Megan McArdle on the Oedipus Trap 3/20/23

When physician Walter Freeman died in 1972, he still believed that lobotomies were the best treatment for mental illness. A pioneer in the method, he was a deeply confident and charismatic man who eagerly spread the technique in America, long after the rise of alternative treatments that were less destructive. Listen as journalist Megan McArdle and EconTalk’s Russ Roberts discuss what McArdle calls the “Oedipus Trap”: mistakes that no one can live with, even if they were innocently made, and how admitting such mistakes to ourselves is nearly impossible.<br> Links and more information about the episode: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.econtalk.org/megan-mcardle-on-the-oedipus-trap/">https://www.econtalk.org/megan-mcardle-on-the-oedipus-trap/</a><br> <br> Subscribe to EconTalk on YouTube: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKAu-mTq7iZtKHK6QiBqKPA?sub_confirmation=1">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKAu-mTq7iZtKHK6QiBqKPA?sub_confirmation=1</a><br> Subscribe to the audio episodes:<br> Apple Podcasts: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/econtalk/id135066958">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/econtalk/id135066958</a><br> Stitcher: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/econtalk">https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/econtalk</a><br> Spotify: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4M5Gb71lskQ0Rg6e08uQhi">https://open.spotify.com/show/4M5Gb71lskQ0Rg6e08uQhi</a><br> and wherever you listen to podcasts.