Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2022-11-19
Books mentioned on It Could Happen Here Weekly 60
All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. See omnystudio.
Robert Evans recommended The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson and others, discussed Reinventing Philanthropy by Eric Friedman, and criticized Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and others and What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill. Christopher Wong discussed The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Reinventing Philanthropy
Discussed“Freriedman's book at the time that was new was called Reinventing Philanthropy, a framework for more effective giving. Um and he kind of he kind of extends the arguments that Singer is making.”
Where to get it
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Freakonomics
Freakonomics by Steven D.
Critiqued“If you like the kind of people who loved the freconomics books which are [ __ ] regressive [laughter] bad statistics bad statistics can one freomic story please.”
Where to get it
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What We Owe the Future
What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill is a foundational exploration of long-termism, arguing that humanity has a moral obligation to protect the vast potential of future generations.
Critiqued“And he wrote a book that is currently a bestseller. It was published in August called What We Owe the Future. And the gist of this is that like it's merging this kind of effective altruism with what's called long-termism”
Where to get it
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The Ministry for the Future
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson is a gripping speculative science fiction novel that chronicles a near-future world grappling with the escalating and devastating consequences of climate change through the efforts of a newly established UN subsidiary.
Recommended“There's a a book that I've talked about on the show a couple of times um that is is quite popular called Ministry of the Future. Um and I think it's a very good book. And one of the attitude like the basic premise of it is that climate change is addressed finally”
Where to get it
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The New Jim Crow
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander is a groundbreaking sociological study arguing that the American war on drugs functioned as a deliberate system of racial control, driving mass incarceration and stripping millions of African Americans of their basic civil rights.
Discussed“Sort of modern abolitionism. Um it's directly criticizing uh Michelle Alexander's uh the new Jim Crow mass incarceration in the age of color blindness. And it's also like a volley basically against anyone who's trying to explain mass incarceration through race.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“It has been defended most publicly by the FHI philosopher Toby Ord, author of The Precipice: Existential Risk in the Future of Humanity.”
“Like when when I was in my freshman year in college, I had to read biblical analysis written by a freshman Ted Cruz supporter who was arguing that there was a problem in the Bible where there was no way for God to talk to people. This is worse than that. Let me introduce you to the Quran.”