Basketball in the Last 60 Seconds: Ben Sasse on Mortality, Meaning, and the Future of America | Peter Robinson | Hoover Institution

篮球最后60秒:本·萨瑟谈死亡、意义及美国的未来 | 彼得·罗宾逊 | 胡佛研究所

Uncommon Knowledge

2026-02-18

59 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

In December 2025, former US Senator Ben Sasse announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. That’s the primary topic for this far-reaching conversation about mortality, faith, and what truly matters when time is short. Sasse reflects on “redeeming the time”—holding ambition lightly, loving family more deliberately, and resisting the urge to make politics or professional success the center of life. The discussion also covers Sasse’s thoughts on the failures of Congress; the dangers of a fragmented, attention-starved republic; the crisis of higher education; and the moral challenges of technological abundance. Sasse speaks candidly and movingly about regret, forgiveness, prayer, and suffering—arguing that while death is a real enemy, it does not get the final word. Recorded on February 9, 2026.  Subscribe to Uncommon Knowledge at hoover.org/uk
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • What matters?

  • What really matters?

  • On Uncommon Knowledge today, Ben Sasse.

  • Welcome to Uncommon Knowledge, I'm Peter Robinson.

  • Benjamin Eric Sasse grew up in Plainville, Nebraska, population today of about 1,250.

  • earned his undergraduate degree at Harvard and a doctorate in history at Yale.

  • He represented Nebraska in the United States Senate from 2014 until 2023,

  • when he became president of the University of Florida,

  • a role in which he served until the middle of 2024.

  • This past December, Ben Sasse posted an announcement on X.

  • Quote, this is a tough note to write,

  • but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I'll cut to the chase.

  • Last week I was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

  • Senator Sass has now begun treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

  • Ben, you've begun treatment.

  • You've also taken up a position at the American Enterprise Institute here in Washington.

  • You're here in Washington for a friend's wedding.

  • You're recording a podcast.

  • Instead of withdrawing from the world, you are throwing all that you have left into it.

  • How come?