Lionel Shriver and Mary Harrington: Is the “Better Life” Dream Collapsing? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 8, 2026 · 1H 14M

Lionel Shriver and Mary Harrington: Is the “Better Life” Dream Collapsing?

from Socrates in the City · host Socrates in the City

In this episode of Socrates Dialogues with Mary Harrington, novelist Lionel Shriver joins Harrington for a wide-ranging and incisive conversation on her novel A Better Life and the deeper cultural longings it exposes. Together, they probe the enduring myth of “a better life” and how it shapes modern views on immigration in both the United States and the United Kingdom. They also dive into the fertility crisis, shifting expectations around modern masculinity, and broader social currents redefining family, identity, and belonging in the West. Thought-provoking and unflinching, this dialogue explores what we mean when we seek a better life, and whether the promise still holds.The post Lionel Shriver and Mary Harrington: Is the “Better Life” Dream Collapsing? first appeared on Socrates in the City.

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Lionel Shriver and Mary Harrington: Is the “Better Life” Dream Collapsing?

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In this episode of Socrates Dialogues with Mary Harrington, novelist Lionel Shriver joins Harrington for a wide-ranging and incisive conversation on her novel A Better Life and the deeper cultural longings it exposes. Together, they probe the...

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