America is becoming less religious — but the story is more complicated than empty pews. @mcmegan.bsky.social discusses with political scientist and former pastor @ryanburge.bsky.social on the latest episode of Reasonably Optimistic:

Opinion | What empty pews reveal about America - The Washington Post

America is becoming less religious — but the story is more complicated than empty pews. Host Megan McArdle is joined by political scientist and former pastor Ryan Burge to talk about the shifts taking...

wapo.st

Tyler Austin Harper, a staff writer at The Atlantic and former professor at Bates College, breaks down how academia reshaped his views on affirmative action and diversity. 🔗 Watch the full conversation with @mcmegan.bsky.social here:

Tyler Austin Harper on Being a “Token Black Professor”

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

wapo.st

The drug crisis in the U.S. did not begin with fentanyl. It began with a series of choices that seemed compassionate at the time. @mcmegan.bsky.social talks to Keith Humphreys, a Stanford professor and psychologist, on the latest episode of Reasonably Optimistic:

Is The Drug Crisis Getting Worse?

YouTube video by Reasonably Optimistic

youtu.be

. @hananiarichard.bsky.social argues in his book, "Kakistocracy," that populism tends to produce worse leaders, weaker institutions, more corruption and a politics driven by resentment and conspiratorial thinking. He talks to @mcmegan.bsky.social on this episode of "Reasonably Optimistic":

Opinion | How populists turn distrust into power - The Washington Post

Populist candidates have a way of making politics feel simple. They tell voters that the problem is obvious, the villains are known and the solution is to break through corrupt institutions standing i...

wapo.st

It’s become so expensive to get married. @mcmegan.bsky.social explains why.

Why Are Weddings INSANELY Expensive 💰

YouTube video by Reasonably Optimistic

youtu.be

Why haven't we found extraterrestrial life in space yet? @mcmegan.bsky.social discusses with astrophysicist @adamfrank4.bsky.social.

Why haven't we found aliens?

YouTube video by Reasonably Optimistic

youtube.com

Richard Reeves spoke to @mcmegan.bsky.social about when a dad can shine in a child's life. 🔗 Check out the full "Reasonably Optimistic" conversation here: https://wapo.st/4vXIRtc

Eating food cooked at home has traditionally been considered a cheaper option to ordering takeout. So why are so many in Gen Z choosing food away from home? @mcmegan.bsky.social explores how convenience, changing expectations and the modern economy have transformed the way we eat:

Opinion | Gen Zers don’t cook. It’s costing them. - The Washington Post

Eating food cooked at home has traditionally been considered a cheaper option to ordering takeout. So why are so many in Gen Z choosing food away from home? Host Megan McArdle explores how convenience...

wapo.st

"We don’t need human writers because AI offers us too many wild metaphors," @mcmegan.bsky.social explains. "We need human writers because AI provides too few wild ideas."

Opinion | AI fiction is the new fast food

The world still needs human authors to generate wild ideas.

wapo.st

"Americans need to take a hard look at the bill that is rapidly coming due, rather than stuff the notices in a drawer and try to forget they’re there," @mcmegan.bsky.social writes. https://wapo.st/43T57Z7

Opinion | America’s most boring nightmare

Soaring interest rates and entitlements are driving a massive debt.

wapo.st

The average wedding now costs $36,000, and many couples feel like they are being taken for a ride. @mcmegan.bsky.social explores why modern weddings have become so expensive:

Opinion | How weddings got so expensive - The Washington Post

The average wedding now costs $36,000, and many couples feel like they are being taken for a ride. From weekend bottlenecks and customization to family dynamics and the pressure to get everything righ...

wapo.st

@mcmegan.bsky.social talks with Ed Elson, co-host of Prof G Markets, about wealth inequality, housing affordability, social media and the frustrations shaping younger generations' outlook: https://wapo.st/4foZXLF

What propelled the US to become the world's most dynamic economy? Will it last? Economists John Cochrane, Valerie Ramey, and Ross Levine tackled those questions with moderator and Washington Post columnist @mcmegan.bsky.social at the latest Ideas That Made US chat.

Hoover Experts Weigh America’s Economic Success And Future Prospects

hoover.org

So, what’s actually happening, who is struggling and how we can help them without the conversation being framed as men versus women? @mcmegan.bsky.social and Richard Reeves discuss on the Reasonably Optimistic podcast: https://wapo.st/4tRkegs

What’s going on with Ebola and hantavirus? Q+A w/ Dr. Leana Wen by Megan McArdle www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/imp... via @washingtonpost.com @mcmegan.bsky.social

Opinion | What’s going on with Ebola and hantavirus? - The Washington Post

Trust in public health institutions has fractured since the covid-19 pandemic began, even as the threat of new outbreaks remains. Ebola is spreading in parts of Central Africa. Hantavirus has left som...

washingtonpost.com

"Red and blue America cannot get divorced," Keith Humphreys, a Stanford professor and psychologist, says in a conversation with @mcmegan.bsky.social. "That means that we have to figure out how to get along."

