Most of us will never know what really happens behind bars. Prisons are generally off limits to the public and press, but several new investigations are drawing attention to the conditions in many of our nation's jails. This hour, what should a prison be?...Read more
Exploring the Deeper End of Ideas
Show Archives
Air Dates:
- January 19, 2019
- June 09, 2018
Where do you go to find models of powerful women? The ancient world was full of them, real and mythic, but today we barely know their names. Why? This week we rediscover the women of ancient myths and legends.Read more
Air Dates:
- January 12, 2019
- March 17, 2018
A chorus of hope is coming from an unexpected group — teenagers. They have superpowers — innocence, idealism, and Instagram — and they aren't waiting for permission to use them to shape the world.Read more
Air Dates:
- January 12, 2019
- December 30, 2017
- January 03, 2016
Procrastination can be an occasional bad habit, but it can also be a lot worse. It can lead to depression, low self-esteem, anxiety. Today, we try to answer the question, Why do we put things off and how can we stop?
...Read more
Air Dates:
- January 05, 2019
- May 19, 2018
If life is a play, what happens during the last act? What’s it like to live knowing you have a limited amount of time left?Read more
Air Dates:
- January 05, 2019
- January 04, 2018
- January 01, 2017
Ah, January. Season of diets and fasts and cleanses, of "Drynuary" and "Veganuary." Why does being virtuous always seem to mean giving up pleasure?Read more
Air Dates:
- December 29, 2018
- April 07, 2018
Can we ever get inside the mind of an animal? Can we really know how an octopus or a parrot thinks? Also, the fascinating story of Charles Foster's attempt to act like a badger, when he lived in a hole in the ground and ate worms.Read more
Air Dates:
- December 29, 2018
- December 30, 2017
We don’t handle endings well, in general. So this hour, let’s learn about how to make a good ending — whether leaving a lover, quitting a job, or getting ready for the end of life itself.Read more
Air Dates:
- December 22, 2018
You're thinking about hitting “delete” on all of it — Facebook, Twitter. But is that the answer, or should we resolve to stick around and make things better?Read more
Air Dates:
- December 22, 2018
- January 13, 2018
- July 29, 2017
Psychologists say telling a good life story can make you happier. But do we also create an inauthentic version of ourselves if we turn everything into a narrative?Read more
Air Dates:
- December 15, 2018
- April 28, 2018
Trees talk to each other, and even form alliances with other trees or other species. Some are incredibly old — the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years. In this hour, we explore the science and history of trees.Read more
Air Dates:
- December 15, 2018
- December 16, 2017
- June 18, 2017
Yosemite is climbing’s mecca. It’s where Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell stunned the world with their dazzling climbs.Read more
Air Dates:
- December 08, 2018
Even the most welcome gift can spark guilt, resentment, obligation or vulnerability. This hour, unwrapping the tangled emotions behind giving — and getting.Read more
Air Dates:
- December 08, 2018
- March 31, 2018
- September 09, 2017
As terrible as it sounds, most of us will go through something traumatic at some point in our lives. The experience can be deeply isolating and crushing, but it doesn't have to be. Read more
Air Dates:
- December 01, 2018
We’ve been taught to ignore, stifle, or just get over anger for many years — but what if we embraced it?Read more
Air Dates:
- December 01, 2018
- February 24, 2018
- August 28, 2016
We delve into the new science of revulsion.Read more
Air Dates:
- November 24, 2018
- February 10, 2018
- August 12, 2017
“The climate crisis is a crisis of culture and thus of imagination,” says writer Amitav Ghosh. So what changes in our conversation about global warming when we tap into the imaginative worlds of novelists and artists?Read more
Air Dates:
- November 24, 2018
What's the essence of religion? God? Scripture? Moral codes? Or is it really about something more unexplainable — primal spiritual experiences?Read more
Air Dates:
- November 17, 2018
- June 04, 2017
The virtues of transgressive, subversive, rule-breaking art, both as an aesthetic and as a way of life. Read more
Air Dates:
- November 17, 2018
- March 24, 2018
Modern anti-depressants have saved a lot of minds. And lives. But what have they done to our bodies? And how do we navigate that trade-off between body and mind?Read more
Air Dates:
- November 10, 2018
It's a long walk from the truth to the whole truth. A biographer, a poet, a memoirist and a filmmaker describe the moral struggle and personal cost involved.Read more
Air Dates:
- November 10, 2018
- January 20, 2018
- July 22, 2017
Social media has brought us all closer together. Sometimes that's a good thing. But when it comes to online shaming, it's a bad thing. Read more
Air Dates:
- November 03, 2018
- August 26, 2017
- October 30, 2016
How do we put the fairness and the fun back in American elections? In this hour, we present a few simple ideas for how to remake the electoral process.Read more
Air Dates:
- November 03, 2018
- May 12, 2018
All over the world, nation states are splintering. Separatism is on the rise. What causes nation states to erode? And what happens when they do?Read more
Air Dates:
- October 27, 2018
- October 28, 2017
Did you know that the U.S. military has a long history of working with psychics to try to discover enemy secrets? We examine this history and take a deep dive into the paranormal.Read more
Air Dates:
- October 27, 2018
- January 20, 2018
- July 30, 2017
How can someone be a monster — a brutal dictator, a mass murderer, a serial killer — and up close seem like a decent, caring person? What happens when you find yourself liking someone who’s done terrible things?Read more
Air Dates:
- October 20, 2018
- October 28, 2017
- February 19, 2017
In this show, we explore storyworlds — the fictional universes that continue to enchant us. Like the ghostly supernatural realm in which Abe Lincoln’s dead son, Willie, finds himself and the surreal Pacific Northwest town of Twin Peaks, the home of some damn fine coffee....Read more
Air Dates:
- October 20, 2018
- March 10, 2018
DNA tests are uncovering mixed bloodlines. For African Americans, this can be emotionally-charged. What do you do when you find out one of your direct ancestors was a slave owner? Does it open the door to new conversations about racial justice?Read more
Air Dates:
- October 13, 2018
Covert spies painting nerve agents on doorknobs? It's not the only way to poison someone. We hear stories of radioactive paint, formaldehyde-spiked baby formula, and a beautiful garden full of plants that could kill you.Read more
Air Dates:
- October 13, 2018
- February 17, 2018
- September 02, 2017
Do you love your laptop? Feel affection for your phone? Some of us spend more time with our devices than our families. How deep do those attachments go?Read more