Choosing Better

"It's Just Wrong": Making Moral Arguments in Public Spaces

Is freedom doing whatever you want, or becoming what you were made to be? Enoch and Tim trace the shift from classical to modern freedom, from Adam Smith to John Stuart M

The Age of AI Surveillance: Flock Cameras and the Future of Privacy

Enoch and Tim discuss privacy in an age of data, AI, and mass surveillance. Using Flock cameras as a central example, they explore the benefits and drawbacks of the new t

Marriage and America Coming Apart: How We Sort in Who We Marry and Where We Live

America is coming apart. The most likely place for a college educated adult to meet their spouse is at university. This is not just true for some college and universities

The Marriage and Fertility Gap Reshaping America

Update: I (Enoch) accidentally had my recordings mis-labeled and posted the wrong episode this week (Which means the old show-notes didn't match). We're keeping the episo

The Selection Effect: Prenatal Screening and the Quiet Disappearance of Down Syndrome

When does prenatal screening determine whether a child will be born at all? In this episode of Choosing Better, Enoch and Tim explore Down syndrome, abortion, eugenics, a

Deterrence in the Desert: General Joe Rank on the Future of Middle East Security

Brigadier General Joe Rank, U.S. Army (Ret.), joins Choosing Better to discuss what recent events in the Middle East reveal about deterrence, resilience, and the future o

Your Grocery Store is Watching: How AI Prices You Personally

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

Why Gaza Grips the West: The Enduring Civilization Legacy of Abrahamic Faith Traditions

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 striki

Behind the Pump: Geopolitics in Your Tank

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

Sports and Economics Part 2: Salary Caps and the Stadium Game

In this second episode, Enoch and Tim go deeper into the machinery of professional sports economics. How do salary caps really work, and who do they really help? What is

Sports and Economics Part 1: It’s All Rigged (On Purpose)

Economics isn't just for the classroom or the boardroom; it's baked into every corner of professional sports. In this first installment of their Sports and Economics seri

Children in an Age of AI

Should we change how we raise our kids, preparing them for the future, knowing they will enter college and begin their careers with AI? Enoch and Tim reflect on how the r

Testing What Matters: How Assessment Shapes Education

How we test students reveals what we truly value in education and simultaneously shapes the incentives of everyone in the classroom. Enoch and Tim discuss the economics o

Economics and Life Hacks Part 2: How to Make Better Decisions about Time and Money

In the second part of this series, Enoch and Tim talk about more ways economics can help us make better decisions and live more joyful lives. They discuss the endowment e

Life is Less Spicy Without the Secret Sauce! Property Rights and Concerns for the Future (with Jason Long)

Jason Long returns to Choosing Better to discuss why some nations are rich and others are poor. We take another journey through time to understand how simple laws and nor

[Bonus Episode] America Goes to War: Making Sense of the Sudden Conflict with Iran (with Tim Buch)

In the first days of a rapidly escalating U.S.–Israel conflict with Iran, strikes rippled across the region and global tensions spiked. In this bonus episode, former CIA

Missionary Economics: The Art of Going, Giving, and Getting It Right

Many Christians feel the pull toward missionary work, but how do you know if you should go, when to go, or where? Enoch and Tim apply economic thinking to one of the chur

A Knowledge Paradox: Collectively Brilliant, Individually Helpless

Do you know more than a Saxon born in 500AD? Hard to say, but you likely know different knowledge than your ancient Saxon counterpart. And while most Saxons shared a simi

You Are What You Love: How Our Desires Shape Who We Are

Our desires define us. From how we spend our money, use our time, talk with our friends, or dominate our thoughts, our passions consume our resources and form our lives.

[Bonus Episode] Analyzing Trump’s Grab for Greenland

Throughout his second term, President Trump has wanted the United States to own Greenland. Beginning with offers to buy the island, his demands have escalated through thr