{"podcast":{"title":"First Principles","slug":"first-principles-7708985","podcast_index_feed_id":7708985,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN4765221373","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/06eebd2a-0779-11f1-826e-37926ac18342/image/fca7c8febd1441fc3b0d54084418b06d.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Adrian Wells","episode_count":324,"summary":"First Principles isn't another business podcast recycling the same startup stories. Adrian Wells takes the fundamentals that actually matter and breaks them down like you're having coffee with the smartest professor you ever had. Wells spent twelve years teaching philosophy and critical thinking before ditching the lecture hall for the microphone. Turns out, the same principles that help you think clearly about ancient Greek ethics also work pretty well for modern business decisions. Who knew? Every episode strips away the latest trends and buzzwords to focus on the core ideas that don't change. How to actually evaluate evidence when everyone's throwing around statistics. Why most \"revolutionary\" business advice is just old wine in new bottles. The thinking patterns that separate smart decisions from lucky guesses. You won't get hyped-up success stories or flavor-of-the-month strategies. Instead, you'll learn how to think through problems the way philosophers have for centuries, applied to the stuff that matters in your work and life right now. Multiple new episodes drop daily, so there's always something fresh when you need it. Follow now if you're ready to think better, not just…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T16:19:48.696188+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985"},"episode":{"title":"What Kamala Harris Gets Wrong About America's Crisis","slug":"what-kamala-harris-gets-wrong-about-america-s-crisis","published_at":"2026-07-17T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/what-kamala-harris-gets-wrong-about-america-s-crisis","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN1063168171.mp3?updated=1776258651","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PODAGEN1063168171.mp3?updated=1776258651","summary":"Ever notice how politicians love to say America is \"at a breaking point\"? Adrian Wells breaks down why crisis rhetoric has become the go-to playbook for political messaging, and what it actually tells us about leadership when times get tough. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • Why Americans have believed the country was \"on the wrong track\" for 70% of the last two decades • How crisis framing increases political engagement by 6x but comes with hidden psychological costs • The specific rhetorical patterns that make crisis messaging so effective (and why you should recognize them) 👤 Perfect for: lifelong learners and anyone who wants to think more clearly about the political messages flooding your feeds every day. 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Adrian introduces the crisis rhetoric playbook [01:45] The psychology behind \"breaking point\" messaging [03:30] Why crisis language actually works on voters [05:15] Historical patterns: America's long history of \"crisis moments\" [07:00] Social media's role in amplifying urgent political posts [08:45] What effective leadership communication looks like during real challenges [10:30] How to evaluate crisis claims with philosophical tools This isn't about taking political sides. It's about understanding the communication strategies that shape how we think about our world. Wells applies the same critical thinking tools philosophers have used for centuries to decode modern political rhetoric. When everyone's shouting that the sky is falling, how do you figure out what's actually happening? That's the kind of thinking skill that doesn't go out of style. 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow First Principles on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and turn on notifications. New episodes drop daily, your next favorite insight is one tap away. 🔍 Topics: political communication, c…","meta_description":"Ever notice how politicians love to say America is \"at a breaking point\"? Adrian Wells breaks down why crisis rhetoric has become the go-to playbook for p…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":731,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/first-principles-7708985/episodes/what-kamala-harris-gets-wrong-about-america-s-crisis/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/first-principles-7708985/what-kamala-harris-gets-wrong-about-america-s-crisis.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}