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Choosing Better

Enoch Hill and Tim Taylor

Conversations about wacky ideas, economics, and the art of living well.

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  • 23 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 58 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • S3 · E69
    Friday · 1 hr 2 min

    Let's Just Stay Home Tonight: Time use, Technology, and Community

    Americans spend almost two more hours a day at home than they did twenty years ago, and only 12% now host friends or family at least once a month, down from more than 40% in the 1970s. Enoch and Tim use the American Time Use Survey to ask whether technology’s real threat isn’t replacing our jobs but replacing our need for each other. Drawing on C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, they compare today’s near-zero switching costs to Grey Town, where anyone can move one street away after a quarrel until everyone ends up isolated. The way out is choosing communities that are costly to leave, like marriage, a church that notices when you’re gone, and friends you’ve invited to call you out. Start simple: invite someone over for dinner this month. Hot dogs over a fire count.

  • S3 · E68
    October 30 · 1 hr 1 min

    Your Vote Doesn’t Matter... And Why That’s Freeing

    What are we doing when we cast a ballot? Enoch and Tim start with an uncomfortable fact: statistically, a single vote almost never decides an election. So why vote? They explore the idea that voting is less about controlling the outcome and more about expressing what we desire, which frees us to vote our values rather than game the result. They also compare different election rules and the ways voting can work in different contexts. Recording Date: September 24, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E67
    October 16 · 1 hr 4 min

    What Do We Owe the Guilty? Capital Punishment and the Demands of Justice

    Enoch and Tim examine capital punishment in the United States, not only whether the death penalty can be morally justified, but whether the modern state can carry it out justly and humanely. From lethal injection and nitrogen gas to the return of the firing squad, they explore recent failed and contested executions, the arguments for and against the death penalty, and what these cases reveal about justice, human dignity, repentance, and the limits of state power. Correction: Michael Jackson did not die due to pentobarbital; reports suggest he died from acute propofol intoxication combined with the effects of sedatives (benzodiazepines). Recording Date: October 6, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E66
    October 2 · 1 hr

    Can We Still Go to Church Together? Polarization and Identity (With Donovan Gleeson)

    Longtime behind-the-scenes listener and former student Donovan Gleeson joins Enoch and Tim to ask why political disagreement now feels more personal than religious disagreement. They explore what happens when politics shifts from facts and opinions to belief and identity, why masks and yard signs became tribal signals, and how COVID forced churches to pick sides and sorted congregations along political lines. Recording Date: September 18, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E65
    September 18 · 1 hr 4 min

    "It's Just Wrong": Making Moral Arguments in Public Spaces

    Is freedom doing whatever you want, or becoming what you were made to be? Enoch and Tim trace the shift from classical to modern freedom, from Adam Smith to John Stuart Mill's harm principle, and ask what we lost along the way. Why can we only argue about usury, cheating, or assisted suicide in terms of harm and victims, when what many of us really believe is "it's just wrong"? Recording Date: March 26, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E64
    September 4 · 58 min

    The Age of AI Surveillance: Flock Cameras and the Future of Privacy

    Enoch and Tim discuss privacy in an age of data, AI, and mass surveillance. Using Flock cameras as a central example, they explore the benefits and drawbacks of the new technology that has drawn such backlash. They compare Flock tocorporate data systems like Ring, consider how privacy laws might have such a hard time catching up with technology, and challenge the idea that “nothing to hide” means nothing to fear. Correction: In the episode Enoch incorrectly stated that each vehicle in the US gets scanned an average of over 800 times per day that should have been per year. Recording Date: September 1, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E63
    August 21 · 1 hr 2 min

    Marriage and America Coming Apart: How We Sort in Who We Marry and Where We Live

    America is coming apart. The most likely place for a college educated adult to meet their spouse is at university. This is not just true for some college and universities; it is true for just about every university. But what happens when intelligent people leave their hometowns for university study, meet “the one”, and then settle down? We begin to sort our very neighborhoods and towns my education and merit. Fewer than half of Americans have a college degree, yet most people with a college degree live in towns where most of their neighbors also have college degrees. Join Enoch and Tim as they explain this social problem and throw out some ideas on how to fix it.Note: We accidentally posted these in reverse order, so last week was part two on this topic and this week is part I. Hope you enjoy! Reference: Coming Apart by Charles Murray (2012). Recording Date: May 7, 2026Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E60
    August 7 · 1 hr 2 min

