Frames Of Space podcast

1:09:19

Karin Tamerius is a psychiatrist, a political psychologist, and the founder of Smart Politics. She writes the Substack "The Smart Politics Way," which has quietly become one of the most thoughtful guides to how we talk about—and think about—politics. The truth is, we’re living in a time where the news cycle is relentless. It’s not just a daily onslaught of information; it’s a constant barrage of developments, policies, and crises that seem to demand our immediate attention. And while it’s natural to feel concerned about the state of the world, I can’t help but wonder: are we handling this in the best possible way? What Karin argues is something deceptively simple: our brains were never built for politics. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with her about why the human brain is not hardwired to deal with politics in a productive way, how empathy shapes peoples' political beliefs, and the kinds of discipline that people can engender within themselves to deal with the news cycle. Show Notes "Your Brain Isn't Built for Politics—Here's What to Do About It" by Karin Tamerius, The Smart Politics Way "Talking with Trump Voters Seems Hopeless—But It's Not" by Karin Tamerius, The Smart Politics Way…

1
Mónica Guzmán on Navigating Difficult Political Disagreements 1:05:34

25 days ago1:05:34

1:05:34

Mónica Guzmán is the author of I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times . She is also host of the podcast "A Braver Way," and an advisor for Public Practice at Braver Angels. Her beat is bridging political divides, and how to model good-faith political disagreements across the aisle. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with her about the pervasiveness of fear in American politics, what couples therapy has to do with understanding political differences, and how to make use of political consumption.…

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Stephanie Murray on Why Low Birthrates Matter 1:19:42

6 weeks ago1:19:42

1:19:42

Stephanie Murray is a contributing writer for The Atlantic and the author behind the Substack "Family Stuff." Her beat involves covering many of the intricacies and data points behind parenting and child-rearing, particularly the decline in birthrates throughout much of the developed world. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with her about the explanations for why people aren't having as many kids, why lower fertility rates are such a big deal, and her own experience as a mother of three. Show Notes "Welcome to Family Stuff" by Stephanie Murray, Family Stuff "Stephanie Murray: Promoting Parenthood in a Free Society" from The Human Progress Podcast "A Pro-Natalism for Normies" by Patrick Brown, The Dispatch…

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Charlotte Swasey on How Voters Perceive the Democrats 1:11:01

8 weeks ago1:11:01

1:11:01

Charlotte Swasey is the writer behind the Substack "Medium Data," which examines the intricacies of polling and political analysis to generate upcoming election forecasts and predictions for Democratic politicians. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with her about the Senate forecast for the 2026 Elections, the gap between the perception and reality of Democratic policies, and how politicians could approach controversial issues like immigration.…

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Dylan Matthews on Negativity Bias and the Cost of Foreign Aid Cuts 54:18

10 weeks ago54:18

54:18

Dylan Matthews is a senior correspondent at Vox and one of the key writers behind Future Perfect, a section of the site dedicated to exploring ways to make the world better through evidence, reason, and moral philosophy. If you look at his body of work, you’ll find that he’s written about everything from AI risk to tax policy to foreign aid spending. And that eclecticism is part of what makes him so compelling. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with him about the extent of negativity bias in journalism, the positive effects of George W. Bush's presidency, and the future of artificial intelligence in society. Show Notes "Why the news is so negative — and what we can do about it" by Dylan Matthews, Vox "We’ll miss globalism when it’s gone" by Dylan Matthews, Vox "What would a world without foreign aid look like?" by Dylan Matthews, Vox You can find my Patreon page here .…

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Matthew Adelstein on Theism, Utilitarianism, and Animal Welfare 1:19:52

11 weeks ago1:19:52

1:19:52

Matthew Adelstein writes the Substack "Bentham's Newsletter" under the alias "Bentham's Bulldog." He is the rare thinker who will, in one breath, defend a rigorous logical case for the existence of God, and in the next insist that we should worry more about shrimp than about most public-policy debates. His outlook isn’t contrarian for sport; it’s the consequence of three guiding hunches he’s written about: that our moral circle is still way too small, that good arguments should beat gut feelings even when they get weird, and that tribal loyalty is the mind-killer. Follow that recipe and you end up somewhere delightfully off-map—and that’s exactly where this conversation goes. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with him about the philosophical arguments for the existence of God, the merits of utilitarianism, and whether or not we should kill animal predators to prevent them from killing other animals. Show Notes "The Ultimate Guide To The Anthropic Argument" by Bentham's Bulldog, Bentham's Newsletter "Islam Is Very Implausible" by Bentham's Bulldog, Bentham's Newsletter…

