Month: December 2025

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Lost Debate - The End of Culture

Ravi sits down with cultural critic W. David Marx (author of Blank Space) to ask a simple question: if there’s more music, TV, and art than ever, why does culture feel so… stuck? Marx argues it’s not that people stopped creating—it’s that we’ve stopped treating new, daring work like it matters, so breakthroughs rarely spread and change the mainstream. They unpack how algorithms and money-driven incentives steer us toward what’s already popular and easy, instead of what might challenge or surprise us. If you’ve ever wondered why everything feels like sequels, recycled trends, or endless scrolling, this conversation puts clear language to that feeling—and offers a way out.


W. David Marx’s book Blank Space and newsletter Culture: An Owner’s Manual 

Ravi’s Substack https://realravigupta.substack.com 


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Newshour - Will Israel’s NGO ban in Gaza impact the ceasefire deal?

Some international humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank say they cannot comply with Israel’s demands to supply details of Palestinian staff due to data infringement and safety concerns.

Also in the programme: we ask why there is a shortage of female toilets in Japan’s parliament; conservation efforts saving albatrosses in South Africa; and we look at the best moments from Newshour in 2025.

(Photo: A Palestinian man carries food items collected from aid packages dropped from an airplane, amid a hunger crisis, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

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The Source - Teen idols, girl groups and JFK: Early ’60s rock & roll

There’s a belief that after the death of Buddy Holly rock & roll lost its way until the arrival of the Beatles. Early '60s rock was still growing in popularity, but the airwaves were ruled by teen idols, girl groups and novelty songs. However, that’s not the full story. Richard Aquila is the author of Rock & Roll in Kennedy's America: A Cultural History of the Early 1960s.
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Lex Fridman Podcast - #488 – Infinity, Paradoxes that Broke Mathematics, Gödel Incompleteness & the Multiverse – Joel David Hamkins

Joel David Hamkins is a mathematician and philosopher specializing in set theory, the foundations of mathematics, and the nature of infinity, and he’s the #1 highest-rated user on MathOverflow. He is also the author of several books, including Proof and the Art of Mathematics and Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics. And he has a great blog called Infinitely More.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep488-sc
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

Transcript:
https://lexfridman.com/joel-david-hamkins-transcript

CONTACT LEX:
Feedback – give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey
AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama
Hiring – join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring
Other – other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact

EPISODE LINKS:
Joel’s X: https://x.com/JDHamkins
Joel’s Website: https://jdh.hamkins.org
Joel’s Substack: https://www.infinitelymore.xyz
Joel’s MathOverflow: https://mathoverflow.net/users/1946/joel-david-hamkins
Joel’s Papers: https://jdh.hamkins.org/publications
Joel’s Books:
Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics: https://amzn.to/3MThaAt
Proof and the Art of Mathematics: https://amzn.to/3YACc9A

SPONSORS:
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
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Go to https://www.perplexity.ai/
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OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(01:58) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(15:40) – Infinity & paradoxes
(1:02:50) – Russell’s paradox
(1:15:57) – Gödel’s incompleteness theorems
(1:33:28) – Truth vs proof
(1:44:52) – The Halting Problem
(2:00:45) – Does infinity exist?
(2:18:19) – MathOverflow
(2:22:12) – The Continuum Hypothesis
(2:31:58) – Hardest problems in mathematics
(2:41:25) – Mathematical multiverse
(3:00:18) – Surreal numbers
(3:10:55) – Conway’s Game of Life
(3:13:11) – Computability theory
(3:23:04) – P vs NP
(3:26:21) – Greatest mathematicians in history
(3:40:05) – Infinite chess
(3:58:24) – Most beautiful idea in mathematics

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Motley Fool Money - 3 Stocks We Love in 2026

Are you looking for investment opportunities in 2026? So are we and we covered three stocks we love going into the year.Travis Hoium, Lou Whiteman, and Rachel Warren discuss:

- Why space is worth watching in 2026
- Opportunities in healthcare
- How Hims & Hers is disrupting the healthcare industryCompanies discussed: Rocket Lab (RKLB), TransMedics (TMDX), Hims & Hers (HIMS).


Host: Travis Hoium
Guests: Lou Whiteman, Rachel Warren
Engineer: Bart Shannon


Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Consider This from NPR - What Bad Bunny means to Puerto Ricans

This summer, the island of Puerto Rico was under the thrall of Bad Bunny. His 31-concert residency at a stadium in San Juan was a homecoming for the global superstar.



It's also a homecoming for many thousands of people who left home – but are flocking back for the shows.

NPR’s Adrian Florido reports on how the concerts resonated with Puerto Ricans on and off the island.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Kathryn Fink, Elena Burnett, Liz Baker and Marc Rivers. It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon and Gigi Douban. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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The Bulwark Podcast - John Heilemann: The Year Is Ending a Lot Better than It Started

Only six months ago, the wheels felt like they were coming off of America, and our democracy experiment. But since the Epstein case broke wide open, the wheels started to come off Trump instead. And he's not just lost his way in politics but in the broader culture too—with his despicable words about Rob Reiner, his trying to get Jimmy Kimmel fired, and his pedophile cover-up. At the same time, we are likely stuck with his family grift, which will last for generations. Over on the Democratic side, the left has the momentum but there is room for a McCain-style reform candidate. Meanwhile, JD may be too repellant to win the presidency and the expectations for Mamdani are likely unrealistic. Plus, some love for Oasis, Geese, and Cameron Winter—and some hope that people are longing for something tangible in their music again. People need a rock star.

John Heilemann joins Tim Miller for the year-end pod.

show notes:

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State of the World from NPR - Looking Back: Uncovering the Secrets of an Irish Home for Unwed Mothers

As we look back at our international reporters' most memorable stories of the last year, we revisit a story about families from Ireland learning their full history. There, the Catholic Church once ran homes for unwed mothers. Until recently the church dominated life in Ireland and pregnancy outside marriage was considered shameful. Behind one of these homes a ghastly discovery has recently been made. It was a secret most people in the town knew about, but no one took any action until recently. And through reporting the story, our correspondent learned of a personal connection to this history.

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