Headspace

What’s behind the disproportionate number of Covid-19 ethnic minority deaths? Science writer Angela Saini—most recently author of Superior: The Return of Race Science—joins the Prospect Interview to talk about the intersection between medicine and race, and why she’s surprised that even the respectable scientific community has fallen so easily into pseudo-science.You can read Angela’s essay on the racial politics of Covid-19 here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/the-covid-race-riddle-defies-skin-deep-simplicities-angela-saini-racism-virus-spread  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Feminism may be becoming increasingly mainstream, but it’s undeniable that women continue to do the lion’s share of housework and child-rearing at home. Historian Emma Lundin joins the Prospect Interview to talk about modern motherhood today, and reflects on the obstacles preventing gender equality, now enshrined in law in theory, from becoming the norm in reality.You can read Emma’s essay on working motherhood here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/mind-the-gender-gap-why-its-time-for-an-equality-revolution-in-parenting  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

American political commentator and Atlantic senior editor David Frum joins the Prospect Interview this week to discuss the presidency of Donald Trump, whose potential legacy he writes about in his new book, Trumpocalypse: Restoring American democracy. Frum talks to editor Tom Clark about his journey from George W. Bush speechwriter to one of the most high-profile conservative critics of the latest president, whether he thinks Joe Biden has a chance beating Trump this November, and how he would make a start patching together the deep inequalities and anger that plague the US.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

CBD oils, meditation apps, and memory foam mattresses—our obsession with getting the perfect night’s sleep is stronger than ever. But is the drive to get more shut-eye actually making us more exhausted? Journalist Barbara Speed wrote an essay for Prospect going behind the global sleep industry, and unpacks the false science and misguided assumptions that are stopping us from getting the proper rest we need. She joins outgoing deputy editor Steve Bloomfield to talk about why she was drawn to going behind the sleep industry, why she’s no longer bothered about getting in her nightly eight hours, and the tech industry’s insidious war on our waking brains. You can read Barbara’s essay on sleep here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/cant-sleep-lockdown-quarantine-problems-why-coronavirus-nightmares-help  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Biographer and academic Ray Monk joins the Prospect Interview this week to discuss the life and work of GE Moore, a once-great Cambridge philosopher who has since disappeared from history. Why was it that Moore was so revered at his time, drawing admiration from the likes of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell? And why is it that since then, he’s been largely forgotten?You can read Ray Monk’s essay on GE Moore here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/ge-moore-philosophy-books-analytic-ray-monk-biography  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Academic and author of This is Shakespeare Emma Smith joins the Prospect Interview this week to discuss the bard’s much gossiped about life under the plague. While many of us may have come across reminders that Shakespeare spun out King Lear while under lockdown centuries ago, Emma says that there’s another plague-era play of his that shows another side of historic London life—the comic, and unapologetically raunchy, Venus and Adonis.Emma’s article on Venus and Adonis is available here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/shakespeares-answer-to-the-plague-more-sex-and-comedy  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dutch historian and commentator Rutger Bregman joins the Prospect Interview this week to discuss his new book, Humankind: A Hopeful History. It’s a book with an optimistic thesis at its heart: that people are—despite all the doom-mongering, disasters, and political conflicts that rage on in our headlines—at their core, decent and well-intentioned. Arts and Books editor Sameer Rahim talks to Rutger about making a case for hope in the time of Covid, what makes people embrace hate, division and prejudice—and how he went about writing his viral story of the real-life Lord of the Flies.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Philosopher Clare Carlisle joins the Prospect Interview to talk about the 19th century novelist George Eliot. Celebrated as the author of Middlemarch and Silas Marner, Eliot was also an enthusiastic philosopher who notably translated the first English translation of Baruch Spinoza’s Ethics. Clare talks to arts and books editor Sameer Rahim about George Eliot’s philosophy, the novelist’s fondness for Spinoza, and the often fluid line between literature and philosophy. You can read Clare’s essay on George Eliot here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/george-eliot-philosophy-spinoza-clare-carlisle  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this week’s special edition of the Prospect Interview, we share exclusive audio from our first ever webinar for subscribers, held last Friday. In it, our most recent contributors—Oxford historian Margaret MacMillan; professor of global economic governance Ngaire Woods, and Harvard economist Dani Rodrik share their thoughts on what a post-Covid world will look like. These distinguished academics wrote essays in the latest issue of Prospect, all addressing, from different angles, the big question: what sort of universe will emerge out of the pandemic? You can read their essays online here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/issues/288  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the world slows down, many of us are thinking—what comes next? Oxford geographer Danny Dorling joins the Prospect Interview to discuss what a world after growth might look like. His latest book, Slowdown: The end of the great acceleration–and why it’s good for the planet, the economy, and our lives was written long before Covid-19 forced much of the world to stop, but many of his reflections on what a post-growth society might look like feel ever more relevant today.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Infectious disease expert Adam Kucharski didn’t know that the world was going to be overtaken by a virus when he wrote his new book, The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread – and Why They Stop. But today, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine professor has a schedule filled with meetings about the progression of Covid-19—and how best to curb it. Arts and books editor Sameer Rahim talks to Adam about what it’s been like researching the disease, which countries have handled the outbreak best, and what to expect next.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Human rights lawyer and award-winning author Philippe Sands joins the Prospect Interview to talk about his new book, The Ratline: Love, Lies, and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive. The author of bestselling history memoir East West Street discusses his new book, which traces the real-life disappearance of a Nazi leader and his wife. He talks to deputy editor Steve Bloomfield about what drew him to this curious family history, what 20th century atrocities can teach us today, and—as a human rights lawyer—what concerns him about life under lockdown.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Writer Thomas Chatterton Williams joins the Prospect Interview this week to talk about his curious approach to race in America. His new memoir, Self Portrait in Black and White, explores his own background as a mixed-race child of a black father and white mother growing up in New Jersey. He talks to our Arts and Books editor Sameer Rahim about why he sometimes calls himself “ex-Black”, how he feels about calls for race reparations, and whether he really thinks, in divided political times, one might really transcend race.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Novelist Colum McCann joins the Prospect Interview this week to discuss his new bestseller, Apeirogon, a fictional story based on the real-life friendship between an Israeli and a Palestinian. He talks to our Arts and Books editor about how he went about researching the novel, learning from the Northern Ireland peace process, and why, in spite of everything, he still has hope.Colum McCann’s Apeirogon is published by Bloomsbury: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/apeirogon-9781526607874/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nobel prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman joins the Prospect podcast to talk about what he calls “zombie economics”: the right-wing free market economic orthodoxy that he believes persists past its sell-by date. He also reflects on America’s 2020 election, whether he misjudged Obama, and if he has faith in the future of economics.Paul Krugman’s Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future, is published by W. W. Norton: https://www.wwnorton.co.uk/books/9781324005018-arguing-with-zombiesArticles discussed in the introduction:Paul Krugman on the coronavirus and climate change: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/opinion/coronavirus-trump-response.htmlDavid Runciman on Keynesians and the lockdown: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n07/david-runciman/too-early-or-too-lateTom Clark on coronavirus’s market aftershocks: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/locking-down-leaders-damned-whatever-they-do-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-quarantine-social-

