I've interviewed all kinds of people on this show, but so far, I've avoided having guests

who are activists.

I have nothing against activists.

It's just that they often aren't that much fun to talk to.

They believe so deeply in their cause, and they want you to also believe so deeply, that

there isn't much room for thoughtful conversation.

Well, today I'm breaking that rule, because my guest Bruce Friedrich is a very unusual activist.

He started his career at PETA, people for the ethical treatment of animals, and his early

exploits included streaking naked at Buckingham Palace in front of Queen Elizabeth and President

Bush, and utilizing the large quantities of fake blood during New York Fashion Week.

But over time, he came to believe that the best way to achieve social change was by using

the power of markets.

So in 2016, he founded the Good Food Institute, where GFI, it's a nonprofit dedicated to the

idea that through science, we can create plant-based and cultivated proteins that will

prove a better way of feeding the world than traditionally produced meat.

The goal isn't to convince people meat is bad, but rather to provide substitutes for

traditional meat that are so tasty and so cheap that the demand for old-style meat simply

fades away.

Welcome to People I Mostly Admire, with Steve Levitt.

I have a personal interest in what the Good Food Institute is doing, because I love

the taste of meat, but I also love animals, and I've got a vegetarian wife and kids

at a vegan, so consequently, I eat way less meat than I otherwise would.

...