We have more money, technology, and knowledge at our command than any other nation in the world ever has. And yet one way of seeing the society we’ve built is as a perpetual illness machine: It sells us stuff that makes us sick, and then sells us stuff that treats the sickness. Spencer's guest Dr. Rose Kumar believes there's a better way: Treat people as people, and look at … [Read more...] about Treating People as People, Not Machines: Dr. Rose Kumar on How to Heal Healthcare
Episodes
Michele Gelfand: What Tight & Loose Cultures Teach Us About the World & Ourselves
In Singapore, you can face a heavy fine or even jail for offenses like spitting on the sidewalk or importing chewing gum. Meanwhile in New Zealand, a man who hatched himself from a giant egg was appointed the country’s “official wizard.” These are examples of tight and loose cultures. Tightness and looseness explain a lot about what we think is right and wrong when there’s more … [Read more...] about Michele Gelfand: What Tight & Loose Cultures Teach Us About the World & Ourselves
A Guide for the Confused: What Is Critical Race Theory?
Even if you see through the phony panic being spun up by Trumpists, some of what you hear from critical race theorists can sound extreme, especially if you don’t know much about the context. In this episode, host Spencer Critchley offers a guide for people who feel confused about Critical Race Theory but aren't sure why. Episode Transcript On the one hand, Trumpist … [Read more...] about A Guide for the Confused: What Is Critical Race Theory?
To Go Forward, We Must Look Back: Colleen Murphy on Transitional Justice
If we keep talking about race, doesn’t that just keep racism alive? Now that we have a new president, why keep talking about the last one? Shouldn’t we move forward, and just put the past behind us? Spencer's guest this time says we can’t move forward unless we can look back as well, at truths that won’t go away until we face them. Colleen Murphy is an expert on what’s … [Read more...] about To Go Forward, We Must Look Back: Colleen Murphy on Transitional Justice
Georgina Mendoza McDowell: What We Already Know About How to Reform Policing
In the past three years, public opinion has swung strongly in support of police reform, from most Americans being against it to a strong majority now supporting it. Support for reform leapt upward in response to the horrific video of George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020. It’s terrible but true that it can take something like that to motivate change, as Martin Luther King … [Read more...] about Georgina Mendoza McDowell: What We Already Know About How to Reform Policing