Who Needs Handwriting?

Season 6, Episode 14

This week on Freakonomics Radio: The digital age is making pen and paper seem obsolete. But what are we giving up if we give up on handwriting?

A famous economics essay features a pencil (yes, a pencil) arguing that “not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me.” Is the pencil just bragging? In any case, what can the pencil teach us about our global interdependence — and the proper role of government in the economy?

To find out more, check out the podcasts from which this hour was drawn: “Who Needs Handwriting” and “How Can This Possibly Be True?”

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