Mansplaining

A common argument among sports fans is whether coming through “in the clutch” — where an athlete is said to raise his or her level of performance in the most important moments of the game — truly exists.  Some cite chapter and verse of their favorite players doing spectacular things under intense pressure to bolster their argument for its existence, while others insist with equal vehemence that clutch is a figment of the imagination, unsupported by the data.  Well it’s the bottom of the 9th, folks, and Mark and Joe go deep on whether clutch is fact or fiction. (Recorded  April 12, 202

"Inflation will be with us for years to come." "You can’t lower inflation without raising unemployment." "Supply chain disruptions will cause a recession." These are some of the fables told in recent years by economic forecasters.  Their job is to use empirical methods to explain why certain things happen in the economy but they’re notoriously bad at it, their predictions no more reliable than that of a palm reader.  Why is this so?  Joe and Mark assess their record, offering some explanations for why it’s so terrible, and consider how “the dismal science” might step up its game. (Re...

Electric vehicle charging stations were recently installed in the parking lot of Joe’s apartment complex, and that got him thinking about how our country’s transition to EVs is going.  Have Americans been sufficiently incentivized to go electric?  Are there enough public charging stations to accommodate growing demand?  And what are the implications for America’s rickety power grid?  With only a single charge, Mark takes us on a road trip through the history of EVs and forecasts when we’re likely to see a critical mass of them on the road. (Recorded March 8, 2024.)

In recent decades, the Democratic Party has hemorrhaged support from the working-class white voters who once formed the backbone of its New Deal coalition.  While Dems have maintained a slight electoral majority over the last three decades, they’ve struggled to enact their agenda in a minoritarian political system.  What might it take to turn a slight edge into a durable governing majority, and which politician might lead them to that promised land?  Joe has his eye on John Fetterman, and he and Mark discuss Fetterman’s career, the issues he champions, and whether he heralds the return of blue-co...

This podcast has spent a lot of time on AI, whether in connection with its effect on the workplace, its application in products like drones and cars, its ability to create art, or how it’s changing robotics.  But it hasn’t addressed the inevitable idea raised by all those breakthroughs, which is how humanity will reckon with machines when they’re smarter than we are.  Until now, that is.  Mark and Joe think about what artificial general intelligence and the singularity might require in the way of ultra-careful design and containment strategies. (Recorded February 2, 2024.)

January always seems to bring a spate of articles about how the new year will be “The Year of This” or “The Year of That.” 2024 has already been christened by some as “The Year of Robots.” It sure seems like we’ve heard that refrain before, and yet robots are still not part of our daily lives. Why not? Joe and Mark discuss the history of robots, two reasons why their development lags behind that of AI, and whether we’re failing to notice a golden age of robots all around us because we’re expecting them to look like Robby or C-3P...

Mansplaining continues a tradition with its 4th annual holiday-themed episode, though this time it's with a more personal question than we usually tackle on this podcast.  What are you thankful for?  Mark shares a story about an event from his childhood that changed the trajectory of his life, while Joe offers a short list consisting both of things that give his life meaning and things that are front of mind.  Think about your answer as you listen to ours.

The proponents of effective altruism believe that, when it comes to charitable giving, we should use reason and evidence to make the greatest positive impact.  The recently convicted fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried proclaimed himself an adherent of EA.  Should his exposure as a crook make us think twice about it?  Joe and Mark appraise whether EA is a valuable moral compass, a convenient smokescreen, or maybe something more complicated.

One of the most intractable issues in contemporary U.S. politics is immigration.  Politicians in both parties have talked about comprehensive immigration reform for decades, yet no legislation is forthcoming.  Is that because there’s no good compromise to be had, or is it because one party (guess which one) has turned its back on all immigrants, even legal ones?  Mark and Joe compare notes on what sensible immigration policies might look like.

What if our entire reality—everyone and everything we see and experience—is an elaborate simulation, a virtual reality app designed by a technologically advanced civilization?  (Yes, just like in The Matrix.)  That’s what simulation theory posits, and Mark asked Joe whether there’s any “truth” to it (a fool’s errand, if indeed we’re living in said simulation).  Joe and Mark consider an idea that might seem the province of late night conversations in dorm rooms or pubs but has a surprisingly distinguished philosophical pedigree.  Is Mansplaining part of the simulation?  Perish the thought!