Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe philosophy behind why humans are so self-conscious
For centuries, Western philosophers have contemplated the question: “Who am I?” To get to the answer, 19th-century German philosopher Georg Wilhelm F…
11 months ago
How the fear of fire is taking control of us
Humans used fire as a tool. Now we fear its destruction. But we're responsible for changing the climate, argues John Vailliant, "in a way that favour…
11 months ago
The unforgivable crime of being queer in Africa
Homosexuality is a crime in more than half of African countries — a crime punishable by prison sentences. Or in some cases: death. New laws in some s…
11 months ago
Bringing child sex abusers out of the shadows
No one likes talking about child sex abuse. But prevention experts say we need to bring pedophilia out of the shadows if we ever want to end abuse. T…
11 months, 1 week ago
Why our long term relationship with the U.S. is done
America is just not that into you anymore, says historian Marci Shore. It's not us — it's them. The Yale professor blames the U.S. for the failed rel…
11 months, 1 week ago
Where did modern news culture come from? Think Shakespeare
It might seem like the vast, turbulent ocean of information we call news has always existed, but that's not the case. Theatrical plays in Elizabethan…
11 months, 1 week ago
Champions of cormorants argue the water bird is unfairly vilified
It's not them, it's you. That's what fans of the cormorant argue, pointing out how people see the gangly aquatic bird all wrong. This common bird has…
11 months, 1 week ago
The three ingredients in an autocrat's recipe for power
There are three components that could end constitutional democracy as we know it, says scholar Peter L. Biro — fear and its weaponization, habituatio…
11 months, 1 week ago
A pig was shot dead in 1859. It sparked a British-U.S. war
In 1859, an American shot a pig that belonged to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Suddenly, the U.S. and British Empire were on the brink of war once again.…
11 months, 2 weeks ago
The trailblazing all-Black baseball team that made history
More than ninety years ago, led by “Boomer” Harding, “Flat” Chase, and King Terrell, the Chatham Coloured All-Stars became the first all-Black team t…
11 months, 2 weeks ago