Better to be a realist or an idealist? Economists and political scientists often stress a view of how the world is rather than what it ought to be. But how should we as individuals view our world and the people inhabiting it? Enoch and Tim discuss the merits of both perspectives as they think through when we should choose to be realists and when is it better to be idealists.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Recording Date: 17 June 2024

What is the best way to craft a welfare system which best maximizing the flourishing of citizens? Tim and Enoch discuss the nature of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a replacement to existing welfare programs and review findings on the effectiveness of UBI. As usual, the discussion goes beyond economics and politics as they discuss why lower income populations have worse outcomes such as life expectancy and whether adding money will meaningfully address the problem. They end while reflecting on the very goal of welfare systems and whether countries ever take the time to consider what it means to flourish.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Recording Date: 23 July 2024

Richard Hughes Gibson, a Professor of English at Wheaton College, joins Enoch and Tim to discuss the history and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society. How is AI distinct from other technological advances and how will it shape the course of history? Professor Gibson has written extensively on the topic and shares his insights as well as assuages fears for an imminent apocalypse.

If you want to read Dr. Gibson on the intellectual origins of today’s text generators, try his article “Language Machinery” that ran in Hedgehog Review last fall (not currently paywalled):

https://hedgehogreview.com/issues/markets-and-the-good/articles/language-machinery

Gibson’s shorter essay on “The New Verbal Economy” is also available on the Hedgehog website:

https://hedgehogreview.com/web-features/thr/posts/the-new-verbal-economy

If you are looking for an accessible introduction to the history of AI research and development, get a copy of Michael Wooldridge’s _A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence_(2021). It was published before the public debut of ChatGPT, so it is already(!) a little bit out of date. But Wooldridge tells the back story of AI exceptionally well, and he *does* include a great chapter on deep learning and the company DeepMind toward the end that is very helpful for understanding current state of machine learning.

If you want an accessible introduction to the breakthrough behind today’s writing machines, so-called “large language models,” try Cal Newport’s article for The New Yorker “What Kind of Mind Does ChatGPT Have?”.

https://www.newyorker.com/science/annals-of-artificial-intelligence/what-kind-of-mind-does-chatgpt-have

Some tech writers for The New York Times built an imitation of ChatGPT, called BabyGPT, that offers an illuminating window into how the “prediction engines” inside these bots improve by testing themselves in training. You need to get over the paywall here; but it’s worth the effort.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/04/26/upshot/gpt-from-scratch.html

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Recording Date: 19 September 2024

If people seek likeminded groups to avoid conflict, is our very anxiety toward disagreement fueling polarization? Having recently read The Anxious Generation (Jonathan Haidt), Enoch runs a new hypothesis by Tim about anxiety as a cause of polarization. They discuss the nature of polarization and whether young people are more polarized than older generations. Some theories are meant to fly while other fall short. Join the fun to learn if Enoch’s ideas fly too close to the sun.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Recording Date: 12 June 2024

Civilizations across history have had an aristocracy to govern politics and culture. The advent of democracy levelled society and made us all equals, but can we ever truly rid ourselves of a ruling class which dictate trends and values? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the benefits and harms of an aristocracy and what is lost when we free ourselves from the ruling class.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Recording Date: 23 May 2024

How far should we go when we plan our families and what should guide us when we consider fertility? Bioethicist Dr. Calum MacKellar joins Tim in conversation on the equality of all life and the growing challenges of eugenics as parents select which children to welcome into their families and which to turn away. What may have looked like the horrors of the 20th Century are making a resurgence in many western societies.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Recording Date: 1 May 2024

Free speech is a bedrock of American democratic society and oftentimes protected above other rights. However, many who consider some rhetoric as harmful and potentially violent have called for certain limits to free expression such as Scotland’s hate crime law (entered into force April 1, 2024). Enoch and Tim freely express themselves on the benefits and challenges of free speech toward a flourishing society.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Recording Date: 15 April 2024

Did you know that conditional on giving birth, the probability of having a C-section is 10 times more likely in Mexico than in Sudan? Perhaps more surprising is that people who give birth in our local hospital are more than two times as likely to have a C-section than in the next closest hospital.

Life is inherently risky. Sometimes these risks lead to situations where we need outside help. But what if that outside help is also risky? In this episode Enoch and Tim discuss the interaction of risk aversion, medical intervention, and cultural norms. Listen in and decide for yourself whether you are pro-cedure or anti.

Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Recording Date: 21 March 2024