #136 - Katharine Birbalsingh - Why Britain Stopped Believing Children Need DisciplinePub date: 2026-07-16Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationKatharine Birbalsingh is the headmistress and founder of Michaela Community School in Wembley, and a former UK Social Mobility Commissioner.She built the most successful school in Britain from nothing — in one of London's poorest boroughs — by insisting on the things the educational establishment now treats as radical: discipline, gratitude, knowledge, and the belief that every child is capable of excellence. Her results are extraordinary. Almost nobody in the profession will copy her.In this conversation, we think out loud about:Why Katharine believes children are born naughty rather than good — and why saying so out loud triggered a national media stormWhy the most progressive schools in Britain are often the expensive private ones, not the state schools everyone assumes are failingWhat actually happens inside a school that treats children as capable of excellence rather than victims of circumstanceThe ARC speech that caused a stir — on minoritarian victimhood, institutional shame, and why she thinks a certain group of people in Britain need to simply "take a break"Her real disagreement with Connor Tomlinson — whether ancestry or shared values are what actually holds a nation togetherWhy she believes schools now shape children more powerfully than families do — and what that means for the future of the countryFind Katharine Birbalsingh:- Strictly Education: https://www.youtube.com/@StrictlyEdPod- Michaela School: https://www.michaela.education/Related episodes:- Lord Tony Sewell — Life At The Bottom In Broken Britain: https://youtu.be/WKf26_Va_yM?si=AjIKvZdCndHSyTx4- Frank Furedi — In Defence of Populism: https://youtu.be/qTdxAR40T4E?si=MREy9eLow-XGWoS4Jonathan Rose — What The British Working Class Lost And Who Is Responsible: https://youtu.be/OKHcEo2QrJg?si=cE6cr_Ypgs6geVyhThe Call of England — a documentary series retracing a 1927 journey through England to discover what remains of the national inheritance. Watch Episode 1 here: https://youtu.be/muBQWIP6ZQQ?si=y2zHLbn8juRbQidlThinking Class is a long-form interview podcast on the cultural, historical and civilisational forces shaping England, Britain, the Anglosphere and the wider West. Hosted by John Gillam.▶ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkingClass✍ Substack: https://thinkingclass.substack.com🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/37vvzrlxpo8eORDoTDRtbH🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/thinking-class/id1717021615🐦 X: https://x.com/thinkingclassesNew episodes every Thursday at 3pm.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Gillam, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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Dr. Jared Horvath: "The Digital Delusion"
4d ago00:20:58Tap to summarizePodcast: Book Club with Michael Smerconish (LS 40 · TOP 1.5% what is this?)Episode: Dr. Jared Horvath: "The Digital Delusion"Pub date: 2026-07-17Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationMichael speaks with neuroscientist and educator Dr. Jared Horvath about his provocative book, "The Digital Delusion:How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning–and How to Help Them Thrive Again." Drawing on cognitive science and classroom data, Horvath argues that the widespread use of laptops, tablets, and other digital devices in schools is harming students' ability to learn, remember, and think critically. They explore why reading on paper still matters, the decline in cognitive performance among younger generations, and whether it's time to put the screens away and bring pencils back to the classroom. Original air date 16 July 2026. Book Publish Date 18 August 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from SiriusXM, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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How AI Could Actually Make the World Better
5d ago00:44:15Tap to summarizePodcast: What's Your Problem? (LS 47 · TOP 1% what is this?)Episode: How AI Could Actually Make the World BetterPub date: 2026-06-25Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationJosh Tyrangiel is the author of “AI for Good: How Real People Are Using Artificial Intelligence to Fix Things That Matter.” On today’s show, Josh talks about some of these real people and the problems they’re working on: a professor trying to understand her nonverbal son, a general who delivered millions of Covid vaccines in 2021, and a hospital CEO trying to reduce the rate of deadly infections. In this episode, Josh explains: Where AI is helping to reduce hospital infections (and where it’s struggling) Why distributing the Covid vaccine was almost as hard as creating it Why convincing people to use AI is often the hardest problem to solve Why we should use nuclear weapons as a model for regulating AI Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram Email us at problem@pushkin.fm Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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669. Liberalism and Discontent: Exploring Modern Democracy with Francis Fukuyama
1w ago00:57:44Tap to summarizePodcast: unSILOed with Greg LaBlanc (LS 41 · TOP 1.5% what is this?)Episode: 669. Liberalism and Discontent: Exploring Modern Democracy with Francis FukuyamaPub date: 2026-07-21Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationFrancis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a faculty member of FSI's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL). He is also Director of Stanford's Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy, and a professor (by courtesy) of Political Science. In addition he is the author of several books. His most recent titles are Liberalism and Its Discontents, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, and the upcoming In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir. Greg and Francis talk about Frank’s “End of History” thesis and later work on liberalism, identity, trust, and political order. Fukuyama argues long-run historical progress is visible in the gap between developed and developing societies, but he still sees no coherent “higher” alternative to liberal democracy and market society. He also explains that modern discontent through generational forgetting of 20th-century horrors and a deeper human desire for recognition and struggle (thymos), including megalothymia - the drive for superiority, which can turn tyrannical. They discuss how modern prosperity arose from Europe’s unique mix of innovation culture, political fragmentation, religious schism, and family changes that fostered individualism. Frank contrasts state strength with constraint, and traces democracy’s path through England to parliament and common law, critiques American anti-statism in state-building, and examines China vs India. They also discuss war’s effects on state capacity, the internet’s role in polarization and factual disagreement, and the need for shared liberal norms. *unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.