The Worst Takes of 2023 [TEASER]

Peter and Michael discuss Michael Lewis’s bestselling book about the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, a young prodigy whose only flaw was that he dreamed too big.Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Michael Lewis Is Buying What Sam Bankman-Fried Is Selling Michael Lewis Likens Critics of His New Book on Sam Bankman-Fried to a 'Mob'The SBF trial is a reminder that crypto is a rotten businessReview: Michael Lewis's Going InfiniteThe Curious Case of FTX’s ‘Company Therapist’ (vice.com)FTX’s Collapse Was a Crime, Not an AccidentGoing Infinite by Michael Lewis review – falling for the antiheroThe Second FTX Asset Recovery Report Is Packed With BombshellsTakeaways From a New Book on Sam Bankman-FriedCaroline Ellison Testifies Against Sam Bankman-Fried, Blaming Him for Crimes  Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

2 Better 2 AngelsSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Jeffrey Epstein’s Science of SleazePinker’s response to Epstein allegationsHow Jeffrey Epstein Captivated HarvardJeffrey Epstein Hoped to Seed Human Race With His DNAIt’s Official — Steven Pinker Is Full of ShitPinker, Epstein, Soldier, SpyA century of sexual abuse victimisation: A birth cohort analysisThe prevalence of child sexual abuse with online sexual abuse addedHave Sexual Abuse and Physical Abuse Declined Since the 1990s?Explanations for the Decline in Child Sexual Abuse CasesThe Decline in Child Sexual Abuse CasesWhy Have Child Maltreatment and Child Victimization Declined?Spanking and Other Corporal Punishment of Children by Parents: Undervaluing Children, Overvaluing PainWere There Really More Hate Crimes Last Year?Hate Crime Reported by Victims and PoliceThe Sexual Victimization of College WomenThe "Discovery" of Child AbuseA Short History of Child Protection in America Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

We're finally discussing a good book! Naomi Klein's "Doppelgänger" chronicles the long, steady descent of another Naomi — Wolf (buddy oof) — from feminist icon to crank conspiracist. To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 2013, Sheryl Sandberg became an icon for women who wanted to move from middle management at a tech company into upper management at a tech company. Today, Peter and Michael examine the contents of her bestselling book, survey the wreckage of corporate feminism and ask whether women will finally find liberation in the Metaverse.Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Facebook Feminism, Like It or NotFeminism's Tipping Point: Who Wins from Leaning in?One Cheer for Lean InIs there an implicit quota on women in top management? A large‐sample statistical analysisFemale tokens in high-prestige work groups: Catalysts or inhibitors of group diversification?Want Equal Pay? Get a Union.The Gender Wage Gap: Extent, Trends, and ExplanationsWhat Was the Girlboss?New Research: Women Who Don’t Negotiate Might Have a Good ReasonNow, Women Do Ask: A Call to Update Beliefs about the Gender Pay GapWhat’s It Like Inside the Hive? Managerial Discretion Drives TMT Gender Diversity of Women-Led FirmsI asked Facebook if I could work part-time from home after I had my baby. They said no—so I quitWomen in the Workplace 2023Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter SyndromeDig Deep: Beyond Lean In Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

This week we're tackling Steven Pinker's 900 page dissection of the reasons why violence, torture and war have declined over the last 10,000 years. Was it an indeterminate mixture of politics, economics, technology and serendipity?  Or did some European guys write some books that said murder was bad?Special thanks to Philip Dwyer, Eleanor Janega, David M. Perry and Doug Thompson for help researching and fact-checking this episode!Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:The Darker Angels of Our NatureGetting Medieval On Steven PinkerThe Decline of Violence in the West: From Cultural to Post-Cultural HistoryPinker’s (Mis)Representation of the Enlightenment and ViolenceHerding and Homicide: An Examination of the Nisbett-Reaves HypothesisPeace in Our TimeJohn Gray: Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and warThe business class doesn't understand the EnlightenmentDelusions Of PeacePinker And ProgressNorbert Elias and the History of ViolenceModernization, Self-Control And Lethal ViolenceExplaining Long Term Trends in Violent CrimeThe Enlightenment’s Dark Side Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

Before Donald Trump became America's most prominent politician and birth certificate inspector, he spent his days making everyone in New York City slightly uncomfortable. Michael and Peter discuss "The Art of the Deal," Trump’s 1987 bestseller chronicling his exploits as a celebrity slumlord. Where to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:When Donald Trump Took Down Holiday Inns The Lost City of Trump Who Runs New York Now? How Donald Trump Bankrupted His Atlantic City Casinos, but Still Earned Millions Doer and Slumlord Both Donald Trump Gets What He WantsDonald Trump was a nightmare landlord in the 1980s Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

"There are two kinds of political scientists: The types who deal with noisy data and post on Twitter with a bunch of caveats. And then there are the types who write books about identity politics." Where to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Sam  Huneke's "Yascha Mounk’s Woke Straw Man"Jacob T. Levy's "The Defense of Liberty Can’t Do Without Identity Politics"Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò's "Elite Capture"Aaron Huertas's "We Need to Talk About Reactionary Centrists"Mary Lin Elementary under federal investigationParents refute claims of segregation at Mary Lin Elementary SchoolSchool Segregation in Metropolitan Regions, 1970–200060 Years After BrownSchool choice and racial segregation in US schoolsStudent Population Has Significantly Diversified, But Many Schools Remain Divided Along Racial, Ethnic, and Economic LinesU.S. public school students often go to schools where at least half of their peers are the same race or ethnicityThe Return of Old-Fashioned Racism to White Americans’ Partisan PreferencesWhy The Democrats Have Shifted Left Over The Last 30 YearsWidespread misperceptions of long-term attitude changeTrump, the 2016 Election, and Expressions of SexismChanging Norms Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: The Trump Effect on PrejudiceChanges in Americans’ prejudices during the presidency of Donald TrumpThe CDC slide presentationModel-informed COVID-19 vaccine prioritization strategies Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!

To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

You stare, mouth agape, at the bookstore display. It’s a self-help book, but with curse words in the title?! This must be a revolutionary new framework, not simply the same dull, reactionary ideas repackaged as hip and new.Support us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPodWhere to find us: TwitterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck (Blog Post)Where A is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940-2009We’ve Been Handing Out Participation Trophies for 100 YearsPositive Disintegration‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a #@%!’ Review: A Blunt Philosophy Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!