Imaging a Better Future. How Doomers Prevent Progress. James Pethokoukis

Many millions of Americans are heading back to work — in person — for the first time since the pandemic hit. During this time of remote meetings and working from home, many of us learned new skills, and perhaps, forgot our old ways to work and successfully collaborate with colleagues.This episode is a timely and very personal reminder of how to make meetings better and develop stronger, more productive relationships with those we work and live with. We learn about the crucial differences between exchange and communal forms of collaboration. Our guest, former psychology professor, and national non-profit head, Deb Mashek, spent two decades studying how people form relationships with each other, as well as the challenges & rewards of doing so. Deb founded MyCo Consulting, where she puts her research into practice, helping academic leaders cultivate collaboration among diverse stakeholders to accomplish ambitious goals.The skills needed to collaborate well are vital for us to learn in our professional lives. "93% of employers surveyed rated this ability to work in teams as critically important, Deb tells us. "But few of us ever receive training on how to do this well."Interested in learning more about the ideas discussed in this episode of How Do We Fix It? Deb has generously put together this short handout that summarizes the suggestions with links to other resources.Recommendation: This one is an activity. Richard found great inspiration during a recent visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He suggests that we visit museums and galleries as we fully re-engage with the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Okt 202126min

From local school board elections to state legislatures, an impassioned nationwide debate has erupted over allegations that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is being taught in public schools.Anti-CRT bills have been passed in more than two dozen Republican-led states. What do we mean by Critical Race Theory? What are these laws aiming to accomplish? How will they affect schools in the US? We share a lively discussion from "Banished", a new podcast series, hosted by Amna Khalid, a history professor at Carleton College.In this episode we listen to interviews with Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy, Acadia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs, and former ACLU President, Nadine Strossen of New York Law School. All three support free speech and disagree with banning the teaching or discussion of controversial, even dangerous ideas and theories.This is a special episode of How Do We Fix It? We're taking a break during mid-October and continue a recent tradition of sharing stimulating, thoughtful interviews from other podcasts."Banished" is produced by Booksmart Studios. The series is about our reassessment of the many people, ideas, objects and even works of art that conflict with modern sensibilities. What can we learn about our present obsession with cancel culture by examining history, and what might it mean for freedom of expression? And how do we reconcile opposing points of view without turning on each other? Learn more about this recommended podcast at https://www.booksmartstudios.org. Thanks for Booksmart Studios for giving us permission to share this podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Okt 202127min

Never before in living memory has America been as politically polarized as it is today. We are divided by our politics, Facebook and other social media sites, and by news media. Nearly half of us have stopped talking with someone about political topics as a result of what they said in person or online. Our culture of contempt is dividing us all and making America ungovernable.How do we use science and proven methods to reduce toxic polarization and push back against conflict entrepreneurs? This episode presents a way forward. Peter Coleman is a leading expert on intractable conflict and sustainable peace. He's a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University, and director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. Peter's new book is "The Way Out. How to Overcome Toxic Polarization."We discuss research on how deeply divided societies can and do change. We learn more about the role you can play to navigate these times most effectively – as well as what to look for in groups and organizations in your community that are already at work making America more functional again.In this episode, Peter praised the work of the Bridging Divides Initiative, a group that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. The initiative supports efforts to grow and build local community resilience throughout elections and other periods of heightened risk, laying the groundwork for longer-term efforts towards reconciliation.Recommendation: Jim is listening to the podcast series, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs, a history of rock from 1938 to 1999, hosted by Andrew Hickey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Okt 202127min

Imagine a future where smart machines are more intelligent than humans. That future may be coming much faster than we think. The stark implications are considered in this podcast. The former Chief Business Officer at Google X, Egyptian entrepreneur Mo Gawdat has long been at the heart of the artificial intelligence revolution, deeply involved in engineering, robotics, and AI. Mo is also a podcaster with a focus on how we can promote happiness. In his latest book, "Scary Smart", he argues that AI reflects our values and that unless humans change their online behavior, the consequences could be terrifying. "The true pandemic of our times is not COVID-19, Mo tells us. "AI is the real pandemic. It's at its infancy and will grow in intelligence until a point where it is undisputed that they will be the leaders."In less than ten years, he predicts, we will experience "the singularity", when artificial intelligence will be many times smarter than humans. But not all is doom and gloom. "The very essence of what makes us human — happiness, compassion, and love — is what will save humanity in the age of the machines," he writes. We discuss the practical, ethical, and spiritual implications of what's coming our way.Recommendation: Richard has just read Robert Fagles' translation of "The Iliad", by Homer — an epic Greek poem and often called the first great work of western literature. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Okt 202128min

