Best Matthew Sherman Podcasts (2025)

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The struggle for the good life | Massimo Pigliucci on ancient philosophy for the modern era 29:29

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10h ago29:29

29:29

We all want to live the good life. But how many of us can claim to be truly content? Join philosopher and evolutionary biologist Massimo Pigliucci as he argues that pleasure, character, and a healthy dose of doubt, form the basis of the good life, and that purpose in life is crucial to realising our potential. Massimo Pigliucci is a renowned philos…

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Deep South Dining | Matthew Bounds AKA Your Barefoot Neighbor 48:00

18h ago48:00

48:00

Topic: Malcolm and Carol catch up after a busy week. They recap the Mississippi Book Festival and welcome another author from this year's cookbook panel, Mississippian and social media sensation, Matthew Bounds AKA Your Barefoot Neighbor, to the show. Matthew talks about his cookbook, Keep It Simple, Y'all, one-pot meals, his journey to social medi…

1
How TBPN Made a Tech News Splash 39:10

9m ago39:10

39:10

John Coogan knows what you’re thinking: the world does not need another tech podcast. And the world does not need another podcast featuring two dudes talking. Yet Coogan and Jordi Hays have started another tech podcast, featuring the two of them talking and… it’s a hit. In the span of a year, TBPN has become the place where tech execs go to chop up…

1
Bringing Many Sons to Glory [Hebrews 2:5-13] 38:22

10h ago38:22

38:22

By Nathan Sherman

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Psychedelics and the structure of reality | Julian Baggini, Eileen Hall, and James Rucker 46:51

5d ago46:51

46:51

Truth, delusion and psychedelic reality Do psychedelics reveal hidden layers of reality, or are we simply tripping? Psychedelics are back in the cultural zeitgeist, this time as a treatment for mental health issues. However, critics argue that psychedelics only work by replacing mental illness with a distorted view of reality - but, is this an accu…

1
Patch’s AI Experiment: Thousands of Newsletters, Zero Humans 39:07

7d ago39:07

39:07

Everyone agrees that the decline/disapperance of local news is a big problem. No one agrees about the best way to solve it. So let’s check in on a new AI push from Patch, the people who have been trying to do local news, online, at scale, for more than two decades. Last spring, Patch CEO Warren St. John announced that he was running local newslette…

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The unconscious mind: Is the unsconcious real? 48:58

7d ago48:58

48:58

The unconscious has become a well-known feature of our human lived experience since Freud. We often refer to unwanted impulses, suppressed thoughts, unconscious desires, and the like. But what IS the unconscious? Is it just an easy excuse for our behaviour? Or is it a necessary piece of what it means to be human? Join our diverse and rich panel as …

1
Deep South Dining | Phillip Ashley Rix and Swamp Dogg 47:58

11h ago47:58

47:58

Topic: Malcolm and Carol are gearing up for the Mississippi Book Festival by welcoming Phillip Ashley Rix, master chocolatier, culinary artist, and author of For the Love of Chocolate: 80 At-Home Recipes from a Master Chocolatier’s Imagination, and Swamp Dogg, musician and author of If You Can Kill It I Can Cook It. They discuss their cookbooks, th…

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Lest We Drift Away [Hebrews 2:1-4] 43:28

1d ago43:28

43:28

By Nathan Sherman

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Oliver Darcy Thinks the Media Doesn’t Get It. So He Built Status 53:40

13d ago53:40

53:40

One thing about the internet is that it lets you build really, really fast. A little more than a year ago, Oliver Darcy was an unemployed former CNN media reporter. Today he’s the proprietor of Status, his must-read media newsletter. In our conversation, we spend a little bit of time talking through the mechanics of his two-man operation, and how h…

1
A landscape of consciousness | Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Hilary Lawson 41:19

14d ago41:19

41:19

Will we ever reach a conclusive, agreed-upon theory of consciousness? Over the millennia of recorded history, countless stories, theories, and arguments have emerged to explain the origins of consciousness. And yet, here we are in 2025 - post-Plato, post-Descartes, post-scientific revolution - and still we don't understand the phenomenon of conscio…

1
He Shall Be To Me A Son [Hebrews 1:5-14] 38:22

9d ago38:22

38:22

By Nathan Sherman

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Will psychedelics revolutionize mental health treatment? | Matthew Johnson, Shayla Love, and Kevin Sabet 49:34

