Words & Numbers

James and Ant predict the near-present. Who's gonna win in this hot mess of an election? They also talk a bit about who's gonna lose.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

00:26 Listener Feedback: The Death Penalty and Inalienable Rights

02:18 Does Imprisonment Violate the Right to Liberty?

04:09 Can You Forfeit Your Inalienable Rights?

06:25 Punishment, Rehabilitation, and the Purpose of Prison

08:42 Elizabeth Holmes, Fraud, and Criminal Justice

10:22 Should Criminals Be Forced to Repay Their Victims?

12:07 Pete Hegseth’s Political Future in Tennessee

13:48 Foolishness of the Week: Nicki Minaj for White House Press Secretary?

17:19 Political Spam and the 2026 Midterm Elections

18:49 Midterm Election Predictions: Polls vs. Betting Markets

25:51 Will Democrats Take Control of Congress?

28:10 Could Trump Face Another Impeachment?

31:50 The Odds of Democrats Winning the House and Senate

34:03 Texas Senate Race: Ken Paxton vs. James Talarico

35:35 Trump’s Approval Ratings and the Midterms

37:13 Ohio Governor’s Race: Vivek Ramaswamy’s Declining Odds

39:00 Alaska Senate Race: Mary Peltola vs. Dan Sullivan

41:51 Maine Senate Race: Can Susan Collins Survive?

44:43 Tariffs, Inflation, and Republican Voter Discontent

46:44 Michigan Senate Race: Abdul El-Sayed vs. Mike Rogers

49:04 What Happens if Trump Is Removed From Office?

57:05 Which Is More Reliable: Polls or Prediction Markets?

1:02:24 Redistricting Battles in Texas and California

1:04:21 The Political Consequences of Redistricting

1:05:15 Be Nice to Each Other and Closing Thoughts

James and Ant talk about Ant’s long-ass walk, and what that means about how we think.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

00:20 Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos Documentary

05:02 Listener Stories and Words & Numbers Down Under

07:11 Gun Control, Self-Defense, and an Australian Home Invasion

11:02 Concealed Carry and the Value of Firearms Training

16:18 Tesla’s Flying Car and the Future of Transportation

18:08 California’s Racism Lawsuit Against Tesla

22:40 Foolishness of the Week: Chicken McNuggets Delivered to Prison by Drone

27:50 Flock Cameras, Surveillance, and Halloween

29:39 Ant’s 125-Mile Walk Through England

32:33 Is Constant Noise Making It Harder to Think?

39:28 The Disappearance of Peace and Quiet

41:06 Walking, Meditation, and Where Ideas Come From

49:38 Are National Cultures Becoming Homogenized?

54:48 How American Craft Beer Changed in 45 Years

57:41 Why European Trains Work Better Than American Trains

1:00:42 A Regulation Even Libertarians Might Support

1:03:58 How Rich Are Americans Compared to Britain?

1:05:50 Closing Thoughts: Be Nice Without Anyone Knowing

Ant and James go a little further than most in discussing the death penalty as we brace ourselves for the first public execution in the US since 1936.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

01:13 MIT’s Certificate in Piracy

03:59 Political Arguments, Social Media, and the Electoral College

07:30 Chuck Grassley, Aging Politicians, and Age Limits

12:28 Foolishness of the Week: Arrested Over a Shrek Meme

14:06 Political Speech and the First Amendment

16:56 Free Speech, Government Censorship, and Public Figures

19:51 The Death Penalty and the Right to Life

22:04 Can the Government Be Trusted With Capital Punishment?

25:02 Nidal Hasan and the Case for Public Execution

28:06 Should Executions Ever Be a Public Spectacle?

32:38 The Morality of Taking a Human Life

35:43 Public Executions, War, and the Slippery Slope

38:20 Are These Signs of a Dying Political Regime?

41:25 Principles, Revenge, and the Death Penalty

44:19 Closing Thoughts and Words & Numbers Backstage

David Friedman joins us once again to discuss differing legal systems (and Renaissance fairs).

