Best Brian Sumner Podcasts (2025)

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217 - JOHN 9:1-16 - HEALING THE BLIND MAN - BRIAN SUMNER 40:02

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4d ago40:02

40:02

JOHN 9:1-16 - HEALING THE BLIND MAN - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I mu…

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Eating with Intelligence (with Julia Belluz) 1:05:49

4m ago1:05:49

1:05:49

Losing weight should be simple: eat less, exercise more. But according to author and health journalist Julia Belluz, it's complicated. Listen as Belluz talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about her new book, Food Intelligence. Belluz argues that a calorie is pretty much a calorie whether it's carbs or fat. Keeping calories under control is often har…

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Ep. 237 Zbigniew Brzezinski, The Grand Failure: Communism in the 20th Century 1:02:02

6d ago1:02:02

1:02:02

In our last podcast, Ed Luce of the Financial Times told us about his book, "Zbig," for Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-2017) who he calls America's great power prophet. In this episode, we're going to feature a Booknotes interview from April 2, 1989, with Dr. Brzezinski. He was the first guest for the weekly Sunday evening program that ran until 2005. H…

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216 - JOHN 8:31-59 - BEFORE ABRAHAM I AM - BRIAN SUMNER 44:47

6d ago44:47

44:47

JOHN 8:31-59 - BEFORE ABRAHAM I AM - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You wil…

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Steven Pinker on Common Knowledge 1:23:20

7d ago1:23:20

1:23:20

Why are Super Bowl ads so good for launching certain kinds of new products? Why do we all drive on the same side of the road? And why, despite laughing and crying together, do we often misread what others think? According to bestselling author and Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, it all comes down to common knowledge, or the phenomenon that happ…

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215 - JOHN 8:12-30 - JESUS BARES WITNESS - BRIAN SUMNER 46:23

10d ago46:23

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JOHN 8:12-30 - JESUS BARES WITNESS - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” 13 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not [l]true.” 14 Jesus answered and said to them, “Even i…

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Ep. 236 Edward Luce, "Zbig" - Zbigniew Brzezinski & Carter Era U.S. Foreign Policy 1:02:46

14d ago1:02:46

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"I was initially very skeptical about embarking on a full life biography of anyone, let alone a figure as big as Zbig."Edward Luce is talking about President Carter's former national security advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski. Mr. Luce is the Financial Times' chief commentator and columnist. Luce is a native of Sussex, England, and has spent close to 20…

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How Did America Build the Arsenal of Democracy? (with Brian Potter) 1:05:05

14d ago1:05:05

1:05:05

American manufacturing of aircraft during WWII dwarfed that of its enemies. By the end of the war, an American assembly line was producing a B-24 bomber in less than an hour. But that success was far from inevitable. Structural engineer and writer Brian Potter speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the logistical challenges of ramping up product…

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214 - JOHN 8:1-11 - ADULTEROUS WOMAN - BRIAN SUMNER 45:18

19d ago45:18

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JOHN 8:1-11 - ADULTEROUS WOMAN - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him…

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Ep. 235 Simon Ball, "Death to Order" 1:12:22

20d ago1:12:22

1:12:22

Simon Ball is the author of the book "Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination." Professor Ball is British and is located at the University of Leeds. His publisher, Yale University Press, says: "Assassination, the murder of a specific individual by an organized conspiracy in pursuit of political ends has shaped the fate not only of the fam…

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How Teams Succeed (with Colin Fisher) 1:03:22

22d ago1:03:22

1:03:22

What makes some groups thrive while others crash and burn? According to organizational-behavior scholar Colin Fisher, the real villains are rarely individuals, but dysfunctional teams and organizations. Listen as he and EconTalk's Russ Roberts discuss the reasons for the free-rider problem and the importance of meaningful, well-defined tasks to inc…

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213 - JOHN 7:25-52 - LIVING WATER - BRIAN SUMNER 44:50

27d ago44:50

44:50

JOHN 7:25-52 - LIVING WATER - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? 26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is [a]truly the Christ? 27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is fr…

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Ep. 234 Sam Tanenhaus, "Buckley" 1:14:58

27d ago1:14:58

1:14:58

Author Sam Tanenhaus opens the acknowledgement section in his latest book, "Buckley," this way: "I first met William F. Buckley in 1990, shortly after I had begun work on a biography of Whitaker Chambers…Bill Buckley had been Chambers' last patron and most eloquent champion." The biography of Chambers was published in 1997. Now 28 years later, Sam …