    The Marriage and Fertility Gap Reshaping America

    Update: I (Enoch) accidentally had my recordings mis-labeled and posted the wrong episode this week (Which means the old show-notes didn't match). We're keeping the episode posted, but this was the second part in a two parter. Stay tuned for the first part ... next! Correct show notes for this episode below. What if America’s political divide is no longer just playing out at the ballot box, but at the wedding altar and in the nursery? Enoch and Tim discuss how ideology is increasingly shaping who people marry, why nearly 80% of spouses now share the same political outlook, and what this reveals about the deep social sorting underway in the United States. The conversation then turns to the growingfertility gap between conservatives and liberals, with Tim sharing insights from recent research by the Verity Research Lab that highlights stark differences in how each group views children, parenting, and family life. Together, these patterns point to more than political disagreement, they suggest two diverging visions of marriage, family, and the future of America. Reference: Coming Apart by Charles Murray (2012). Recording Date: May 14, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E59
    July 24 · 1 hr 6 min

    The Selection Effect: Prenatal Screening and the Quiet Disappearance of Down Syndrome

    When does prenatal screening determine whether a child will be born at all? In this episode of Choosing Better, Enoch and Tim explore Down syndrome, abortion, eugenics, and the quiet social pressures that shape “choice.” From viral controversy and global termination rates to Tim’s research on Down syndrome birthrates, they ask what we are missing when children with disabilities are screened out and disappear from our communities. The conversation ends with a call to choose better by building communities where families facing a pregnancy with Down syndrome are met with courage, support, and love. Commercial referenced in the episode can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju-q4OnBtNU. Tim’s full public lecture can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULqFaSh3nG0.

  • July 10 · 1 hr 2 min

    Deterrence in the Desert: General Joe Rank on the Future of Middle East Security

    Brigadier General Joe Rank, U.S. Army (Ret.), joins Choosing Better to discuss what recent events in the Middle East reveal about deterrence, resilience, and the future of regional security. General Rank and Tim explore how missile, drone, cyber, and information threats are reshaping modern conflict; why integrated air and missile defense and interoperability matter more than ever; and how Gulf states are balancing diplomacy, deterrence, and national resilience. The conversation looks ahead to the capabilities, partnerships, and choices that will define Middle East security in the years to come. Recording Date: July 1, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E57
    June 26 · 1 hr 2 min

    Your Grocery Store is Watching: How AI Prices You Personally

    Are we entering a dystopian future of grocery shopping if your personal data is being used to set hyper-specific prices just for you? And what if that price changes based upon the day of the week, time of day, how fast you drove to the grocery store, or in what order you did your shopping? Maryland recently became the first state to ban AI-enabled “surveillance pricing” on grocery stores. That sounds like a good thing, but what if we benefit from targeted prices? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the nature of price discrimination and who wins/loses when firms know what we are willing to pay. We highly recommend you listen to our previous episode: AJust Price or Juts a Price? Recording Date: May 27, 2026Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E56
    June 12 · 54 min

    Why Gaza Grips the West: The Enduring Civilization Legacy of Abrahamic Faith Traditions

    Why does a war in Gaza dominate global headlines while equally devastating conflicts like Sudan barely register in public consciousness? Enoch and Tim explore this striking imbalance, noting that the disparity is especially pronounced in Western contexts while many Asian societies follow Israel–Gaza with far less urgency. They suggest this pattern reveals something deeper than geopolitics: the enduring civilizational influence of the Abrahamic traditions on Western moral imagination. Even in a largely post-Christian Europe and North America, historical, religious, and cultural ties to the biblical world continue to shape what the West notices, debates, and grieves. Recording Date: April 30, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E55
    May 29 · 1 hr 8 min

    Behind the Pump: Geopolitics in Your Tank

    What are you really paying for when you fill up your tank? Enoch and Tim unpack the true cost of a gallon of gasoline, and it is far beyond crude oil, refining, and taxes. Using the recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a real-time case study, they trace how a distant geopolitical chokepoint drove U.S. gas prices over 50% in just weeks, despite America’s “energy independence.” Along the way, they explore the hidden prices embedded in every gallon: U.S. Navy protection of shipping lanes, environmental damage, and the global “law of one price” that ties American consumers to events half a world away. They conclude with looking at what a prolonged Hormuz disruption would mean, why it could permanently reshape global energy routes, and explore how we can choose better in a world where energy security, economics, and geopolitics are inseparable. Recording Date: May 20, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E54
    May 15 · 32 min

