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.
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Episodes
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
Big business and government are adopting artificial intelligence, what can it do for the rest of us?
Technologist and researcher Simon Willison on technical and practical applications of ChatGPT and AI
Artificial intelligence is going to change the world, but how much of it is hype?
Gary N. Smith and Jeff Schatten debate and discuss how chatbots will change education, employment, and a lot more
Baby Boomers fundamentally changed America, when will other generations get their chance?
Washington Post columnist Philip Bump talks about his new book ‘The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America’
Dominion’s Fox lawsuit has incontrovertibly exposed that Fox isn’t news
The Daily Beast’s Diana Falzone and Justin Baragona report from inside the troubled right-wing network
The Christian Right was a theological rebellion against modernity before it became a force for Republicans
Religion scholar David Hollinger on the soteriology of reaction and his book ‘Christianity’s American Fate’
Christianity, Islam, and equal rights are often in conflict, but do they have to be?
Author Wajahat Ali discusses his book ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’ and how non-believers and the faithful need to come together
The sexuality of reaction is complicated and contradictory
Writers Seyward Darby and Katherine Abughazaleh discuss how far-right influencers have created a form of religious prudery
The world’s richest people are starting to realize the system they’ve created is unstable, but they can’t stop
Author and filmmaker Douglas Rushkoff talks about why oligarchs are planning for disaster and his book, ‘Survival of the Richest’