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Katherine Dee on the Nature of Internet Subcultures 58:23

12 weeks ago58:23

58:23

Katherine Dee is an internet culture reporter who writes the Substack "default.blog," which observes the quirks and tendencies of various subcultures on social media. In this episode, I got a chance to talk with her about her history covering different facets of the internet, how she approaches AI, and the different incentives of online interaction compared to in-person interaction. Show Notes "The Billionaire, the Influencer and their Baby" by Katherine Dee, Wisdom of Crowds "Internet Overexposure Syndrome" by Katherine Dee, Comment…

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Jessica Grose on Technology and Post-Pandemic Divides 1:15:54

13 weeks ago1:15:54

1:15:54

Jessica Grose is an opinion writer for The New York Times. What I admire about Jessica's writing is that she doesn’t just cover politics as a horse race or culture as a meme war; she zooms into the kitchen tables, classrooms, and waiting rooms where policy choices land on real bodies. Her beat is parenthood and education, faith and loneliness, COVID aftershocks and TikTok doom-scrolls — basically, all the places where our ideals crash into our everyday lives. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with her about how our social media has been affecting kids, how student performance has changed in recent years, and the ways that modern medicine has become a victim of its own success. Show Notes "Parents Don’t Know It but K-12 Students Are Falling Into ‘the Honesty Gap’" by Jessica Grose, The New York Times "Measles, MAHA Moms and Robert F. Kennedy Jr." from The Opinions…

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Micah Sifry on Government Protest and American Authoritarianism 1:13:05

14 weeks ago1:13:05

1:13:05

Micah Sifry is a writer and organizer behind the Substack "The Connector." He has decades of experience in covering how technology is changing politics, and how to participate productively in the political process. In this episode, I got a chance to talk with him about the history of mass protests in the US, the recent authoritarian cuts to government spending, and public perceptions of government service. Show Notes "A Different Kind of Anti-Trump Resistance Is Brewing" by Micah Sifry, The New York Times…

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Noah Smith on the Crisis of Trump's Tariff Madness 57:27

15 weeks ago57:27

57:27

Announcement: this podcast will be publishing episodes twice as often as before (so every single week on Thursdays) for the next several weeks at least, and hopefully for longer. Count yourself lucky in that regard :) Noah Smith is an economist who writes the Substack "Noahpinion" and co-hosts the podcast "Econ 102." He is known for his commentary on economic issues like inflation, trade policy, deficit spending, and more. In this episode, I got a chance to speak with him about Trump's latest tariffs, how harmful they will be for all of us, and how the economic world order is changing.…

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Cathy Reisenwitz on Navigating Gender Norms 1:11:06

17 weeks ago1:11:06

1:11:06

Cathy Reisenwitz writes the Substack "Sex and the State," which covers the intersection between feminism, sex advocacy, and how our society shapes our perception of gender roles. In this episode, I got a chance to talk with her about her upbringing as an Evangelical, how her views on gender and sex have changed over time, and the tension between our desire for rigid structure and our desire for autonomy. Show Notes "How to fight fascism" by Cathy Reisenwitz, Sex and the State "Politics, Sex, and Sexuality: The Growing Gender Divide in American Life" from Survey Center on American Life "Our intelligentsia has abandoned our illiterati" by Cathy Reisenwitz, Sex and the State…

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Shauna Daly on the State of Young Men in America 1:13:18

19 weeks ago1:13:18

1:13:18

Shauna Daly is the co-founder of the Substack "Young Men Research Initiative," which covers how people can reach out to young men who are increasingly drifting rightward. In this episode, I got a chance to talk with her about the ways that young men are lacking a script for what type of person they should be, the recent decline in romantic relationships between young men and women, and which masculine-coded traits might be worth promoting in the future. Show Notes "What’s Love (And Sex and Porn) Got to Do With Elections?" by Young Men Research Project Timestamps 00:00 Graceful Dialogue on Gender Issues 10:37 Gen Z's Growing Political Divide 16:09 How Digital Media Consumption Affects the Gender Divide 22:55 Changing Gender Roles and Economic Disparities 27:31 Rethinking Gender Performance Differences 33:13 Diversity Enhances Health and Connection 37:32 Marriage and Population Policy Debate 42:41 The Right-Wing Ideological Divide 49:38 Balancing Gender Equality and Modern Masculinity 53:18 Reimagining Modern Masculinity 59:30 Negativity in the Left's Sex Discourse 01:07:25 Election Trends and Gender Attitudes 01:11:21 Condemning Blatant Misogyny Check out my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/FramesofSpace…

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Erik Engheim on How He Misjudged Trump Supporters 1:22:19

21 weeks ago1:22:19

1:22:19

When we see people acting in ways that seem irrational or incomprehensible, it’s easy to see them as ignorant or evil. But what if there’s more to it? What if, beneath the surface, there’s a much more complex mix of emotions—joy, fear, loyalty, and even desperation—that we tend to dismiss or fail to see? Erik Engheim writes the Substack "Erik Explores," which covers politics, history and culture from a Nordic perspective. In this episode, I got a chance to talk with Erik about how he was wrong about Trump supporters, and his apology to them for misjudging their morality. We discuss the nature of Republican support for Donald Trump, and the sense of joy that is present within the MAGA movement. Show Notes "My Apology to Trumpers" by Erik Engheim, Erik Examines President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress, March 2025 "The 3 cognitive scripts that subtly rule our lives" by Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Big Think "I Welcome Trump Supporters" by Erik Engheim, Erik Examines "David French: Checks, Balances, and the New Trump Era" from Good Faith…

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Lauren Harper Pope on Democratic Coalitions and Fundraising 1:15:52

23 weeks ago1:15:52

1:15:52

Lauren Harper Pope is the co-founder of WelcomePAC, an advocacy organization to help elect centrist Democrats in swing districts. Beyond helping to raise political funds in that regard, she is known for her political commentary, including Substack writing and hosting the podcast The Depolarizers . In this episode, I got a chance to talk with her about the most productive Democratic candidates to fund, the nature of political polarization, and the importance of reaching out to politically disengaged voters. Show Notes "The Awkward Politics of Evasion" by Liam Kerr and Lauren Harper Pope, WelcomeStack "The Case for Strong Parties" from The Depolarizers "Democrats Are Losing the War for Attention. Badly." from The Ezra Klein Show "Invest to Win The Middle" from WelcomePAC…

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Robin Hanson on the Problem Behind Declining Fertility Rates 1:21:02

25 weeks ago1:21:02

1:21:02

Check out my Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/c/FramesofSpace Robin Hanson is an associate professor of economics at George Mason University, and a former research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. He is known for his commentary on cultural drift, which examines how the nature of cultural shifts has changed over time. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to him about what causes cultural change, how that relates to the debate over declining fertility rates, and what could be done to address cultural drift. Show Notes Fertility Rate from Our World in Data…

Frames of Space

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Greg Sargent on Immigration and Electoral Strategy 50:55

27 weeks ago50:55

50:55

Greg Sargent is a staff writer at The New Republic and the host of the podcast "The Daily Blast." In this episode, I got a chance to talk with Greg about the electoral popularity of immigration reform, how shifts in voter turnout have affected Democrats, the role of media responsibility during election cycles, and how to cover Trumpism without burnout or fatigue. Show Notes "Why Democrats Got the Politics of Immigration So Wrong for So Long" by Rogé Karma, The Atlantic "Trump Just Laid a Brutal Trap for Dems, and They're Walking into It" by Greg Sargent, The New Republic "Democrats Have a Better Option that Biden" by Ezra Klein, The New York Times This interview was recorded on January 17th, 2025.…

Frames of Space

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Tyler Cowen on How He Views the World 1:02:36

29 weeks ago1:02:36

1:02:36

Tyler Cowen is the Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics at George Mason University and director at the Mercatus Center. He is also the host of the podcast "Conversations with Tyler," where he talks about a wide range of topics from AI to economic inequality to social media, and much, much more. In this episode, I got a chance to talk with Tyler about quite a few of those topics: the extent of his libertarian ideology, why he's less pessimistic about social media, what movies have influenced him, etc. In that regard, this episode has quite a few parallels to an average Conversations with Tyler episode: you'll hear quick pivots, broad range, and a willingness to see where the host might lead. Hope you enjoy! Show Notes "Jonathan Haidt on Adjusting to Smartphones and Social Media" from Conversations with Tyler…

Frames of Space

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Miriam Elder on Not Giving Up On the Fight 46:17

31 weeks ago46:17

46:17

Miriam Elder is an American journalist known for her coverage of the Russian government. She has written for Vanity Fair, BuzzFeed News, The Guardian, and recently, The New York Times. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to her about her response to Trump's recent victory, and the parallels she sees between Russian authoritarianism and Republican authoritarianism. Sources "Don't Let Trump Drive You Into Internal Exile" by Miriam Elder, The New York Times "How's the GOP's Trans Panic Has Shades of Putin's Anti-LGBTQ+ Playbook" by Miriam Elder, Vanity Fair…

Frames of Space

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Darrell Owens on Understanding Democratic Party Politics 1:06:02

33 weeks ago1:06:02

1:06:02

Darrell Owens is a Substack writer who is known for his commentary on housing, culture, and progressive politics. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to him about the prevalence of homelessness in blue cities, how progressives could respond to right-wing media influencers, and the way that Twitter affects important political discourse. Show Notes Liberal NIMBYs Are Helping Red States by Darrell Owens, The Discourse Lounge Why Harris Lost Uninformed Voters by Darrell Owens, The Discourse Lounge…

Frames of Space

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Jessica Grose on Education, Culture, and Institutional Distrust 1:06:31

35 weeks ago1:06:31

1:06:31

Jessica Grose is an opinion writer for The New York Times. She is known for writing about issues related to education and culture, such as how the pandemic has affected schools in the long run, or what has been causing declining fertility rates. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to her about the current baseline quality of US education, the increase in distrust towards societal institutions, and what the 2024 election results say about our culture. Show Notes Emma's Torch "2024 is Suddenly About Having Kids" from Matter of Opinion "Trump Doesn’t Care Enough About K-12 Education to Break It" by Jessica Grose, The New York Times "Good Marriages Are Good. Bad Marriages Are, Well, Bad" by Jessica Grose, The New York Times "Rachel Wiseman and Anastasia Berg on Millenial Concerns Surrounding Parenthood" from Frames of Space Yes Day "The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking" by Brendan I. Koerner "Young Women Will Never Stop Talking About Sexism" by Jessica Grose, The New York Times…

Frames of Space

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Noah Smith on How Trump Will Affect the Economy 56:09

37 weeks ago56:09

56:09

Noah Smith is an economist who writes the Substack "Noahpinion" and co-hosts the podcast "Econ 102." He is known for his commentary on economic issues like inflation, trade policy, deficit spending, and more. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to him about why Democrats lost the 2024 Election, how Trump's proposed policies would affect the economy, and the tradeoff between inflation and unemployment. Show Notes "Identity politics isn't working" by Noah Smith, Noahpinion "Americans hate inflation more than they hate unemployment" by Noah Smith, Noahpinion…

Frames of Space

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Bonus Content: Trad Culture, Israel-Palestine, and More 50:26

39 weeks ago50:26

50:26

What does Dylan Matthews think of the US's capital gains tax policies? What does Regan Arntz-Gray think of trad culture? What are Jamie Weinstein's views on Israel-Palestine? Today's episode is a collection of cut content from past interviews I've done, plus a brief explanation for this podcast's name.…

Frames of Space

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Jamie Weinstein on the State of the Republican Party 58:20

41 weeks ago58:20

58:20

Jamie Weinstein is one of the main hosts of The Dispatch Podcast, and was the host of The Jamie Weinstein Show. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to him about the reactionary sentiments within the Republican Party, the decline of wokeness over the past few years, and JD Vance's politics. Show Notes "Episode 50: Ta-Nehisi Coates" from The Jamie Weinstein Show " When the Culture War Comes for the Kids" by George Packer, The Atlantic "The Interview: A Conversation With JD Vance" from The Daily…

