Wander

Ben talks SCOTUS, including the June Medical Services abortion ruling and whether or not there is a constitutional right to the insanity plea. Pope Formosus joins us from beyond the grave for an exclusive interview.

Ben argues that we don’t take seriously enough the negative consequences of emotionally unavailable parenting.

The Supreme Court incorporates the sixth-amendment implied guarantee that jury convictions must be unanimous, Ben learns that Ursa Major is a prehistoric constellation, and Edwin Hubble discovers that, no matter how hard you try, some things are out of reach.

Ben asks whether color is real, explores the electromagnetic spectrum, and remembers Ms. Rosenblatt’s class. Injustice is done to the comparative anatomy of vision. Kamala Harris pops in to explain why Biden is wrong to agree with her on busing. Keisha Lance Bottoms is referred to as Laticia Jackson, for some reason.

In response to a high volume of listener requests, Ben shares his thoughts on Brett Weinstein’s recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience.

Ben ventures back to the Stone Age, likens JCPenney CEO Ron Johnson to heretic pharaoh Akhenaten, and remembers playing with toy cars. Along the way, he meets a one-off Hellenic caveman, hafts a spear, and finds a clay spindle whorl. Virginia congressman Howard Smith plies our studio audience with hemlock.

Ben defends being wrong and criticizes intellectuals who quibble about the causes of police brutality rather than proposing policies that would reduce its incidence.

Ben endorses hiring more women cops, requiring two-year degrees for cops, legalizing marijuana, and having someone other than cops respond to certain types of emergencies. Ulysses S. Grant runs through a McDonald’s naked. This episode was written by our bass player Greg.

Ben categorizes people based on their relationship to knowledge, Erasmus shoots the breeze in Restored Classical Pronunciation Greek, and Chinese people speak Chinese.

Ben argues that retrodictions are impossible and words don’t have essences.