132. Jane Austen, Game Theorist

The Gulf States and China are spending billions to build stadiums and buy up teams — but what are they really buying? And can an entrepreneur from Cincinnati make his own billions by bringing baseball to Dubai? SOURCES:Simon Chadwick, professor of afroeurasian sport at Emlyon Bus ... Show More

Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to know whether life is driven more by skill or chance. She found some answers in poker — and she’s ... Show More

Cory Booker on the politics of fear, the politics of hope, and how to split the difference. SOURCES:Cory Booker, senior United States Senator from New Jersey. RESOURCES:"'When Are More Americans Going to Speak Up?'" by The New Yorker Radio Hour (2025)."Cory Booker’s Marathon Floo ... Show More

This month in a very special edition, we’re celebrating that most English of novelists Jane Austen. It’s two hundred years this month since the publication of Pride and Prejudice and we’ve invited bestselling British novelist and Jane Austen aficionado PD James, along with Anglo- ... Show More

In social situations, two people can do the exact same things (good and bad) and get a very different reaction. We discuss chemistry, first impressions, and a theory inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. 

Thanks to Paul Kilgore, who commissioned this podcast for the 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. I’ve never seen this particular version but am familiar with the source and other adaptations, while Jim had no idea what to expect. What will we make of some early 19th century hi ... Show More

Plotinus posits an absolutely transcendent first principle, the One. What is it (or isn’t it), and how does it relate to Intellect? 

Is pride an emotion? Where’s the line between self-esteem and hubris? And what does Stephen have against peacocks? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/  

What is loneliness and why is it harmful? How does it differ from just being on your own? In the latest episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, Kieran Setiya discusses this important topic with Nigel Warburton.     

What’s the difference between schadenfreude and sadism? Can envy be put to good use? And how do you teach a kid to punch a clown? 

Is there such a thing as a victimless crime? In an unfair system, is dishonesty okay? And are adolescent vandals out of ideas?  

Over a hundred years before Princess Diana and Prince Charles, there was another doomed British royal couple: Queen Caroline and King George IV. Caroline and George’s hatred for each other runs so deep that it leads to a war that snowballs into a full blown tabloid circus. (Imagi ... Show More