Help Support the NBN on Patreon | Visit New Books Network en Español!

New Books Network
Big Ideas
Critical Theory June 4, 2023

Digital Futures for Learning

Speculative Methods and Pedagogies

Jen Ross

Hosted by Dave O'Brien
Listen:
What is the future of education? In Digital Futures for Learning: Speculative Methods and Pedagogies (Routledge, 2022), Jen Ross, a senior lecturer in digital education at the University of Edinburgh, analyses …

Big Ideas

Subscribe:

Interviews with scholars promoting big ideas.

Sociology June 2, 2023

The Narrow Corridor

States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty

Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

Hosted by Gregory LaBlanc
Listen:
Does a strong state mean a weak market? This is a common misconception amongst economists. Many view the state as either taxing and regulating the market too much or too …
Technology May 31, 2023

The Equality Machine

Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future

Orly Lobel

Hosted by Gregory LaBlanc
Listen:
The fear of algorithmic decision-making and surveillance capitalism dominate today's tech policy discussions. But instead of simply criticizing big data and automation, we can harness technology to correct discrimination, historical …
Science, Technology, and Society May 29, 2023

The Possibility of Life

Science, Imagination and Our Vision of the Cosmos

Jaime Green

Hosted by John Traphagan
Listen:
In this episode we talk to Jaime Green about her superb cultural and scientific exploration of alien life and the cosmos. It examines how the possibility of life on other planets shapes our understanding …
Biblical Studies May 28, 2023

Armageddon

What the Bible Really Says about the End

Bart D. Ehrman

Hosted by Frances Sacks
A New York Times bestselling Biblical scholar, reveals why our popular understanding of the Apocalypse is all wrong—and why that matters.You’ll find nearly everything the Bible has to say about the …
Economic and Business History May 28, 2023

Better Money

Gold, Fiat, or Bitcoin?

Lawrence H. White

Hosted by Bernardo Batiz-Lazo
The recent rise of dollar, pound, and euro inflation rates has rekindled the debate over potential alternative monies, particularly gold and Bitcoin. Though Bitcoin has been much discussed in recent …
Women's History May 25, 2023

The Suffragist Peace

How Women's Votes Lead to Fewer Wars

Robert F. Trager and Joslyn N. Barnhart

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
In the modern age, some parts of the world are experiencing a long peace. Nuclear weapons, capitalism and the widespread adoption of democratic institutions have been credited with fostering this …
Madison's Notes May 23, 2023

After the Pill

A Conversation with Mary Eberstadt

Mary Eberstadt

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
The pill has rocked our society to its core: but have we fully examined all its repercussions? Influential author and essayist Mary Eberstadt thinks we've only scratched the surface; in …
Science, Technology, and Society May 21, 2023

We Have Always Been Cyborgs

Digital Data, Gene Technologies, and an Ethics of Transhumanism

Stefan Lorenz Sorgner

Hosted by Frances Sacks
The concept of transhumanism emerged in the middle of the 20th century, and has influenced discussions around AI, brain–computer interfaces, genetic technologies and life extension. Despite its enduring influence in …
History of Science May 21, 2023

Horizons

The Global Origins of Modern Science

James Poskett

Hosted by Victor Monnin
In Horizons: A Global History of Science (Mariner Books, 2022), James Poskett, Associate Professor in the History of Science and Technology at the University of Warwick, begins by asking, “Where …
Political Science May 20, 2023

The State

Philip Pettit

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin
In The State (Princeton University Press, 2023), the prominent political philosopher Philip Pettit embarks on a massive undertaking, offering a major new account of the foundations of the state and …
Madison's Notes May 17, 2023

The Origins of the Modern Self

A Conversation with Carl Trueman

Carl Trueman

Hosted by Annika Nordquist
Modern social and political discussions all seem to revolve around the concept of identity. Dr. Carl Trueman, theologian and former William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and Public Life here …
Economics May 15, 2023

The Power of Hope

How the Science of Well-Being Can Save Us from Despair

Carol Graham

Hosted by Joseph Tasca
In a society marked by extreme inequality of income and opportunity, why should economists care about how people feel? The truth is that feelings of well-being are critical metrics that …
Almost Good Catholics May 11, 2023

The Miraculous Mind (with Paul Bloom)

What Does Psychology Say about Religion and Morality?

Paul Bloom

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Psychologist Paul Bloom and I talk about the human brain, morality, empathy, perversity, all the things—including Professor Bloom’s new book, Psych: The Story of the Human Mind (Ecco Press, 2023) …
Game Studies May 11, 2023

We the Gamers

How Games Teach Ethics and Civics

Karen Schrier

Hosted by Rudolf Thomas Inderst
Ethics and civics have always mattered, but perhaps they matter now more than ever before. Recently, with the rise of online teaching and movements like #PlayApartTogether, games have become increasingly …
Sociology May 7, 2023

Fearing Together

Ethics for Insecurity

Ami Harbin

Hosted by Jen Hoyer
In Fearing Together: Ethics for Insecurity (Oxford UP, 2023), Ami Harbin explores how fearing is a central part of how we relate to each other and the unpredictable world. Fearing …
Economic and Business History May 5, 2023

Power and Progress

Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity

Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson

Hosted by Javier Mejia
Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity (PublicAffairs, 2023) is a groundbreaking work by bestselling authors Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, in which they challenge conventional wisdom about …
Business, Management, and Marketing May 5, 2023

Reinventing the Supply Chain

A 21st-Century Covenant with America

Jack Buffington

Hosted by Caleb Zakarin
When the COVID-19 pandemic led to a global economic "shutdown" in March 2020, our supply chains began to fail, and out-of-stocks and delivery delays became the new norm. Contrary …
Economic and Business History May 4, 2023

The Earth Transformed

An Untold History

Peter Frankopan

Hosted by Javier Mejia
The Earth Transformed. An Untold History (Knopf, 2023) is a captivating and informative book that reveals how climate change has been a driving force behind the development and decline of civilizations …
The Future of . . . with Owen Bennett-Jones April 28, 2023

The Future of Germs

A Discussion with Jonathan Kennedy

Jonathan Kennedy

Hosted by Owen Bennett-Jones
Have germs or humans done the most to shape the world’s history? Did Homo Sapiens get the better of the Neanderthals because of superior brainpower or because of better resistance …