Fact: Married adults tend to live longer than their non-married counterparts. They also tend to make more money, have lower suicide risk, work more stable jobs, and are evenmore likely to avoid incarceration. But these differences are most seen among men! Women tend to have similar outcomes regardless of their marital status while men seem to diffe…

Join Tim and Enoch as they sit down with former CIA executive, Tim Buch — an insider who’s briefed four U.S. presidents and ran the Near East and South Asia office — for an exclusive look at the past, present, and future of India and Pakistan. From recent tensions to the deep-rooted history of the subcontinent, this is one conversation you won’t wa…

How do we know the difference between right and wrong? Laws often legislate morality, but we cannot necessarily use laws to inform our knowledge and behaviors on good versus evil. Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss laws and morality as a means to guide our behaviors. They consider when laws should enforce morality for all and how we should live in …

Inequality is generally presented as a major problem to be corrected. It has become such a talking point that many people even conflate inequality with poverty. But should we truly seek a society of equality where everyone is given the same number of resources… does the same go for compliments? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss what may be lost wh…

Is one being generous if they enjoy the very act of giving? Or is giving only a virtue if it hurts in some way? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the pleasure in generosity and why we may want to cultivate in ourselves, and others, the “warm glow” that comes from altruism. They tell stories and question whether we should consider efficiencies and …

On April 2nd, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the most expansive set of tariffs (taxes on imports) in modern history with the United States setting a baseline tariff rate of 10% on over 180 countries. And further tariffs will be added to particular countries including China, Japan, Taiwan, and the European Union. Rarely does a global event i…

In a world where even waving a flag feels like picking a fight, what does it really mean to belong to a nation? Is nationalism a unifying force or a political powder keg? Come join Dr. Taylor and Dr. Hill in their first ever live recording as they try to untangle the good, the bad, and the downright weird of national identity—when it inspires, when…

In this episode Enoch and Tim invite special guest and beloved colleague Denise Daniels to join them in reflecting on the question of, "What makes a good college?" Specifically, they discuss what they valued from their undergraduate experiences, what professional college ranking websites consider, and what they desire(d) regarding college selection…

Inside everybody's head is a large set of things they know. We're made out of a whole bunch of tiny little atoms, the earth revolves around the sun, if I sneeze on someone they might get sick, the sun is really, really hot, we will (not) exist after death, vaccines (do not) work. Most of this knowledge wasn't obtained through your own observations.…

Most of us would agree that the art of disagreeing well is a dying one. In this episode Enoch and Tim discuss what it means to effectively navigate different perspectives. In the process, they discover that, in the quest to disagree better, the stakes are far greater than they expected. Credits: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (music) with additional thanks …

Will imposing tariffs, a tax on imports, benefit the economy? World history is rife with suspicion of international trade, but barriers to trade fell after World War II so that global markets have been fairly open throughout our lifetimes. As voters and politicians view trade with pessimism, Enoch and Tim discuss the nature and use of tariffs. How …

What are the greatest inventions in history and how should we think about gains for human wellbeing? Join Enoch and Tim alongside special guest Dr. Jason Long, an economic historian at Wheaton College, as they discuss the greatest moments for growth and standards of living in economic history. In this episode, we explore key technologies and invent…

The war on uncut lawns and drabby clothes lines is being waged across great cities and small towns alike! But is it reasonable to place limits on how one can use their own property when they live in neighborhoods where any one person’s actions affect their neighbors? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the purpose and use of zoning regulations and h…

When couples struggle with infertility and want their own baby, should they turn to the marketplace? Advances in modern medicine provide an array of options to individuals and couples, but should we be concerned when we put a price on fertility and childbirth? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the complexity of the modern global market for sperm, …

The world will get smaller. Birth rate have fallen continuously for decades and are predicted to continue to decline. How big of a problem is this? And what is causing men and women across the world to choose smaller families? Join Enoch and Tim as they explore reasons for the decline in fertility and what, if anything, should be done to address th…

We cannot help but measure–whether it is what we look at or talk about – we are assessing. But we need to be careful about what we select to measure because it reflects what we value. And as we agree on particular measurements, they quickly influence the very things we value! Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss their favorite measurements and examin…

The United States makes the most prolific use of economic sanctions in global affairs. But are these sanctions even effective? And are the benefits worth thecosts? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the logic of sanctions and their effectiveness while exploring whether the carrot is more beneficial than the stick. And have some fun while wandering …

Better to be a realist or an idealist? Economists and political scientists often stress a view of how the world is rather than what it ought to be. But how should we as individuals view our world and the people inhabiting it? Enoch and Tim discuss the merits of both perspectives as they think through when we should choose to be realists and when is…

What is the best way to craft a welfare system which bestmaximizing the flourishing of citizens? Tim and Enoch discuss the nature of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a replacement to existing welfare programs and review findings on the effectiveness of UBI. As usual, the discussion goes beyond economics and politics as they discuss why lower income …

Richard Hughes Gibson, a Professor of English at Wheaton College, joins Enoch and Tim to discuss the history and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society. How is AI distinct from other technological advances and how will it shape the course of history? Professor Gibson has written extensively on the topic and shares his insights as well as…

