The author of “Bowling Alone” warned us about social isolation and its effect on democracy a quarter century ago. Things have only gotten worse.
Yesterday
Why Gas Prices Just Keep Going Up
About a month into the war with Iran, we spoke with Cameron Joudi, who owns a gas station in Florida, about how the conflict was reaching him at home. He recently reached out after seeing a 20-cent spike in gas prices in the span of just 24 hours.Vivian Nereim, the Gulf bureau ch ... Show More
23m 52s
Sep 15
The Bond Market Is Flipping Out. Here’s Why You Should Care.
For the past few months, you’ve probably been hearing about the turbulence in the bond market.Today, Ben Casselman, the chief economics correspondent for The New York Times, explains what has been happening, and why it matters.Guest: Ben Casselman, the chief economics corresponde ... Show More
28m 28s
Jan 2025
‘The Anti-Social Century’: America’s Epidemic of Solitude—and How to Fix It
My new feature for The Atlantic magazine is called "The Anti-Social Century." It's a long article that revolves around a simple point: Americans are now spending more time alone than ever. This surging solitude is changing our personalities, our politics, our culture, and our rel ... Show More
1h 10m
Jul 2024
Social Distancing – Why They want You Isolated and Alone
…totalitarian domination as a form of government is new in that it… bases itself on loneliness, on the experience of not belonging to the world at all, which is among the most radical and desperate experiences of man. Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism Many people hav ... Show More
15m 29s
Jun 2024
David Brooks on Solving Social Isolation and Fixing Democracy
Hate crimes, gun violence, political polarization…. to New York Times’ columnist David Brooks, these are signs that America is undergoing a new epidemic: social isolation. He joins Ray Suarez to discuss his new book, “How To Know A Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Bein ... Show More
53m 38s
Jul 2025
Robert Talisse on Civic Solitude
Democracy is about acting as a group, but, surprisingly, Robert Talisse argues that what it needs to function well is a degree of solitude for citizens. In-group and out-group dynamics mean that individuals become vulnerable to being pushed towards more extreme views than they wo ... Show More
17m 42s