logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2024
39m 8s

Do race-based policies create a more equ...

Doha Debates
About this episode
Dozens of countries have implemented race-based policies, which factor race into hiring decisions or school admissions, in an effort to address historical traumas. Critics say that affirmative action and similar policies are counterproductive. Is it time to consider color-blind policies instead? Thandiwe Ntshinga, South African author and researcher, says it ... Show More
Up next
Mar 10
Has modern architecture lost touch with humanity?
What does our architecture say about who we are—and who we want to become? For centuries, architecture has represented our cultural beliefs, traditions and needs. It’s shaped how we live, how we relate to each other and even our mood. But modern architecture’s critics say it has ... Show More
1h 39m
Mar 3
Are we on the verge of civilization’s collapse or rebirth?
The prospect of societal collapse has been examined throughout human history. Thinkers from Ibn Khaldun to Karl Marx have argued that civilization carries the seeds of its own downfall. This episode asks whether we are witnessing modern-day civilization’s collapse or renewal. Wil ... Show More
1h 54m
Feb 24
Will tech utopias rescue or ruin humanity?
Would you live in a futuristic, tech-run city? Tech leaders from across the globe are racing to build so-called tech utopias, claiming that they’re a new societal blueprint for humanity. But will this approach actually uplift us all or leave most of us behind? This debate explore ... Show More
1h 54m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
#390 — Final Thoughts on the 2024 Presidential Election
<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with Mark Cuban about the 2024 presidential election. They discuss Trump's ethics, his apparent political indestructibility, election denialism, the influence of Elon Musk, the strengths and weaknesses of the Harris campaign, the mystery of the sout ... Show More
1h 14m
Sep 2025
(#6) Elise’s Top Ten: Racism has a cost for everyone | Heather C. McGhee
Racism makes our economy worse — and not just in ways that harm people of color, says public policy expert Heather C. McGhee. From her research and travels across the US, McGhee shares startling insights into how racism fuels bad policymaking and drains our economic potential -- ... Show More
16m 13s
Dec 2024
#396 — The Way Forward
<p>Sam Harris speaks with Matthew Yglesias about the future of Democratic politics. They discuss where the Democrats went wrong, the failure of identity politics, the Left's reaction to the Daniel Penny case, what a second Trump term might look like, immigration and the border, g ... Show More
32m 48s
Apr 2024
Jeffry Frieden: How Politics and Economics Interact
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Even optimal economic policies create winners and losers, and that's where politics steps in. Trade liberalization is an example of a policy that can make a country better off as a whole, but what happens to workers who lose out ... Show More
23m 38s
Mar 2024
Ali Bhagat, "Governing the Displaced: Race and Ambivalence in Global Capitalism" (Cornell UP, 2024)
Governing the Displaced: Race and Ambivalence in Global Capitalism (Cornell UP, 2024) answers a straightforward question: how are refugees governed under capitalism in this moment of heightened global displacement? To answer this question, Ali Bhagat takes a dual case study appro ... Show More
50 m
Sep 2025
(#6) Elise’s Top Ten: Racism has a cost for everyone | Heather C. McGhee
Racism makes our economy worse — and not just in ways that harm people of color, says public policy expert Heather C. McGhee. From her research and travels across the US, McGhee shares startling insights into how racism fuels bad policymaking and drains our economic potential -- ... Show More
16m 13s
Jul 2025
Back to Basics Series: Is Economics Moral? (with Heather McGhee)
For decades, orthodox economics has treated morality as irrelevant—as if economic decisions happen in a vacuum, separate from our values and social bonds. But that approach has failed spectacularly, giving cover to policies that divide and exploit us. In this episode, Heather McG ... Show More
35m 57s
Jul 2024
What India teaches us about liberalism — and its decline
Authoritarian tendencies have been on the rise globally and the liberal world order is on the decline. One hotspot of this tension lies in India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi employs autocratic language and tactics to maintain power. But a recent election may indicate that ... Show More
46m 48s
Oct 2024
#389 — The Politics of Risk
<p>Sam Harris speaks with Nate Silver about cultural attitudes toward risk and the state of American politics. They discuss the erosion of trust in liberal institutions, polling and political narratives, different camps of cultural elites, the influence of Silicon Valley, Peter T ... Show More
33m 53s
Sep 2024
Election 2024: Are Identity Politics Holding Us Back?
During election seasons, Democrats and Republicans leverage identity-based platforms to engage voters. Those who think identity politics isn’t holding us back argue identity politics offers a pathway for inclusion and empowerment for historically-sidelined groups. Those who belie ... Show More
53m 15s