If people seek likeminded groups to avoid conflict, is our very anxiety toward disagreement fueling polarization? Having recently read The Anxious Generation (Jonathan Haidt), Enoch runs a new hypothesis by Tim about anxiety as a cause of polarization. They discuss the nature of polarization and whether young people are more polarized than older ge…

Civilizations across history have had an aristocracy to govern politics and culture. The advent of democracy levelled society and made us all equals, but can we ever truly rid ourselves of a ruling class which dictate trends and values? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the benefits and harms of an aristocracy and what is lost when we free ourselv…

How far should we go when we plan our families and what should guide us when we consider fertility? Bioethicist Dr. Calum MacKellar joins Tim in conversation on the equality of all life and the growing challenges of eugenics as parents select which children to welcome into their families and which to turn away. What may have looked like the horrors…

Free speech is a bedrock of American democratic society and oftentimes protected above other rights. However, many who consider some rhetoric as harmful and potentially violent have called for certain limits to free expression such as Scotland’s hate crime law (entered into force April 1, 2024). Enoch and Tim freely express themselves on the benefi…

Did you know that conditional on giving birth, the probability of having a C-section is 10 times more likely in Mexico than in Sudan? Perhaps more surprising is that people who give birth in our local hospital are more than two times as likely to have a C-section than in the next closest hospital. Life is inherently risky. Sometimes these risks lea…

Reports of loneliness are soaring in some the most wealthy and peaceful societies in world history. According to a CDC study from 2021, 57 percent of teenage girls “felt persistently sad or hopeless”, an alarming rise from the already high 36 percent of teenage girls who reported hopelessness in 2011. Enoch and Tim discuss the scale of the problem …

What should be the top priorities when designing a country’s education system? There has been a slow movement in school curriculum away from the moral formation of the person and toward job preparedness. Enoch and Tim discuss the challenges of moral instruction under pluralism and ask each other what we most prioritize in the education of our child…

Many societies are advancing assisted suicide as a viable option in the arsenal of the healthcare provider. But this breaks from longstanding duties of the physician to not administer poisons as evidenced in the Hippocratic Oath from antiquity. Enoch and Tim discuss the limits of individual autonomy and the morality of assisted suicide in a liberal…

Who determines what land can be owned and the rules of ownership? From the freedom to roam in Scotland to communal decisions in Oaxaca to racial restrictions in American Samoa, the rules of private property are as diverse as the nations. Enoch and Tim discuss these differences and talk about some of the benefits and challenges of private property r…

Who would want to grant a legal monopoly to an individual or even a corporation? While we want to encourage research and development, creativity, and taking risks, we also love the competition of the marketplace and the resulting lower prices for our favorite inventions and creations. In this episode, Enoch and Tim discuss intellectual property rig…

Thank you so much for making our first season a success. We've both been overwhelmed by the positive feedback regarding the podcast and have been pleasantly surprised that not everyone thinks we're crazy (or at least that there are so many people who enjoy joining in our craziness). We've both temporarily moved out of the country which has made rec…

The academic seas are stormy, and the typical landmarks are in flux. Sometimes the best path forward is to look to the past. Join us as we reflect on the purpose of education and the role of the liberal arts. Credits: Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠ Post-Production - Michael Morris Additional thanks to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Poli…

The penalties for breaking the law vary dramatically across time and space. In this episode we reflect on why certain patterns might emerge in how crimes are treated with respect to GDP per capita. We also consider the tradeoffs in play for those receiving punishment as well as the broader society. Credits: Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠…

The potential economic gains from migration are enormous. Even the smallest estimates suggest migration has the potential to raise incomes more than 10 fold that of increased openness to trade. Few seem happy with current policies in the US, but what can be done? In this episode we reflect on a bit of the history of migration in the US and discuss …

AI can emulate many things that humans do. AI can emulate many things humans can't do. AI can emulate many things humans shouldn't do. AI can emulate many things AI shouldn't do. Perhaps emulating human emotions falls into this fourth category. This certainly appears to be the consensus for condolence letters. But are there times where this artific…

We generally think of scarcity in a negative light, but what would life look like if things weren't scarce? Could their be hidden mercies embedded in this concept. We invite you to share some of your scarce time and attention to reflect with us. (Link to Referenced Article on Scarcity) Credits: Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠⁠ Post-Production …

What are the moral implications of prices? Is there such a thing as a "Just Price?" Under what conditions are prices unjust? Let's talk about arbitrarily giving money to random friends (or strangers), price gouging, and the effects of the prices on your soul. Credits: Intro/Outro music - ⁠⁠Drew Elliot⁠⁠ Post-Production - Michael Morris Additional t…

If knowledge is power and ignorance is bliss, where does that leave us? Sometimes it might be better to just not know. But... if you want to know, Enoch Hill and Tim Taylor discuss in this week's Choosing Better Podcast. Credits: Intro/Outro music - ⁠Drew Elliot⁠ Post-Production - Michael Morris Additional thanks to the ⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, P…

In a (somewhat) recent article, Ben Peterson suggests that Order is necessary for a flourishing society. Order is generally achieved through informal norms or through formal law and enforcement. In the US, norms previously provided order, this transitioned to law and enforcement, but now we are shifting away from formal enforcement without the info…