The Rise Of Rage Bait

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

wapo.st

"The trend is sufficiently widespread, and the timing sufficiently suspicious, to justify adding the decline in fertility to the long list of the smartphone’s unwanted side effects," @mcmegan.bsky.social writes.

Opinion | Why are birth rates falling? Ask your smartphone.

The infinite scroll could contribute to lower fertility rates and smaller graduating classes.

wapo.st

William McKinley, at age fifteen, had never seen anyone tie a necktie before.

. @mcmegan.bsky.social is joined by economist and demographer Lyman Stone to discuss what’s really driving the decline in birth rates. https://wapo.st/43dfNS0

The Pro-Baby Movement Has Failed

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

wapo.st

. @mcmegan.bsky.social talks with @robinhanson.bsky.social about how prediction markets work, why they often beat other forms of forecasting and how today’s versions could be improved:

Opinion | What prediction markets tell us about the future - The Washington Post

Prediction markets are having a moment. But what are they actually good for? Economist Robin Hanson has been thinking about this for decades. Long before betting markets went mainstream, he argued the...

wapo.st

Social media is designed to keep us scrolling. But is it also keeping us angry? @mcmegan.bsky.social is joined by Keith Humphreys, a Stanford professor and psychologist, to break down the mechanics of addiction and how they might apply to life online: https://wapo.st/3QT8TyA

Scroll through enough retro photos or vintage ads, and it’s easy to convince yourself that life used to be simpler, even happier. But why does the past look better the farther away it gets? @mcmegan.bsky.social unpacks how nostalgia distorts our view of history:

Opinion | Longing for 'simpler times'? Consider this first. - The Washington Post

Scroll through enough retro photos or vintage ads, and it’s easy to convince yourself that life used to be simpler, even happier. But why does the past look better the farther away it gets? Host Me...

wapo.st

Will AI increase the gap between the wealthy and the working class? Or will it only exacerbate the income divide? @mcmegan.bsky.social and @deanwb.bsky.social, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, discuss on the Reasonably Optimistic podcast.

How AI will change your life. It's coming faster than you think.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

wapo.st

"Will AI end anonymity? I tested it---Artificial intelligence can echolocate authors through their prose. Your digital fingerprint is at risk" @mcmegan.bsky.social wapo.st/3P7tT41

Opinion | Will AI end anonymity? I tested it.

AI can echolocate authors through their prose. Your digital fingerprint is at risk.

wapo.st

From politicians to Silicon Valley, a growing chorus is sounding the alarm and calling for more babies. But the story behind America’s declining birth rate is more complicated than headlines and political talking points suggest. @mcmegan.bsky.social and Lyman Stone discuss:

Opinion | Why Americans aren’t having as many kids - The Washington Post

From politicians to Silicon Valley, a growing chorus is sounding the alarm and calling for more babies. But the story behind America’s declining birth rate is more complicated than headlines and polit...

wapo.st

The Supreme Court has become one of the most divisive institutions in American government. So how did this happen? @mcmegan.bsky.social and Sarah Isgur talk about how Americans developed an unhealthy relationship with the court. https://wapo.st/4cKgaIj

Anxiety around artificial intelligence is reaching a fever pitch and sparking real-world consequences. @mcmegan.bsky.social and @dmarusic.bsky.social discuss the risks and inevitability of AI development, and what it will take for the U.S. to stay competitive in the race with China:

Opinion | The temperature is rising on AI. What comes next? - The Washington Post

Anxiety around artificial intelligence is reaching a fever pitch and sparking real-world consequences. Recent violent incidents tied to opposition against data centers highlight growing public backlas...

wapo.st

Leah Libresco Sargeant, senior policy analyst at the Niskanen Center and author of "The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto," argues that "no one is autonomous." She shares her definition of feminism with @mcmegan.bsky.social.

What’s wrong with modern feminism?

YouTube video by Reasonably Optimistic

youtu.be

Mamdani has done a bunch of things to reassure skeptics, a process greatly aided by the fact that he literally can't implement his tax and spending plans. www.slowboring.com/p/the-two-ho...

. @mcmegan.bsky.social spoke to Dean Ball, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation and former White House AI policy advisor, about the rapidly shifting landscape of AI governance, what it will take to rein it in — and what comes next: https://wapo.st/4sO6qUd