Choosing Better
Episodes
Special Christmas Episode: The Economics of Gift Giving
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Enoch and Tim explore the fascinating and sometimes controversial economics of gift giving. They breakdown the “deadweight loss of ...
What We Can Learn from the Saints (with Matthew Milliner)
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The saints are more than folk tales and stories for children. They are true lives of Christian men and women who lived faithfully. Professor of Art H...
DDNR: Digital Do Not Resuscitate
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Enoch and Tim explore the emerging practice of using AI and deepfake technology to create interactive digital replicas of deceased pe...
Worldviews: A Pastoral Conversation with Del Tackett
14 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Enoch and Tim interview Dr. Del Tackett, an acclaimed educator whose teaching materials have impacted over 20 million people across more than 100 c...
Dating Economics: Heartbreak and Optimizing the Search for a Spouse
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For some dating is an adventure while for others dating is a daunting gamble. Is there a way for a person to optimize their approach to dating? Join E...
Holy Shekels: Ancient Welfare Meets Modern Economics
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Summary: Enoch and Tim challenge the assumption that welfare policy is a modern invention by exploring social safety nets in ancient societies. The co...
Nothing Is Really Yours
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is ownership a natural right, a social contract, or just God’s loan? Join Tim and Enoch for a mix of humor, history, and hard questions.Credits: ...
[Bonus Episode] Immigration for Sale? The High Cost of a U.S. Work Visa
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode of Choosing Better, Enoch and Tim dig deep into the sweeping changes to the U.S. H-1B visa system following the shock announceme...
From Boys 2 Men? The Growing Crisis in Male Achievement
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are boys and men falling behind? Enoch and Tim unpack the widening gap between men and women in education, leadership, volunteerism, and broader civic...
From Data to Disaster: What Happens When Governments Fudge the Math
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why does it matter if inflation, unemployment, or GDP numbers get nudged to “look better” than they are? Enoch and Tim explore why keeping politic...
Believe, Behave, Belong: Why Costly Behaviors Are Necessary to Find Meaningful Belonging
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We all long for meaningful belonging—a place where we’re seen, accepted, and part of something greater than ourselves. But true belonging often co...
Unbelievable: From Secular Decline to Spiritual Renewal
08 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After years of slow decline, belief is growing. Not just in the US but across cultures and continents. In this episode, Enoch and Tim dive into surpri...
Information or Influence? The Cost of Taking Sides (with Tim Buch)
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do journalists and CIA analysts have in common? To be effective and trusted, both must present detailed information from a neutral perspective. B...
[Bonus Episode] One Big Beautiful Episode: Inside the Midnight Megabill that Divided America
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a dramatic late-night session, Congress passed the sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025. The l...
CTRL+ALT+DELETE Your Job? AI Might
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is AI coming for your job? In this episode, Enoch and Tim dive into centuries of techno-panic, from the Luddites and the ATM to ChatGPT and spreadshee...
[Bonus Episode] U.S. Airstrikes on Iran: Context, Consequences, and Questions
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On June 21, 2025, the U.S. launched direct airstrikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities—marking a dramatic escalation in its military posture...
Unemployment 101: Working to Understand Joblessness
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unemployment…presidential elections may be won or lost, stock markets rise or tumble, and our very optimism or pessimism is strongly attached to thi...
Interactive Options: The Choices that Change the Choice
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this thoughtful and humorous episode, Enoch and Tim explore how having more choices can sometimes change not just what we pick—but how we feel ab...
The Marriage Premium: Why Men (may) Need to Settle Down
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 st...
[Bonus Episode] India and Pakistan: Unpacking the Subcontinent’s Standoff
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Morality and the Law: Right, Wrong, and the Rules We Live By
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
The Upside of Unequal: Is Inequality Always Bad?
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Inequality is generally presented as a major problem to be corrected. It has become such a talking point that many people even conflate inequality wit...
Cultivating Generosity: Should We Receive Pleasure When We Give to Others?
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
[Bonus Episode] Liberation Day: The Tariff Wall Is Here
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On April 2nd, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the most expansive set of tariffs (taxes on imports) in modern history with the United States set...
Patriot Games: A National(ism) Past Time (recorded with a LIVE audience)
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 p...
What Makes a Good College?
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Enoch and Tim invite special guest and beloved colleague Denise Daniels to join them in reflecting on the question of, "What make...
What do you know?
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 th...
Agreeable Disagreement
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 di...
Trading Places: Tariffs and the Economics of Protectionism
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Will imposing tariffs, a tax on imports, benefit the economy? World history is rife with suspicion of international trade, but barriers to trade fell ...
History’s Greatest Hits: A Conversation with Jason Long on the Most Important Moments in Economic Development
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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. Ja...
Lawn and Order: Zoning Laws and the Balance of Individual Liberty and Community Harmony
03 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Who Owns the Baby? Fertility and the Limits of the Marketplace
20 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When couples struggle with infertility and want their own baby, should they turn to the marketplace? Advances in modern medicine provide an array of o...
Birth Dearth: Why the World Stopped Having Babies
06 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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? An...
We Measure What We Value… and We Value What We Measure
22 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 measu...
Is The Gain Worth the Pain? The Use and Effectiveness of Sanctions
08 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The United States makes the most prolific use of economic sanctions in global affairs. But are these sanctions even effective? And are the benefits wo...
Reality Check or Dream On? Debating Idealism vs. Realism
25 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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. Bu...
Show Me the Money: Is Universal Basic Income (UBI) the Real Deal or Not Worth the Cash?
11 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is the best way to craft a welfare system which best maximizing the flourishing of citizens? Tim and Enoch discuss the nature of Universal Basic ...
A Genuine Conversation on Artificial Intelligence with Richard Hughes Gibson
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Hughes Gibson, a Professor of English at Wheaton College, joins Enoch and Tim to discuss the history and impact of artificial intelligence (AI...
Anxious Minds: Does Anxiety Fuel Political Polarization?
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If people seek likeminded groups to avoid conflict, is our very anxiety toward disagreement fueling polarization? Having recently read The Anxious Gen...
From Aristocrats to Average Joes: What We Lost When We Ditched the Nobility
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Civilizations across history have had an aristocracy to govern politics and culture. The advent of democracy levelled society and made us all equals, ...
The New Eugenics: A Conversation with Calum MacKellar
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 conve...
Should Free Speech Be Limited?
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Free speech is a bedrock of American democratic society and oftentimes protected above other rights. However, many who consider some rhetoric as harmf...
Pro-cedures? Medical Intervention and Risk Taking.
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 sur...
Feeling lonely? You're not alone. The Epidemic of Loneliness and Despair
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Formation or Jobs: What Is the Purpose of an Education?
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 mor...
Assisted Suicide: Is This Our Rubicon?
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many societies are advancing assisted suicide as a viable option in the arsenal of the healthcare provider. But this breaks from longstanding duties o...
This Is My Land! At Least I Think So…
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 restr...
Intellectual Property: How Long Is Long Enough?
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
More than Facts: What are the Liberal Arts all about?
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Incarceration as Specialization
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 cri...
Migrating on Migration
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The potential economic gains from migration are enormous. Even the smallest estimates suggest migration has the potential to raise incomes more than 1...
Artificial Sincerity
29 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Merciful Scarcity
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
A Just Price or Just a Price?
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Ignorance is Bliss
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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, Eno...
What a Shame
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a (somewhat) recent article, Ben Peterson suggests that Order is necessary for a flourishing society. Order is generally achieved through infor...