19d ago49:34

49:34

The psychedelic revolution Will LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine treatments live up to the hype? For decades, psychedelics were derided as dangerous recreational drugs; now many claim they have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of mental health. With hundreds of clinical trials now taking place, the psychedelic therapeutic market is p…

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Why Henry Blodget is Building Another Media Company 57:56

21d ago57:56

57:56

Henry Blodget can’t help himself. The Business Insider founder is starting another media business, knowing full well how difficult the industry can be. You can watch him build it in real time: Regenerator on Substack, and Solutions on TikTok, YouTube and everywhere you hear your favorite podcasts. Henry — who hired me to work at Business Insider in…

1
The illusion of separation | Jessica Frazier on the Monism of Hindu philosophy 24:39

22d ago24:39

24:39

Indian philosophy and the search for unity In our everyday lives we act as though we are all separate individuals, but is this really the case? Jessica Frazer argues that reality is ultimately unified, and that this shift in perspective can change the way we live our lives. It can help you lose your isolated ego and escape feelings of alienation fr…

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Deep South Dining | Remembering Hurricane Katrina 50:22

15d ago50:22

50:22

Topic: Malcolm and Carol remember Hurricane Katrina and its effect on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They talk about their personal experiences with loss and community through food in the aftermath of the storm. Then, they welcome Alicein Schwabacher, owner of Mockingbird Cafe in Bay St. Louis, and Thomas Genin, chef/owner of The Blind Tiger, to talk …

1
He Has Spoken By His Son [Hebrews 1:1-4] 41:20

16d ago41:20

41:20

By Nathan Sherman

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ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro on streaming, the NFL and sports betting 48:14

28d ago48:14

48:14

The media industry has been waiting for ESPN to cut the cord for a decade. Now it’s finally happening: This week the sports TV giant will let you start streaming — without a cable TV subscription — for $30 a month. Why now? ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro is quite frank about it: Along with his boss — Disney CEO Bob Iger — he wanted to make as much money fr…

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The limits of nothingness | Peter van Inwagen 27:44

27d ago27:44

27:44

From philosophy to science, metaphysics to psychology, the idea of 'nothing' is central to the universe, existence and experience as a whole. But the nature of 'nothing' is even more bewildering than we might first imagine. Parmenides argued that non-being is impossible because thinking about nothing is still something. Join philosopher Peter van I…

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Deep South Dining | Italy with Andrew Puckett and Chaz Lindsay 49:50

22d ago49:50

49:50

Topic: Malcolm and Carol welcome Andrew Puckett, Carol's nephew and Mississippi State student, and Chaz Lindsay, chef/owner of Pulito and Rowan's in Belhaven, to the show to talk about working on organic farms in Italy. Guest(s): Andrew Puckett and Chaz Lindsay Host(s): Malcolm White and Carol Palmer Email: [email protected] If you enjoyed listeni…

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What is Rest? [Matthew 11:25-30] 37:21

23d ago37:21

37:21

By Nathan Sherman

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A Busy - and Expensive - Summer for AI, with NYT's Mike Isaac 51:42

1M ago51:42

51:42

What makes a particular engineer worth $250 million to Mark Zuckerberg? What does Trump 2.0 mean — and not mean — to people building large language models? I didn’t know the answers to these questions either. So I got the New York Times’ Mike Isaac, who covers this stuff for a living, to walk me through some of the biggest questions in AI right now…

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Is free will an illusion? The chemistry of freedom | Patrick Haggard, George Ellis, Jennifer Hornsby 40:10

1M ago40:10

40:10

The question of free will - and whether we have it or not - is age-old across philosophy, religion, and human thought in general. Having free will allows us to have meaning, responsibility, reward and punishment. Yet discoveries in neuroscience have put our ability to choose, outside of a set of neuronal reactions, in question. Do we have free will…

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Deep South Dining | A Deep South Smorgasbord 47:21

1M ago47:21

47:21

Topic: Malcolm and Carol welcome a whole heap of exciting guests in a speed-dating style episode. Cecil Price Walden, baker and composer living in Oxford, talks about their culinary journey and cottage bakery, Grapevine Bread Co. Then, new chef and owner of Walker's Drive In, Joe Cravens, joins to talk about how things are going and his plans for t…

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The Secret [Philippians 4:10-23] 49:58

1M ago49:58

49:58

By Kyle Stevens

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Why the Algorithm is Making Comedy Boom, Again 58:53

