The Jews’ liberation of human reason from mythology and nature-worship amounted to one of humanity’s most powerful “enlightenments.” The Jews believed that the material world was not evil or beset by demonic contests. The universe is presented in the Hebrew Scriptures as ultimately permeated with order—not chaos and incomprehensibility. Much of this universe was thus understandable by the human beings made by this God in his image and similarly suffused with his order. This Jewish emphasis on the order built into a created world of which man is the apex had two critical consequences. First, Judaism’s audacious confrontation of idolatry and pagan mythology was a powerful affirmation of man’s rationality. The second important consequence of Judaism’s understanding of the created universe was its accent on human freedom.

In a recent interview for Vogue, Prince Harry declared to British anthropologist Jane Goodall that he and Meghan plan on having only two children -- due to environmental concerns. Alarmist predictions about the results of overpopulation is nothing new, of course. Even Goodall herself said in 2010, that "[i]t's our population growth that underlies just about every single one of the problems that we’ve inflicted on the planet." So, is earth really overpopulated? And will having less children save the planet? Stephen Barrows, Acton's managing director of programs, joins the podcast to explain the economics behind the issue and how to thoughtfully approach concerns about the environment. After that, Dr. Eric Larson, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Michigan State University, takes a look at Medicare for All, explaining current problems in health care as well as just how costly Medicare for All would be.