About Theory of Change
Lots of people want to change the world. But how does change happen? History is filled with stories of people and institutions that spent big and devoted many resources to effect change but have little to show for it. By contrast, many societal developments have happened without forethought from anyone. And of course, change can be negative as well as positive.
In each episode of this weekly program, Theory of Change host Matthew Sheffield delves deep with guests to discuss larger trends in politics, religion, media, and technology.
Podcast Host
Subscribe
Links
Support
Episodes
Progressives have forgotten that fitness has always been political
Health culture historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela discusses fitness and fascism
Fundamentalist Christianity is a totalitarian mental experience, but how many people realize this?
Author Lance Aksamit talks about living and leaving the world of missionizing evangelicalism
How personal trauma helped push podcaster Ty Ross into and out of being a Black Republican
Podcaster Ty Ross discusses the experiences that caused her to enter and exit the world of Black Republicanism
An ancient Greek philosophical tradition is surprisingly relevant in today’s world of instant information
Philosopher Richard Bett discusses how many internet ‘skeptics’ are doing the exact opposite of what they think
Can evangelical Christianity be saved from right-wing extremism?
Activist and podcaster Tim Whitaker describes how and why he and others are trying to build an inclusive faith
You can’t really understand the Christian right without knowing the history of the religious left
Historian Gene Zubovich tells about the mostly forgotten history of the liberal Protestants who helped build today’s world order
Social media moderation standards are more about epistemology than technology
Internet researcher Renée DiResta discusses the challenges and controversies of content moderation
How social media gave birth to ‘fanfiction leftism’
Author David Masciotra on why a new class of supposedly leftist pundits seems to never attack Republicans
Why the self-help politics of Marianne Williamson leads nowhere
Conspirituality podcaster Matthew Remski discusses how the New Age industry birthed a politics of delusion
Rod Dreher’s obsessive blogging has made him a window to the soul of the American right
Phil Christman talks about how a Christian blogger inadvertently documented his own radicalization
Mastodon, the Fediverse, and the revolt of the internet masses
Dan Gillmor and Darius Kazemi on why open protocol social media needs to be the future
Why podcasts have become a key part of many Americans’ news and entertainment
Pew Research Center researcher Elisa Shearer breaks down a new report on how and why people listen to podcasts
Most movements to make political change fail, what do the ones that succeed have in common?
Historian Timothy Shenk discusses his book Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy
AI is going to change politics, and Americans are skeptical about what could happen
Change Research pollster Stephen Clermont talks about public opinion on AI and its possible impacts on campaigns