Episode 216: New research suggests that nearly 90 percent of what we do each day happens automatically. From brushing our teeth to checking our phones, most of our behavior unfolds on autopilot — a revelation that raises profound questions about freedom, morality and modern life.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada unpack what it means to live ethically in a world governed by routine. The conversation begins with a surprising scientific finding: people make far fewer conscious choices than they believe. Instead, daily actions are guided by patterns — some helpful, others harmful — that free the mind to focus on bigger challenges. But if so much of our behavior is habitual, how much responsibility do we really bear for our choices?

Kyte argues that good habits can actually enhance freedom. Structure, he says, allows people to think more deeply, create more freely and act with less friction. Yet, as Rada points out, the same routines that provide stability can also trap us. They share examples from work and home — from office clutter to the comfort of travel — to show how small disruptions can expose what we take for granted.

The episode also moves beyond theory. The hosts examine modern behavior through real-world lenses: the rise of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, the decline of smoking and the ethics of technological fixes that reshape human impulses. Each example circles back to the same question — when we let external forces modify our conduct, do we surrender something essential about human agency?

Kyte also turns the discussion inward, describing how his own writing process depends less on lofty ambition and more on daily discipline. He admits that finishing a book isn’t about sudden bursts of inspiration but about returning to the work, even for a few minutes, every day.

Goals may give direction, he says, but habits sustain momentum. By building steady, repeatable patterns — scheduling lectures, carving out quiet time and creating small external pressures — he transforms intention into progress. It’s a reminder that lasting growth, ethical or otherwise, rarely comes from grand resolutions but from ordinary routines practiced with purpose.

Episode 215: Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada explore the disconnect between our private expressions of care and the collective anger dominating politics, media and even day-to-day interactions. Drawing on Kyte’s lecture series The Search for Meaning, the conversation centers on how the philosopher St. Augustine shaped Western ideas about moral love — and why those lessons still matter today.

Kyte argues that we can understand a person’s character by what they love most. Yet, he says, modern society often defines people by what they oppose. Political language is filled with words like “fight” and “battle,” turning opponents into enemies rather than neighbors. Rada and Kyte discuss whether it’s still possible to extend goodwill toward those who hold different views, and how to live ethically in a world that often rewards outrage.

They also explore real-life examples that bring philosophy down to earth — from small moments of irritation, like a cyclist breaking the rules of the trail, to deeper reflections on forgiveness and self-control. Rada recounts how a brief flash of frustration turned into a lesson on empathy after one such encounter, while Kyte connects that impulse to the everyday challenge of seeing others as whole people rather than symbols of conflict.

The episode asks listeners to consider what might happen if compassion guided civic life as much as it shapes personal relationships. Would political discussions sound different? Would disagreements become more productive? And what habits — patience, humility, and curiosity — would make that shift possible?

Episode 214: The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk sent shockwaves across the country, deepening fears that political violence is becoming an entrenched part of American life. While leaders on both sides rushed to cast blame, many ordinary citizens were left with a more practical concern: How can we continue living alongside one another when the divides seem sharper than ever?

Rather than revisiting the politics of the tragedy, hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada turn their attention to something both more personal and more universal: the fragile state of social bonds in an era of outrage.

The hosts ask whether trends like geographic sorting — liberals clustering in coastal cities, conservatives concentrating in rural towns — make communities stronger or weaker. They note how this “great sort” may bring comfort and solidarity, but also risks complacency, narrowing the space for neighbors to encounter genuine difference.

The conversation also tackles the culture wars over canceling and censorship. Kyte points out that both the left and right have embraced forms of speech suppression, often under different names. Whether labeled “cancel culture” or “censorship,” both carry the danger of driving unpopular ideas underground, where they often gain more power.

Instead, the hosts argue, persuasion and listening are the healthier alternatives. They highlight unusual pairings — like Ezra Klein and Ben Shapiro engaging in long, civil debate — as models for what’s missing in public life. Such exchanges may not change anyone’s core beliefs, but they can open space for understanding and reduce the tendency to see opponents as irrational or malevolent.

The episode also examines how everyday expressions of political identity — yard signs, slogans on T-shirts, bumper stickers — often do more to end conversations than start them. True free speech, Kyte suggests, isn’t just the right to declare one’s allegiance, but the freedom to ask sincere questions — the kind that can shift perspectives and rebuild trust.