Do You Know Who Jason Segel Is?

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History

Great podcast, but I don't think it qualifies as underrated as it's pretty popular and very well regarded

Attention good dolphin: You'll appreciate this one. Make sure to see the asterisk, too; I wrote "would" because she hot

Bari Weiss* interviews Ross Douthat about religion

"The Case Against Atheism: Why It's Logical to Believe in God"

If you look closely, you can argue that we’re starting to see the beginnings of a religious revival. Or at least, people (including young people) seriously reconsidering religion.

Now, even if they don’t believe in God, they think that the practice of religion, like keeping Shabbat or going to church every Sunday, has clear benefits—community, a moral code to teach their kids, a rhythm of life. Religion, in other words, is a good program.

But our guest today, the brilliant Ross Douthat, has a different perspective. Ross makes the case that we should be more religious, not in order to cure society’s ills, but because it is true. Because it’s the best or most accurate way to understand the world around us. Belief in God, he says, doesn’t require a leap of faith. In fact, he says, it is entirely rational.

Ross is a best-selling author, a columnist at The New York Times, and the host of a new podcast called Interesting Times. His latest book, which we talk about today, is called Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious. The release is perfectly timed to this strange moment of “plagues, populism, psychedelic encounters, and AI voices in the air,” as Ross writes. He argues that in our age of loneliness and hunger for spirituality and meaning, it’s not enough to simply argue that religion is good. We need to be religious to sustain Western civilization. He argues that it’s time for people to actually become religious.

00:00 Introduction
03:00 Secularism, Atheism, & Spiritual Belief Today
07:48 How America Lost Religion
12:04 Can Science, Faith, & Reason Coexist?
16:31 The False Promise of the New Atheists
21:35 Does Liberalism Need Religion?
24:59 The Case for Belief in God
43:26 Believing in Miracles
49:52 Near Death Experiences
58:00 Christianity, Islam, & Rising Extremism
1:02:39 The Rise of Spirituality
1:07:47 The Non-Judeo-Christian Religions
1:11:19 Is Christian Nationalism Ascendent?
1:21:00 Faith and Techno-Optimism
1:25:17 What’s At Stake?

*WOULD

If you ask me, podcasts are more than background noise—they’re a curated extension of one’s personal brand. It’s not just what you listen to, it’s how and when.

Mornings? That’s for “The Daily” or “Odd Lots”—a little geopolitical anxiety with your pour-over. I might catch the latest from Pivot on the walk to Equinox, earbuds in, oat milk latte in hand, toggling between Slack messages and Scott Galloway takes on tech ethics.

During a run or gym sesh? Cue up Huberman Lab or Andrew Huberman’s dopamine breakdowns. It’s not enough to work out—you have to optimize your mitochondrial function while doing it.

Commuting? That’s when the this guy leans into identity-driven content: maybe a niche finance pod like “Animal Spirits,” a cleanly produced real estate investing pod, or a casually intellectual vibe with “Modern Wisdom.” Bonus points if it’s double-speed.

Dating or hanging with friends? Podcasts become social currency. “Oh, you haven’t listened to that Ezra Klein episode on AI and democracy? I’ll send you the link.” Whether it’s culture, economics, or true crime, there’s always a pod drop that subtly flexes taste, awareness, and the fact that you don’t really watch TV.

Just like salsa, picking the right one is hard.

We need to be religious to sustain Western civilization.

Very simplistic view of the creation of the universe for the purpose of building conscious life. Science is well on its way to meeting the creator. Especially biologists.