Academia's Darkest Secret: The Graduate Student Crisis... | Tyler Cowen

Theories of Everything with Curt Jaimungal

In today's episode of Theories of Everything, Tyler Cowen proposes that tariffs erode economic efficiency, ultimately passing much of the burden onto smaller countries such as Canada. Moreover, he suggests that the rise of AI and evolving institutional structures demand both intellectual humility and stronger mentorship for a more resilient academic landscape.

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Links Mentioned:

- Tyler’s website: https://tylercowen.com/

- Tyler’s blog: https://marginalrevolution.com/

- Tyler’s podcast: https://conversationswithtyler.com/

- Talent: How to Identify Energizers, Creatives, and Winners Around the World (book): https://www.amazon.com/Talent-Identify-Energizers-Creatives-Winners/dp/1250275814

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Tariffs and Trade Policies

01:21 Economic Consequences of Tariffs

03:07 Canada as a 51st State?

04:00 Canada's Defense Spending Debate

05:41 Positive Aspects of Hostility

06:35 Transitioning to Theoretical Economics

08:07 The Role of Tenure

11:43 The Academy's Strengths

13:04 Problems in Academia

14:08 Understanding the Grant System

15:10 The Need for Grants

16:33 Is the Academic System Broken?

17:18 Improving the Academic System

17:47 The Role of AI in Academia

22:39 Exploring Deep Research

29:32 Writing as Thinking

31:53 Truth in Worldviews

33:22 Patchwork Theory of Reality

34:11 Economics and Theories of Everything

35:07 Disagreements Among Intelligent People

37:48 The Concept of Metarationality

45:10 Cultivating Metarationality

46:55 Distinction Between Stamina and Grit

49:03 Risk-Taking in Academia

51:28 Interviewing Style

56:28 The Value of Preparation

1:13:33 Critiquing Nassim Taleb

1:18:23 Public Debates vs. Private Discussions

1:20:46 Focus on Money

1:22:45 Healthy vs. Unhealthy Ambition

1:23:49 Complexity in Theories of Everything

1:24:39 The Importance of Mentoring

1:26:08 Current Projects and Interests

1:31:15 Advice for Students

1:32:39 The Future of Networking

1:32:53 Closing Thoughts and Reflections

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#economy #science #technology #news #tariffs

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