Reasonably Optimistic

Latest Episodes:

The sci-fi writer who predicted the future Dec 10, 2025

Show notes

Science fiction writer Neal Stephenson predicted the metaverse, wearable tech and artificial intelligence long before those technologies arrived. What does he think of it all now? Host Megan McArdle talks to Stephenson about the future of AI, education and social media — and how his fiction became a window into the culture of Silicon Valley.

Timecodes

0:00 Welcome to Reasonably Optimistic

0:33 Who is Neal Stephenson?

1:19 Living in the future

3:25 Neal's origin story

5:18 The disruptive effects of new technology

8:18 The premise of The Diamond Age

14:23 AI’s confident wrongness

17:43 What AI is good at

18:56 Is AI good for kids?

20:03 Fixing education in an AI world

23:14 Will AI make nerds less valuable?

26:44 AI is eliminating entry level jobs

29:45 How tech founders got political

34:37 Is Neal Stephenson’s work political?

36:50 Technology is easier to predict than culture

40:11 What is Neal Stephenson reasonably optimistic about?

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Introducing 'Reasonably Optimistic' Dec 03, 2025

Show notes

Enough with the doom and gloom — we’re ready to talk about how America can thrive. Hosted by Washington Post Opinion columnist Megan McArdle, “Reasonably Optimistic” is your weekly conversation about how America can get unstuck and build a better future. Stop feeding your rage and start embracing our possibilities. Episodes drop Wednesdays.

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I got cancer. And met a different me on the other side. Sep 19, 2025

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After chemotherapy, Post Opinions writer Rachel Manteuffel felt like she was encountering a bald stranger every time she looked in the bathroom mirror. But then came the curls and lots of other surprising phenomena that science hasn’t been quite able to explain. She shares her story and her conversation with YouTuber and science explainer Hank Green, who had similar strange experiences with his post-chemo self.

See Rachel’s hair transformation here: My cool cancer story | Opinion

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The horrors of modern-day travel Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

Where have all the benches gone? Deputy Opinion Editor Mark Lasswell reflects on the causes and consequences of the “defensive architecture” replacing seating in public spaces. Plus, contributing columnist Rick Reilly shares just how hard it’s become to find an Airbnb or VRBO that doesn’t feel like the inside of a Target.

Additional reading by our columnists:

Mark Lasswell: This punctuation mark is semi-dead. People have thoughts.

Rick Reilly: I have decided never to go outside again

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Want to find a wife? Be a better man. Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

American women have grown more independent economically in recent decades, giving them greater choice in whom to date or marry — and the choice to opt out altogether. But where does women's rising stock leave men, and how is it connected with today’s so-called masculinity crisis? Post columnist Shadi Hamid talks with Richard Reeves, founder of the American Institute for Boys and Men, about why to pay on the first date, whether we’re heading toward a world of surplus men and how to be a man women want to marry.

Here’s the study Richard mentions from the American Institute for Boys and Men: Will college educated women find someone to marry?

Additional reading by our columnists:

Shadi Hamid: Men are struggling to find love. Here’s why.

Rahm Emanuel: What’s really depressing America’s young men

Julien Berman: No, Gen-Z men aren’t special

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Lending a hand doesn’t require being armed Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

Additional reading by Washington Post columnists:

Colbert I. King: The spirit of Old Dixie rises in D.C.

Shadi Hamid: My gut instinct on Trump’s D.C. power grab was wrong

Megan McArdle: D.C. has a real crime problem. Federal control won’t solve it.

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A message from ‘Impromptu’ Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

We’ve got some news.

Read more about Dana’s new venture: We are losing our humanity. I am searching for an antidote.

Enjoy some of our favorite episodes:

What do men want?

Is it time to delete our social media accounts?

What the ‘tradwife’ trend says about modern life

Remote work changed the country. Can it change back?

AI is getting smarter. But are we?

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Why does the Epstein story keep on going? Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

Try as he might, President Trump cannot seem to shake the controversy over his former friend Jeffrey Epstein. Why are people so interested in this case, and what are the political opportunities and costs? Dana Milbank, Jason Willick and James Hohmann discuss how this story might end, and whether it’s the one scandal that could finally stick to “the Teflon Don.”

Additional reading:

Jason Willick: Trump’s subordinates ran an Epstein Ponzi scheme. Now comes the bank run.

Editorial Board: Conspiracy theories take root when government misleads

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The paradox of fixing airline travel Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

It’s summertime, and when you’re traveling by air, flights are often overbooked, seats are cramped, and unexpected cancellations and delays feel all too frequent. Why do passengers find themselves in this situation, and is there a way to make it better? This week, we’re revisiting an episode with Charles Lane, Catherine Rampell and Marc Fisher exploring how, when people primarily look for the lowest price, airline travel becomes a race to the bottom.

Additional reading by our columnists:

Bina Venkataraman: Flying is a nightmare. But it could be fixed.

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Trump breaks with Putin. But will it last? Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

The weapons deal President Trump announced this week marks a shift in his attitude toward Russian President Vladimir Putin and the full-scale invasion in Ukraine. But can it shift the trajectory of the war? If not, what will? Damir Marusic, Max Boot and Kori Schake discuss what the deal means for Ukraine and how Trump’s growing hawkishness will play to his “America First” supporters.

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