When then-hedge fund manager Elie Hassenfeld began his philanthropic journey in 2006, he knew that he wanted to get the most charitable bang for his buck. He quickly realized, however, that detailed data on charitable impact simply didn’t exist. So he and Holden Karnovsky founded GiveWell, an organization inspired by effective altruism that identifies the […] The post Elie Hassenfeld on GiveWell appeared first on Econlib.

We spend too much of our health care focus on lifespan and not enough on healthspan–the quality of our life as we get older. So argues Dr. Peter Attia, author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. Attia speaks with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about what kills us, what slows us down as we age, […] The post Peter Attia on Lifespan, Healthspan, and Outlive appeared first on Econlib.

Adam Smith, portrayed in video production, An Animal that Trades. In the original version of a now classic thought experiment, five people are about to be killed by a runaway trolley. Would you divert the trolley knowing that your choice will kill a single innocent bystander? Listen as Michael Munger of Duke University argues that Adam Smith gave […] The post Michael Munger on How Adam Smith Solved the Trolley Problem appeared first on Econlib.

Do marathons kill people who aren’t in the race? Does when you’re born make you more likely to get the flu? And what’s the difference between a good doctor and a bad one? These are some of the questions Anupam Bapu Jena of Harvard University and EconTalk host Russ Roberts take up as they discuss […] The post Anupam Bapu Jena on Random Acts of Medicine appeared first on Econlib.

Can economics and better measurement help us understand racial disparities and suggest how to reduce or eliminate them? Economist Roland Fryer of Harvard University believes deeply in the power of data to help us understand how the world works and how we might change it. Listen as he tells EconTalk’s Russ Roberts of his devotion to this […] The post Roland Fryer on Race, Diversity, and Affirmative Action appeared first on Econlib.

Early detection of cancer seems like a very good idea. But it’s a lot more complicated than it seems. Oncologist and epidemiologist Vinay Prasad of the University of California, San Francisco talks to EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about why many tests to detect cancer do little or nothing to extend lifespan. The post Vinay Prasad on Cancer Screening appeared first on Econlib.

Historian and author Walter Russell Mead of Bard College and the Hudson Institute talks with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about how innovation and religion can help us make sense of the current state of the world. The post Walter Russell Mead on Innovation, Religion, and the State of the World appeared first on Econlib.

Psychologist and writer Adam Mastroianni says our minds are like the keep of a castle protecting our deepest held values and beliefs from even the most skilled attacks. The only problem with this design for self-preservation is that it also can keep out wisdom that might be both useful and true. Mastroianni’s summary of the problem […] The post Adam Mastroianni on the Brain, the Ears, and How We Learn appeared first on Econlib.

The future of AI keeps Zvi Mowshowitz up at night. He also wonders why so many smart people seem to think that AI is more likely to save humanity than destroy it. Listen as Mowshowitz talks with EconTalk’s Russ Roberts about the current state of AI, the pace of AI’s development, and where–unless we take serious […] The post Zvi Mowshowitz on AI and the Dial of Progress appeared first on Econlib.

Economist and author Daron Acemoglu of MIT discusses his book Power and Progress with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Acemoglu argues that the productivity and prosperity that results from innovation is not always shared widely across the population. He makes the case for the importance of regulating new technologies to ensure that the benefits of innovation are distributed equitably. The post Daron Acemoglu on Innovation and Shared Prosperity appeared first on Econlib.