00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

01:14 Furries, Renaissance Fairs, and Pittsburgh Subcultures

06:42 Rethinking the Social Security Retirement Age

10:46 Foolishness of the Week: The BBC Loses Its Mind

17:02 David Friedman on Alternative Legal Systems

17:58 Renaissance Fairs vs. Historical Recreation

23:04 Competing Legal Systems Throughout History

28:15 Benefit of Clergy and Medieval English Law

30:29 How Multiple Legal Systems Can Coexist

32:06 Order Without Law and Enforcing Social Norms

35:27 Civil Asset Forfeiture and Incentives in Punishment

36:45 Amish and Romani Legal Systems

39:50 How Romani Communities Enforce Their Own Laws

46:11 Sharia Law and Islamic Legal Systems in America

53:08 When Crime Is Against the State vs. the Victim

55:17 Private Justice and Compensation in Iraq

57:46 Tribal Responsibility and Saudi Legal Traditions

59:09 David Friedman’s Current Projects and What’s Next

1:00:11 Climate Change, Population Growth, and Economic Orthodoxy

1:02:39 Where to Find David Friedman’s Work

James and guest co-host Tom Krannawitter try to figure out (and explain) what the normative standard of nature is.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

01:08 Trump, the Midterms, and the Future of the Republican Party

06:27 Colorado Republicans and the Changing Conservative Movement

09:42 What Does It Mean to Be a Conservative?

16:02 Aristotle, the American Founding, and the Role of Virtue

18:58 Foolishness of the Week: Mike Johnson and the $5,000 Checks

21:46 The New Deal, Government Spending, and Buying Votes

26:57 Why Culture Matters More Than Politics

30:13 The Normative Standard of Nature

32:50 Natural Law, Human Nature, and Right and Wrong

34:41 Aristotle on Virtue and Friendship

38:46 Can Morality Exist Without Religion?

40:04 Learning from Experience, Age, and Human Nature

44:29 Can Political and Cultural Norms Be Unjust?

46:42 The Declaration of Independence as a Moral Standard

47:54 The Intellectual Origins of American Progressivism

49:05 Hegel, John C. Calhoun, and the Rejection of Natural Rights

50:33 How the German Model Transformed American Education

52:56 Progressivism and the Rejection of Nature

James and Tom Krannawitter, who is pinch-hitting for Ant this week, discuss the differences between the Greek and German educational methods, and why we should care.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

01:17 Trump’s Triumphal Arch, Snipers, and Government Militarization

05:25 When Police Destroy Your Property and Don’t Pay for It

09:07 Qualified Immunity and Holding Police Accountable

12:32 Could Insurance Help Police the Police?

17:27 Foolishness of the Week: Homeschooling Disqualifies a Firefighter

20:19 Homeschooling, Accreditation, and the Education System

23:12 Classical Education vs. the Modern University

25:22 How Accreditation Reshaped American Higher Education

28:33 What a Real College Education Looks Like

33:21 Socrates, Classical Education, and the Pursuit of Truth

36:04 The Greek vs. German Models of Education

41:01 Methodology, Old Books, and the Modern University

43:16 How to Pursue a Real Education in College

45:17 What Frankenstein, Blade Runner, and Plato Have in Common

45:59 The Intellectual Origins of Progressivism

47:25 Machiavelli, Technology, and Conquering Nature

50:00 Social Engineering and the Progressive Project

52:30 Natural Rights, Human Will, and the Limits of the Enlightenment

54:35 Closing Thoughts

Ant and James dissect the constant involvement of government in "emergencies," which seem to happen once a decade. For some reason.

0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

0:50 The Ig Nobel Prize: Are Rich People More Selfish?

