Conversation, Interintellect, and Arcadia (with Anna Gat)

EconTalk

Library of Economics and Liberty

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4.7 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2026

⏱️ 82 minutes

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Summary

If technology is ruining the art of conversation, maybe it can save it, too. Anna Gat--poet, screenwriter, playwright, and founder of Interintellect--talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts on how she's reviving the French salon in the digital age. They discuss why authority, moderation, and clear formats make conversation freer, not more constrained. They also explore why one of the greatest of modern plays--Tom Stoppard's Arcadia--is so resonant not only as a live theatrical performance, but also when read aloud, both alone and in a group. They conclude the episode by connecting Arcadia's themes to Gat's mission at Interintellect: Namely, preserving the value of thinking together across generations, disciplines, and worldviews.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Econ Talk, Conversations for the Curious, part of the Library of Economics and Liberty.
0:07.9	I'm your host, Russ Roberts, of Sholem College in Jerusalem and Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
0:13.8	Go to EconTalk.org, where you can subscribe, comment on this episode, and find links and other information related to today's conversation.
0:21.2	You'll also find our archives with every episode we've done going back to 2006.
0:26.7	Our email address is mail at econTalk.org. We'd love to hear from you.
0:36.7	Today is December 9th, 2025.
0:39.3	And before I introduce today's guest, I want to encourage you to vote on your favorite episodes of 2025.
0:46.1	So go to eConTalk.org.
0:48.8	You'll find a link there to our survey and vote.
0:51.6	Thank you.
0:52.5	And thank you for listening.
0:55.9	My guest today is Anna Gatt.
1:02.9	She is founder and CEO of Inter-Itelect, which is described as an intellectually and politically open conversation platform where attendees, community members, and event hosts come together
1:08.6	to think through the most important ideas of our times.
1:12.2	She hosts the podcast, The Hope Access, and writes at Substack at American Innocence.
1:18.8	Anna, welcome to Econ Talk.
1:20.7	Thank you so much for having me. I'm so delighted to be here.
1:24.2	Now, our topic for today is our culture, what you're trying to do with this fascinating
1:31.3	platform inter-intellect. But along the way, we're going to pay homage to Tom Stoppard, who died
1:39.3	last month, and his play Arcadia. Arcadia is my favorite modern play.
1:45.1	Maybe my favorite play, period.
1:46.9	I have seen it three times, and I hope to see it again.
	...

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