The Arthur Brooks Show

Vox Media

Dig into the art of disagreement and the power of love with social scientist Arthur Brooks. Against the backdrop of a toxic political climate engendered by the 2016 presidential election, season one focuses on the ways we can better disagree with our friends, family, and community. The second season focuses on love: what it means to find meaning in our work, loving our country, and how to love our enemies. Produced by the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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17 episodes
Updated Mar 29, 2019

Episodes17

Newest first

Mar 29, 2019 · 1 hr 49 min
Arthur Books in conversation with Simon Sinek
Simon Sinek talks to Arthur Brooks about loving your enemies at an event recorded at the 92nd Street Y in New York City
Mar 21, 2019 · 47 min
With All Your Mind
What people really mean when they say they love God, and how our brains react and change when we engage in spiritual practice.
Mar 14, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
Do You Love Your Country?
What distinguishes patriotism from nationalism, and how we can think about appropriately expressing love for our country.
Mar 7, 2019 · 38 min
How to Love Your Enemies
Why we have contempt for those who are different than us, and how we can overcome seemingly intractable conflicts in our lives.
Feb 28, 2019 · 44 min
All the Lonely People
Why Americans have fewer friends than ever before, and how to recover the kind of friendship we most deeply desire
Feb 21, 2019 · 52 min
Work-Love Balance
Why many American’s don’t love their jobs, and how to overcome dissatisfaction with a different approach to work and success.
Feb 14, 2019 · 52 min
Romantic Entrepreneurship
Why we stopped taking risks for love, and why taking more of them will bring us greater happiness.
Feb 11, 2019 · 2 min
Season 2 about love starts Valentine's Day
It's all you need
Aug 30, 2018 · 36 min
Moral Consensus
The last episode of the season looks at moral consensus, the necessity of a moral core around which our debates must revolve. Arthur talks to John Powell, who leads the UC Berkeley Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, and to John Tomasi, professor of political science at Brown University, and founder of the Political Theory Project. To get in touch with the show, email arthurbrooksshow@voxmedia.com
Aug 23, 2018 · 38 min
Think Small
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number and scope of crises we constantly see flashing across our phones and television screens. In fact, our brains – and our hearts – aren’t built to process conflicts on such a massive scale. In this episode, Arthur looks at ‘thinking small,’ the notion that by focusing on what is individual, local, and within our sphere of influence, we can paradoxically bring about more change, disagree more productively, and become happier people. Hear conversations with Paul Slovic, Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, and James and Deborah Fallows, who share stories from their journey across the country for their book “Our Towns.”
Aug 16, 2018 · 45 min
Idea Diversity on Campus
This episode explores the experiences of conservative professors on campus, and why ‘viewpoint diversity’ matters in academia. We hear from Josh Dunn, Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado and John Shields, Associate Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College, who co-authored a book on conservative academics. Zack Beauchamp from vox.com joins Arthur in a discussion about de-platforming and freedom of speech on campus, and Professor Robert George talks about his experience at Princeton.
Aug 9, 2018 · 40 min
Contempt: an extended conversation with John Gottman
How can we keep contempt out of our disagreements? And why should we? Arthur talks to John Gottman, who’s spent most of his career as a social psychologist studying contempt within relationships. He is the co-founder of the Gottman Institute in Seattle, where he does work with married couples, and shares his insights on the corrosive nature of contempt, and how we can get out of the habit of expressing it, both in our personal relationships, and more broadly, as a nation.
Aug 2, 2018 · 49 min
Disconnected
There's a lot of disagreement on social media, but not a lot of meaningful debate. In this episode, we figure out how to change that by first understanding the nature of disagreement in the online space. Anonymity, silos, outrage - these flourish in our filter bubbles, but why is that? And we talk about how to go from text-based disagreement - which de-humanizes people, to the most powerful way to do meaningful debate - face to face.
Jul 26, 2018 · 35 min
Tell Me a Story
The smartest person in the room doesn’t always win the debate — the best storyteller does. This episode explores the power of storytelling and how we can use stories to more effectively persuade, inspire, and unify others. We hear from sociologist Kathy Edin, neuroeconomist Paul Zak and Grant Gordon of the International Rescue Committee.
Jul 19, 2018 · 39 min
Sharing Your Stage
The story of an unexpected moment of "bridging"—two opponents share a stage. What happened when Hawk Newsome, leader of a small group of activists from Black Lives Matter of Greater New York showed up at a pro-Trump gathering. Arthur talks to Newsome about how that played out, and with John Powell, Director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, about the challenges of sharing your stage (literally or metaphorically) with your ideological opponent.
Jul 12, 2018 · 35 min
Family & Friends
How do we navigate substantive disagreements - political or otherwise - with those closest to us? And how do we hold a discourse without sweeping differences under the rug or burning bridges? This episode unpacks ways of dealing with those differences of opinion in personal relationships: a primer for dealing with conflict at the next family gathering, and an inspiring story of two friends whose relationship survived their politics.
Jun 28, 2018 · 1 min
Introducing the Arthur Brooks Show
The first season of The Arthur Brooks show looks at the art of disagreement.

The Arthur Brooks Show

Arthur Books in conversation with Simon Sinek

With All Your Mind

Do You Love Your Country?

How to Love Your Enemies

All the Lonely People

Work-Love Balance

Romantic Entrepreneurship

Season 2 about love starts Valentine's Day

Moral Consensus

Think Small

Idea Diversity on Campus

Contempt: an extended conversation with John Gottman

Disconnected

Tell Me a Story

Sharing Your Stage

Family & Friends

Introducing the Arthur Brooks Show