The U.S. pandemic response was undermined by buck-passing and bad judgment at every turn. Tech giants outperformed it thanks to lessons from the past and better incentives for the future.
Universities face a moment of decision for the upcoming fall semester, but instead of embracing fully online content or just throwing the doors wide open, they can develop a serious Green Zone plan to effectively handle the COVID-19 crisis.
Singapore has been held up as a model of governance. But with American political culture threatening its institutions, China’s digital sovereignty may be the strategy that endures.
Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher join Wolf Tivy to discuss the economic foundations of industrial policy, why manufacturing is more valuable than other economic activity, and what went wrong in the economics profession.
The concept of class isn’t arbitrary. It’s based on a unique stream of income and a distinct class ideology. The rising managerial elite have neither of those things.
America’s resurgent interest in industrial policy will go nowhere without rigorous economic foundations. State action can exploit limitations in the market to accelerate development.
Luka Jukic comes on the podcast to talk with Matt Ellison about his recent reporting in Ukraine and the war for the country’s soul.
We are trapped in an escalating politics of crisis, which threatens to break our connection with reality. It’s only going to get worse before it gets better.
Political theorist and Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin joins Wolf Tivy and Ash Milton to discuss mechanism design, governance, and blockchain technology.
Isaac Wilks and Natalia Dashan join Ash Milton to discuss the Ivy Leagues and elite culture. Topics include the future of Yale, the death of Skull and Bones, how universities maintain their power, and why ritual is a necessary part of education.
Founder, investor and philanthropist Jaan Tallinn joins Wolf Tivy and Ash Milton to discuss the frontier of artificial intelligence research and what an AI future means for humanity.
Ukraine failed to develop into a post-communist society and is being torn apart by two visions of its future. Luka Jukic visits Lviv and Odessa to observe these visions, one aimed at Central Europe, the other harkening back to Russian civilization.
Jeremiah Johnson and Ash Milton discuss the Neoliberal Project. Topics include democratic peace theory, housing maximalism, the roots of institutional decay, and why the west coast is bad at politics.
Technology doesn’t disrupt society. Society adopts technology through a process of social re-engineering. This can’t happen without functional institutions.
Award-winning environmentalist and author Michael Shellenberger joins Wolf Tivy and Ash Milton to discuss ecomodernism, the history of the atomic age, and why nuclear is the real green energy.
We locked down society to buy us time to contain COVID-19. Instead of contact tracing, our decayed institutions delivered economic calamity and no remedy. Now, we must live with the virus.
Professor John Vervaeke joins Wolf Tivy and Ash Milton to discuss the contemporary crisis of social meaning. We explore the specter of death during pandemic, how to surpass self-deception, and the role of community in creating meaning.
Samuel Hammond and Ash Milton discuss America, China, and the future. Topics include tech optimism, whether the Bay Area can remake American politics, whether China thinks like Confucius or Marx, and more.