logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2021
41m 57s

#232 — Inequality and Revolution

SAM HARRIS
About this episode

Sam Harris speaks with Jack Goldstone about the rise in social inequality and political instability in the United States. They discuss how wealth is deployed, the loss of social mobility, comparative judgments of well-being, cosmopolitanism and the isolation of the rich, decreased life expectancy, taxation, the need for government to solve problems, success and social obligation, the causes of revolution, universal basic income (UBI), and other topics.

If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

Up next
May 29
#478 — The Psychedelic Mind
Sam Harris speaks with Robin Carhart-Harris about psychedelic research and its therapeutic potential. They discuss the current state of the field, the FDA denial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, the critical role of set and setting, risks for vulnerable populations, the REBUS m ... Show More
30 m
May 26
#477 — More From Sam: Iran's Unraveling, The Gaza Information War, AI-Generated Music, and More
Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence against civilians during the October 7 attacks (33:49 - 34:35). Listener discretion is advised. In this latest episode of the More From Sam series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events. They discuss the Trump admi ... Show More
21m 59s
May 20
#476 — The Bittersweet Age
Sam Harris speaks with Susan Cain about writing, creativity, and what AI means for human culture. They discuss the future of books and reading, the tells AI inherits from good writers, why the advent of AI may spark a revival of the humanities, following your bliss, the ethics of ... Show More
22m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
#205 — The Failure of Meritocracy
Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Markovits about the problems with meritocracy. They discuss the nature of inequality in the United States, the disappearance of the leisure class, the difference between labor and capital as sources of inequality, the way the education system amplifi ... Show More
44m 44s
Feb 2023
#221 — Success, Failure, & the Common Good
Sam Harris speaks with Michael Sandel about the problem with meritocracy. They discuss the dark side of the concept of merit, the pernicious myth of the self-made man, the moral significance of luck, the backlash against “elites” and expertise, how we value human excellence, the ... Show More
26m 13s
Jul 2020
The role of the wealthy in achieving equality with Darren Walker
Born in a charity hospital and now president of the Ford Foundation, Darren Walker has been on both sides of the “inequality equation." He explains the need for the wealthy to acknowledge their complicity in a system that sustains racism and injustice, the importance of nuance in ... Show More
46m 9s
May 2024
Defending Socialism: A Logical Critique of Capitalism
Philosopher Scott Sehon joins Breht to discuss his new book "Socialism: A Logical Introduction". Together they analyze arguments in favor of capitalism, argue against them, and defend socialism as a superior form of socio-economic organization in the process. They discuss differe ... Show More
1h 33m
Feb 2024
James L. Gibson and Michael J. Nelson, "Judging Inequality: State Supreme Courts and the Inequality Crisis" (Russell Sage, 2021)
Soaring levels of political, legal, economic, and social inequality have been documented by social scientists – but the public conversation and scholarship on inequality has not examined the role of state law and state courts in establishing policies that significantly affect ine ... Show More
58m 58s
Feb 2024
The new(ish) world order
America solidified its dominant posture in the international order following World War II and largely held that position for the following half-century. But as problems have accumulated at home and abroad, Americans are reconsidering their country’s role in the world, and so are ... Show More
42m 18s