The Armen Show Podcast

In this wide-ranging, deeply researched account, Murray Pittock examines the place of Scotland in the world. Pittock explores Scotland and Empire, the rise of nationalism, and the pressures on the country from an increasingly monolithic understanding of “Britishness.” From the Thirty Years’ War to Jacobite risings and today’s ongoing independence debates, Scotland and its diaspora […]

Joining us on episode 378 is Dr. Temple Grandin, author of Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, […]

Our guest on episode 377 of the show is John Coogan, technologist, YouTuber, and co-founder of Soylent and Lucy. He has been an entrepreneur for a decade across multiple companies, and has brought forward marketing, ecommerce strategy, engineering, and finance to where he worked. Aside from his company work, he has become a great storyteller […]

Advances in medicine have made possible better treatments for widespread, familiar human illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Yet there are thousands of much less common diseases, most of genetic origin, each classed as “rare” because it afflicts only a small number of people. These patient groups were long ignored by a pharmaceutical industry […]

Rama Chellappa, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor in electrical and computer engineering and biomedical engineering and chief scientist at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy, is a pioneer in the area of artificial intelligence. His work in computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning have had a profound impact on areas including biometrics, smart cars, […]

Dr. Barbaro holds a Ph.D. in psychology with a specialization in evolution and human development from Oakland University. She is currently an Educational Research Scientist for WGU Labs, an Adjunct Professor at Utah Valley University, and the Communications Officer for the Human Behavior and Evolution Society. Outside of her formal work, she spends the majority of her time reading non-fiction […]

Jana Gallus is an assistant professor in the strategy group at UCLA Anderson. Her research interests lie in behavioral economics, strategy, and innovation, with a focus on recognition incentives and their effects on decision-making. She investigates how incentive schemes can be designed to enhance employee motivation and organizational performance in the private, public, and nonprofit […]

Joining us on episode 372 is Dr. Marion Labouré, author of Democratizing Finance: The Radical Promise of Fintech. She is Senior Economist at Deutsche Bank in London and an associate of the department of economics at Harvard University. Regarding what “Democratizing Finance” covers, “We are only in the early stages of a broader revolution that will impact […]

Professor Andrew Shtulman is a cognitive developmental psychologist who studies conceptual development and conceptual change, particularly as they relate to science education. He is a Professor of Cognitive Science and Psychology at Occidental College, and chair of its Psychology department. His research explores both the acquisition of domain-specific concepts and the development of domain-general inference […]

Welcome to episode 370 with Dr. Michael Shermer, author of “Conspiracy”, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of Skeptic magazine. “This book is a must read for understanding conspiracy theories, who believes them and why, and how to counter them. When author Michael Shermer saw the video of a […]

Jacob Soll is professor of history and accounting at the University of Southern California. He received a B.A. from the University of Iowa, a D.E.A. from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France, and a Ph.D. from Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He has been awarded numerous prestigious prizes including two NEH […]

Bronwyn Williams is a futurist, economist, and business trends analyst. “Bronwyn, from Johannesburg, South Africa has a background which includes experience in strategic management, trend research and foresight; consulting to clients in the public and private sector across the African continent. Her educational credentials include tertiary qualifications in Marketing Management (University of Johannesburg), Economics (University […]

How does one use victimhood for resources, and what qualities does such a person possess? What can we get when scientists of differing viewpoints work together? Can one be motivated to look at free will in others differently based on a view of their moral nature? I discuss these topics and more with returning guest […]

What can we learn about different species that exist on the planet, and the world that they live in? What kinds of senses do they make use of, and what do we share with our fellow species? I discuss some of what is covered on the Species podcast, along with the topics of female infidelity […]

How can we best navigate our social world to make a good impression and not err in showcasing our good qualities? What does it take to identify what the mistakes are in this category, and what kind of analysis should we do of the feedback that people give us? Professor Övül Sezer joins on episode […]

Can the history of a country be looked at differently through analysis of what was left behind and how things actually may have occurred? Are we able to see events more clearly with some space of time and a calmer moment in place. On episode 364, I speak with UC Irvine’s Professor Nicole Iturriaga on […]

What can we learn about free will? What layers are there to understand regarding the discussion between determinism and free will? I speak on these topics with Professor Alfred Mele of Philosophy at Florida State University on episode 363 of the show. He is the author of Free Will: An Opinionated Guide. Alfred Remen Mele […]

How are teens navigating a networked world? What are they doing on their smartphones, and what does their response say about the current moment? Is there something more than addiction to screens and connectivity going on? On episode 362, I discuss these topics with Dr. Emily Weinstein and Dr. Carrie James, co-authors of Behind Their […]

How are hierarchies formed, maintained and challenged? My guest on the topic of hierarchies, as well as the categories of dominance and prestige, is Dr. Kaylene McClanahan, postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She joins on episode 361 of The Armen Show. Kaylene McClanahan is a social scientist who researches social hierarchies. […]

Jennifer Jacquet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Director of XE: Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement at NYU. She is also deputy director of NYU’s Center for Environmental and Animal Protection. Her research focuses on animals and the environment, Agnotology, and attribution and responsibility in the Anthropocene. She is author of The Playbook: How to Deny Science, Sell […]