Seize the Moment Podcast

On episode 267, we welcome Saul Levmore and Ward Farnsworth to discuss how we make everyday decisions, the complexities of tipping, deciding who should pay for a first date, competing values and loyalties as sometimes expressed by a love/hate relationship with one's country, social norms and how they're created, disingenuous praise as a potential good, enthusiasm as a potential expression of genuine admiration, and the general joys of thinking.

Saul Levmore is the William B. Graham Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago Law School. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a past president of the American Law Deans Association and of the American Law and Economics Association.

Ward Farnsworth is Professor and W. Page Keeton Chair at the University of Texas School of Law. He is author of The Latin Tamer, The Socratic Method, The Practicing Stoic, and the Farnsworth Classical English series which includes Argument, Rhetoric, Metaphor, and Style—all published by Godine.

Their new book, available October 27, 2026, is called Should You Tip for Takeout?: Solving the Puzzles of Everyday Life.

| Saul Levmore & Ward Farnsworth |

► Website | https://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/levmorehttps://philpeople.org/profiles/benjamin-mccraw

► Website 2 | https://www.wardfarnsworth.com

► Should You Tip for Takeout? Book | https://amzn.to/4zscWTu

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentpodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

► Patreon | patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 266, we welcome Mark Schroeder to discuss why we tend to misunderstand each other so much when arguing, the difference between signal and noise, the fundamental attribution error and what philosophers mean by attribution, what addiction is, taking responsibility as a means of improving mental health, whether others know us better than we know ourselves, overestimating ill-will from others, and what it means to be a person.

Mark Schroeder is professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, where he is founding director of the Conceptual Foundations of Conflict Project. His books include Reasons First, Being For, and Slaves of the Passions. His new book, available October 27, 2026, is called When Things Get Personal: A Philosophical Guide to Conflict.

| Mark Schroeder |

► Website | https://markschroeder.net/bio

► Substack | https://substack.com/@philosophymark

► Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/philosophymark.bsky.social

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/mark.a.schroeder

► When Things Get Personal Book | https://bit.ly/WhenThingsGetPersonal

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

► Patreon | patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 265, we welcome Colin Marshall to discuss ethical persuasion, how it differs from debating, the importance of respecting others' life choices and taking them seriously, Colin's experience phone-banking during the last US presidential election, virtue signaling and bullying as barriers to persuasion, Daryl Davis and persuading people away from white supremacist beliefs, staying true to yourself when in conflict, whether podcasting is a good space for reasoning with others, why Fred Rogers epitomizes moral persuasion, the importance of keeping an open mind when trying to prove a point, and teamwork as the foundation for changing minds.

Colin Marshall is professor of philosophy at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is the author of Compassionate Moral Realism. His new book, available now, Just Hear Me Out: How to Change Minds Without Lies, Bullshit, or Moral Compromise, explores how we can change minds on difficult issues without lying, manipulation, or sacrificing respect and compassion. It brings together philosophy, psychology, and real-world stories of persuasion.

| Colin Marshall |

► Website | https://phil.washington.edu/people/colin-marshall

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/prof.c.marshall

► Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/profcolin.bsky.social

► Just Hear Me Out Book | https://bit.ly/JustHearMeOutUCP

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

► Patreon | patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 264, we welcome Arlie Russell Hochschild to discuss Trump's appeal in rural America, 'the pride paradox' and shame being the natural result of believing you're completely in charge of your own destiny, how Pikeville, Kentucky addressed a white supremacist march, navigating political polarization and learning how to humanize each other, shame and blame as irrelevant to real but complex understandings of the world, the different ways of navigating the emotional distress of a changing economy, and the predispositions fascists take advantage of.

Arlie Russell Hochschild is the author of many groundbreaking books, including The Second Shift, The Managed Heart, and The Time Bind as well as Strangers in Their Own Land, which became an instant bestseller and was a finalist for a National Book Award, and Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right (both from The New Press). Hochschild is professor emerita of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.

| Arlie Russell Hochschild |

► Website | https://sociology.berkeley.edu/professor-emeritus/arlie-r-hochschild

► X | https://x.com/hochschild_r

► Stolen Pride Book | https://amzn.to/46AHOon

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

► Patreon | patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 263, we welcome J. Aaron Simmons and Benjamin McGraw to discuss the philosophy of heavy metal, the satanic panic and the Judas Priest trial, metal as an expression of liberty and individuality, the intellectual diversity in metal, challenging racist and misogynistic ideologies in the sphere, music as an expression of rebellion and critical thinking, the battle between reactionary and progressive beliefs and how it manifests in the war against the devil, the paradox of Christian metal, and transcending the need to transgress as an authentic expression of metal fandom.

J. Aaron Simmons is a Professor of Philosophy who has published over a dozen books, the most recent is Camping with Kierkegaard. Simmons is the former President of the Søren Kierkegaard Society (USA) and writes regularly for his Substack, Philosophy in the Wild. Benjamin W. McCraw is Instructor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina Upstate and Research Associate at the African Centre for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science (ACEPS), University of Johannesburg. He works in epistemology and philosophy of religion and has published in journals including Social Epistemology, Faith and Philosophy, Acta Analytica, and Religious Studies. Their new book, available now, is called The Heaviest Ideas in the Universe: A Philosophy of Heavy Metal.

| J. Aaron Simmons & Benjamin W. McCraw|

► Website | https://jaaronsimmons.com, https://philpeople.org/profiles/benjamin-mccraw

► Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtktPVW5IrLx0772vl8znWQ

► Substack | https://jaaronsimmons.substack.com

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/jaaronsimmons

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090093484022

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/simmonsphilosopher

► Google Scholar | https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=kUbkQ8EAAAAJ&hl=en

► The Heaviest Ideas in the Universe | https://amzn.to/4hI1IED

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentPodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

► Patreon | patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 262, we welcome Mike McIntire to discuss American gun ownership, the Supreme Court's misinterpretation of the second amendment of the bill of rights, the proliferation of guns for both defense and conquest throughout American history, gun ownership as a symbol of responsibility and masculinity, the NRA's existential fear of gun reforms, the philosophical divide at the heart of the debate around gun ownership, how the founding fathers may have reacted to the current political climate, and the importance of popular messaging in alleviating gun violence.

Mike McIntire is an investigative reporter, author, and editor. As a member of the investigations unit at The New York Times, he shared Pulitzer Prizes in 2022 for reporting on the hidden financial incentives behind police traffic stops, and in 2017 for reporting on covert Russian interference in the US presidential election. His new book, available July 21, 2026, is called Ricochet: Guns, Greed, and the American Way of Violence.

| Mike McIntire |

► Website | https://www.mikemcintire.com

► The New York Times | https://nyti.ms/3TffsfU

► Ricochet Book | https://bit.ly/read-ricochet-book

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 261, we welcome Ilan Stavans to discuss the historical incarnations of god, god as a symbol of both oppression and liberty, Moses's rebellion against god and how it symbolizes modern faith, god as an ineffable experience, why we continue to create god, militant atheism as a response to deep-seated hope for the existence of god, Jesus dying for the sins of Yahweh, morality without religion, and god in the age of AI.

Ilan Stavans is the publisher of Restless Books and the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities and Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. His books include On Borrowed Words, Spanglish, Dictionary Days, The Disappearance, and A Critic's Journey. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, Chile's Presidential Medal, the International Latino Book Award, and the Jewish Book Award. Stavans's work, translated into twenty languages, has been adapted to the stage and screen. Ilan is also the host of the NPR-affiliated podcast "In Contrast." His new book, available on June 30, 2026, is called A Nation Wrestles With God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands.

| Ilan Stavans |

► Website | https://restlessbooks.org/our-team

► Podcast | https://www.nepm.org/in-contrast-a-podcast-on-culture-in-the-making

► A Nation Wrestles With God Book | https://bit.ly/ANationWrestlesWithGod

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 260, we welcome David Ost to discuss the philosophy of the red pill movement, the similarities and differences between red pill and fascism, why people are drawn to authoritarian figures, the rise of Trump, populism as an ideological framework for fascism, Soviet communism as the extreme end of the left's failures to improve lives, sports and worker's rights, and the New York Knicks as a symbol of class struggle.

David Ost is an emeritus professor of politics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, who has written widely on eastern Europe, left and right politics, and labor and democracy. He is the author of Solidarity and the Politics of Anti-Politics, The Defeat of Solidarity: Anger and Politics in Postcommunist Europe, as well as editor/author of Class After Communism, and co-editor/author of Workers After Workers' States. He has written for a wide variety of scholarly and popular publications. His new book, available now, is called Red Pill Politics: Demystifying the Far Right from Fascism to Right-Wing Populism.

| David Ost |

► Website | https://annlarsonwrites.com, https://economichardship.org/author/annlarson

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/david.ost.10

► Red Pill Politics Book | https://amzn.to/3S5ZWm9

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 259, we welcome Ann Larson to discuss her experience working as a grocery cashier during the COVID-19 pandemic, the complex emotional and structural factors involved in professional success and failure, meritocracy as a simplification of economic outcomes, the multiple forms of labor involved in supermarket work, the difference between one's status and skillset, food waste at the expense of wages, and the importance of community in surviving low wage work.

Ann Larson's writing on education, debt, and low-wage work has appeared in The New Republic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Fast Company, and The Nation, among other publications. She is coauthor of Can't Pay Won't Pay: The Case for Economic Disobedience and Debt Abolition and is a fellow with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Her new book, available June 9, 2026, is called Cleanup on Aisle Five: Essential Work, Poverty Wages, and the View from Behind the Supermarket Register.

| Ann Larson |

► Website | https://annlarsonwrites.com, https://economichardship.org/author/annlarson

► Twitter | https://x.com/AnnLLarson

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/annlarsonslc

► Cleanup on Aisle Five Book | https://bit.ly/CleanuponAisleFive

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 258, we welcome David Samson to discuss sleep hygiene and the wellness industry, how we misunderstand the optimization of sleep, glorifying and idealizing ancestral societies, sleep's relationship with mental health, moving from sleeping in trees to communal "shells," sleep's importance in regulating brain health, the paleo gear and the optimal gear in sleep science, the trade-offs in sleep-loss and why it's sometimes beneficial, and how humans evolved for "just enough" sleep.

David R. Samson is associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Toronto and the author of Our Tribal Future: How to Channel Our Foundational Human Instincts into a Force for Good. His pioneering research has been featured in National Geographic, Time, The New York Times, NPR and the BBC. His new book, available now, is called The Sleepless Ape: The Story of Sleep in Human Evolution.

| David Samson |

► Website | https://davidrsamson.com

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/Primalprimate

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/primalprimatologist

► Research Gate | https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Samson-7

► The Sleepless Ape Book | https://amzn.to/49lVwNP

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMomentPodcast

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemomentpodcast

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast