Keen On America
Episodes
The First Neo-Liberal or the Last Conservative? Jennifer Burns on Milton Friedman, the most controversial American economist of the 20th century
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1878: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jennifer Burns, author of THE LAST CONSERVATIVE, the most controversial American economist of the ...
Why American humor isn't really being cancelled by the woke police: Kliph Nesteroff's history of showbiz and its perennial culture wars
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1877: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Kliph Nesteroff, author of OUTRAGEOUS, about the history of American showbiz and its perennial cul...
Why all great geniuses are also rebels: Bulent Atalay on how Shakespeare, Da Vinci, Newton, Beethoven and Einstein all shared similarly transgressive minds
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1876: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bulent Atalay, author of BEYOND GENIUS, about how Shakespeare, Da Vinci, Newton, Beethoven and Ein...
The Closing of the American Conservative Mind: Peter Wehner on the nihilism of the evangelical right in America today
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1875: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the anti Trump conservative Peter Wehner about the nihilism of the evangelical right in America to...
We live our lives in small details: Lauren Grodstein on why she changed her mind about writing a novel about the Holocaust
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1874 : In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Lauren Grodstein, author of WE MUST NOT THINK OF OURSELVES, about why she changed her mind about ...
Why the "Words of Cesar Chavez" still matter: Peter Slen on the labor leader, Christian Socialist and voice of Hispanic America
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1873: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, Executive Producer of the CSPAN series, 10 BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about why the "W...
The book that transformed how Americans think about economics: Peter Slen on the impact of Rose and Milton Friedman's 1980 defense of free market capitalism, "Free to Chose"
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1872: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, Executive Producer of the CSPAN series, 10 BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about the impact...
In defense of digital education: William B. Eimicke on how to level the learning curve and create a more inclusive and connected university
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
PISODE 1871: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to William B. Eimicke, author of LEVELING THE LEARNING CURVE, about to how to create a more inclusive ...
Is the current Gazan ceasefire a mirage?Jason Pack on Qatar, Iran, Biden, Hamas, Israel and the road to order in the disordered Middle East
26 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1870: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jason Pack, the co-host of The Disorder podcast, about Qatar, Iran, Biden, Hamas, Israel and the r...
Ten Ways of Winning Differently in the AI Age: Kate Bravery's truths about work, skills and education in the smart machine epoch
25 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1869: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Kate Bravery, co-author of WORK DIFFERENT, who offers ten truths about work, jobs and education in...
Digital Lennonism: Marga Hoek imagines how tech can solve some of the world's greatest challenges
25 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1868: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Marga Hoek, author of IMAGINE TECH FOR GOOD, about how tech can solve some of the world's greatest...
The Last Ships from Hamburg: Steven Ujifusa on the race to save Russia's Jews on the eve of World War I
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1867: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Steven Ujifusa, author of THE LAST SHIPS FROM HAMBURG, about the race to save Russia's Jews on t...
OpenAI , Sam Altman and the new war over capitalism in Silicon Valley: Keith Teare on the moral fight over technological progress triggered by the OpenAI brouhaha
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1866: In our weekly KEEN ON wrap of tech news with Keith Teare, author of the THAT WAS THE WEEK newletter, Keith talks about the capitalis...
Eight brilliant books to give this Xmas: Bethanne Patrick's list of literary gifts that will delight even the most discerning reader
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1865: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bethanne Patrick, the book critic of the LA Times, about 8 brilliant books to give as gifts this X...
The Shame of America's Six Million Homeless People: Kevin F. Adler on the forgotten humanity and broken systems causing today's American homelessness crisis
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1864: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Kevin F. Adler, co-author of WHEN WE WALK BY, about the forgotten humanity and broken systems caus...
Why only humans can imagine the future: Margaret Heffernan on art, creative uncertainty and the insatiability of AI moguls like Sam Altman
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1863: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Margaret Heffernan, author of UNCHARTED, about what we can learn from artists about controlling th...
How to protect our all-too-human superpower of creative thinking: Viktor Mayer-Schonberger on the guardrails needed to regulate big data companies like OpenAI
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1862: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Vickor Mayer-Schonberger, author of the upcoming GUARDRAILS, about the need to regulate big data c...
A Uniquely Glittering Literary Club: Christopher De Hamel on the remarkable people behind a thousand years of medieval manuscripts
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1861: In the KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Christopher de Hamel, author of THE MANUSCRIPTS CLUB, about the remarkable literary figures behind ...
So what, exactly, is "equality"? Darrin McMahon on the history, from antiquity to today, of this most elusive idea
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1860: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks Darrin M. McMahon, author of EQUALITY, about the history of a most elusive idealDarrin M. McMahon is ...
Why women might make better spies than men: Anna Pitoniak on the art of espionage and the tradecraft of the spy novelist
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1859: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Anna Pitoniak, author of THE HELSINKI AFFAIR, about the art of espionage and the tradecraft of ...
How the October 7 tragedy might turn out to be a game changer in a good way: Israeli writer Assaf Gavron on why we must "try again" to make peace in the Middle East
12 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1858: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the distinguished Israeli novelist Assaf Gavron about how the events of October 7 might be a game ...
Six all-too-human books about AI: Bethane Patrick on the mavens, mavericks and mythology writing our smart machine future
11 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1857: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bethanne Patrick, book critic at the Los Angeles Times, about the mavens, mavericks and mythology ...
This was the week that the world dramatically changed: Keith Teare celebrates the beginning of the end of the pre AI age
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1856: In our weekly KEEN ON wrap of tech news with Keith Teare, author of the THAT WAS THE WEEK newletter, Keith talks about the beginni...
A classic novel that not only shaped America but also captured the authentic voice of the African-American South: Peter Slen on Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God", an anthropological fiction set in a particularly rough period in American
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1855: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, Executive Producer of the C-SPAN series BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about Zora Neale Hu...
Why genuine neutrality was mostly a myth in the Second World War: Neill Lochery on the flight of Nazi treasure through "neutral" countries after the war
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1854: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Neill Lochery, author of CASHING OUT, about the flight of Nazi treasure through "neutral" countrie...
How to write poetry on a smartphone: Best-selling poet and TikTok sensation Whitney Hanson on the anxiety of her generation and why social media makes physical events more "real"
09 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1853: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Whitney Hanson, author of HARMONY, about the anxiety of her generation and how social media makes ...
The dark truth of Mexico as a mostly truant state terrorized by subsistence gangsters and haunted by hollow people: Azam Ahmed on the story of a missing daughter, a violent Cartel and a mother's quest for vengeance
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1852: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Azam Ahmed, author of FEAR IS JUST A WORD, about he story of a missing daughter, a violent Cartel ...
Do great leaders make history or does history make great leaders? Moshik Temkin on the art of leadership from FDR, Malcolm X and MLK to Trump and Biden
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1851: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Moshik Temkin, author of WARRIORS, REBELS, & SAINTS, about the art of leadership from FDR, Mal...
How to accurately reconstruct the entire 13.9 billion year history of the universe: David Helfand on the power of atomic science to unveil the mysteries of unreachably remote time and space
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1850: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to David J. Helfand, author of THE UNIVERSAL TIMEKEEPERS, about the power of atomic science to unve...
Turning Mrs Dalloway into a novel set in the New York City of April 2017: Lisa Gornick on writing a New York story in the philistine age of the Taliban and Donald Trump
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1849: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Lisa Gornick, author of ANA TURNS, about writing a New York City novel in the philistine age of th...
An Unprincipled Man for our Unprincipled Times: Rob Copeland on Ray Dalio, the billionaire Big Brother of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund on the planet
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1848: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Rob Copeland, author of THE FUND, about Ray Dalio, the billionaire Big Brother of Bridgewater Asso...
How early 21st century America resembles late 19th century Russia: John Gray on our post-liberal future
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1847: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to John Gray, author of THE NEW LEVIATHANS, about our post-liberal futureJohn Gray is a political phi...
The double life of America's most notorious agent of betrayal: Major Garrett on Robert Hanssen, the FBI spy and weaver of a web of lies, both outrageously large and pathetically small
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1846: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to Major Garrett, host of the AGENT OF BETRAYAL podcast, about the Robert Hanssen, the FBI spy and...
How to make the most of college: Ben Wildavsky on the art of using college to build a career
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1845: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ben Wildavsky, author of THE CAREER ARTS, about how to use college to successfully build a careerB...
Why the American mass incarceration system is jarringly unamerican: Ben Austen on parole, prison and the near impossibility of change in the current American criminal justice system
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1844: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ben Austen, author of CORRECTION, about parole, prison and the near impossibility of change in the...
In defense of literary flyover country: Peter Slen on Willa Cather's "My Antonia", the 1918 novel that captured the ideal of immigrant middle America
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1843: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, Executive Producer of the C-SPAN series BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about Willa Cather'...
Orwell and his women: Bethanne Patrick on new feminist takes on George Orwell - the man , the husband and the writer.
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1842: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Bethanne Patrick, book critic at the Los Angeles Times, about new feminist takes on George Orwell,...
Guilty by seven crimes and death by a thousand verticals: Keith Teare on Sam Bankman-Fried and Palo Alto, Elon Musk and Rishi Sunak, and Space X and X
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1841: In our weekly KEEN ON wrap of tech news with Keith Teare, author of the THAT WAS THE WEEK newletter Keith talks about Sam Bankman-Fr...
How to get more women in science right now: Lisa Munoz on implicit bias, leaky pipelines, tokenization and other explanations for the persistent gender gap in science
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1840: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Lisa M.P. Munoz, author of WOMEN IN SCIENCE NOW, about implicit bias, leaky pipelines, tokenizatio...
Did the KGB really invent the idea of the Palestinian nation in the 1960s? Pierre Rehov on Iranian financed sleeper-cells in US universities and why he admires Hamas' "evil mind"
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1839: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the French-Israeli filmmaker and writer Pierre Rehov what he believes are Ianian financed sleepe...
Overcoming the politics of black grief and white grievance in America today: Juliet Hooker on why American democracy is in desperate need of an radical expansion of its political imagination
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1838: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Juliet Hooker, author of BLACK GRIEF/WHITE GRIEVANCE, about why American democracy is in desperate...
A remarkable American hero at a time in which many Americans are no longer comfortable with the heroic ideal: Ronald C. White on the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the unlikely hero of Gettysburg
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1837: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ronald C. White, the author of ON GREAT FIELDS, about the life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the...
The problem with stories about the Holocaust is that they are told by the survivors: Daniel Finkelstein on the extraordinary coincidences enabling the survival of his mum and dad from both Hitler and Stalin
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1836: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Daniel Finkelstein, author of HITLER, STALIN, MUM AND DAD: A FAMILY MEMOIR OF MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL,...
Zero to Zero: William Deresiewicz on what happens when the price of online content is driven down to zero
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1835: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks William Deresiewicz, author of THE DEATH OF THE ARTIST, about the fate of the creative artist when , ...
Where have all the Democrats gone? Ruy Teixeira on why the Democratic Party needs to tone down the volume on cultural issues if it's to rediscover its soul
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1834: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ruy Teixeira, co-author of WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEMOCRATS GONE?, needs to tone down the volume on cu...
How this month's "almost miraculous" Polish election might be a hopeful sign for democracy everywhere: Maciej Kisilowski on the promise and peril of representative democracy in a post authoritarian Poland
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1833: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Maciej Kisilowski, editor of LET'S AGREE ABOUT POLAND, about the promise and peril of democracy in...
Does today's climate change crisis represent an existential threat to humanity? Antonello Provenzale contextualizes the contemporary crisis within a history of climate change from the earth origins to the Anthropocene
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1832: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Antonello Provenzale, author of HISTORY OF CLIMATE CHANGE, about whether today's climate change cr...
An enigmatic city teetering on the edge of the world: John Kampfner on Berlin, a city of ghosts and memories where he can still smell the Wall
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1831: In this KEEN ON episode, Andrew talks to John Kampfner, author of IN SEARCH OF BERLIN, about the enigmatic German capital on the edge of...
A Theory of Everyone (but not Everything): Michael Muthukrishna on how human-beings are a new kind of animal and why we need to transform the world into the most efficient laboratory possible
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1830: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Michael Muthukrishna, author of A THEORY OF EVERYTHING, about how humans are a new kind of animal ...
Why Americans have the constitutional right to sometimes lie: Jeff Kosseff protects free speech in our digital age of misinformation
29 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1829: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jeff Kosseff, author of LIAR IN A CROWDED THEATER, about the protection of free speech in our digi...