Frames of Space

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Regan Arntz-Gray on the Different Interpretations of Feminism 1:23:57

43 weeks ago1:23:57

1:23:57

Regan Arntz-Gray is a Substack writer and co-host of the podcast Moral Mayhem . She writes a lot about feminism, and how to address cultural issues surrounding gender in a positive-sum way. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to her about the significance of false sexual assault allegations, the prevalence of misandry in present-day society, and the historical origins of patriarchy. Show Notes "Feminism is not about fairness" by Regan Arntz-Gray "Two Dogmas Of Feminism" by Bentham's Bulldog, Bentham's Newsletter "Women must choose between liberty and protection" by Regan Arntz-Gray "How to Solve the Education Crisis for Boys and Men" from TED…

Frames of Space

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Ruth Whippman on How Society Treats Boys 1:12:16

45 weeks ago1:12:16

1:12:16

Ruth Whippman is an author and journalist who writes a lot about present-day cultural issues. She is also the author of the new book BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity . In this episode, I got a chance to talk to her about the ways that boys are often held to contradictory expectations in modern society, the difficulty of establishing a clear legal definition of consent, and the level of emotional vulnerability that incels often display towards each other. References BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity by Ruth Whippman…

Frames of Space

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Dylan Matthews on AI and the US's Debt Problem 48:14

47 weeks ago48:14

48:14

Dylan Matthews is a senior correspondent for Vox and head writer for Future Perfect. He is known for his commentary on subjects like effective altruism, artificial intelligence, economics, and more. In this episode, I got a chance to talk to him about the risks of artificial intelligence, and why he supports more government regulation on AI. I also got a chance to talk with him about ways to solve the US's debt problem, through the use of solutions like tax hikes or cuts to economic spending. Show Notes "The US government has to start paying for things again" by Dylan Matthews, Vox…

Frames of Space

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Lily Geismer on Bill Clinton's Economic Policies 57:20

49 weeks ago57:20

57:20

Lily Geismer is an associate professor of history at Claremont McKenna College, and the author of Left Behind: The Democrats' Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality . In this episode, I got a chance to talk with her about the motives of the Democratic Leadership Council during the Bill Clinton administration, and her thesis that 80s and 90s-era Democrats rejected the interests of the working class. Show Notes "Don't Blame Us: Suburban Liberals and the Transformation of the Democratic Party" by Lily Geismer "Twisting Bill Clinton’s economic record to blame him for inequality" by David Greenberg, The Washington Post…

Frames of Space

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Daniel Cox on Gender Polarization 58:42

51 weeks ago58:42

58:42

Daniel Cox is the director of the Survey Center on American Life and a research fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He also writes the Substack "American Storylines," where he chronicles many of the divisions between men and women in present-day society. In this episode, I got a chance to talk with him about the methodology and reliability of his polling, how gender gaps differ between married and divorced couples, and how women's views on discrimination have changed over the past few decades. Show Notes "Why Women Have Become Much More Liberal Than Men - Daniel Cox" from Modern Wisdom "A new global gender divide is emerging" by John Burn-Murdoch, The Financial Times "Divorced Men for Trump" by Daniel Cox, American Storylines "Young Women Are Leaving Church in Unprecedented Numbers" by Daniel Cox, American Storylines…

Frames of Space

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Rachel Wiseman and Anastasia Berg on Millenial Concerns Surrounding Parenthood 42:30

1 year ago42:30

42:30

Rachel Wiseman and Anastasia Berg are the authors of What Are Children For? On Ambivalence and Choice . In this episode, I got a chance to talk to them about the modern Millenial malaise around parenting, the dearth of depictions of motherhood in popular culture, and more. Show Notes "What Are Children For? On Ambivalence and Choice" by Rachel Wiseman and Anastasia Berg "What's Stopping Liberals From Having Kids?" by Rachel Wiseman and Anastasia Berg, The New York Times…

Frames of Space

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Ryan Burge on the Decline of Religion in Modern Society 1:25:39

1 year ago1:25:39