All Episodes
Berkeley Talks — 260 episodes · page 1 of 3
Michael Pollan and Christof Koch talk psychedelics and consciousness
W. Kamau Bell on AI, creativity and resisting the pull of automation
ELeaping robots, AI companies and a NASA mission
How we've long misread gun violence (and ways to prevent it)
The making of pioneering Black feminist Frances M. Beal
When we talk to AI, what are we talking to?
Philosopher Mark Johnston asks, 'Is this our only life?'
Why kids need awe — and how puppets can help
What punk subcultures can teach us about resisting hate
EMusician Lara Downes celebrates the sound of America
How the American university’s success led to its modern challenges
Alison Gopnik on why AI is no match for a 4-year-old
Hany Farid on the erosion of shared reality in the age of deepfakes
EFirst a plague, then a fire: How a changing city rebuilt the modern stage
Nobel laureate Omar Yaghi on turning air into water for all
The rule of law depends on the courage of judges
An evolutionary biologist makes the case for pausing AI
Ramzi Fawaz on the psychedelic power of the humanities
EWhy kind leaders finish first (according to science)
How do we make better decisions? (revisiting)
The making of racialized US immigration control
For Nobel laureate Randy Schekman, it began with pond scum and a toy microscope
The complicated role of media in motherhood
ETop Biden official calls for unity, ‘moral courage’ in public service
How Berkeley became a powerhouse for innovation and startups
Long said to be ‘too big to fail,’ the ocean needs a new narrative
Alva Noë on how art allows us to see everyday things anew
How forgiveness changes you and your brain
Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna on CRISPR and the future of gene editing
Berkeley scholars unpack what's at stake for U.S. democracy
EEconomist on the benefits of a (modest) billionaire tax
Ezra Klein on building the things we need for the future we want (revisiting)
EHow the tobacco industry drove the rise of ultra-processed foods
Energy justice expert on his pursuit for affordable and clean energy for all
A debate on how to feed the world without ‘eating the earth’
EDaniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) on reading the authors you want to write like
In 1970, one in five Americans moved every year. Now it’s one in 13. What changed?
The case for a philosophical life, with Agnes Callard and Judith Butler
J Finley on how Black women use sass to claim their humanity
ELaw professors debate the merits of originalism
Heather Cox Richardson on the evolution of the Republican Party
UC Berkeley political scientist asks: Does democracy work?
How hospitals collect medical debts can hurt patients. Why?
Coming of age as an unaccompanied migrant youth in the U.S.
A blueprint for creating a world where everyone belongs
Poet Ocean Vuong on disobedience and the power of language
How do we make better decisions?
Veteran news editors on how the media covered the election
Computational folklorist on how storytelling becomes belief
The future of American democracy
A return to monarchy? Bradley Onishi on Project 2025
With white helmets and GoPros, these volunteers risk it all in Syria’s civil war
Legal scholars on free speech challenges facing universities today
What is understanding? Berkeley scholars discuss
It’s not just psychedelics that change minds, says Michael Pollan. Storytelling does, too.
The science behind the emotions in 'Inside Out 2'
Journalist Jemele Hill on the intersection of sports and race (revisiting)
How the Supreme Court divided America
Reconsidering Black America’s relationship to the plantation
Adam Gopnik on what it takes to keep liberal democracies alive
'Wave' memoirist on writing about unimaginable loss
Gigi Sohn on her fight for an open internet
Harry Edwards to sociology grads: Even in turbulent times, always believe in yourself
Feeling like a failure isn't the same as failing, filmmaker tells journalism grads
Berkeley commencement speeches celebrate resilience, bravery
Ruth Simmons on access and equity in higher education
The future of psychedelic science
Sociologist Harry Edwards on sport in society (revisiting)
Sci-fi writer Kim Stanley Robinson on the need for 'angry optimism'
The future of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
Justice Sonia Sotomayor on fighting the good fight
Why so many recent uprisings have backfired
American democracy and the crisis of majority rule
Free speech on campus in times of great division
Protecting survivors of sex trafficking
The transformative potential of AI in academia
Nate Cohn on polling and the 2024 election
A blueprint for housing reform
Poulomi Saha on why we're so obsessed with cults
Ezra Klein on building the things we need for the future we want
EChinese activist Ai WeiWei on art, exile and politics
What are Berkeley's Latinx Thriving Initiatives?
Poet Ishion Hutchinson reads 'The Mud Sermon' and other poems
Michael Brown's family on keeping his memory alive
Oppenheimer's Berkeley years
Jessica Morse on how we can live with fire
Siri creator Adam Cheyer shares secrets of entrepreneurship
Legal scholars unpack Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action
Poets laureate share works about creation, sacrifice and home
Biden economic adviser on building a clean energy economy
Climate grief: Embracing loss as a catalyst for collective action
Pulitzer-winner Natalie Wolchover: 'Knowledge of physics is a superpower'
Sociology Ph.D. graduates on the power of family and deep inquiry
Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones to graduates: 'The world needs your imagination'
How a lie from medieval Europe spread antisemitism across the world
ChatGPT developer John Schulman on making AI more truthful
International journalists on women's rights in Iran and Afghanistan
Jitendra Malik on the sensorimotor road to artificial intelligence
The rise and destruction of the Jewish fashion industry
Economists on what it'll take to rebuild Ukraine