Dementia provokes profound moral questions about our society and the meaning of life itself. How much are we connected to one another? In what ways are we distant and separated? What does it mean to have a self? How can we offer dignity to those who suffer from Alzheimer's and other forms of this terrible disease?

Worldwide around 55 million people have dementia. The US Centers for Disease Control estimates that the U.S. total is nearly six million cases. The numbers are growing with the aging of the population. The incidence of Alzheimer's increased more than 50% in the past 15 years. People over the age of 85 are the largest growing share of the population.

British journalist and author Nicci Gerrard is our guest. Her father's long struggle with dementia led Nicci to investigate what the disease does to those who live with it and to their caregivers. She writes with deep wisdom, kindness, and empathy in her new book, "The Last Ocean A Journey Through Memory and Forgetting."

In modern, developed nations, "we so value being young, healthy, vigorous, successful, purposeful, and autonomous," says Nicci. "In dementia all these things gradually unravel."

Following her father's death in 2014, Nicci Gerrard cofounded John's Campaign, which seeks to make care more compassionate for those who are vulnerable and powerless.

In this episode, we discuss her journey, what's she learned, and ways to improve dementia care, including the need for open an unrestricted visiting hours at hospitals-- still a controversial topic-- and dementia villages, a fairly new way to help people with memory loss improve quality of life. Here's a link to more information about Nicci's work and her book.

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History was made on January 6th, 2021, yet nearly 18 months later we are still coming to terms with what happened before and during the attack on the U.S. Capitol. In this episode, Richard and Jim discuss what's been revealed by the House Select Committee that continues to investigate the disturbing events of that day.

We include excerpts from statements by Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D) and Vice-Chair Liz Cheney. Our discussion looks at the controversy over how the Committee was formed and how its findings will be viewed by voters, elected officials, legal analysts and historians. 

The first Select Committee hearing was aired during prime time on a Thursday night. While much of it was solemn and deliberative, there were moments of theater and passion. In their discussion, Jim and Richard share their different views of whether or not the work of the Committee has been as effective as it should have been.  

Recommendation: Jim has been re-reading the dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury.

This episode also includes a promotion for another fine podcast— "The Purple Principle".

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The appalling carnage in Uvalde, Texas, Buffalo, New York, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and other communities across the country is a deeply painful source of grief, outrage, and national shame. Since 2009 more than 2500 people have been killed or wounded in 277 mass shootings in The United States— more than the number of U.S. military personnel killed in hostile action in Afghanistan over the same period.

But as horrible as they are, mass shootings represent a small percentage of overall firearms-related deaths. In 2020 — the latest year for which numbers are available — more than 45 thousand Americans were killed in shootings, including accidents and suicides. That’s more than the number of deaths on roads and highways.

In this episode we look at some ways to reduce the huge toll. Our guest is Dr. Patrick Carter, a professor of emergency medicine and health behavior at the University of Michigan, and a leading expert on firearm injury prevention. He argues that instead of endless debate, we need to think of gun deaths "as a public health issue and a science issue." Then we can make real progress, he argues.

Key soundbites:

05:13 We should think about the crisis of gun-related fatalities "not just as a single thing, but of a multi-faceted problem with lots of potential solutions: From engineering— how we construct guns and firearms safes— to how we change behavior around how people own and use guns, to how we address populations that are particularly high-risk and shouldn't own guns or shouldn't have access to guns when they are in crisis."

05:40 "I really think we can change the direction of firearm deaths and we have done that with cars... with drownings in this country. We've done that with all types of injury-related issues."

20:30 "I don't think you can solve this problem with the science-based approach I've talked about without engaging the people who own guns... We need to understand what things will change behaviors and to do that we need to engage with firearms owners around common-sense solutions."

Recommendation: The weekly online newsletter by conservative writer David French. He is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Richard says he often disagrees with David, but finds his writing to be respectful and even kind towards liberals and others who see the world in a different light.

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"There is one and only one social responsibility of business," Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman famously declared more than 50 years ago. It is “to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase profits so long as it.. engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.” 

