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Politics · Hoover Institution

Uncommon Knowledge

by Hoover Institution

For more than two decades the Hoover Institution has been producing Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, a series hosted by Hoover fellow Peter Robinson as an outlet for political leaders, scholars, journalists, and today’s big thinkers to share their views with the world.

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Why Churchill Still Matters: Andrew Roberts on Great Men in History

In this special, crossover edition of Secrets of Statecraft and Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, Andrew Roberts is the guest and is interviewed by Peter Robinson.

Sep 8
1 h 03 min

The Lapsed Atheist: Charles Murray Makes the Case for God

For most of his life, Charles Murray was a casual agnostic who assumed smart people had left religion behind. Now he’s not so sure. Murray joins Peter Robinson to discuss

Aug 17
1 h 06 min

Make IPOs Great Again: SEC Chairman Paul Atkins on Ending Regulation by Enforcement

"America was an investment before it was a nation." That idea anchors this conversation between SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and Peter Robinson. Atkins argues that vibrant ca

Jul 21
1 h 04 min

The Declaration of Independence and the Fight For America’s Future with Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson—fifth-generation rancher in California’s San Joaquin Valley, classicist, military historian, Hoover Institution senior fellow, and author of more than

Jun 29
1 h 21 min

Frank Dikötter and the True History of Communist China

Renowned historian and Hoover Institution senior fellow Frank Dikötter discusses his new book, Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity. Drawing

Jun 15
1 h 13 min

Five More Questions With Stephen Kotkin: Can America Still Lead The World?

Stephen Kotkin returns to Uncommon Knowledge for another round of five questions, this time on Iran, China, Ukraine, and the future of the American republic. Kotkin argue

May 29
1 h 17 min

Palmer Luckey Wants America to Win | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Why is America struggling to keep pace with China? Can Silicon Valley help rebuild US military power? And what happens when artificial intelligence transforms warfare? An

May 20
53 min

Governor Ron DeSantis and The Free State of Florida | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joins Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson at the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee to explain how Florida transformed from a razor-thin s

May 5
1 h 08 min

Stephen Meyer, John Lennox, and James Tour: Three Scientists on the Origins of Everything | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Peter Robinson sits down with mathematician John Lennox, philosopher of science Stephen Meyer, and chemist James Tour to examine what modern science really suggests about

Apr 20
1 h 01 min

Ben Shapiro and The Battle For The Soul of Conservatism | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Is conservatism losing its way? Ben Shapiro says yes—and explains why. In this candid interview, Shapiro takes aim at conspiracy culture, fractures inside the right, and

Apr 8
58 min

How Israel Fights: Inside the Mossad with Zohar Palti | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Peter Robinson is joined by Zohar Palti — Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and former head of the Intelligence Directorate in Israel’s Mossad— for

Mar 23
50 min

“They’re Not Like Us”: Michael McFaul on Autocrats vs. Democrats and the Fight for the Twenty-First Century | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul returns to Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson to discuss his new book, Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America,

Mar 2
1 h 12 min

Basketball in the Last 60 Seconds: Ben Sasse on Mortality, Meaning, and the Future of America | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

In December 2025, former US Senator Ben Sasse announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That’s the primary topic for this far-reaching conversa

Feb 17
59 min

Thomas Sowell on School Choice and the Price Our Children Pay for Bad Ideas | Peter Robinson | Thomas Sowell | Hoover Institution

Thomas Sowell delivers a sweeping critique of American education, affirmative action, and modern universities, drawing on his own life story—from Harlem classrooms to Ivy

Jan 27
1 h 11 min

Why Does 2 + 2 = 4? What Math Teaches Us About Deep Reality | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Is math something humans invent—or something we discover? And why does it describe the universe so uncannily well? In this episode of Uncommon Knowledge, Peter Robinson

Jan 15
57 min

Russian Soul, American Life: A Conversation with Ignat Solzhenitsyn | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Pianist and conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn reflects on growing up in exile as the son of Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, moving from Soviet persecution to a quiet ch

Dec 16 2025
1 h 04 min

Teaching Gorbachev Capitalism: Jerome Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Michael Boskin Discuss George Shultz, the Economist | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

For the second edition of the George P. Shultz Memorial Lecture Series, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Hoover Institution Director Condoleezza Rice, and Hoover Seni

Dec 5 2025
1 h 02 min

Why the Cold War Still Matters with John Lewis Gaddis | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

Peter Robinson sits down at Yale University with the “dean of Cold War historians,” John Lewis Gaddis—Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer of Long Telegram author George F.

Nov 19 2025
1 h 07 min

Listening to the Law: How Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett Does Her Job | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

How does the Supreme Court really work—and how does one of its youngest justices balance life, law, and seven children? In this in-depth conversation, Justice Amy Coney

Nov 5 2025
1 h 12 min

Thomas Sowell: A Free Man | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

This special episode of Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson features our most requested guest: Hoover senior fellow and acclaimed economist and author Dr. Thomas Sowel

Oct 21 2025
1 h 05 min

Chart trend

Position in the Politics chart (US), last 90 days.

#23
all-time peak
16
days in the top 50 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Uncommon Knowledge ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 5, 2026).

#151 ▲ 7 Politics US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

My #1 podcast. I have listened to Peter and his cohort of wonderfully insightful collaborators for over a decade. Peter is an incredible interviewer, drawing out a unique level of storytelling across the spectrum of disciplines. Uncommon Knowledge is a rare piece of rich experience amid the ubiquity of internet information (and misinformation).

meshugina · Feb 2026

Peter’s style of long form interview combined with the deep knowledge of his guests never disappoints.

B. Bumpo · Sep 2025

Peter Robinson is a thoughtful and incisive interviewer. He does his homework and conducts an interview as well as anyone I’ve heard.

pjc1754 · May 2025

I admire Peter and enjoy his guests and their discussions, but the production values of this series have gotten progressively worse. Listening requires constantly turning the volume up and down because of the huge difference in gain between Peter’s mic and his guest’s mic. I can barely hear Peter’s soft voice unless I crank the volume, and then have to turn it back down quickly when his guest responds to prevent blowing out my ear drums. The recent podcast with Marc Andreessen was the worst yet. Marc is an emphatic speaker and the volume of his speech ranged from very soft to VERY LOUD. I must have adjusted volume 50+ times to listen to the entire thing, something I never have to do with any podcasts. Peter needs to hire a real producer who knows how to use a mixer and an amplitude compressor. That’s how the pros do it.

Jdl50cc · Jan 2025

Normally Peter asks great questions, but his recent interview of House Speaker Mike Johnson sounded more like a fawning infomercial. I was disappointed that Peter’s politics seem to have prevented him from challenging Johnson’s many factual liberties.

SDTerp · Jun 2025

I have really appreciated Uncommon Knowledge. But this episode was very disappointing. Ferguson’s appraisal of Trump seemed to lean toward praise rather than dismay. He seemed pained to try to fall in line with Trump’s agenda and how he is going about implementing it. Yes, let’s trash our allies and withdraw from the national stage to create a vacuum that China/Russia would love to fill.

Tighearnaigh · Mar 2025

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About Uncommon Knowledge on Reason.fm

Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Uncommon Knowledge, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.

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