5:13 Rising Oil Prices and the Real Cost of Policy Decisions

7:20 Trump’s $5,000 Checks and the Inflation Problem

10:22 The Lindsay Clancy Trial and a Bizarre Jury Split

12:22 Foolishness of the Week: A Five-Year-Old, a Pond, and CPS

15:32 Foolishness of the Week: Punished for Stopping a Mass Shooter

18:17 The Affordability Crisis and Government Intervention

19:58 The Ratchet Effect: Why Government Power Never Shrinks

21:15 From the Great Depression to COVID: A Century of Expanding Government

24:14 The 2030s: Social Security and the Coming Wealth Tax

25:50 The 2040s: The Debt Crisis and a Digital Dollar

32:27 The 2050s: Population Decline and Universal Basic Income

34:11 How Temporary Government Powers Become Permanent

35:27 Socialism, the Berlin Wall, and North vs. South Korea

40:11 Social Security Insolvency and America’s Growing Debt

42:11 Property Taxes, Ownership, and the Erosion of Economic Freedom

47:01 How Young People Can Prepare for Social Security’s Future

50:21 Retirement Savings and the Coming AI Bubble

54:32 AI Regulation, Government Protection, and the Ratchet Effect

Ant and James reflect on 9/11, both the day and its legacy.

0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

0:24 Citizens United, Super PACs, and Money in Politics

6:48 Corporate Donations, Trump, and Political Influence

10:50 AI Is Putting an Entire Industry Out of Business

13:56 AI, College Cheating, and the Future of Education

17:28 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Threatens to Halt Trade

20:48 Why Trade Deficits Aren’t What Politicians Think

22:24 25 Years Later: Remembering 9/11

25:25 Where We Were When the Attacks Happened

29:03 How 9/11 Changed America Overnight

31:39 Fear, Terrorism, and the Wars That Followed 9/11

34:22 How 9/11 Changed the Nature of War

35:17 The War on Terror and America’s “Wars on Nouns”

42:28 TSA, Security Theater, and the Post-9/11 Surveillance State

44:30 The Militarization of American Law Enforcement

46:06 Did Americans Trade Freedom for Security?

48:31 Fear, Crime, and the Lasting Legacy of 9/11

50:32 Closing Thoughts: Have Some Charity in Your Heart

What's the deal with bonds and interest rates? Find out on Words & Numbers, where we will use both words and numbers to get to the bottom of things.

0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview

0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment

7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students

09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America”

11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi

14:27 Is the Government Running Out of Places to Borrow?

20:24 Why Treasury Investors Are Demanding Higher Returns

22:10 The Federal Debt and the Interest Rate Spiral

24:06 Can the Government Tax Its Way Out of the Deficit?

26:24 Will the Government Eventually Monetize the Debt?

27:43 The Federal Reserve vs. the Treasury

33:05 Scott Bessent’s Plan to Push Interest Rates Down

36:42 Is the Treasury Gambling on Short-Term Debt?

41:37 Is the Treasury Trying to Conduct Monetary Policy?

44:38 Are We Seeing the Beginning of a U.S. Debt Crisis?

49:03 Can Social Security Force Congress to Confront the Debt?

51:35 Closing Thoughts: Find an Excuse to Be Nice

A priest shows up. Antony doesn’t confess, James doesn’t convert, but they all talk about human dignity.

Checkout Fr. James Martin, SJ 's book, 'Work in Progress.'

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062694480

0:00 Introduction and Overview

0:29 The Ultimate Quiet Quitting Story

4:32 Scott Bessent’s $950 Billion Bond Buyback Plan

8:05 Is the Treasury Conducting Its Own Monetary Policy?

12:14 Foolishness of the Week: American Airlines Does It Again

16:57 Father James Martin on Pope Leo, AI, and Human Dignity

20:50 What Happens When AI Meets Humanlike Robots?

22:48 AI, Loneliness, and Replacing Human Relationships

24:57 Can Free Markets Serve the Common Good?

29:22 Property Rights, Poverty, and the Role of the Church

34:53 Who Gets to Define the “Common Good”?

36:17 Subsidiarity, Data Centers, and Local Decision-Making

41:18 Human Rights vs. Human Flourishing

43:38 Wealth, Profit, and the Morality of Capitalism

48:00 What Did Jesus Mean by “The Poor Will Always Be With You”?

51:22 Individual Charity vs. Community Responsibility

55:15 Social Media, Human Dignity, and the Loss of Community

1:00:09 Father James Martin’s Work in Progress