Conversations with Tyler12 Helmi 2020

Tim Harford on Persuasion and Popular Economics

To Tim Harford, mistakes are fascinating. "We often only understand how something works when it breaks," he says, explaining why there's such an emphasis on errors throughout his work. They also tend to make great stories, which can stoke the curiosity necessary to change minds. A former persuasive speaking champion, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire "for services to improving economic understanding," which he's achieved through appearances on the BBC, columns for the Financial Times, several TED Talks and books, and now his latest podcast series Cautionary Tales.

Tim joined Tyler to discuss the role of popular economics in a politicized world, the puzzling polarization behind Brexit, why good feedback is necessary (and rare), the limits of fact-checking, the "tremendously British" encouragement he received from Prince Charles, playing poker with Steve Levitt, messiness in music, the underrated aspect of formal debate, whether introverts are better at public speaking, the three things he can't live without, and more.

Note: This conversation was recorded in November 2019 and thus took place before the UK's general election in December, which secured Boris Johnson a Conservative majority and ensured the passage of his Brexit deal in January 2020.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded November 11th, 2019

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Lunch with Fuchsia Dunlop at Mama Chang (Bonus)

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Ted Gioia on Music as Cultural Cloud Storage

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6 Marras 20191h 3min

Henry Farrell on Weaponized Interdependence, Big Tech, and Playing with Ideas

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9 Loka 20191h

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25 Syys 20191h 20min

Samantha Power on Learning How to Make a Difference

A former war correspondent and UN ambassador, Samantha Power has had her share of tough assignments. But writing a memoir about it all is also a daunting prospect. The format itself is a challenge: ho...

11 Syys 20191h 6min

Hollis Robbins on 19th Century Life and Literature

As a graduate student, Hollis Robbins helped Henry Louis Gates, Jr. unravel a mystery about the provenance of a mid-19th century book. Robbins helped date the book by discovering allusions to popular ...

28 Elo 201950min