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The Worst Takes of 2025 [TEASER]
Dec 29, 2025 50 min

The Worst Takes of 2025 [TEASER]

The boys catalog the definitive worst takes of the year, from the pundits who misunderstood our political moment to a guy who wants to have sex with a computer.To hear the rest of the episode, supp...

Elon Musk Part 2
Dec 18, 2025 1h 31m

Elon Musk Part 2

The boys continue their discussion of Walter Isaacson's "Elon Musk." This is the part where Elon loses his mind. Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other pod...

Elon Musk
Dec 09, 2025 1h 28m

Elon Musk

A biography that dares to ask: Is a lifetime of worker abuse and narcissism worth it to experience robot butlers?Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast,...

Sapiens
Nov 20, 2025 1h 38m

Sapiens

How do you tell the entire history of humanity in a single book? Whatever you do, do not open a browser window. Thanks to Dorsa Amir, Duncan Stibbard Hawkes and David Perry for help researchin...

How To Win Friends And Influence People
Oct 02, 2025 1h 10m

How To Win Friends And Influence People

Live like Dale Carnegie, neg like Calvin Coolidge.Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources:Self-help Me...

Thomas Chatterton Williams' "Summer of Our Discontent"
Sep 11, 2025 1h 31m

Thomas Chatterton Williams' "Summer of Our Discontent"

Peter and Michael discuss a book that's light on facts and long on sentences.Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenanc...

He's Just Not That Into You
Jul 31, 2025 1h 0m

He's Just Not That Into You

How one comedian's offhand advice launched a decent TV episode, a mediocre book and a terrible movie.Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's o...

Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink"
Jul 17, 2025 57 min

Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink"

Did you know that in the split-second it took you to read the title of this episode, your subconscious already figured out that it was going to be extremely good?Peter and Michael talk about Malcol...

The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF [TEASER]
Jul 01, 2025 1h 1m

The Supreme Court Goes Full TERF [TEASER]

This is most of the episode but if you want to hear the last 20 minutes, support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

"In Covid's Wake" Part 2: Wrong About The Right
Jun 19, 2025 1h 10m

"In Covid's Wake" Part 2: Wrong About The Right

Last episode we met two Princeton political scientists who are bad at virology. Today we learn that they are also bad at political science.Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other pod...

"In Covid's Wake" Part 1: Lying About Lockdowns
Jun 17, 2025 57 min

"In Covid's Wake" Part 1: Lying About Lockdowns

Two political scientists look back at a deadly pandemic and ask, "could we have done even less?"Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance ...

Bonus: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream
Jun 05, 2025 1h 21m

Bonus: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream

By popular demand we are releasing last month's Patreon bonus episode on the main feed! We chart the transformation of the lab leak from an unfounded theory promoted by right-wing cranks to an unfo...

The Let Them Theory
Apr 23, 2025 53 min

The Let Them Theory

Peter and Michael discuss The Let Them Theory, a self-help guide to seeking bliss through unmitigated complacency.Where to find us: Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other pod...

Josh Hawley's "Manhood" [TEASER]
Mar 31, 2025 53 min

Josh Hawley's "Manhood" [TEASER]

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

Steve Harvey's "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man"
Mar 28, 2025 58 min

Steve Harvey's "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man"

Are you a single lady struggling to find love with a man? Don't fret! A twice-divorced game show host who thinks conversation is for women is here to help.Where to find us: Peter's newsletterP...

Of Boys And Men
Mar 06, 2025 1h 22m

Of Boys And Men

Who's to blame for the crisis of American masculinity? On the right, politicians tell men that they being oppressed by feminists and must reassert their manhood by supporting an authoritarian regim...

You Are A Badass
Jan 23, 2025 58 min

You Are A Badass

Peter and Michael dissect Jen Sincero's "You are a Badass," a book that answers the question: What if "The Secret" was written in the painful, try-hard style of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck...

What's The Matter With Kansas?
Dec 06, 2024 1h 5m

What's The Matter With Kansas?

In 2004, historian Thomas Frank proposed a theory about the rightward drift of the white working class. Was he a prescient king whose work presaged the rise of Trump — or a bumbling fool with a bro...

Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"
Nov 04, 2024 1h 9m

Sam Harris's "The End of Faith"

Peter and Michael discuss the book that launched the phenomenon of New Atheism and asked the question: What if we hated Muslims, but in a secular way?Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5...

Who Moved My Cheese?
Oct 10, 2024 1h 9m

Who Moved My Cheese?

What should workers do when they get laid off? In 1998 a bleak, asinine bestseller told them to find another whey.  Where to find us: Peter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maint...