The Most Important Question

01:03:46

The Plastic Crisis Isn't On You, Actually

The Most Important Question ·

2026/03/09

Plastic. It is the miracle material that has quietly become the infrastructure of modern life over the past 63 years and the almost undefeated business model that's continuing climate change and keeping fossil fuel companies alive and reshaping our bodies, our oceans, and our politics.Yeah, plastic keeps food fresh and hospitals running, and cars and planes lighter, and it's also in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the supply chains that keep churning out more of it while they tell us

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63:45

The Plastic Crisis Isn't On You, Actually

The Most Important Question ·

2026/03/09

Plastic. It is the miracle material that has quietly become the infrastructure of modern life over the past 63 years and the almost undefeated business model that's continuing climate change and keeping fossil fuel companies alive and reshaping our bod...

en

01:19:45

What's The Purpose of Your Wealth?

The Most Important Question ·

2026/01/19

If our mission is to help people, everyone, answer the most important question, what can I do? Then at some point we need to talk to the people who help really wealthy people, help people.So today's question, what can I do about high net worth philanthropy? And look, hey, maybe you're among the vast majority who just heard that and you're like, well, this one doesn't apply to me, but hear me out. We have some of the worst billionaires of all time, but if billionaires are gonna continue to exist, we

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79:44

What's The Purpose of Your Wealth?

The Most Important Question ·

2026/01/19

If our mission is to help people, everyone, answer the most important question, what can I do? Then at some point we need to talk to the people who help really wealthy people, help people. So today's question, what can I do about high net worth philant...

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02:37

We need your help

The Most Important Question ·

2025/12/22

Hi! It's Quinn. We have huge plans for 2026, and we need your help.So we're running the biggest discount on an Important Membership that we've ever run, and will ever run, probably.Right now it's $30/year. On January 1st, it'll be $50/year, and it's never going back.So right now you can go to ImportantMembership.com and lock in $30/year forever, and we'll all be in a better place. You even get a free 30 day trial. Huzzah.Here's a fun fact: 95% of people who joined are still Members. That's crazy

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2:36

We need your help

The Most Important Question ·

2025/12/22

Hi! It's Quinn. We have huge plans for 2026, and we need your help. So we're running the biggest discount on an Important Membership that we've ever run, and will ever run, probably. Right now it's $30/year. On January 1st, it'll be $50/year, and it's ...

en

01:23:50

Pods Fight Poverty: What Really Happens When You Just...

The Most Important Question ·

2025/12/15

Hey friends, I want to talk about something big. Change the actual world big, because the world won't unfuck itself, as we all know. We are joining podcasts across the planet for Pods Fight Poverty, a campaign directly supporting our good friends at Give Directly. Now, if you've been with us since episode 116, which feels like a thousand years ago, you'll remember when we asked one of the most deceptively simple, world altering questions ever.Why is just giving people money the most effective way

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83:50

Pods Fight Poverty: What Really Happens When You Just...

The Most Important Question ·

2025/12/15

Hey friends, I want to talk about something big. Change the actual world big, because the world won't unfuck itself, as we all know. We are joining podcasts across the planet for Pods Fight Poverty, a campaign directly supporting our good friends at Gi...

en

01:03:49

Let's Talk About Menopause

The Most Important Question ·

2025/12/01

What if talking about menopause out loud was as normal as talking about sports scores or school pickup? Imagine it in movie plots, in your group chat, at the clinic, and on the campaign trail because when we name what's happening in our bodies, three things can follow: better care, better research, and better policy. Normalizing the conversation around something that's gonna happen to half the population isn't oversharing. It's infrastructure. This is how we're gonna get appointments that move the

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62:33

Let's Talk About Menopause

The Most Important Question ·

2025/12/01

What if talking about menopause out loud was as normal as talking about sports scores or school pickup? Imagine it in movie plots, in your group chat, at the clinic, and on the campaign trail because when we name what's happening in our bodies, three t...

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59:36

The American Revolution's Unfinished Promise

The Most Important Question ·

2025/11/24

If the American Revolution was, as Ken Burns put it, the biggest event since the birth of Christ, then there's probably never been a better time to explore and drastically expand on why it happened, who was involved, and what it set us up for than right now. My guest today again is David Schmidt.David is the producer and co-director, along with Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein, of American Revolution, a six-part, 12-hour series premiering on PBS this November. David is a childhood friend, but two

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59:36

The American Revolution's Unfinished Promise

The Most Important Question ·

2025/11/24

If the American Revolution was, as Ken Burns put it, the biggest event since the birth of Christ, then there's probably never been a better time to explore and drastically expand on why it happened, who was involved, and what it set us up for than righ...

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01:03:56

History vs Nostalgia

The Most Important Question ·

2025/11/17

I've recorded hundreds of conversations with incredible people working on the front lines of the future. People who've asked the most important question: what can I do? Who found their answer and followed it. But for today's conversation, we're going back to the front lines of the past because the past can tell us a whole hell of a lot about today and how tomorrow might go.But only if we tell the full story of how we got here, about who got us here, about how my great-great-grandparents got here

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63:13

History vs Nostalgia

The Most Important Question ·

2025/11/17

I've recorded hundreds of conversations with incredible people working on the front lines of the future. People who've asked the most important question: what can I do? Who found their answer and followed it. But for today's conversation, we're going b...

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01:01:38

Running for Water (Because Shutoffs Are Immoral)

The Most Important Question ·

2025/11/03

Chronically parched is not something anyone in this country or anywhere should ever have to feel, but here we are. So how are towns and states making clean water more affordable, reliable, and less controversial? 'cause remember, it's fucking water. Look, you might feel like you're giving it all you got but when you look around things are a little dark out there. So you, our listeners and readers and viewers and users, whatever, across the world, want and demand more examples of fight and progress

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60:55

Running for Water (Because Shutoffs Are Immoral)

The Most Important Question ·

2025/11/03

Chronically parched is not something anyone in this country or anywhere should ever have to feel, but here we are. So how are towns and states making clean water more affordable, reliable, and less controversial? 'cause remember, it's fucking water. Lo...

en

01:09:02

Running for School Meals (Because Learning Requires...

The Most Important Question ·

2025/10/31

I think we can all agree that kids shouldn't go hungry ever really, but especially at school. You might feel right now like you are giving it everything you got, but when you look around, things feel kind of dark out there. So you, our listeners and readers and viewers across the country and across the world want, demand, need more examples of fight and real progress you can actually see and touch and feel and taste. And in these conversations, in partnership with our best friends at Run For

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67:46

Running for School Meals (Because Learning Requires...

The Most Important Question ·

2025/10/31

I think we can all agree that kids shouldn't go hungry ever really, but especially at school. You might feel right now like you are giving it everything you got, but when you look around, things feel kind of dark out there. So you, our listeners and re...

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64:40

Running for Gun Control (In The Only Nation Where...

The Most Important Question ·

2025/10/30

Maybe you feel like you're already giving it all you've got. You look around, and things are tough out there. You, our listeners and readers and viewers and users across the country and across the world, you're demanding more examples of fight and prog...

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01:05:22

Running for Gun Control (In The Only Nation Where...

The Most Important Question ·

2025/10/30

Maybe you feel like you're already giving it all you've got. You look around, and things are tough out there. You, our listeners and readers and viewers and users across the country and across the world, you're demanding more examples of fight and progress you can actually see and touch and feel, and in these conversations, in this series, in partnership with our very best friends at Run For Something, we're gonna give you exactly what you asked for.Each of these episodes features two guests, both

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