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Choosing Better

Choosing Better

By: Enoch Hill and Tim Taylor
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Conversations about wacky ideas, economics, and the art of living well.Enoch Hill and Tim Taylor Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Your Grocery Store is Watching: How AI Prices You Personally
    Jun 26 2026

    Are we entering a dystopian future of grocery shopping if your personal data is being used to set hyper-specific prices just for you? And what if that price changes based upon the day of the week, time of day, how fast you drove to the grocery store, or in what order you did your shopping? Maryland recently became the first state to ban AI-enabled “surveillance pricing” on grocery stores. That sounds like a good thing, but what if we benefit from targeted prices? Join Enoch and Tim as they discuss the nature of price discrimination and who wins/loses when firms know what we are willing to pay.

    We highly recommend you listen to our previous episode: AJust Price or Juts a Price?


    Recording Date: May 27, 2026Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Why Gaza Grips the West: The Enduring Civilization Legacy of Abrahamic Faith Traditions
    Jun 12 2026

    Why does a war in Gaza dominate global headlines while equally devastating conflicts like Sudan barely register in public consciousness? Enoch and Tim explore this striking imbalance, noting that the disparity is especially pronounced in Western contexts while many Asian societies follow Israel–Gaza with far less urgency. They suggest this pattern reveals something deeper than geopolitics: the enduring civilizational influence of the Abrahamic traditions on Western moral imagination. Even in a largely post-Christian Europe and North America, historical, religious, and cultural ties to the biblical world continue to shape what the West notices, debates, and grieves.

    Recording Date: April 30, 2026

    Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

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    55 mins
  • Behind the Pump: Geopolitics in Your Tank
    May 29 2026

    What are you really paying for when you fill up your tank? Enoch and Tim unpack the true cost of a gallon of gasoline, and it is far beyond crude oil, refining, and taxes. Using the recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a real-time case study, they trace how a distant geopolitical chokepoint drove U.S. gas prices over 50% in just weeks, despite America’s “energy independence.” Along the way, they explore the hidden prices embedded in every gallon: U.S. Navy protection of shipping lanes, environmental damage, and the global “law of one price” that ties American consumers to events half a world away. They conclude with looking at what a prolonged Hormuz disruption would mean, why it could permanently reshape global energy routes, and explore how we can choose better in a world where energy security, economics, and geopolitics are inseparable.

    Recording Date: May 20, 2026

    Credits: Drew Elliot (music)

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    1 hr and 8 mins
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