Cultivating Generosity: Should We Receive Pleasure When We Give to Others?
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 pleasure in generosity and why we may want to cultivate in ourselves, and others, the “warm glow” that comes from altruism. They tell stories and question whether we should consider efficiencies and effectiveness in our giving. Credits: Drew Elliot (music) with additional thanks to the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics.Recording Date: 23 January 2025
--------
1:01:21
[Bonus Episode] Liberation Day: The Tariff Wall Is Here
On April 2nd, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the most expansive set of tariffs (taxes on imports) in modern history with the United States setting a baseline tariff rate of 10% on over 180 countries. And further tariffs will be added to particular countries including China, Japan, Taiwan, and the European Union. Rarely does a global event intersect so closely with the academic work of both Enoch and Tim, so they too are stepping into unprecedented terrain in recording a bonus episode on a current event in political economy. They discuss what the tariffs will do, motivations for comprehensive tax on nearly all imports, and how we can choose better in a world with less free trade.Errata: In the episode, I (Enoch) attempted a back of the envelope calculation of the magnitude of the tariff. I estimated 2-5% increase in costs using (10-54% tariff range on imports which are about 20% of the magnitude of US GDP). This may be in the ballpark of the increase in prices (likely an overestimate), but it is a big overestimate on the hit to GDP since this the tariffs are largely a transfer to government revenue (taxes on imports). There is a deadweight loss to the economy (transition to less-efficient production, some consumers no longer can afford specific goods), but this is going to be significantly smaller than the 2-5% number.Credits: Drew Elliot (music) with additional thanks to the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics.Recording Date: 3 April 2025
--------
47:56
Patriot Games: A National(ism) Past Time (recorded with a LIVE audience)
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 political powder keg? Come join Dr. Taylor and Dr. Hill in their first ever live recording as they try to untangle the good, the bad, and the downright weird of national identity—when it inspires, when it divides, and when it just gets awkward. Enoch and Tim record their first podcast with a live audience at Wheaton College!Credits: Drew Elliot (music) with additional thanks to the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics.Recording Date: 20 March 2025
--------
1:18:41
What Makes a Good College?
In this episode Enoch and Tim invite special guest and beloved colleague Denise Daniels to join them in reflecting on the question of, "What makes a good college?" Specifically, they discuss what they valued from their undergraduate experiences, what professional college ranking websites consider, and what they desire(d) regarding college selection for their children. Along the way, we hear about both Denise and Tim's college pranks and how Tim's punishment led to his favorite part of his undergraduate experience.Credits: Drew Elliot (music) with additional thanks to the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics.Recording Date: 16 January, 2025
--------
1:04:02
What do you know?
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 the sun, if I sneeze on someone they might get sick, the sun is really, really hot, we will (not) exist after death, vaccines (do not) work.Most of this knowledge wasn't obtained through your own observations. But how can I tell from personal experience that the earth is not flat? We all would have likely believed something very different had we been born a couple centuries earlier. Given I am unlikely to unlikely to ever verify the temperature of the sun. So, how do you know what you know?Editorial note:Tim accidentally misspoke and the former NBA basketball player is Rick Barry. And his 90% free throw shooting was the best in the NBA at the time of his retirement in 1980.Credits: Drew Elliot (music) with additional thanks to the Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics.Recording Date: 12 December 2024
México