Yesterday

Simon Sebag Montefiore on the Origins of the Modern Middle East

Yascha Mounk and Simon Sebag Montefiore discuss how the fall of the Ottoman Empire shaped the region we know today. Simon Sebag Montefiore is a historian and author. His latest book is The Cauldron: The Origins of the Modern Middle East. In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk ... Show More

52m 19s

Sep 23

Shashank Joshi on Why Russia Won't Invade NATO—Yet

Yascha Mounk and Shashank Joshi also discuss Trump's war in the Middle East and the differences between the United States and Europe. Shashank Joshi is The Economist‘s Washington bureau chief, having previously covered defense and national security for the publication for eight y ... Show More

47m 26s

Sep 19

Jerry Kaplan on Why AI Won’t Kill Us All

Yascha Mounk and Jerry Kaplan debate whether the existential risk from AI is overstated—and if so, what we should be worrying about instead. Jerry Kaplan is an artificial intelligence expert, serial entrepreneur, technical innovator, educator, and author. He is currently an adjun ... Show More

1h 5m

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

Mar 2023

A Mind-Expanding Conversation About Human History and Happiness With Tim Urban

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 ... Show More

56m 16s

Sep 2023

892: Tim Urban | What's Our Problem (And How Do We Solve It)?

<a href="https://waitbutwhy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wait But Why</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

1h 26m

Nov 2022

How To Take Charge Of Your Life's Direction - Tim Urban - #558

Tim Urban is one of the internet's most popular writers and the founder of Wait But Why. When we look to our past, many of us believe that we could have behaved differently, perhaps that we should have behaved differently. Yet when we look to the future we believe that our path i ... Show More

1h 2m

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

Sep 2023

How the Media Creates Delusional Tribes - Tim Urban

Tim Urban is a blogger who writes about a wide range of topics, from science and technology to psychology and philosophy. He is known for creating minimalist stick-figure illustrations to help explain complex concepts in a simple way. His musings are collected on his website, ‘Wa ... Show More

1h 2m

Oct 2017

Tim Urban Part Two

Tim Urban writes a pretty famous blog called Wait But Why - have you read it? Whether you have or you've never heard of it before, this episode will not only thoroughly entertain you but it will also help you implement a playful yet powerful approach to growing in wisdom. When it ... Show More

41m 21s

Sep 2017

Tim Urban: Wait but Why

Tim Urban writes a pretty famous blog called Wait But Why - have you read it? Whether you have or you've never heard of it before, this episode will not only thoroughly entertain you but it will also help you implement a playful yet powerful approach to ending procrastination and ... Show More

41m 33s

Apr 2023

#315 — The Great Derangement

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

Mar 2022

Tim Urban || Climbing the Thinking Ladder

Today we welcome Tim Urban. He is the writer and illustrator of the blog Wait But Why, which he co-founded with Andrew Finn in 2013. With wry stick-figure illustrations and occasionally epic prose, Wait But Why has garnered millions of unique page views, thousands of patrons and ... Show More

1h 48m

Tim Urban on Everything