Up this week is a provocative new episode for The Nick Halaris Show featuring author and historian Kate Epstein. Kate is an Associate Professor for History at Rutgers, the author of two fascinating books—"Torpedo” and “Analog Superpowers”— and a contributor to Persuasion, a publication dedicated to promoting free society.

I came across Kate’s work when a friend and one of my most steadfast supporters forwarded me her must-read essay “We, Robots.” While most are out cheering AI and its potential to make us super intelligent, Kate dares to consider the alternative: what if AI is actually making us all dumber? When I first read the article, I had a feeling Kate would make for a great podcast guest and she did not disappoint.

Tune in to this fascinating conversation to learn:

• The scary truth about the decline in the reading and writing capabilities of college students and why professors around the country are being forced to lower their standards
• Why AI represents such a profound threat to the original ideal of the liberal arts education (i.e. training people for freedom) and why we should fight against its use in schools
• Why reading and writing are skills we shouldn’t take for granted and the crucial role they play in fostering free society

As always, I hope you all enjoy this episode. Thanks for tuning in!

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I wanted to have Dan on the show to learn more about the inner workings of the mysterious private tutor world. When I was coming up, private tutors were hardly a thing; now, they can be a difference maker. Access to elite educational opportunities is a key line of division in our fracturing society and, while in education we tend to look for systemic solutions, what’s going on with private tutors suggests that individual intervention may be where we want to focus.

Tune in to this fascinating conversation to learn:

• Why parents around the world are willing to pay people like Dan upwards of $2000 per hour to help their kids do better on standardized tests
• What close reading is and why it’s the secret to standardized test success
• Just what is being measured by standardized tests, and why should we care about it
• Why, despite their issues and limitations, many schools are turning back to standardized test scores to help sort candidates
• How the best schools in the world are designed to create lifelong learners rather than for information/curriculum delivery
• And Much, much more

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We are featuring my longtime friend Mack Jenkins, a public-minded lawyer and former US Attorney. As a prosecutor, Mack was responsible for some of the highest-profile and most consequential convictions in modern LA history, including those against multiple elected officials. Mack is now a partner at Hecker Fink, a leading law firm with a strong public interest bent and a staunch commitment to justice.

Tune in to this inspiring conversation to learn:

• The crucial role that attorneys can play in shaping the public policy landscape
• Why the criminal justice reform movement is not dead and just needs a different focus
• Why public corruption is such a big problem in American politics, and how important it is to hold these individuals to account
• How public-minded law firms like Hecker Fink are tapping into the new zeitgeist and attracting a whole generation of mission-driven attorneys
• Why you should never try to get out of jury duty again

&

• Much, much more

Stay tuned to the end to hear how Mack was inspired to a life of service by his father, a correctional officer in juvenile jails who went above and beyond the call of duty to be a mentor and force for good in the lives of young kids caught up in the law.

As always, I hope you all enjoy this episode. Thanks for tuning in!

Connect with Nick Halaris:

Nick Halaris website and newletter (sign up!)

Nick Halaris on Instagram

Nick Halaris on linkedin

Nick Halaris on Twitter