WhoWhatWhy’s Top Ten Podcasts of 2023 — Part 1 - WhoWhatWhy WhoWhatWhy’s Top Ten Podcasts of 2023 — Part 1 - WhoWhatWhy

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Podcasts are the architects of our perspective in the modern age. Whether we’re behind the wheel, plugged in with earbuds, or enveloped in the night’s quiet, they steer today’s dialogues.

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Podcasts, in this era of uncertain facts and relentless truth-seeking, are the compasses of our understanding. Whether we’re navigating daily commutes, connected through earbuds, or surrounded by the stillness of night, these conversations point us to what we must know in this ever-challenging century. 

Marking our eighth year of podcasts at WhoWhatWhy with over 450 dialogues, our podcast journey has been a virtual odyssey. It’s allowed us to traverse the globe, engaging with a kaleidoscope of voices in politics, religion, journalism, business, culture, academia, science, economics, history, and medicine. Along this voyage, you listeners have been my fellow travelers, sharing in insights and inspirations drawn from some of the world’s most interesting minds.


American Flag, Cross
Photo credit: Adapted by WhoWhatWhy from Boris23 / Wikimedia and United States / Wikimedia.

Myth, Religion, Fascism… The Recipe for Right-Wing Politics

Jeff Sharlet explores the complex relationship between religion, religious nationalism, and right-wing politics, and how these forces intertwined with Trumpism. Listen


Convair model flying car prototype
Convair model flying car prototype over San Diego, CA, November 1947. Photo credit: © Media Drum World via ZUMA Press

Why Doesn’t Our Technology Live Up to Our Science Fiction?

J. Storrs Hall explains why technological progress is really stuck. A look at what happened to all the cool technology that 1960s science fiction promised us. Listen.


Vietnam protest, January 6 protest
Left: Army military police officers use weapons to block a crowd demonstrating against the Vietnam War outside the Pentagon in Virginia on October 21, 1967. Right: On January 6, 2021, pro-Trump supporters and far-right forces flooded Washington, DC, to protest Trump’s election loss. Photo credit: Adapted by WhoWhatWhy from US Army and © Michael Nigro/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire.

Power, Paranoia, and the Fraying of Our Politics

From neoliberalism to evangelicalism, Jared Sexton looks at history, power, myth, and paranoia in our current politics, and an alternative vision of liberal democracy. Listen.


Minority rule in America
Photo credit: Illustration by WhoWhatWhy from Mediamodifier / Pixabay, Phroziac / Wikimedia, National Archives / Wikimedia, and USA / Wikimedia.

Can America Survive Its Own Constitution? The Tyranny of the Minority

Is American democracy at a breaking point? Daniel Ziblatt examines how the Constitution enables minority rule, why distrust in institutions is rising, and what’s at stake for the future of democracy. Listen.


world on fire
Photo credit: Ria Sopala / Pixabay

The Heat Will Kill You First: A Wake-Up Call for Humanity

Are our rising temperatures humanity’s alarm bell? Can we ever get global unity to cut CO2 emissions? Jeff Goodell explains. Listen.


Author

  • Jeff Schechtman

    Jeff Schechtman's career spans movies, radio stations, and podcasts. After spending twenty-five years in the motion picture industry as a producer and executive, he immersed himself in journalism, radio, and, more recently, the world of podcasts. To date, he has conducted over ten thousand interviews with authors, journalists, and thought leaders. Since March 2015, he has produced almost 500 podcasts for WhoWhatWhy.

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