Stephen Dubner

We will be right back.

Hey there, it's Stephen Dubner.

Back now to my conversation with Steve Levitt, who has been talking about the new schools he's starting.

Levitt, I have to say, I have not heard you this excited since, well, maybe when you visited me in New York maybe a month ago, I had Clamato for you.

You were excited by that.

But outside of Clamato, this is the most excited I've heard you in a long time.

And it strikes me.

that you are the one that's engaged now, plainly.

And it also strikes me that the way that you got engaged in this project, at least, was by actually, I hate the cliche phrase, but like going out of your comfort zone to actually become an interviewer.

Because when we first met, that was one of your least favorite things to do.

So I feel like you having done People I Mostly Admire for the last five years, it feels like it changed you fundamentally.

Yeah.

I say that I deeply dispute that.

For instance, we recently had a little 20th anniversary Freakonomics party and I made a little speech and then I said, Levitt, would you like to say a few words?

And you literally said no.

And then I keep going because it felt like it was too short.

And then five minutes later, you start telling the story and it was great and you're just going.

So I think you have this image of yourself as less, I don't know, whatever you want to call it, adept or...

excited about.

Look, I've known you a long time now.