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Humans Are Overrated (with Christine Webb) 1:10:53

28d ago1:10:53

1:10:53

Are humans the most intelligent species, or just the most arrogant? NYU primatologist Christine Webb, author of The Arrogant Ape, believes that human exceptionalism is a myth that does more harm than good. Listen as she speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about how research has skewed our understanding of animals' capabilities, the surprising inner…

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212 - JOHN 7:1-24 - FEAST OF TABERNACLES - BRIAN SUMNER 47:39

1M ago47:39

47:39

JOHN 7:1-24 - FEAST OF TABERNACLES - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 "1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works tha…

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Ep. 233 Jay Winik, "1861" 1:05:58

1M ago1:05:58

1:05:58

Historian Jay Winik first appeared on the Booknotes television program 24 years ago to discuss his book, "April 1865." It became a #1 New York Times bestseller, reportedly read by Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and many others. It's the narrative story of the Civil War. For his latest book, Winik stepped back four years in history to l…

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Hemingway, Love, and War (with David Wyatt) 1:06:28

1M ago1:06:28

1:06:28

What can Ernest Hemingway teach us today about the morality of war, the eternal and transient nature of love, and how to write a masterpiece? Listen as author and teacher David Wyatt talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about Hemingway's epic For Whom the Bell Tolls. Topics include Hemingway's role in the wars of the 20th century, the book's context …

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Ep. 232 Richard J. Evans, "Hitler's People" 1:02:16

1M ago1:02:16

1:02:16

Sir Richard J. Evans has been writing about Germany and Adolf Hitler for his entire professional life. He was knighted in Britain in 2012 for his service to scholarship. From 2003-2008, Professor Evans published a trilogy of the Third Reich with a total of over 2,500 pages. His latest book is titled "Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich." …

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Tim Ferriss on Tim Ferriss (and much much more) 2:06:49

1M ago2:06:49

2:06:49

Cold plunges. Exogenous ketones. Pu-erh tea--but hold the breakfast: it's all par for the morning routine, at least if you're entrepreneur, self-experimenter, and king of the lifehacks, Tim Ferriss. From how he manages the challenges of his celebrity to how he manages to stay in great shape; how he does--and when he doesn't--harness the power of AI…

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Ep. 231 David Herbert Donald, "Lincoln" 1:02:43

2M ago1:02:43

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In our earlier discussion with Zaakir Tameez about his biography of Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, he discussed his differences with Professor David Herbert Donald on the same subject. On December the 24th, 1995, Professor Donald talked about his book called "Lincoln" on the Booknotes television program. David Donald died in 2009 at age 8…

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211 - JOHN 6:41-71 - WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER 45:27

2M ago45:27

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JOHN 6:41-71 - WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 John 6:41 "The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” 42 And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus therefore answered a…

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Learning to Think Like Someone Else (with David Marquet) 1:03:46

2M ago1:03:46

1:03:46

Former submarine commander David Marquet joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to explore how distancing--thinking like someone else, somewhere else, or sometime else--can unlock better choices in business and life. They talk about leadership without giving orders, how to empower teams, and what it means to see yourself as a coach rather than a boss. Along…

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Ep. 230 Zaakir Tameez, "Charles Sumner" 1:07:04

2M ago1:07:04

1:07:04

Charles Sumner was from Boston, Massachusetts. He was a U.S. Senator for 23 years from 1851 to 1874. Sumner, an anti-slavery Republican, was brutally caned on the Senate floor by pro-slavery Democrats in 1856, during the lead-up to the Civil War. The attack, which almost killed Sumner, kept him out of the Senate for over 3 years. Sumner didn't marr…

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210 - JOHN 6:22-40 - THE BREAD OF LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER 40:13

2M ago40:13

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JOHN 6:22-40 - THE BREAD OF LIFE - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 John 6:22 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— 23 however, …

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Let Me Be Forgotten (with Lowry Pressly) 1:21:00

2M ago1:21:00

1:21:00

What do we lose when every moment is recorded, every action scrutinized, and every past mistake preserved? Philosopher and author Lowry Pressly joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to discuss why privacy isn't just about secrets or information control, the necessity of spontaneity, the importance of moral growth, and what we need to become fully human. Fr…