This episode addresses a great problem of our age: How do we curb the enormous power of giant technology companies and limit the disruption caused by them and their products?20 years ago, we lived in an era of digital utopianism when most people thought that the internet would give us new freedom to find information. But we didn't anticipate many of the most disturbing technological changes. Today, a handful of firms control most internet communication. Social media platforms amplify division more than they spread knowledge. Our guests are two Stanford University professors, Mehran Sahami and Jeremy Weinstein. Along with philosophy professor Bob Reich, they wrote the new book, "System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot." Mehran Sahami teaches engineering and education at Stanford and is also a former senior research scientist at Google. Jeremy Weinstein teaches political science at Stanford. He previously worked in the Obama Administration. Both teach a popular undergraduate course on the intersection of ethics and technology.Recommendation: Jim has read and enjoyed the science fiction novel, "The Three Body Problem", by Chinese writer, Liu Cixin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Sep 202135min

The line between our “civilized” lives and wild, unpredictable nature seems to have gotten a little thinner lately. Nature is great, but it can also be dangerous if we don’t show proper respect. This show is about awkward encounters with bears, mountain lines, gulls and other wild creatures. We also discuss "killer trees" with best-selling science writer, Mary Roach, author of the new book, "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law".Mary is widely known for her funny, smart and sometimes gross writing and reporting in a series of books with one-word titles. Previously, we spoke with her about "Grunt", which looks at the surprising science of war. She also wrote "Stiff" about — you guessed it — dead people, "Gulp" on the digestive tract, and "Bonk" where we learn all about sex.Mary Roach has been called America's funniest science writer by the Washington Post. In the words of a reviewer in The Guardian, she "has specialized in tackling the uncomfortable, and at the heart of every book is her desire to explore the places from which we recoil."Recommendation: Richard has just watched Season 2 of the very funny TV series, "Never Have I Ever" on Netflix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Sep 202128min

"I now believe the 9/11 Truthers I encountered were canaries in the coal mines of American society," writes our co-host, Jim Meigs, in the current issue of City Journal. In this episode we hear about conspiracy theories, those who believe in them, and the corrosive impact of paranoia on American political life.Richard interviews Jim about his work at Popular Mechanics in the years after the 9/11 attacks. A team of reporters, editors, and fact-checkers at the magazine interviewed more than 300 experts and sources in civil engineering, air traffic control, aviation, fire fighting, and metallurgy. Their findings were published in the 2006 book, "Debunking 9/11 Myths. Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts."Jim also asks Richard about his reporting from the streets of Manhattan in the hours and days after the attacks that brought down the North and South Towers of The World Trade Center twenty years ago."I fell in love with the city during that September. In the words of a friend. 9/11 was a terrible day, but the weeks that followed were a remarkable time," says Richard.Most of our weekly podcast episodes put the spotlight on the guest. This show lifts the curtain on Jim and Richard's careers as journalists. Jim spent many years as a magazine writer and editor. Before becoming a podcast consultant, Richard was a radio reporter, news anchor, and show host in the U.S. and U.K. for more than three decades. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Sep 202126min

Only four in 10 Americans say they have a lot of trust in the news media. That's a big problem for our democracy. While journalists are supposed to tell the truth and get the story right, just 35 percent of right-of-center voters have some trust in what they see in the news.Democrats and independents are much more likely to trust journalists, but Americans of almost all shades of opinion are skeptical toward the news media, questioning not only the quality of journalists’ work but their intentions behind it.Our guest is Joy Mayer, Director of the non-profit Trusting News, which is working with local newsrooms around the country to help journalists earn consumers' trust.While many reporters, writers and editors are reluctant to discuss their political views, most journalists have liberal or progressive views. "I think it's something we need to talk about more openly," Joy tells us.In this episode, we look at bias, transparency, and constructive steps that the news media can take to improve its reputation with a broad cross-section of Americans.Recommendation: Richard enjoyed watching "The Chair" with Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass and Holland Taylor on Netflix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Sep 202125min