Times have certainly changed, especially in the past two decades. Today, corporate leaders and brands know that they can't always follow Friedman's advice, and are expected to step forward and contribute to solving crises facing society. But there are often hazards in doing so. Walt Disney, Delta Airlines, and Larry Fink, Chairman, and CEO of BlackRock, have all faced harsh criticism for their public stands.

We discuss the hazards and opportunities for corporations and their leadership with the author, researcher, and facilitator Elizabeth Doty, Director of the Erb Institute's Corporate Political Responsibility at the University of Michigan. She suggests constructive ways for businesses to play a key role in countering hyperpartisanship and other divisions in society. 

"Companies are on the receiving end of a lot of criticism," Elizabeth tells us. "We felt they needed a place to get foresight for companies to dig into what's behind these complaints." In our podcast, we hear ways businesses can benefit society and themselves with a constructive forward-facing, deliberative approach. 

When confronting divisive issues, corporations should consider how to "raise the quality of the argument rather than pick a side in the argument", says Elizabeth.

In a statement on its website, the Taskforce says: "Unfortunately, many executives operate without an integrated view of their firms’ engagement with governing or electoral processes, or clear principles to ensure transparency, accountability and responsibility. As we have seen in 2020, in an environment of polarization and distrust, inattention to CPR can increase reputational risk, destabilize the civic and business environment, threaten the credibility of other efforts and undermine the positive systemic changes society needs."

Learn more here. The Taskforce invites business leaders, academics and others with an interest in this topic to get involved.

Recommendation: Jim is enjoying "Walking the Floor" a music podcast hosted by Chris Shiflett, lead guitarist of The Foo Fighters.

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Myths are widely seen as little more than lies. We're constantly told by experts in media and society that myths are for debunking and even ridicule.

Yet despite clear evidence frequently presented by doctors, journalists and scientists, many of us believe in legends and myths. 

In this episode of "How Do We Fix It?", we explore the power of myths and legends: Why they are essential in making sense of life. Bestselling author of "The Swerve", "The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve" and other books, Harvard Humanities professor Stephen Greenblatt, is our guest.

Using the origin story of Adam and Eve and other accounts in The Bible, we discuss the enormous appeal of foundation stories to raise questions about human existence and explain our fears, desires and morality. 

At their best popular legends and myths can bring our communities together and improve cooperation and understanding. But at their worst they can promote hatred and lead us to believe in dangerous fantasies. 

"Some are good for us, while others are not. But it's often difficult to sort out which ones are in each category," says Professor Greenblatt. 

Note: this interview was first published in 2017.

Recommendation: During and after his trip to Florence, Richard has been listening to lecture series about the Italian Renaissance. They include the Great Courses series by Professor Kenneth Bartlett.

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What does it mean to be a winner? Is it simply about “crushing it” or hitting your targets at work? Do you always have to come first?

In this episode, we get a new definition of winning and success from former British Olympic rower, Cath Bishop, who competed in three Olympics and won a silver medal. Today Cath works in leadership development and has spent years thinking deeply about what it means to be successful in life. Her new book is “The Long Win: The Search for a Better Way to Succeed”. 

Cath spoke with audio journalist Ashley Milne-Tyte, host of the winning podcast, “The Broad Experience”, about women and the workplace. Here we share part of her episode with Cath.

In the second half of this episode, Richard also has a conversation with Ashley about the insights she’s learned during the first decade of reporting for her podcast. We hear about racism and sexism in the workplace and how men can help women achieve true equality.

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Elon Musk is the richest person in the world and the most interesting business leader of his time. 

Disruptive and innovative, Musk has already revolutionized two giant industries— autos and aerospace. His planned purchase of Twitter will turn him into a power player in a third: social media.

In this episode we look at what Elon Musk and his team achieved with SpaceX and share part of our 2121 interview with journalist Eric Berger, senior space editor at the science and tech news site, Ars Technica. Eric wrote the book "Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched Space." We also hear from our co-host Jim about his Commentary Magazine article, "Can Elon Musk Save Twitter?" We learn more about the risks and obstacles involved in buying the digital public square that Musk plans to take private. 

With SpaceX, Musk pioneered the use of reusable rockets, drastically cut the cost of launches and made space exploration much more interesting to people around the globe. He turned Tesla into the world's most successful electric car company. He is also founder of the tunnel drilling firm Boring Company, and co-founder of the neuro-technology firm Neuralink and Open AI, an artificial intelligence research lab.

"He's very demanding of pretty much everyone around him," says Eric Berger. "If you go to work for Elon Musk you better expect to work very hard and deliver, and with him you are going to get the chance to do great things."

Recommendation: Both Jim and Richard explain why they are active Twitter users. 

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All too often political movements are defined by their opponents. That is especially true for libertarians who are often labeled as uncaring— far more concerned with the individual than society. In this episode, we get a mostly positive view of what libertarians stand for and also why they oppose both the populist domination of the Republican Party and the leftward tilt by Democrats.

Our guest Nick Gillespie is editor at large of Reason Magazine, which has the motto "free minds and free markets." He's co-author of the book, “The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What’s Wrong With America,” and host of “The Reason Interview” podcast. 

In this episode we discuss six main topics— What is a libertarian, public education and school choice, inflation, the role of billionaires in society, Ukraine & foreign policy, and the controversial Disinformation Governance Board.

"I value individual choice. I devalue coercion," Nick tells us. "I believe in a smaller state than we have now... I want people to be able to make as many meaningful choices in their lives as possible."

Recommendation: Jim has great enthusiasm for birding and science, and is reading "The Most Perfect Thing" about the science and natural history of bird eggs by Chenghui Ju, David C. Lahti

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How did the Republican Party go from being dominated by Ronald Reagan in the 80s to the movement of Trump? What are the deep tensions between grassroots Republicans and Conservative elites who used to be in charge? Six months before the 2022 midterm election, why would liberals and progressives stand to benefit from understanding exactly why conservatives win so many races? 

We grapple with these questions and many more in this episode of "How Do We Fix It?"

Our guest is conservative intellectual, scholar and journalist, Matthew Continetti— a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. His new book is "The Right: The Hundred Year War on American Conservatism."

"I resist this temptation to simply pathologize conservatism, because I don't think it explains why the American right has been so successful," Matthew tells us. Asked about critics who argue that Republicans are racist, sexist or homophobic, he says, "I think it's dangerous for the American left to ascribe everything to these 'isms'".

Notes: Jonathan Rauch, our guest on episode 344, wrote a favorable review Matthew's book in The New York Times. We discussed Gerard Baker's Wall Street Journal op-ed, "Republicans Remain Shackled to Donald Trump" in this week's show.

Recommendation: Richard watched and enjoyed the new Netflix comedy, "Standing Up".

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Partisanship is up, trust is down and social media encourages us to believe we're right and everyone else is either ignorant, stupid or evil. But avoiding difficult conversations with those we disagree with is a big reason why our nation is so bitterly divided.

Journalist Mónica Guzmán set out to discover what was blinding us and learned that the best tool we have we're not using: Our own curiosity. In this episode we learn about her personal story as the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who strongly support Donald Trump. We hear how Mónica discovered ways to overcome divisions that hurt our relationships and society.

Mónica Guzmán is the author of the highly praised new book "I Never Thought Of It That Way". She serves as an advisor and storyteller at the depolarization organization, Braver Angels. 

"The anger and the rage that we see out there that defines our division doesn't actually exist that much on the one-to-one level," Monica told us.

In this episode, Monica discusses how we can put our natural sense of wonder to work, finding the answers needed to work with people, rather than score points against them. Bridging the gap involves asking questions that help you get across the difficult divides that are causing so much pain in our families and communities. 

We also learn about the work of Braver Angels and hear why this month's America Talks is a good place to start when learning how to help depolarize America, one person at a time. 

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