Eight literary tricks and treats to scare you this Halloween: Bethanne Patrick on "app-aritions", cultural ghosts and unfamiliarly familiar haunted houses
28 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1828: In this regular KEEN ON show with LA Times book critic Bethane Patrick, Bethanne talks about eight scary new books to keep you awake thi...
Why our cyborg AI future may already have arrived in the trained-on-jargon "person" of Sam Bankman-Fried: Hito Steyerl on pyramid schemes, on-boarding tools and the "mean" creativity of our AI age
28 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1827: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the filmmaker, artist and writer Hito Steyerl about what she calls the "pyramid schemes", "on-boar...
Is the venture capital industry a big ponzi scheme? Keith Teare separates the hyperbole from the hysteria of VC techno-optimism
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1826: In this regular weekly KEEN ON with Keith Teare, THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author, Keith tries to separate the hyperbole from the h...
The American Shakespeare or trash of the veriest sort? Peter Slen on Mark Twain's ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, the adventurous story of a young man and young nation on a great and not-so-great adventure
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1825: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, Executive Producer of the C-SPAN series BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about Mark Twain's ...
A Graphic Diary of the War in Ukraine: Nora Krug on the contrasting realities of a Ukrainian journalist and a Russian artist in the first year of Russian invasion
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1824: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Nora Krug, author of DIARIES OF WAR, about the contrasting realities of a Ukrainian journalist and...
The Dismal Science investigates that most dismal of things - economic inequality: Branko Milanovic on visions of inequality from the French Revolution to the end of the Cold War
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1823: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Branko Milanovic, author of VISIONS OF INEQUALITY, about how different economists have made sense ...
That Sinking Feeling of Falling Out of the Middle Class: Ray Suarez on his fear of being poor in the America of the inegalitarian Twenties
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1822: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Ray Suarez, author of "That Sinking Feel", about his fear of being poor in the America of the ineg...
Celebrating a transcendental photography of nature that blurs art and science: Photographer Anand Varma on his lifelong wonder with the natural world
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1821: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Anand Varma, author of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC INVISIBLE WONDERS, on about his lifelong curiosity with...
How to stand up to the apocalypse: Peter Sarris on Justinian, the 6th century Byzantine ruler who confounded a narrative of decline
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1820: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talk: Peter Sarris on Justinian, the legendary 6th century Byzantine ruler who resurrected the Eastern Roma...
The Fruit of the Gods or of the Devil? Alexander Sammon on the sordid history of the avocado, the thirstiest fruit on the planet
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1819 In this KEEN ON show, Andrew interviews Alexander Sammon, author of "Forbidden Fruit: The Anti-Avocado militias of Michoacan, about the s...
Why Nineteen Eighty-Four wasn't really like Nineteen-Eighty Four: Sandra Newman on Julia, Winston Smith and the totalitarianism of gender that George Orwell ignored in his masculine dystopia
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1818: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Sandra Newman, author of JULIA;A NOVEL, about Julia, Winston Smith and the totalitarianism of ge...
How to Reawaken the American Dream: David Leonhardt on unions, constitutional reform, immigration and the need for a progressive populism
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1817: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to David Leonhardt, author of OURS WAS THE SHINING FUTURE, about on unions, constitutional reform, im...
Why Generative AI could make artists extinct: Karla Ortiz warns about the existential "theft" at the heart of the AI revolution
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1816: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to concept artist Karla Ortiz about the existential "theft" at the heart of the AI revolutionKarla Or...
Memoirs of a cranky old New York Gen X'er: Christian Lorentzen on the half-life of a literary critic in our digital age of cultural decay and disinformation
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1815: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Christian Lorentzen, author of the new Liberties Quarterly essay "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities...
What makes humans so special? John Parrington on how human brains, unlike those of all other species, can turn matter into meaning
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1814: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to John Parrington, author of CONSCIOUSNESS, about how human brains, unlike those of all other specie...
What the data tells us about the cancellation of the American mind: Greg Lukianoff on why today's cancel culture is as much of a threat to free speech as the McCarthyite Red Scare of the 1950s
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1813: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Greg Lukianoff, co-author of THE CANCELING OF THE AMERICAN MIND, about why today's cancel culture ...
Why an elite establishment economist is calling bullsh*t on the promise of the American dream: Jeff Fuhrer reveals the existential crisis of economic inequality now threatening the United States
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1812: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jeff Fuhrer, author of THE MYTH THAT MADE US, about the the existential crisis of economic inequal...
Why Poland is still in therapy over its "complex" World War II history: Roger Moorhouse on the forgotten story of a Polish diplomatic rescue operation to save the lives of Polish Jews
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1811: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Roger Moorhouse, author of THE FORGERS, about the forgotten story of a Polish diplomatic rescue op...
How "responsible" was Benjamin Netanyahu for the events of October 7? Israel novelist Noa Yedlin on the worst thing that has happened to the Jewish people since the Holocaust
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1810: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Noa Yedlin, the Israeli writer and author of STOCKHOLM: A NOVEL, about the events of October 7, ...
Broken bodies, broken homes, broken families & broken work: Alissa Quart reveals life on the edge in the world's richest country
21 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1809: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Alissa Quart, an editor of GOING FOR BROKE and Executive Director of the Economic Hardship Reporti...
How to resurrect the World's Greatest Detective: Sophie Hannah on her latest Agatha Christie sanctioned murder mystery HERCULE POIROT'S SILENT NIGHT
21 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1808: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Sophie Hannah, author of HERCULE POIROT'S SILENT NIGHT, about how to recreate the World's Greatest...
In Defense of Place: Seth Kaplan on how to repair American society, one zip code at a time
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1807: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Seth Kaplan, author of FRAGILE NEIGHBORHOODS, on how to repair American society, one zip code at a...
Should we celebrate or mourn technological abundance? Keith Teare weighs up the costs and benefits of abundant artificial intelligence
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1806: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Keith Teare, publisher of the THAT WAS THE WEEK tech newsletter, about the costs and benefits of a...
Why Oliver Wendell Holmes' book "Common Law" is most uncommon: Peter Slen on the 1881 legal classic that has profoundly shaped America
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1805: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, Executive Producer of the CSPAN series BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about Oliver Wendell...
What is it about scientists that makes many of them so consensual and collaborative? Lorraine Daston explains how scientists have learned to cooperate with each other
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1804: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Lorraine Daston, author of RIVALS, about how scientists have learned to cooperate with each other ...
Why the American Dream has turned into a nightmare for many Americans: Andrea Dobynes Wagner on life in the United States as a black woman with an invisible disability
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1803: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Andrea Dobynes Wagner, a contributor to GOING FOR BROKE, on life in America as a black woman with ...
Listening Once Again to Prozac: Peter D. Kramer offers a thirty year history of antidepressants and the remaking of the American self
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1803: In this KEEN ON show, Peter D. Kramer, author of LISTENING TO PROZAC, offers a thirty year perspective on the history of antidepressants...
The Impact of Small Things: Best-selling writer and Hollywood actress Annabelle Gurwitch on her experience of taking in a homeless couple in Los Angeles
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1802: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to best-selling writer and Hollywood actress Annabelle Gurwitch on her experience of taking in a home...
Are handheld video games a valuable kind of art or are they a worthless technological curse? Jon Doyle celebrates the glory years of video gaming when handheld devices provided their users with a simultaneously social and intimate experience
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1801: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jon Doyle, CEO of LOST IN CULT, about the glory years of video gaming when handheld devices provid...
Didn't we learn anything from COVID? Joe Nocera on why American capitalism needs to be radically reformed if it is to successfully confront the next pandemic
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1800: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Joe Nocera, the co-author of THE BIG FAIL, about why he believes American capitalism needs to be r...
Burn Baby Burn: M.R. O'Connor on the life-giving force of fire to regenerate nature
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1799: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to M.R. O'Connor, author of IGNITION: LIGHTING FIRES IN A BURNING WORLD, about the life-giving force ...
Ten Years that Didn't Change the World: Vincent Bevins on the global mass protests of 2010-2020 that failed to change anything
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1798: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Vincent Bevins, author of IF WE BURN, about the global mass protests between 2010 and 2020 that mo...
The Canceling of the American Mind: Rikki Schlott on why she believes cancel culture is an existential threat to the free speech of both conservatives and progressives
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1797: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Rikki Schlott, co-author of THE CANCELING OF THE AMERICAN MIND, about how she believes cancel cult...
The American Ant King who transformed our understanding of animal behavior: Richard Rhodes on E.O. Wilson and his scientific life in nature
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1796: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Richard Rhodes, author of SCIENTIST, about E.O. Wilson and the great biologist's life in natureRic...
