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A young French aristocrat tours the United States in 1831 and writes the most penetrating account of democracy yet produced: how equality of condition reshapes religion, family, manners and ambition; why voluntary associations and local self-government hold it together; and how it can drift into a mild, tutelary despotism of the majority. Nearly two centuries on, whole chapters read like commentary on the present.
March 16, 2026
Sean Carroll's Mindscape episode on surveillance, Gwern's writing process revealed, and Martha Nussbaum on why fear is toxic to democracy.
February 16, 2026
An EconTalk episode on America's WWII production miracle, Gwern's scaling hypothesis revisited, and Scott Alexander introduces the AI 2027 scenario.
July 13, 2026
Scott Alexander's team publishes its plan for AI going well, Joel Mokyr defends his Nobel thesis, and Ted Gioia argues the Odyssey belongs in the music department.
