Le Mans 55: The Deadliest Race
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
Pushkin Industries
4.7 • 6.4K Ratings
🗓️ 13 June 2025
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The annual Le Mans 24 Hour race brings in hundreds of thousands of spectators to watch the giants of motor racing put their endurance to the ultimate test. Every year, technology improves and the cars get a little faster. In 1955, that push for ultimate speed results in a catastrophe that changes the sport forever.
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Pushkin. |
| 0:08.7 | Can anyone or anything be truly altruistic? |
| 0:13.5 | Can incredible acts of kindness cause more harm than good? |
| 0:18.0 | And what's the most effective way of doing good? |
| 0:22.9 | I'm sure that the best-selling author Michael Lewis will have some interesting thoughts because the world's most notorious, |
| 0:28.6 | effective altruist, Sam Bankman-Fried, is the subject of Michael's book, Going Infinite. I'm going to be |
| 0:36.1 | talking to Michael about that relationship and his latest book, Who |
| 0:39.7 | Is Government? |
| 0:40.9 | But I want your help to explore the theme of altruism with Michael Lewis. |
| 0:46.6 | So please send all of your kindness-related questions for Michael Lewis to tales at Pushkin.fm. |
| 0:55.6 | This is an IHeart podcast. |
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| 1:13.5 | Call 844-844-I-Hart. |
| 1:15.5 | The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. |
| 1:20.4 | Recipients have done the improbable, the unexpected, |
| 1:23.5 | showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves. |
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