As we celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, here’s my 2006 conversation with RICHARD DAWKINS on his best-seller, THE GOD DELUSION. I consider myself spiritual, thank the universe daily, and feel myself blessed, but I don’t see an entity directing this unfolding pageant. I invite you to listen with an open mind and spirit. Dawkins and I begin with questions and end with awe. Learn more at richarddawkins.com. I wish you and your loved ones joyous holidays with time and space for reflection and renewal.

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This is Ike Wilson episode # 2. Questions about Hegseth, Venezuela, US cities are bigger than when we spoke in October. We make time to discuss other concerns I have about the US military - morale, Christian nationalism, lack of success despite unlimited resources. With 33 years in the field and teaching at West Point, Columbia, Yale, Arizona State, and National War College, Wilson is former Director of the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, and led the Commander’s Initiatives Group at U.S. Central Command. He writes Compound Security, Unlocked on Substack and hosts The Civic Brief podcast.

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This week when we give thanks, let me say how grateful I am to have these conversations about a world that just might work and that folks take the time to listen, learn, and share. CHUCK COLLINS says a lot of people tell him, “…nothing a billionaire does harms my life.” In response, he wrote BURNED BY BILLIONAIRES: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet. Collins directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, co-edits Inequality.org and its weekly newsletter, and writes the column, Oligarch Watch at The Nation Magazine.You can learn more at inequality.org and at ChuckCollinsWrites.com

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With family gatherings upcoming over the holidays and emergence of AI everywhere we look, here’s my 2011 episode with Sherry Turkle, Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, about her book ALONE TOGETHER Why We Expect More from Technology, Less from Each Other. At that point, Sherry had already been studying the relationships between people and technology for decades, and ALONE TOGETHER signaled a bit of a departure for her. She even called it “a book of repentance.” It was one of the first books to warn about what was being threatened or lost in our headlong rush to 24/7 engagement with screens.

I’m not an environmentalist, but rather someone who works to move society toward a healthy relationship with the rest of nature. The notion that we are separate makes no sense to me. So I was drawn to this week’s guest, MELANIE CHALLENGER, who writes on the relationship of humans to the living world. She does field research - including in the Arctic and Antarctica, is an award-winning poet, has written librettos for classical choral pieces, has an opera in the works, and is Vice-President of UK’s RSPCA. Her books include HOW TO BE ANIMAL: What It Means to Be Human. You can learn more at melaniechallenger.com

DEBORAH TANNEN, best known for YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND: Women and Men in Conversation, 4 years on the NYTimes bestseller list, 8 months at #1. This conversation is about 2 later books: First, I ONLY SAY THIS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU on why we have so much trouble communicating within families - could be helpful with Thanksgiving coming up. The second, THE ARGUMENT CULTURE focuses on public discourse. Way back in 2002, she made the point that our society had become overwhelmingly adversarial, with consequences not only in our ability to solve problems but also in our personal relationships. We have all been the victims of how that has played out in the two decades since.

The stock market keeps rising, driven almost entirely by the “magnificent seven” tech giants. No one tries to deny we’re fueling AI and crypto bubbles. Great time to talk with author, producer, and New York Times journalist, ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, about his new best-seller, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at LiveTalsLA. Sorkin’s last words recently on 60 Minutes: “We will have a crash. I just can't tell you when, and I can't tell you how deep.” You can learn more at andrewrosssorkin.com.

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Following the largest single day of protest in American history, here’s first, my 2004 conversation with THOMAS FRANK about his ground-breaking classic, WHAT’ S THE MATTER WITH KANSAS? Frank examines the GOP’s success building unnatural alliances between Midwest and Wall Street, workers and bosses, populists and right-wingers. In the second half, you’ll hear my 2010 conversation with PAUL LOEB about his book SOUL OF A CITIZEN: Living with Conviction in a Challenging Time, full of moving stories of ordinary Americans finding unexpected fulfillment in social and political involvement.