About this episode
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0:00 The crisis of belief and the crisis of speech
4:30 Michael: Deport the criminals, leave the gardeners
10:37 Michael’s list of the biggest, craziest, and most dangerous conspiracy theories
15:47 When trust in institutions breaks down
22:06 Why well-meaning people make absurd claims
26:01 Is Trump uniquely dangerous to American institutions?
29:04 Where Michael gets his news
31:49 How liberal institutions lost the plot
36:15 The roots and appeal of QAnon
41:06 Down the Jeffrey Epstein rabbit hole
44:47 Michael’s definition of truth
51:23 The stakes of religious belief
58:47 Can we live with “I don’t know” as the answer to the big questions?
Recorded January 19, 2026
Links and Readings
Michael’s new book, Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters
Michael’s book, Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational
Michael’s book, Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It?
Glenn’s most recent conversation with Charles Murray
Murray’s book, Taking Religion Seriously
Martin Rees’s book, Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe
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