The Good Fight

Latest Episodes:

Jacob Savage on the Costs of the Great Awokening Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Jacob Savage is a writer and ticket scalper.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Jacob Savage discuss whether the “Great Awokening” had lasting material effects beyond culture, how diversity initiatives changed hiring patterns in academia and Hollywood, and why these changes primarily affected one generation of white men rather than older cohorts already established in their careers.

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Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Daniel Diermeier on Why Universities Are Their Own Worst Enemies Feb 14, 2026

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Daniel Diermeier examine how elite institutions created the backlash that now threatens their future.

Daniel Diermeier is Chancellor of Vanderbilt University, where he has served since 2020.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Daniel Diermeier discuss why American universities are simultaneously world-leading and losing public trust, whether elite higher education creates dangerous separation between the professional class and ordinary Americans, and how the shift from regional to national universities has reshaped American society.

Polarization is at an all-time high. It can feel daunting—perhaps even misguided—to engage in meaningful dialogue with those holding starkly different views. What does it mean to champion pluralism in such a moment? Persuasion’s new series on the future of pluralism, generously supported by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, features essays and podcast interviews that make the case for civic dialogue and highlight inspiring examples of it in practice. You can find past installments here.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠⁠⁠this link on your phone⁠⁠⁠.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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C. Thi Nguyen on Why Measuring Everything Ruins Everything Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

C. Thi Nguyen is a philosophy professor at the University of Utah. His latest book is The Score: How to Stop Playing Someone Else’s Game.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Thi Nguyen discuss why metrics both help and harm institutional decision-making, how game design principles can improve classroom learning, and whether some aspects of human life are inherently unmeasurable.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Jung Chang on A Personal History of China Feb 07, 2026

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Jung Chang explore what individual narratives can tell us about China’s past and present.

Jung Chang is the author of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister, as well as Mao: The Unknown Story, with her husband, Jon Halliday. Her latest book is Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Jung Chang discuss how personal stories illuminate broader historical truths, the culture of mistrust that has characterized Chinese society across centuries, and why young Chinese people today are increasingly rejecting marriage and romantic relationships.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠⁠this link on your phone⁠⁠.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Ruud Koopmans on Immigration and Integration in Europe Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Ruud Koopmans is Research Director at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and Professor of Sociology and Migration Research at Humboldt University Berlin. He is also a member of the German Federal government’s Advisory Committee on Islamism.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Ruud Koopmans discuss the role of cultural difference in integration, how selective versus non-discretionary migration systems shape integration outcomes, and whether generous welfare states help or hinder immigrant integration.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Martin Wolf on Why Trump’s Economic Revolution Never Happened Jan 31, 2026

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Martin Wolf also discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on the economy—and humanity.

Martin Wolf is Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, London.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Martin Wolf discuss what Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh could mean for the Fed, whether “TACO” (Trump Always Chickens Out) is a sustainable pattern, and how Trump’s economic ambitions compare to those of truly revolutionary leaders.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠this link on your phone⁠.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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X: ⁠@Yascha_Mounk⁠ & ⁠@JoinPersuasion⁠

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Atul Gawande on Medicine and Mortality Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Atul Gawande discuss how a simple system can improve patient outcomes.

Atul Gawande is an American surgeon, writer, and public health researcher.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Atul Gawande discuss how simple checklists can boost survival rates in the operating theater, what it means to have quality of life, and our complicated relationship with mortality.
If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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X: @Yascha_Mounk & @JoinPersuasion

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Gašper Beguš on Why Language Doesn’t Make Humans Special Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Gašper Beguš also talk about what whale communication and the recent progress on AI tell us about the human brain.

Gašper  Beguš is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at UC Berkeley, where he focuses on interpretable AI and combines linguistics, cognitive science, machine learning, neuroscience, and marine biology.

In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Gašper Beguš discuss what makes human language exceptional compared to animal communication, whether whales and other animals have true language capabilities, and how properties like cultural transmission and recursion distinguish human speech.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠this link on your phone⁠.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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X: ⁠@Yascha_Mounk⁠ & ⁠@JoinPersuasion⁠

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Damon Linker on Why Trump 2.0 Is More Destructive Than Anyone Expected Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

Damon Linker writes the Substack newsletter “Notes from the Middleground.” He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania and a senior fellow in the Open Society Project at the Niskanen Center.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Damon Linker discuss how Trump’s second term has exceeded even pessimistic expectations, why the “adults in the room” from Trump’s first administration were more effective than critics acknowledged, and whether Trump’s economic promises can survive contact with reality.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following this link on your phone.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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YouTube: Yascha Mounk, Persuasion

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Ian Bassin on How to Save American Democracy from Trump Jan 17, 2026

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Ian Bassin also report on what they got right—and wrong—over the past decade.

Ian Bassin is co-founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy. He previously served as Associate White House Counsel.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Ian Bassin discuss what democracy defenders got right about Trump’s authoritarian tactics, why institutional actors have failed to resist democratic backsliding, and the underlying drivers behind the global rise of illiberalism.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠⁠⁠this link on your phone⁠⁠⁠.

Email: ⁠⁠⁠leonora.barclay@persuasion.community⁠⁠⁠

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

Connect with us!

⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Google⁠⁠⁠

X: ⁠⁠⁠@Yascha_Mounk⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠@JoinPersuasion⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠Yascha Mounk⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Persuasion⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠Persuasion Community

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