Steven Pinker joins us for a thought-provoking, members-only discussion on how sectarian solidarity and our pursuit of self-interest has led to the demise of objectivity, truth, and collective rationality. 
QUOTES:
STEVEN PINKER
“The most pervasive and robust cognitive bias is the one in which people steer their reasoning toward a conclusion that is one of the sacred values of their own tribe.”
The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths - @rudyardg.  
Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/
To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.  
To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership
Members receive access to our 10+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/
Executive Producer: Rudyard Griffiths
Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz
Editor: Reza Dahya

Steven Pinker Dialogue

The Munk Debates podcast is an extension of the main stage events - in subject, speaker selection, tone and format. It will introduce the iconic brand - and its engaging debates about significant issues of our time. Audiences will hear strong and passionate arguments from both sides of an issue so they will have enough information to make up their own minds about where they stand.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

History

Society & Culture

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

News

Politics

The Middle East, a region already mired in conflict due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, just got a lot more dangerous. In response to a recent Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Iran sent hundreds of drones and missiles to attack Israel, setting the stage for a potential military escalation. The world is now watching closely as the long shadow war between Israel and Iran - which has played out with proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen for years - threatens to turn into a full blown war between the two regional enemies that could draw in the surrounding Arab States, the US, and even Russia. 
To unpack this unfolding crisis we are joined by Gregg Carlstrom. Greg is a Middle East correspondent for The Economist, and has covered the region for more than a decade, with stints in Cairo, Beirut and Tel Aviv.




The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths
Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/
To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.  
To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership
Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/
Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz
Senior Producer: Daniel Kitts
Editor: Kieran Lynch

Munk Dialogue with Gregg Carlstrom: Israel and Iran's shadow war explodes into the open

We are in the midst of one of the most dangerous and unstable geopolitical moments in recent history. Wars are intensifying in Ukraine and the Middle East, the rise of China as a superpower is threatening the entire Asia-Pacific region, and an unprecedented migrant crisis in the US and Europe is paving the way for right wing populists who threaten to destabilize and destroy the international rules based order that has given us eight decades of relative peace and prosperity. And in the backdrop of this chaos is a United States that is deeply divided and unable - and sometimes unwilling - to provide leadership at a moment of global instability.
Our guest on this Munk Dialogue is uniquely qualified to speak on these conflicts, and offer prescriptions for how the US should navigate these dangerous waters and steady the ship, so to speak. Richard Haass is widely considered to be the embodiment of America’s foreign policy establishment. He was president of the Council on Foreign Relations for 20 years and served in multiple presidential administrations. He’s also the editor of a new weekly newsletter called Home and Away, which is published on substack. 
 
The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths
 
Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/
 
To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.  
 
To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership
Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/
 
Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz
Senior Producer: Daniel Kitts
Editor: Kieran Lynch

Munk Dialogue with Richard Haass: a crumbling world order

TikTok is one of the most popular social media sites on the planet. But concerns have been growing over TikTok’s ability to collect massive amounts of information about its users, and its suspected ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Those fears recently prompted the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill that would force the Chinese company that controls TikTok to sell it to American interests. If not, TikTok would be blocked on the app stores that an estimated 170 million Americans have used to download the app. But there are many critics of the bill who argue it should never become law. They say the evidence China is using TikTok for nefarious purposes is scant. They also question why the U.S. is targeting one social media app, while others who similarly collect large swaths of data get a free pass. And they accuse Congress of using the pretense of national security to target a rival of American owned-social media giants, setting a dangerous precedent for future international business relationships.
Arguing in favour of the resolution is Scott Galloway, He’s a Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern School of Business and host of the Prof G and Pivot Podcasts.
Arguing against the resolution is Julia Angwin. She is an investigative journalist, author, and contributing Opinion writer for the New York Times who writes about the impacts of technology on societies. 
 
SOURCES: CNN, FOX News, NBC News, Tucker Carlson 
 
The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths 
Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/
To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.  
To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership
Members receive access to our 50+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/
 
Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz
Senior Producer: Daniel Kitts
Editor: Kieran Lynch

Be it Resolved, TikTok is a national security threat and should be sold or banned.

The US economy is booming. Public investments in infrastructure, education, clean energy, and more is accelerating labour productivity, growing wages, and spurring employment. Recent economic data shows that “Bidenomics” is working and just as a rising tide lifts all boats, the average American worker hasn’t had it so good in a generation or more. But critics are pointing to the high cost of living – from expensive groceries to housing to health care – to the rise of precarious work to exploding levels of economic inequality as proof points that the president’s economic policies are in fact debt fuelled chimera and achieving the American dream is fast becoming an impossibility for millions of workers.
Arguing in favour of the resolution is Steven Rattner. He’s the former head of Obama’s Auto Task Force, an Economic Analyst on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, and a contributing writer to The New York Times Op Ed page
Arguing against the resolution is Michael R. Strain,  the Director of Economic Policy Studies and the at the American Enterprise Institute.
SOURCE: MSNBC
 
The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths 
Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/
To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.  
To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership
Members receive access to our 50+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/
 
Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz
Senior Producer: Daniel Kitts
Editor: Kieran Lynch

Be it Resolved, American workers have never had it so good

If recent polls are to be believed, Donald Trump is poised to become the President, for the second time, of the United States of America. Yet some observers think most swing voters who end up deciding American elections will ultimately turn away from Trump 2.0. For proof, they point to the difficulty Trump has had winning over many voters in his own party during the Republican primaries.  
But other analysts insist the former president remains a formidable political force: He has a large and loyal base, he motivates people who don’t typically don’t vote, and he’s consistently beating Democrat Joe Biden in polls of key battleground states. 2016 should serve as an important lesson, they argue: don’t underestimate Donald Trump.
Arguing in favour of the resolution is Sarah Longwell. She is the publisher of the political analysis and opinion website The Bulwark, and host of The Focus Group Podcast. 
Arguing against the resolution is Patrick Ruffini. He is a pollster and founding partner of the firm Echelon Insights. He is also the author of the book Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP.
 
SOURCES: The Times and Sunday Times, MSNBC
 
The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths 
Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/
To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.  
To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership
Members receive access to our 50+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.
This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/
Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz
Producer: Daniel Kitts
Editor: Kieran Lynch

Steven Pinker Dialogue

Download our free app to listen on your phone