Freakonomics Radio
Thursday at 3pm and Sunday at Noon
Freakonomics Radio ferrets out connections between seemingly unrelated things. The program explores the riddles of everyday life and the weird wrinkles of human nature-from cheating and crime to parenting and sports-using the tools of economics to explore real-world behavior.
Booksavers of Virginia and Gift and Thrift are proud to sponsor Freakonomics Radio on WMRA.
Credit Audrey S. Bernstein
Host Stephen J. Dubner discovers the hidden side of everything in interviews with Nobel laureates and provocateurs, social scientists and entrepreneurs-and with his "Freakonomics" co-author Steve Levitt.
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It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges. The post Season 15, Episode 45 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Can backgammon save us from ourselves? It brings strangers together. It teaches probability, strategy, and emotional control. It has even helped N.F.L. teams win the Super Bowl. Stephen Dubner explores why this ancient game is having a renaissance. (Part two of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”) The post Season 15, Episode 44 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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New York is the latest state to legalize medical aid in dying. Stephen Dubner speaks with the governor who signed the law, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a death doula — and an ethicist who thinks the very idea is wrong. The post Season 15, Episode 43 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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We conclude our series on Richard Feynman. And later: Fareed Zakaria says he doesn’t think the U.S. is in decline—but it’s not all good news, either. The post Season 15, Episode 42 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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In his final years, Richard Feynman’s curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) The post Season 15, Episode 41 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) The post Season 15, Episode 40 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) The post Season 15, Episode 39 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Has the New York Times become a games company? Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”) The post Season 15, Episode 38 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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How does a composer feel after the world premiere? Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear from some fans, and the New York Philharmonic’s president. The math and the aftermath of wealth of nations. (Part two of a two-part series.) The post Season 15, Episode 37 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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What is money? That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio. We tag along as Lang’s piece heads toward its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic. (Part one of a two-part series.) The post Season 15, Episode 36 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare heavyweight and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. So why haven’t we ever heard much from her? Stephen Dubner travels to Verona, Wisc., to explore the Faulknerverse. The post Season 15, Episode 35 appeared first on Freakonomics.
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Why has there been so little progress on Alzheimer’s disease? One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle. The post Season 15, Episode 34 appeared first on Freakonomics.