How to Convince the World of Bulls**t & Evil - Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, podcast host and an author. Do contagious diseases, memetic epidemics, and drug epidemics spread through the same underlying pathways? The answer may explain why society keeps falling into the same contagious patterns, and how we might prevent future memetic epidemics before they happen. Expect to learn what the history of the death penalty is in the United States, what the “Tipping Point” means and what happened when we reached it, how epidemics of ideas differ from epidemics of drugs, what makes someone a “super-spreader” of social change, the “tipping point” dynamic of trans athletes in sports, if we are responsible for the epidemics we start and much more… - 0:00 Does the Death Penalty Reflect America’s True Values? 6:36 Why the US Still Clings to Capital Punishment 13:37 How Social Influence Has Shifted Since Malcolm’s First Book 26:37 What Spreads Faster: Drug Epidemics or Dangerous Ideas? 35:29 How Parental Behaviours Shape Who We Become 43:28 Why We’re So Quick to Blame Our Parents 48:00 Why are Stories More Infectious Than Fact? 55:51 Is the Trans Athlete Debate Worthy of Headlines? 01:02:34 Should College Athletes Get More Academic Flexibility? 01:11:32 Keep Up to Date With Malcom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Chris WilliamsonhostMalcolm Gladwellguest

Dec 6, 20251h 12mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: December 6, 2025
Duration: 1h 12m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, podcast host and an author. Do contagious diseases, memetic epidemics, and drug epidemics spread through the same underlying pathways? The answer may explain why society keeps falling into the same contagious patterns, and how we might prevent future memetic epidemics before they happen. Expect to learn what the history of the death penalty is in the United States, what the “Tipping Point” means and what happened when we reached it, how epidemics of ideas differ from epidemics of drugs, what makes someone a “super-spreader” of social change, the “tipping point” dynamic of trans athletes in sports, if we are responsible for the epidemics we start and much more… - 0:00 Does the Death Penalty Reflect America’s True Values? 6:36 Why the US Still Clings to Capital Punishment 13:37 How Social Influence Has Shifted Since Malcolm’s First Book 26:37 What Spreads Faster: Drug Epidemics or Dangerous Ideas? 35:29 How Parental Behaviours Shape Who We Become 43:28 Why We’re So Quick to Blame Our Parents 48:00 Why are Stories More Infectious Than Fact? 55:51 Is the Trans Athlete Debate Worthy of Headlines? 01:02:34 Should College Athletes Get More Academic Flexibility? 01:11:32 Keep Up to Date With Malcom - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Chris Williamson
host
Malcolm Gladwell
guest
Narrator
other

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Chris Williamson and Malcolm Gladwell, How to Convince the World of Bulls**t & Evil - Malcolm Gladwell explores malcolm Gladwell Dissects Death, Contagious Ideas, America’s Weirdness, And Influence Malcolm Gladwell and Chris Williamson range from the macabre evolution of the US death penalty to how ideas, drugs, and behaviors spread like epidemics. Gladwell argues America’s capital punishment debate is less about morality and more about making killing look acceptable, exposing the cruelty and indifference behind methods like lethal injection and nitrogen gas.

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