Journalist Kim Ghattas joins the Prospect Interview to explain the political conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran—where did it come from, and how has it fundamentally transformed the region? She also gives her perspectives on lessons from the Arab Spring, and why her own background growing up in Lebanon means she’s able to tell stories that challenge popular Western narratives. Kim’s book, Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Rivalry that Unravelled the Middle East, is published with Wildfire: https://www.headline.co.uk/titles/kim-ghattas/black-wave/9781472271112/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Early modern historian and polyglot John Gallagher joins the Prospect Interview this week to talk about language learning in Britain from the 16th century to today. What was it like when the English language was, in the words of one early modern writer, useless anywhere past Devon? And why do Brits today perform so poorly on language acquisition, especially against their continental peers?John’s book, Learning Languages in Early Modern England, is published by Oxford University Press.Plus: Stephanie Boland and Steve Bloomfield on language learning in the time of coronavirus lockdown  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

His previous book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, became a worldwide sensation. Now the French economist is back with another sweeping history of inequality and capitalism: Capital and Ideology. Thomas joins the Prospect Interview this week to talk about what’s changed in the world—and his own life—since his tome on inequality topped the bestselling charts in 2014. He tells us his thoughts on Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and what he thinks will happen with Brexit, and re-evaluates Labour’s 2017 and 2019 elections and the future of Macron’s revolution. And why, despite everything, he has a shred of optimism about the future of the fight against inequality.You can read Tom’s essay on Thomas Piketty’s capital ideas, past and present, here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/thomas-pikettys-capital-idea-economics-history-inequality-krugman-interview-review  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From the warriors who inspired the Amazons to Joan of Arc, women have served in the military for centuries—some in disguise. Historian and academic Julie Wheelwright joins the Prospect Interview to talk about the long history of women in the military forces and what drew them to take up arms—as well as a little-known fact about the historic significance of London’s Deptford region. Julie’s new book, Sisters in Arms: Female Warriors from the Antiquity to the Millennium, is published by Osprey Press: https://ospreypublishing.com/sisters-in-arms  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From Edward Heath to Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron to Tony Blair—what makes a good opposition leader? Broadcaster and journalist Steve Richards joins the Prospect interview to talk about what it takes for politicians to best their opponents across the dispatch box. You can read Steve’s essay on the politics of the opposition leader here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/other/ill-tell-you-and-youll-listen-the-one-thing-successful-opposition-leaders-all-have-in-commonPlus Stephanie Boland and Steve Bloomfield on the Labour leadership contest  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.