On Sunday, September 13, 2026, The Atlantic launches The Permanent Questions, a weekly video podcast hosted by staff writer and Yale Jackson Presidential Senior Fellow David Brooks. Debuting with University of Notre Dame philosophy professor Meghan Sullivan, the show explores foundational human dilemmas, marking a major expansion in the publication’s audio and video footprint.
The Bottom Line
- The Launch Date: The weekly video podcast officially drops its first episode on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
- The Focus: Hosted by David Brooks, the series tackles core philosophical questions regarding human meaning, ethics, and community building rather than daily news cycles.
- The Strategy: Produced in partnership with Yale University, the show reflects The Atlantic’s aggressive scaling of its audio and video portfolio, which has doubled its revenue and staff over the past year.
Mapping Out the Human Condition in an Age of Instant Content
We live in a media ecosystem drowning in real-time metrics, tech updates, and endless election cycles. But according to David Brooks, our cultural diet lacks a basic nutrient: sustained reflection on why we are here and how we ought to live. That is the exact gap The Atlantic is targeting with its new Sunday video podcast, The Permanent Questions.
For the series premiere, Brooks sits down with Meghan Sullivan, the Wilsey Family College Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Their conversation cuts straight to the core of what it means to live a good life. In an introduction to the project, Brooks explained his motivation simply: “There are a lot of shows about politics and business and health and tech, but there aren’t enough about the really big questions of life.”
Here is the kicker: this isn’t just an intellectual exercise for a niche audience. Recorded on Yale’s campus and supported by the university, the podcast builds directly on Brooks’s academic fellowship at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs, which he joined in February 2026 to bridge deep scholarship with broader public conversations.
Inside The Atlantic’s Audio and Video Surge
If you look only at traditional text subscriptions, you miss the quiet structural revolution happening inside modern publishing suites. Over the past year, The Atlantic has doubled its weekly show count, expanded its podcast staff, and doubled its audio revenue. The outlet is rapidly transforming into a multi-platform digital broadcasting powerhouse.
This expansion didn’t happen in a vacuum. Since 2025, the publication has launched prominent video podcasts including The David Frum Show and Galaxy Brain with Charlie Warzel. Over the summer, it also expanded its flagship audio offering, Radio Atlantic—co-hosted by Hanna Rosin and Adam Harris—by introducing a weekly Monday video episode hosted by Adam.
| Show Title | Primary Host(s) | Core Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Permanent Questions | David Brooks | Fundamental philosophy, human meaning, and societal ethics |
| Galaxy Brain | Charlie Warzel | |
| The David Frum Show | David Frum | |
| Radio Atlantic | Hanna Rosin and Adam Harris |
New episodes will drop every Sunday, available for streaming on YouTube and across all major podcast platforms.
The Takeaway
Will viewers trade their doom-scrolling for Sunday morning philosophy? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
