The Brain Fog of War

Why is addiction (booze, drugs, and more) on the rise in the United States? Dr. Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. She is the author of “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.” Book at: www.mightyheaton.com/featured Support the show! Patreon.com/andrewheaton

23 Feb 20231h 14min

Alistair Smith proposes that the only real thing governments differ on is how many selectors are needed for a leader to gain and keep power–everything is window dressing. He advocates for understanding politics realistically and strategically, and designing our systems around the idea that leaders are self interested. Also Relevant: “Dr. Jeffrey Pfeiffer on The Rules of Getting and Keeping Power” https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/the-rules-of-getting-and-keeping-power SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/andrewheaton

15 Feb 202351min

Kristaps Andrejsons is the host of "Eastern Borders" podcast, which formerly explored Soviet History, and is now an in-the-field news report on the conflict in Ukraine.  Kristaps is a big NATO proponent and promotes strong American intervention in Ukraine. I've brought him on to contrast with the positions of this week's guest, Ben Abelow.  Also--Kristaps got banned from Twitter when an argument about Ukraine and Russia got out of hand. We discuss the circumstances.

13 Feb 202351min

We're almost a year into the conflict in Ukraine. What does a conclusion look like? How much is costing in terms of money and lives, and to what end?   Author Ben Abelow joins to discuss the situation and his book, "How the West Brought War to Ukraine: Understanding How U.S. and NATO Policies Led to the Crisis, War, and the Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe."

9 Feb 20231h 25min

What's the optimum size of a country? As countries get bigger, does the nature of governance necessarily change?   In this episode, we explore scaling—how an increasingly large nation-state adapts, or fails, to deliver services competently.

1 Feb 20231h 30min

Stanford’s Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative includes everything from the words “brave” to “crazy.” The World’s Smartest Podcast Network assembles to read the list and mercilessly laugh at it. Then, turn their attention to the astonishing and hilarious lies of freshman representative George Soros. LINKS:  SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.Patreon.com/andrewheaton Episode: “When To Scrap Politically Incorrect Words” https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/when-to-scrap-politically-offensive-words Stanford’s Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Stanford-EHLI-Harmful-Language-List.pdf

25 Jan 20231h 16min

CROSSOVER EPISODE from Alienating the Audience When does science fiction get "too political"? What separates a film with a strong point of view from stale publum or Woke pulpitry? Josh Jennings joins to discuss how political messaging can derail or suffocate good storytelling.

23 Jan 20231h 17min

America has one educational path: go get a university degree! If you stray from it, you're in trouble. Could shifting the education system towards apprenticeships be a more effective way to help prepare students for life and careers?   Noel Ginsburg is the Founder and CEO of CareerWise, following the 41-year stint as the founder and CEO of the manufacturing company Intertech Plastics. He's a national advocate for apprenticeships, and has testified to the U.S. Senate on their effectiveness.

18 Jan 202347min