Being less anxious about today's epidemic of anxiety: David Rosmarin on why anxiety is both normal and healthy and how we can thrive with it
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1795: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to David H. Rosmarin, PhD, author of THRIVING WITH ANXIETY, about why anxiety is healthy and how to...
The Big Fail or A Big Success? Bethany McLean on what the Covid pandemic reveals about strengths and weaknesses of American healthcare, innovation and capitalism.
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1794: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to the co-author of THE BIG FAIL, Bethany McLean, about what the Covid pandemic reveals about America...
It's a Horrible Situation..... I Wish I Could Sound More Cheerful: Former British Ambassador Alexander Hall Hall on Israel, Gaza and the New Global Disorder
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1793: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Alexander Hall Hall, the co-host of the Global Disorder podcast, about Israel, Gaza, the Ukraine, ...
The Care Economy as the Highest Stage of Capitalism: Premilla Nadasen explains why we need to bring care back to what she calls the "care" economy of healthcare and teaching
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1792: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Premilla Nadasen, author of CARE: THE HIGHEST STAGE OF CAPITALISM, about why we need to bring care...
How to get to a regenerative future before we blow ourselves up: Trond Undheim on averting the end of the world by 2075
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1791: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Trond Undheim, author of ECO TECH, about how to avert the end of the world before 2075Trond Undhei...
An obscure 1722 naval battle off the coast of West Africa which had a monumental impact on the history of America: Angela C. Sutton on the battle of Cape Lopez and the birth of chattel slavery as an American institution
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1790: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Angela C. Sutton, author of PIRATES OF THE SLAVE TRADE, about the battle of Cape Lopez in 1722 and...
Placing African-Americans at the center of their own story: Dylan Penningroth excavates the hidden histories of Black civil rights in 19th and 20th century America
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1789: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Dylan C. Penningroth, author of BEFORE THE MOVEMENT, about the hidden histories of Black civil rig...
Why cheap food isn't really cheap: Will Harris on the repellant nature of industrial farming and why the future of food should be local
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1788: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Will Harris, author of A BOLD RETURN TO GIVING A DAMN, about the repellant nature of industrial fa...
What makes writing, speaking and computer programming similarly human activities: Michael Littman on why all humans, in our AI age, should learn a little programming
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1787: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Michael L. Littman, author of CODE TO JOY, about why - in our age of AI - everyone should learn ...
How to Take Liberties with History: Abby Smith Rumsey on what we should remember and what we should forget about the past
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1786: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Abby Smith Rumsey, author of MEMORY, EDITED, about what we should remember and what we should forg...
How to be Abe Lincoln: Jonathan Shapiro offers seven steps to finding a moral compass and living a worthy life
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1785: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Jonathan Shapiro, author of HOW TO BE ABLE LINCOLN, about the seven steps to finding a moral compa...
Why OpenAI could be worth $5 trillion by 2028: Keith Teare explains how OpenAI might already be the most valuable company on the planet
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1784: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Keith Teare, THAT WAS THE WEEK newsletter author, about why, he suspects, OpenAI will be worth...
The Man Who Could See Around Corners: Peter Slen on Frederick Douglass and his 1845 autobiography about his life os an American slave
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1783: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Peter Slen, host of the CSPAN show BOOKS THAT SHAPED AMERICA, about Frederick Douglass and his 184...
America in the Dillon era: Richard Aldous on Douglas Dillon and mainstream Republicanism in the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson administrations
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1782: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Douglas Dillon, author of THE DILLION ERA, about Douglas Dillon and mainstream Republicanism in th...
An American Gun for the age of Sandy Hook and Uvalde: Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson on the history of the AR-15, an assault weapon that captures contemporary America's love affair with technology, freedom and guns
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE 1781: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Cameron McWhirter and Zusha Elinson, co-authors of AMERICAN GUN, about the history of the AR-15, a...
How to transform yourself from a good girl into a bad b***h: Lisa Carmen Wang's bad b***h business bible for taking charge of your body, boundaries and bank account
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EPISODE I780: In this KEEN ON show, Andrew talks to Lisa Carmen Wang, author of BAD B***H BUSINESS BIBLE, about how to seize control of your body, bou...