Rainesford Stauffer joins us to talk about the social media-fueled pressure put on people in their 20s and 30s to find their purpose, and why allowing time to think and be still might be the best way for someone to grow.
Read moreWhy We’re Not All Speaking Esperanto
Stephanie Tam joins us to tell the story of one man’s quest for a lingua franca that would bridge communication and why it was blocked by colonial ideas of English superiority.
Read moreGrowing Up Racially Black … But Not Culturally Black In America
Louis Chude-Sokei, director of the African American studies program at Boston University, joins us to talk about his journey to understand his place in the Black diaspora.
Read moreThe Weird Racial Phenomenon Of ‘Reverse-Passing’
Helen Lewis of The Atlantic joins us to talk about the people who take on the roles of different ethnicities and asks if a form of Munchausen syndrome could actually be at play.
Read moreDarwin’s Guide To Alien Life
Arik Kershenbaum, a zoologist and fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge, joins us to talk about understanding evolution on Earth and how that might parallel alien life forms elsewhere.
Read moreAsian Americans And The Rise In Racism
Vishakha N. Desai, chair of Columbia University’s Committee on Global Thought and a past president of the Asia Society, joins us to talk about these troubling statics, how Asians regularly face racist ideas that question their place in American society and what needs to happen to fight back.
Read moreAfter Vaccination, The Next Steps To Normal
Dr. Celine Gounder joins us to talk about how we should think about reopening schools, offices and maybe even our vacation plans as more and more people become vaccinated.
Read moreStudent Debt Is Crushing Parents, Too
Caitlin Zaloom, associate professor of social and cultural analysis at New York University, joins us to discuss how college-minded parents are taking on enormous debts to fund higher education and why the middle-class is especially crunched.
Read moreWas Closing Schools The Right Move For American Teens?
Alec MacGillis covers politics and government for ProPublica, and he joins us to tell the stories of teenagers in two small towns, one in New Mexico and one in Texas, where governors took very different approaches to public safety.
Read moreNew To America? Here’s Where To Start
Roya Hakakian joins us talk about her instruction manual for newcomers to this country, acting as tour operator for all the wonder of American sights and sounds.
Read moreThe Genesis Of The Bible
Kristin Swenson is an associate professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and she joins us to talk about approaching the Bible anew with a sense of wonder and context.
Read moreWhy Scientists Experiment With Demons (Yes, Really)
Jimena Canales of the University of Illinois joins us to talk about the scientific thought process of some of the world’s most brilliant minds, a wild journey into imagination, fear, and theory to make the impossible, possible.
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