1M ago58:53

58:53

The last time I talked to Jesse David Fox about the comedy boom it was… March 5, 2020. Since then, some things have changed. But in other ways it’s just the same: comedy - or at least, some kinds of comedy - seems almost custom-built for our current technological and cultural moment, and it’s easier than ever to get this stuff on your devices whene…

1
Has the world gone to Hell? | Slavoj Žižek on fascism, shame, and dirty jokes 41:11

1M ago41:11

41:11

Žižek: "Trump did what The Left couldn't" As we look around at the state of the modern world, it's very easy to get disheartened - and that's putting it lightly! From pointless wars and endless suffering to the decline of social bonds and trustworthy institutions, there really is a lot to get you down. Fortunately, maverick philosopher Slavoj Žižek…

1
Deep South Dining | Coffee Shop with YOU 49:40

1M ago49:40

49:40

Topic: It's time for a another "Coffee Shop" episode. This week the special guests are the listeners. Malcolm and Carol take listener calls and talk catfish, peaches, Barq's Root Beer, meatloaf, and more. Host(s): Malcolm White and Carol Palmer Email: [email protected] If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please consider contributing to MPB: …

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The Peace of God [Philippians 4:2-9] 43:02

1M ago43:02

43:02

By Nick Lenhart

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What is TV’s endgame? 47:28

2M ago47:28

47:28

A decade ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger freaked out the media industry by acknowledging something many of us saw coming — his previously unassailable TV business was starting to erode. But even with a 10-year warning, today’s moguls seem unable to cope with 2025’s reality: The pay TV business is permanently eroding, and there’s nothing in its place that’…

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Video games and the meaning of life | James Tartaglia 27:49

2M ago27:49

27:49

Video games are changing how we think. Many are so realistic that some argue they are becoming reality. In this talk by philosopher James Tartaglia, he uncovers the relationship between games and reality. James Tartaglia is Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy at Keele University. His latest book is Inner Space Philosophy: Why the Next Stage of Hum…

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Deep South Dining | John Sherman and Jay Ducote 48:01

2M ago48:01

48:01

Topic: Malcolm and Carol welcome John Sherman, owner of Sno Biz in Oxford, to the show to tell the story of how he went from coaching basketball to selling "shave" ice and hot tamales. Then, Jay Ducote joins the show to recap his experience as emcee of Natchez Food & Wine, talk about his culinary background and media fame, and describe the differen…

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Because Christ Has Made Me His Own [Philippians 3:12-4:1] 36:34

1M ago36:34

36:34

By Patrick Gozur

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The philosophy of literature SPECIAL | George Orwell, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Aldous Huxley, and more 44:01

2M ago44:01

44:01

How literature helps us to understand morality, totalitarian politics, and the life of Jesus Christ. Join the team at the IAI for four articles about great, classic literature, covering world-renowned authors such as George Orwell, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Clarice Lispector, to name but a few. These articles were written by Michael Marder, Emrah Atasoy, …

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Why Trump is defunding NPR and PBS - and suing Rupert Murdoch 35:59

2M ago35:59

35:59

Reporting on the place you work is not fun. But it is an occupational hazard for media reporters — particularly for NPR’s David Folkenflik. That’s because National Public Radio — along with Public Broadcasting Service, its TV counterpart — is quite frequently the target of attacks from critics on the right, who would like the federal government to …

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How other species challenge our idea of consciousness | Peter Godfrey-Smith 21:13

2M ago21:13

21:13

In this IAI Studio interview, philosopher and science writer Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the evolution of consciousness and the enduring mystery of the mind–body problem. Drawing on his work with octopuses and other animals, he argues that consciousness emerged gradually through increasingly complex forms of sensory-motor interaction, rather than …

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Deep South Dining | Rory and Marisol Doyle 47:14

2M ago47:14

47:14

Topic: Malcolm and Carol welcome Rory and Marisol Doyle from Lena Pizza + Bagels in Cleveland back to the show to talk about their recent accomplishments. Rory's narrative photography project "The Only Constant is Chuck's" won a James Beard Media Award this year, and Marisol and her pizzas have been steadily rising in the ranks of the 50 Top Pizza …

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Counting Rubbish [Philippians 3:1-11] 35:18

2M ago35:18

35:18

By Michael Bestawros

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Inside the Rise and Fall of Condé Nast with Michael Grynbaum 47:38

