AI powered humanoid robots are headed to the market, ready to help with household tasks. Unlike cloud-based AIs that assist with purely cognitive tasks, these industrious little fellers can help do the dishes, clean your house, and fold your laundry. What flavor of omen is this? Is this the dawn of the Jetsons-adjacent future we were promised in the 20th century, or is this evidence that disaster lurks over the technological horizon? Tune in to find out!
Recent high inflation and the state of the economy have renewed concerns about how independent the Federal Reserve is. Should the Fed’s independence continue the way it has, or should the Federal government revisit its relationship with the Fed? How do the Magnificent 7 tech stocks sway the S&P 500? Investment expert, Wiley Angell, son of former Fed Reserve Governor, Dr. Wayne Angell, speaks with Russ and Peter about these questions and more.
Description: Russ leads an interesting discussion about a dilemma aging music fans face: should you fork over a lot of money to see the original band - wrinkles, walkers and all? Or might it be wiser to pay less money to see a cover band energetically perform your favorite hits? This question might sound narrow, but it leads the team into a wide-ranging and spirited conversation about the value and types of authenticity we seek. Join in!
Justin leads a discussion on the evolution of and connection between three worldviews: Supernaturalism, Humanism, and Naturalism. There's a fourth view, Nihilism, which no one seems to want to endorse. How do we avoid it?Join in for a fruitful discussion!
What went wrong with the internet? A technology that promised connection, freedom, and individual expression seems to be delivering a stifling, conformist monoculture. Peter leads a discussion about the old promise and more recent perils of putting our lives online. Join in for a thoughtful conversation about where we are and where we’re going.
Russ leads a discussion about credit, drawing a clear and needed distinction between one's credit score and the overall picture of a person that a lender considers when deciding whether or not to extend a loan. Listen in to discover how lending institutions might evaluate your proposal, and discover some strategies to make yourself more attractive to those institutions!
In the US, signing up to be an organ donor is extremely easy (you just check a box when you apply for or renew your driver's license), and the program as a whole is credited with saving a large number of lives. However, recent scandals have cast a shadow on the way organ procurement operates some of these 'donors' may not have in fact been dead. Justin leads a discussion about whether a program which looks to be an unmitigated success might in fact be much more morally ambiguous than we previously thought. What should we do now?
Political violence is ramping up again: Charlie Kirk was recently murdered on stage in front of his family on a college campus. At the time of recording, many details were still not settled. Peter leads a discussion about what the Charlie Kirk murder means, what we can learn from this horrific event, and what we ought to do going forward.
20th Century Sovietologist Robert Conquest famously articulated three 'laws' of politics:
Join in for a fruitful discussion about whether these laws are correct, false, or merely 'good rules of thumb'.
Commercial architecture is trending toward bland brown and grey boxes. Newly built suburbs are grey. New cars look increasingly indistinguishable and have mostly eliminated bright exterior color. What is going on?
Peter leads a discussion on the rise of a design monoculture that seems both pervasive and stifling. Where did it come from? Where is it going? Why?
What political possibilities are on the table? Political pundits often refer to the 'Overton Window', to refer to the changing set of policies which we are 'allowed' to consider. Peter leads a discussion of the ways in which the Overton Window constrains, and is constrained by, politics, culture, and even specific individuals.
Whenever inflation is in the news, discussion of using gold as an inflation hedge usually follows. Russ leads a discussion on the merits of incorporating gold into retirement planning, and his simple message is: don't do it. Join the Gwartney Team for an informative discussion about growing your financial independence.
A population consisting of disillusioned young men who think they have no stake in the future has historically been a recipe for disaster. A graph showing the collapse in the percentage of Americans in their 30s who are both a) married and b) own a home caused a stir on X recently. Peter leads a discussion about what this means for the political prospects in the United States. Join us for a discussion about the risks of revolutionary youth!
Political disagreements are rarely settled and often end in a stalemate where each party believes the other is just obviously wrong. Justin leads a discussion about ways to defuse political disagreements by taking a look at what kinds of beliefs political theories consist of, focusing on how and where we might move the needle
Nearly 3 in 4 Americans think more people should start using a budgeting app, according to a recent WalletHub survey - do you agree? Peter and Russ both agree that a budget is critical component for financial success. Listen to them lay out why this is so important as it relates to spending, investing, and giving. Is it biblically sound to invest your money rather than giving it to the church? Does a Christian’s budget look different than other budgets? How should spouses communicate money issues with each other? Join the team in tackling these questions and more.
You may not know it, but the suburbs are under ideological attack as exclusionary, artificial, and socially destructive. We discuss these criticisms, along with the legal mechanisms employed to make suburban construction more difficult or flat-out impossible. The team also develops some arguments in favor of the virtues that suburban living fosters. Join us for a spirited defense of the 'burbs!
How should we pray? Peter leads a thoughtful discussion about the importance of prayer, and in particular the virtues of the different forms' prayer can take. Should our prayers be scripted and recited, or personal conversations with God? What should we be praying for? When should we pray? Join the Gwartney team for a discussion about the way we ought to relate ourselves to the Almighty.
Fed independence is in the news as the Trump Team spars with Jerome Powell, and this clash brings with it questions about how independent the monetary system is and ought to be from the political system. Russ and Peter explain the reasoning behind Fed independence and articulate just how this nominal independence actually plays out, and Justin tries to keep up.
The Catholic Church has a new Pope! Levi Russell joins us today to talk about what this means for the Church going forward, including what the selection of the name 'Leo' might indicate for the Pontiff's intended trajectory. Levi is a former Gwartney Institute member and co-founder of this very podcast, currently teaches at the University of Kansas, and is also the founder and director of the Leonine Institue for Catholic Social Teaching, and so is the best person we know of to guide this discussion. Enjoy!
The concept of 'utility' is often deployed in economic arguments, and this can make it seem like economists are speaking an exotic and technical dialect. So, what exactlyis utility? How do we measure it? Is there utility in the room with us right now? Join us for a fruitful clarification of a fundamental concept in economic theory.