Episode #247: Sophia Rosenfeld

In Episode #247, historian Sophia Rosenfeld sits down with Osi to dig into one big question: Does having more choices really make us freer? They discuss how modern society’s obsession with choice can backfire, leading to decision fatigue, anxiety, and second-guessing. From politics to everyday life, this conversation unpacks the hidden costs of “more options” and what true freedom might really mean.The Age Of Choice -Press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691164717/the-age-of-choice?srsltid=AfmBOoo8uhqOrF--CQbXWiWXmfJeu6LIGdH94IfCpMncbAqTBEZACzOjSophia Rosenfeld is Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History and former chair of the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches European and American intellectual and cultural history with a special emphasis on the Enlightenment, the trans-Atlantic Age of Revolutions, and the legacy of the eighteenth century for modern democracy. Her latest book is The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in the Modern World (Princeton, 2025), which was recently named a New York Times Editors’ Choice and longlisted for the Cundill History Prize. It explores how, between the 17th century and the present, the idea and practice of making choices from menus of options came to shape so many aspects of our existences, from consumer culture to human rights, and with what consequences.