She’s best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but the award-winning actress has a rich life outside of her acting career, as a teacher, mother — and a real-life neuroscientist. Steve Levitt tries to learn more about this one-time academic and Hollywood non-conformist, who is both very similar to him and also quite his opposite. This episode originally aired on September 4th, 2020.

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By cataloging the steady march of human progress, the Harvard psychologist and linguist has become a very public intellectual. But the self-declared “polite Canadian” has managed to enrage people on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Steve Levitt tries to understand why. This episode originally aired on August 21st, 2020.

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In the last episode of the podcast, Stephen Dubner turns the microphone on Steve Levitt. They talk about Levitt’s favorite — and least favorite — moments from the show’s five-year run, his quest to reform education, and his next podcasting gig.

• SOURCES:
  • Stephen Dubner, host of Freakonomics Radio, co-author of Freakonomics books.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How to Help Kids Succeed," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025).
  • "Feeling Sound and Hearing Color," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Richard Dawkins on God, Genes, and Murderous Baby Cuckoos," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Arnold Schwarzenegger Has Some Advice for You," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Werner Herzog Thinks His Films Are a Distraction," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Drawing from Life (and Death)," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "Yuval Noah Harari Thinks Life is Meaningless and Amazing," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "Is This the Future of High School?," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "Does Death Have to Be a Death Sentence?," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "Sal Khan: 'If It Works for 15 Cousins, It Could Work for a Billion People.'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Jared Diamond on the Downfall of Civilizations — and His Optimism for Ours," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Amanda & Lily Levitt Share What It’s Like to be Steve’s Daughters," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the World," by Freakonomics Radio (2020).
  • The Levitt Lab.

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