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209 - JOHN 6:15-21 - FAITH AMIDST STORMS - BRIAN SUMNER 44:50

2M ago44:50

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JOHN 6:15-21 - FAITH AMIDST STORMS - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 JOHN 6:15 "Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it…

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Ep. 229 John Seabrook, "The Spinach King" 1:10:26

2M ago1:10:26

1:10:26

The patriarch, C.F. Seabrook, was hailed as the Henry Ford of agriculture. His son, Jack, a keen businessman, was poised to take over what Life magazine called the biggest vegetable factory on earth. His son, John Seabrook, has written about his grandfather and father in his book called "The Spinach King." It's subtitled "The Rise and Fall of an Am…

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Read Like a Champion (with Doug Lemov) 1:03:56

2M ago1:03:56

1:03:56

Many students graduate high school today without having read a book cover to cover. Many students struggle to learn to read at all. How did this happen? Listen as educator and author Doug Lemov talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the failed fads in reading education, the mistaken emphasis on vocabulary as a skill, and the importance of backgro…

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Ep. 228 Evan Osnos, "The Haves and Have-Yachts" 1:10:45

2M ago1:10:45

1:10:45

In a word, Evan Osnos' latest book focuses on the subject of money. His book is titled "The Haves and the Have Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultra-Rich." There are 10 essays which originally appeared in his home publication, The New Yorker. The oldest one, "Survival of the Richest," ran in 2017. The newest, titled "Land of Make-Believe," was published …

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James Marriott on Reading 1:25:22

2M ago1:25:22

1:25:22

Is long form reading a dying pastime? Journalist and cultural critic James Marriott joins EconTalk's Russ Roberts to defend the increasingly quaint act of reading a book in our scrolling-obsessed, AI-summarized age. He urges juggling a paper book and a Kindle, recounts ditching his smartphone to rescue his attention, and shares tactics for finding …

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208 - JOHN 6:1-14 - FEEDING THE 5000 - BRIAN SUMNER 44:15

2M ago44:15

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JOHN 6:1-14 - FEEDING THE 5000 - BRIAN SUMNER - 2025 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, a fea…

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Ep. 227 Dave Barry, "Class Clown" 1:07:10

3M ago1:07:10

1:07:10

Dave Barry's memoir is called "Class Clown." It is at least his 46th book. On the front of his book, he makes an important declaration: "How I went 77 years without growing up." For 30 years, Dave Barry wrote a weekly humor column published in newspapers, mostly on the weekends. He retired that column in 2005 but has kept writing. On the back flap …

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How to Walk the World (with Chris Arnade) 1:14:38

3M ago1:14:38

1:14:38

Skip the Mona Lisa when you visit Paris. Don't tour the Coliseum in Rome. Walk, don’t hurry. Chris Arnade speaks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about a different way to travel. Listen as Arnade shares what he learned from Istanbul's small community mosques and how Avignon's Congolese-neighborhood cathedrals provided moving moments of spirituality. He…

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Ep. 226 John Laurence, "The Cat from Hue" 1:01:28

3M ago1:01:28

1:01:28

As a follow-up to last week's interview with Lien-Hang Nguyen, here is an encore interview with former CBS and ABC reporter John Laurence. Mr. Laurence was interviewed on Booknotes, the television program, on January 17, 2002. His book is called "The Cat from Hue". It's 800 plus pages and relays his Vietnam experience as a reporter for CBS. John La…

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What Is Capitalism? (with Mike Munger) 1:19:48

3M ago1:19:48

1:19:48

What is capitalism, really? Drawing on Adam Smith, Douglass North, and his own experience as a teacher and economist, economist Michael Munger of Duke University discusses three stages of economic development with EconTalk's Russ Roberts: voluntary exchange, markets, and capitalism. Along the way, the conversation explores the moral and institution…

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Ep. 225 Lien-Hang Nguyen, "Hanoi's War" 1:03:35

3M ago1:03:35

1:03:35

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Netflix is offering a five-part documentary series titled "Turning Point: The Vietnam War," directed by Brian Knappenberger. The series includes never-before-seen footage of the war from the CBS archives. Also included in the documentary are interviews with participants in the war, both fr…

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207 - JOHN 5:31-47 - TESTIMONY OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER 49:58

3M ago49:58

49:58

JOHN 5:31-47 - TESTIMONY OF JESUS - BRIAN SUMNER JOHN 5:31 If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. 32 There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. 33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things…