A Song Called Life

In Episode #238, comedian and political commentator Davidson Boswell returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation. Who is Zohran Mamdani, and why does his political ascent matter not just for New Yorkers, but for the nation at large? Why do so many U.S. politicians appear to have an unrelenting appetite for war? And in a time overshadowed by uncertainty, what reasons do we have to hold onto hope? Osi and Davidson attempt to answer these questions and more.

For more of Davidson's content, visit the following:

Substack - DavidsonBoswell.substack.com

Patreon - Patreon.com/TheDavidsonBoswellShow

Instagram - Instagram.com/davidsonboswell/

In Episode #237, award-winning science journalist Chris Berdik joins Osi for a conversation about something we often overlook: noise. They discuss how the sounds that surround us every day, even the ones we barely notice, can disrupt sleep, increase stress, affect heart health, and slow childhood development. They also discuss how noise is transforming ecosystems, from busy city streets to the depths of the ocean.

Link to read Clamor - Norton.com/books/9781324006992

Follow Chris' Substack at - Substack.com/@chrisberdik

Chris Berdik is a journalist who covers science, health, technology, and education. He is the author of Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World—and How We Can Take It Back (W. W. Norton, 2025), which explores the power of noise and soundscapes, and Mind Over Mind: The Surprising Power of Expectations (Penguin, 2012), a deep dive into the placebo effect across medical and non-medical settings. His journalism career includes roles as a staff editor at The Atlantic, a research editor at Mother Jones, and a senior science and medicine writer for Boston University's news and alumni publication, Bostonia.

In Episode #236, historian Ian Kumekawa joins Osi to trace the hidden history of globalization through an unlikely protagonist: a barge. In his book Empty Vessel, Ian follows a single ship as it morphs from a barracks in the Falklands to a floating jail in New York to worker housing in Germany, changing names and nations with each new economic demand. The ship becomes a powerful symbol of a world shaped by neoliberalism, offshore economies, and market flexibility. They discuss how this unremarkable barge reveals the architecture of our modern global economy and the forces that continue to shape it.

Link to Empty Vessel: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741342/empty-vessel-by-ian-kumekawa/

Ian Kumekawa is a historian at the Center for History and Economics at Harvard University. He is the author of Empty Vessel: The Story of the Global Economy in One Barge and The First Serious Optimist: A. C. Pigou and the Birth of Welfare Economics (2017). He has taught at Harvard and MIT. He hails from Clinton, CT and now lives in Boston.

In Episode #235, journalist and professor Alan Weisman sits down with Osi to talk about why it’s still worth holding on to hope even when the future feels uncertain. They cover issues like mass extinction, climate change, and food insecurity, and take a look at how the oil industry is fueling the crisis. But through it all, they arriive at one central question: Can we innovate our way out of these problems?

Alan Weisman is an award-winning journalist whose reports have appeared in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Discover, and on NPR, among others. A former contributing editor to The Los Angeles Times Magazine, he is a senior radio producer for Homelands Productions and teaches international journalism at the University of Arizona. His essay “Earth Without People” (Discover magazine, February 2005), on which The World Without Us expands, was selected for Best American Science Writing 2000 - 2007.

Link for Hope Dies Last - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/624630/hope-dies-last-by-alan-weisman/

Vauhini Vara began her journalism career as a technology reporter at The Wall Street Journal before helping to launch and lead the business section of The New Yorker’s website, where she served as editor and writer. Her work has since appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Businessweek (where she is a contributing writer), and other major publications. Her journalism has received recognition from the Asian American Journalists Association, the International Center for Journalists, the McGraw Center for Business Journalism, and additional organizations.

Her latest book, Searches (Pantheon, 2025), blends memoir and investigative reporting to explore how big tech companies are reshaping — and often exploiting — human communication, and the ways in which we all play a role in that dynamic.

With over 15 years of experience, Hannah Selinger is an accomplished writer whose work spans a wide range of subjects, including food, wine, travel, politics, lifestyle, real estate, and parenting. Her debut memoir, Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly (Little, Brown, 2025), has been praised by The New York Times as “a mix of Joris-Karl Huysmans, M.F.K. Fisher, and Regina George ... a howling account ... a fundamentally kind and generous book.” Her high-level print and digital content has appeared in prominent publications such as The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and The Wall Street Journal.

Daryl Fairweather is chief economist at Redfin, where she analyzes US housing markets and consumer behavior, and a member of the academic advisory council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. A former senior economist at Amazon, she is a regular contributor to Forbes, and she has been featured in 60 Minutes, Today, the New York Times, and Bloomberg, among other outlets.

In Episode #231, philosopher and animal rights activist Dr. Jeff Sebo joins Osi to discuss why we need to expand our moral circle. Are humans truly more important than all other beings? Who deserves moral consideration—and what qualifies a being to "matter"? Jeff and Osi dig into these questions and challenge the way we think about ethics, responsibility, and the future.

Jeff Sebo works primarily on moral philosophy, legal philosophy, and philosophy of mind; animal minds, ethics, and policy; AI minds, ethics, and policy; global health and climate ethics and policy; and global priorities research. He is author of The Moral Circle (2025) and Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves (2022) and co-author of Chimpanzee Rights (2018) and Food, Animals, and the Environment (2018).

In Episode #230, social psychologist Dr. Kurt Gray joins Osi to unpack the deep divide between liberals and conservatives, and why we so often feel outraged by those who see the world differently. They discuss how our biggest conflicts, whether political, personal, or cultural, stem from one simple question: who do we believe is being harmed?

A social psychologist and an award-winning researcher and teacher, Kurt Gray uses interdisciplinary methods to study our deepest held beliefs and how to bridge moral divides.

Dr. Gray is a Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Organizational Behavior at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC, where he teaches about organizational ethics and team processes. Dr. Gray received his PhD from Harvard University.

In Episode #229, Dr. Bill von Hippel joins Osi to tackle a big question: Why do so many of us feel unhappy or unfulfilled, even while living in comfort with more freedom, choice, and opportunity than ever before? They discuss the deep evolutionary forces that shape who we are—and how understanding those forces can help us push back against the emptiness and isolation that often come with modern life.

Dr. Bill von Hippel is a renowned psychologist, author, and expert on human behavior. He spent over three decades as a psychology professor in both the United States and Australia, contributing extensively to the field.

Today, Bill writes books and conducts research for private companies. He has published more than 150 academic articles and chapters across various psychological topics, and his work has been cited over 15,000 times in the academic literature. His research has been widely reported in the media, including in The New York Times' ‘100 Ideas of the Year’, The Economist, USA Today, Le Monde, Il Mundo, Der Spiegel, and The Australian.

Bill is the author of The Social Leap: The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come From, and What Makes Us Happy, a critically acclaimed book that explores how the challenges faced by our early ancestors continue to influence our decision-making, relationships, and happiness today. Through compelling research and accessible storytelling, Bill explains how the evolutionary pressures that shaped our ancestors’ brains also govern the way we navigate social situations, pursue goals, and seek fulfillment.

He is also the author of The Social Paradox: Autonomy, Connection, and Why We Need Both to Find Happiness, further expanding on his exploration of human behavior and happiness, offering insights into the balance between autonomy and connection in leading a fulfilling life.