We're in a golden age of podcasts. Here are three I recommend for people interested in understanding how the world works:

• EconTalk.
  • Over 700 episodes on a variety of subjects: healthcare, technology, philosophy, science, finance, and of course economics. The focus is more on the subject under discussion rather than the interviewee.
  • Three recommendations:
    • Virginia Postrel on Textiles and the Fabric of Civilization.
    • Andrew Roberts on Churchill and the Craft of Biography.
    • Chris Arnade on Dignity.
• In Our Time.
  • BBC Radio podcast with panel discussions on historical topics.
  • Recommendations:
    • Coffee.
    • Tutankhamun.
    • The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
• Conversations With Tyler.
  • Economist Tyler Cowen interviews people from a variety of backgrounds. Unlike EconTalk the focus here tilts more towards the interviewee's personal life rather than just their body of work.
  • Recommendations:
    • Michael Orthofer on Why Fiction Matters.
    • Joseph Henrich on WEIRD Societies and Life Among Two Strange Tribes.
    • Neal Stephenson on Depictions of Reality.