* Episode Quotes: The collapse of a shared factual basis [47:23] Liberal societies need to tolerate viewpoint diversity, but what we're seeing goes way beyond this. This is kind of empirical, factual diversity where people don't accept the same factual basis of the nature of the world. So, you know, are vaccines safe? Well, we used to think there was consensus about that because you have this whole accepted scientific system for empirical testing of propositions like that, and for some reason now people don't trust that anymore, or, you know, who won the last election, sort of, issue. Very hard to have a democracy if you disagree about whether you had a free and fair election, right? And these, again, I think would not have existed in the pre-internet age, that kind of disagreement over just simple factual information. The absence of a higher alternative to liberal democracy [05:18] A lot of people have lost faith in liberal democracy, but I still don't see anyone posing a real alternative of a higher society. Does the rule of law hold without shared norms? [54:46] One thing that the last few years have taught me is that, in a way, you know, we used to think there's law and there are norms, and the norms are basically more flighty and less weighty, but the law is really a big barrier to bad action. And I think we're realizing that's not true. Everything is normative. Why the drive for superiority can't simply be eliminated [12:42] It was Bob Iger or some big CEO who wanted to climb the seven highest mountains in the world, you know? So there's a lot of ways that you can demonstrate your superiority that are basically, if not socially constructive, they're at least peaceful; you know, they're not going to harm other people. But it turns out that for Donald Trump, at least that wasn't enough. And I think that's a basic problem. You want outlets for this, what I call "megalothumia." This is the desire to be recognized as superior, and basically you can't have a society without that. I mean, you're not going to have any great baseball players, musicians, you know, philosophers if you don't have people that want to be excellent at something. But that also unleashes a kind of tyrannical desire to simply dominate, and I think that's the problem we're dealing with right now. Show Links: Recommended Resources: United States Agency for International Development Karl Marx Liberalism Thumos Bob Iger Choosing the Right Pond: Human Behavior and the Quest for Status Joel Mokyr Roman Empire Reformation Caesaropapism Henry II of England Estates of the Realm Oliver Cromwell Glorious Revolution Assize of Novel Disseisin Code of Justinian Neal Stephenson Robert D. Putnam Guest Profile: Faculty Profile at Stanford University Wikipedia Profile Social Profile on X Guest Work: Amazon Author Page In the Realm of the Last Man: A Memoir Liberalism and Its Discontents Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment State Building: Governance and World Order in the 21st Century <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Political-Order-Decay-Industrial-Globalization-ebook/dp/B00IQOFS7M/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=bNVql&content-...
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Rationally Speaking #165 - Robert Frank on "Success and Luck"
1w ago00:56:13Tap to summarizePodcast: Rationally Speaking Podcast (LS 58 · TOP 0.5% what is this?)Episode: Rationally Speaking #165 - Robert Frank on "Success and Luck"Pub date: 2016-08-07Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationIf someone asks you, "What caused your success (in finance, your career, etc.)?" what probably comes to mind for you is a story about how you worked hard and made smart choices. Which is likely true -- but what you don't see are all the people who also worked hard and made smart choices, but didn't succeed because luck wasn't on their side. In this episode, Julia chats with professor of economics Robert Frank about his latest book, Success and Luck: The Myth of the Modern Meritocracy. They explore questions like: Why do we discount the role of luck in success? Has luck become more important in recent years? And would acknowledging luck's importance sap our motivation to try?The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from New York City Skeptics, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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How Life Works: AMSEcast with Philip Ball
1w ago00:49:17Tap to summarizePodcast: AMSEcastEpisode: How Life Works: AMSEcast with Philip BallPub date: 2026-07-15Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationOn this episode of AMSEcast, host and American Museum of Science and Energy executive director Alan Lowe discusses the science of life with Philip Ball, taking an in-depth dive into Ball's newest book, How Life Works: A User's Guide to the New Biology.The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from American Museum of Science and Energy, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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Matt Ridley Knows How to Stop the AI Apocalypse
1w ago00:28:29Tap to summarizePodcast: Optimists Make Money (LS 27 · TOP 10% what is this?)Episode: Matt Ridley Knows How to Stop the AI ApocalypsePub date: 2026-07-15Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationMatt Ridley has spent decades studying evolution, innovation, energy, genetics, and the forces that shape human progress. In this conversation, he argues that many of today's biggest debates about AI, energy, biotechnology, and economic growth are missing the bigger picture. We discuss why AI is more likely to evolve through competition than domination, why America may be entering a new era of physical innovation, how breakthroughs in gene editing and medicine could transform healthcare, and why slowing innovation may be the greatest cost we impose on future generations. Whether you're interested in AI, startups, energy, biotechnology, or the future of civilization, this conversation from SIC 2026 offers a refreshingly optimistic, evidence-based perspective on what's coming next. Chapters 00:00 Cold Open 01:05 Is America's Innovation Famine Finally Over? 05:00 Why AI Won't Become One Superintelligence 07:48 Using AI to Defend Against AI 08:10 AI's Massive Energy Demand and the Future of Power 10:50 Nuclear, Fusion, and the Rise of Private Innovation 13:00 Why AI Is Changing the Energy Debate 14:36 The Biotech Revolution Is Here 18:23 Can We Finally Beat Cancer? 19:32 Europe, America, and the Future of Innovation 20:37 Why Slowing Innovation Hurts Future Generations 21:59 What Would Matt Ridley Change First? 22:22 Can America Sustain an Innovation Boom? 24:39 Why Civilization Is More Resilient Than We Think 27:01 What Happens If We Discover Alien Life? 27:47 Closing Thoughts The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Stephen McBride, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
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