2M ago47:38

47:38

Here's one way New York Times reporter Michael Grynbaum described Condé Nast to me in this week’s chat: “A real exporter of American cultural influence in the late 20th century.” And here’s another one: "A kind of enchanted land” but also a “lost world." And here’s one way I’d describe it: it’s hard to imagine in 2025, but just a few decades ago, m…

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Utopia and human nature | Paul Bloom 27:15

2M ago27:15

27:15

Human nature and the possibility of utopia The idea of utopia - of a perfect society devoid of suffering and inequality - is planted firmly in the human imagination and psyche. From pre-biblical times to Thomas More and communism and beyond, widely disparate groups have attempted to plan or create a utopia. But is it achievable? And if not, why not…

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Deep South Dining | The Vanillan Beth Hennington 47:01

2M ago47:01

47:01

Topic: Malcolm and Carol catch up on what's coming out of their gardens and what everyone is discussing on Cooking and Coping. Then, MPB's Kevin Farrell and Beth Hennington, owner of The Vanillan, join the show to talk about cookies and cookie decorating. Kevin shares how he began baking cookies every weekend to share with his coworkers every Monda…

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Timothy and Epaphroditus [Philippians 2:19-30] 41:04

2M ago41:04

41:04

By Matthew Espen

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More choice means less freedom | Psychologist Barry Schwartz 18:32

2M ago18:32

18:32

Why more is less We're surrounded by choice - an endless sea of possible paths we might take. However, does the overwhelming range of choices leave us better off or worse? In general, we tend to think that more is better, but Barry Schwartz, author of the ground-breaking book 'The Paradox of Choice', argues that this view is mistaken. More can lead…

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Inside the NYT - and Everywhere Else - with Semafor's Max Tani 48:09

2M ago48:09

48:09

You’re probably a normal person, so you didn’t spend your holiday weekend talking to people at the New York Times about a local politics story that some people didn’t like. But that’s Max Tani’s job: He’s Semafor’s media reporter, which means he’s supposed to burrow into the paper of record — as well as other important media institutions — and tell…

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The limits of logic: Should we embrace the irrational? |Iain McGilchrist, Beatrix Campbell, Simon Blackburn 43:28

2M ago43:28

43:28

Our culture prizes logic and rationality, if not above all else, as two of the most fundamental social traits. But are we missing out by overlooking the irrational? Can logic explain everything, or what is it missing? And is it possible to live (and enjoy) a life led by logic? Logic, in philosophy and beyond, seems to always to be self-evidently ri…

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Deep South Dining | Coffee Shop with John Lester and Rick Cleveland 46:50

2M ago46:50

46:50

Topic: Malcolm and Carol welcome John Lester from Duggan's Seafood and Rick Cleveland, sports writer for Mississippi Today, to the studio for a special "Coffee Shop" episode. They reminisce on the life of Rick's brother, Bobby Cleveland, on his birthday and discuss new seafood labeling laws, soft shell crab, and more. Guest(s): John Lester and Rick…

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Shine As Lights In The World [Philippians 2:12-18] 40:51

2M ago40:51

40:51

By Raybeau Richardson

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Consciousness begins in the body | Antonio Damasio 30:56

3M ago30:56

30:56

We tend to believe consciousness is purely mental. And since Descartes' "I think therefore I am", we've privileged the mind as the centrepiece of thought and consciousness. But such a view is mistaken argues award-winning neuroscientist Antonio Damasio. Feelings, long dismissed as secondary to thinking, are where consciousness begins, and are deepl…

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Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker on the problem with tech - and people 43:47

3M ago43:47

43:47

"Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker knows that everyone thinks his show is about tech-fueled dystopias. But he says it's really about humans, not their tools. I loved this chat back when we recorded it in 2023, when Brooker was promoting the sixth season of his Netflix show. Now there's a new season - and Brooker's vision of the world is as rele…

1
Deep South Dining | National Folk Festival & Heath Riles BBQ 48:34

2M ago48:34

48:34

Topic: Malcolm and Carol talk about wooden spoons and cornbread, and they welcome Thabi Moyo, Local Festival Manager for the National Folk Festival, to talk about food vending for the event. Then, Heath Riles joins the show to talk about Heath Riles BBQ, being the 2025 Memphis in May World Grand Champion, and more. Guest(s): Thabi Moyo and Heath Ri…