Peter Robinson Unbridled George Will: On Politics, Baseball and the American Spirit
Feb 15, 2026
George Will, conservative columnist and Princeton PhD who has written thousands of columns, discusses why he left academia for journalism and the craft of a 750-word column. He talks about reviving civic seriousness at universities. He debates conservatism after Trump, AI's real impact, America's fiscal future, China and Taiwan, and the charm and reforms of baseball.
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Episode notes
Look To Governors Not Senators For Presidential Hopefuls
- Prefer governors and executives over long-serving senators for presidential candidates.
- Will quips to pass a 'Will's amendment' disqualifying current or former senators and urges governors who've run large operations.
AI Is Artificial Cleverness Not True Intelligence
- Will calls 'artificial intelligence' a misnomer and distinguishes cleverness from intelligence.
- He says machines show 'artificial cleverness' in chess, but true intelligence is human-level creativity like writing Middlemarch.
China Is A Larger, More Complex Strategic Threat
- China is more dangerous than the Soviet Union because it pairs power with economic integration and historical grievance.
- Will notes 400,000 Chinese students in the U.S. and Xi's timeline to prepare forces for Taiwan as risk factors.
