Freakonomics Radio
Sundays at noon
"Freakonomics Radio" is an award-winning weekly podcast with 7 million downloads a month; it also airs on public-radio stations across the country. Host Stephen Dubner has surprising conversations that explore the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature -- from cheating and crime to parenting and sports. Dubner talks with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs -- and his "Freakonomics" co-author Steve Levitt.
"Freakonomics Radio" is produced by Dubner Productions and WNYC Studios.
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English professor and Moby-Dick aficionado Hester Blum dives deep into whaling. To get subscriber-only episodes, sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. The post The Appeal of the Open Seas appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Patrick Deneen, a political philosopher at Notre Dame, says yes. He was a Democrat for years, and has now come to be seen as an “ideological guru” of the Trump administration. But that only tells half the story... The post Has America Lost Its Appetite for the Common Good? appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Bjørn Andersen has killed hundreds of minke whales. He tells us how he does it, why he does it, and what he thinks would happen if whale-hunting ever stopped. (This bonus episode is a follow-up to our series “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.") The post A Modern Whaler Speaks Up (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.
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In the final episode of our whale series, we learn about fecal plumes, shipping noise, and why Moby-Dick is still worth reading. (Part 3 of “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.”) The post What Can Whales Teach Us About Clean Energy, Workplace Harmony, and Living the Good Life? (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.
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For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a historic low. And yet some countries still have a whaling industry. We find out why. (Part 2 of “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.”) The post Why Do People Still Hunt Whales? (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Whaling was, in the words of one scholar, “early capitalism unleashed on the high seas.” How did the U.S. come to dominate the whale market? Why did whale hunting die out here — and continue to grow elsewhere? And is that whale vomit in your perfume? (Part 1 of “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.”) The post The First Great American Industry (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.
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It’s a haphazard way of paying workers, and yet it keeps expanding. With federal tax policy shifting in a pro-tip direction, we revisit an episode from 2019 to find out why. The post Why Does Tipping Still Exist? (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.
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They should have died out when the lightbulb was invented. Instead they’re a $10 billion industry. What does it mean that we still want tiny fires inside our homes? The post Why Do Candles Still Exist? appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Derek Fisher talks about the N.B.A.’s global reach. To get subscriber-only episodes, sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. The post Off the Court appeared first on Freakonomics.
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The former secretary of state isn’t a flamethrower, but he certainly has strong opinions. In this wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Dubner, he gives them all: on Israel, Gaza, China, Iran, Russia, Biden, Trump — and the rest of the world. The post How to Wage Peace, According to Tony Blinken appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Until recently, Delaware was almost universally agreed to be the best place for companies to incorporate. Now, with Elon Musk leading a corporate stampede out of the First State, we revisit an episode from 2023 that asked if Delaware’s “franchise” is wildly corrupt, wildly efficient … or both? The post Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rules for Everyone? (Update) appeared first on Freakonomics.
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For years, the playwright David Adjmi was considered “polarizing and difficult.” But creating Stereophonic seems to have healed him. Stephen Dubner gets the story — and sorts out what Adjmi has in common with Richard Wagner. The post What Does It Cost to Lead a Creative Life? appeared first on Freakonomics.