    Sports and Economics Part 2: Salary Caps and the Stadium Game

    In this second episode, Enoch and Tim go deeper into the machinery of professional sports economics. How do salary caps really work, and who do they really help? What is a player actually worth to a team? And when a city spends hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new stadium, is it a good deal for taxpayers? The answers turn out to be more surprising than most sports fans may expect. Recording Date: April 23, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E53
    May 8 · 1 hr 2 min

    Sports and Economics Part 1: It’s All Rigged (On Purpose)

    Economics isn't just for the classroom or the boardroom; it's baked into every corner of professional sports. In this first installment of their Sports and Economics series, Enoch and Tim explore how leagues deliberately design institutions andrules to shape competition, and how economic reasoning shows up in surprising places: from the structure of the NFL draft to the direction of a penalty kick (and why we may want to roll a dice before taking a penalty kick). Record Date: April 14, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • April 24 · 41 min

    Children in an Age of AI

    Should we change how we raise our kids, preparing them for the future, knowing they will enter college and begin their careers with AI? Enoch and Tim reflect on how the rise of AI should shape the way we raise and prepare our children. They discuss the reality that today’s kids will enter college and careers with AI as a constant companion, and they wrestle with how to cultivate habits, character, and critical thinking that lead to genuine flourishing amid rapid technological change. Rather than offering simple answers, the conversation models a thoughtful, values-driven approach to parenting in an uncertain AI future. And they share what majors they recommend when AI presents uncertainty. Record Date: March 19, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E51
    April 10 · 55 min

    Testing What Matters: How Assessment Shapes Education

    How we test students reveals what we truly value in education and simultaneously shapes the incentives of everyone in the classroom. Enoch and Tim discuss the economics of educational assessment, arguing that every test design sends signals to teachers and students about what is worth knowing and how it should be taught. They explore testing practices, from Finland's minimal standardized testing culture to the high-stakes approaches found in other countries, exploring the tradeoffs embedded in each model. Highlighting the remarkable story of Mississippi, which overhauled its approach to reading instruction and assessment after sitting at the bottom of national literacy rankings, Enoch and Tim unpack how a deliberate change in testing philosophy helped drive some of the most significant gains in childhood literacy seen anywhere in the country. Record Date: February 12, 2026 Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

  • S3 · E50
    March 27 · 53 min

    Economics and Life Hacks Part 2: How to Make Better Decisions about Time and Money

    In the second part of this series, Enoch and Tim talk about more ways economics can help us make better decisions and live more joyful lives. They discuss the endowment effect, how we tend to overvalue things in our possession, to understand when to let things go. And perhaps most important of all, they discuss opportunity costs and a holistic view of income to help us maximize decisions and think carefully about the use of our time and what we value. We hope these episodes help you to choose better. Link to Economics and Life Hacks Part I Credits: Drew Elliot (music) Recording Date: January 8, 2026

  • S3 · E49
    March 13 · 58 min

    Life is Less Spicy Without the Secret Sauce! Property Rights and Concerns for the Future (with Jason Long)

    Jason Long returns to Choosing Better to discuss why some nations are rich and others are poor. We take another journey through time to understand how simple laws and norms shape the very bedrock of societies with some countries being wealthy and prosperous while others are underdeveloped and poor. Enoch and Tim turn the conversation to the strength of property rights in the United States before focusing on a recent case study in early 2026 of the US government threatening to destroy AI giant, Anthropic, as a means of retaliation. Is this a fleeting moment or a pivotal juncture in the US trajectory of the rule of law with respect to property rights? Credits: Drew Elliot (music) Recording Date: March 5, 2026

  • S3 · E48
    March 4 · 1 hr 4 min

    [Bonus Episode] America Goes to War: Making Sense of the Sudden Conflict with Iran (with Tim Buch)

    In the first days of a rapidly escalating U.S.–Israel conflict with Iran, strikes rippled across the region and global tensions spiked. In this bonus episode, former CIA senior executive and Iran expert Tim Buch joins the show to break down what actually happened, and just as important, why. We examine how intelligence shaped military decisions, how Iran is likely to respond, and what this conflict means for the broader Middle East. Finally, we look ahead: What could Iran look like by 2030 if this war continues? Credits: Drew Elliot (music) with additional thanks to the ⁠⁠Wheaton Center for Faith, Politics & Economics⁠⁠. Recording Date: March 2, 2026

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes