Sometimes on this show, we talk about the news. This episode is about the diametric opposite of the news. It’s about thinking deeply about human history and trying to appreciate the awesome length of time and the finitude of our lives. It's an interview with Tim Urban, a blogger at the mind-expanding site Wait But Why, and the author of a new book What’s Our ... Show More
Yesterday
Why Everything Is Going to Keep Getting More Expensive
For much of the 21st century, the U.S. economy was built around cheap money. Today, though, interest rates are rising, and borrowing is getting much more expensive. At the same time, the federal government is running huge deficits while governments and companies around the world ... Show More
41m 54s
Aug 18
Higher Education’s Age of ‘Insufferable Hypocrisy’
It would be an understatement to say that higher education is in crisis, as it faces attacks from both the current presidential administration as well as issues of its own making, like diversity politics. Today, Derek talks with Tyler Austin Harper, author of the viral essay “Con ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 14
It May Be Time to Freak Out About AI
Today, Derek talks with cybersecurity expert Alex Stamos about a recent wave of alarming AI cyberattacks. For decades, one of the biggest fears about AI has been that the machines will start doing things we didn’t ask them to do. This summer, that fear started to feel a little le ... Show More
1h 17m
Jun 2025
The Right Way To Be A Skeptic w/ Tim Urban
This week I sit down with writer and thinker Tim Urban, creator of the blog Wait But Why to talk: political polarization, AI, university campuses and even dating. Tim brings his trademark clarity and curiosity to a conversation that covers the rise of tribal thinking, the challen ... Show More
1h 8m
Feb 2023
#360 – Tim Urban: Tribalism, Marxism, Liberalism, Social Justice, and Politics
Tim Urban is the author of the blog Wait But Why and a new book What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – House of Macadamias: https://houseofmacadamias.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off your first order ... Show More
3h 10m
Feb 2022
#264 – Tim Urban: Elon Musk, Neuralink, AI, Aliens, and the Future of Humanity
Tim Urban is the author and illustrator of the popular blog ‘Wait But Why’. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Audible: https://audible.com/lex to get $9.95 a month for 6 months – Paperspace: https://gradient.run/lex to get $15 credit – Coinbase: https:// ... Show More
2h 43m
Apr 2023
#315 — The Great Derangement
<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with Tim Urban about his new book, "<a href="https://waitbutwhy.com/whatsourproblem">What's Our Problem: A Self-Help Book for Societies</a>." They discuss Tim's unusual career, the finitude of life, existential risk, exponential technological change ... Show More
59m 57s
<p><strong><a href="https://waitbutwhy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Wait But Why</em></a>'s Tim Urban helps us find ways to cope with the chaos of current events in his new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Our-Problem-Self-Help-Societies-ebook/dp/B0BTJCTR58 ... Show More
