In biology it's widely accepted, but the study of the evolution of language was once banned by The French Linguistic Institute. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, we'll let it develop, and take a look at the story of French as well. Also, composer Stephen Paulus finds music in and...Read more
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Episode Archives
Is there an irreconcilable conflict between Islam and the West — a “clash of civilizations”? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll hear prominent Western and Muslim intellectuals debate this idea.Read more
Original Air Date:
November 04, 2007
We're familiar with the idea of hearing voices...perhaps our "inner critic" or the voice of a parent or beloved family member. But what if you, or someone you loved, really heard voices? In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, Daniel B. Smith talks about the phenomenon of auditory...Read more
Original Air Date:
November 04, 2007
9/11 changed the American psyche. According to some reports, Americans wanted to eat comfort food, like macaroni and cheese, get married and have babies. They wanted leaders - male leaders - who were strong, who could rescue the female victims, like Jessica Lynch. Or did they? In this hour of To...Read more
Original Air Date:
October 28, 2007
It's been fifty years since Jack Kerouac's groundbreaking novel, "On The Road" was published. But there's still a lot we can learn from the book. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, John Leland on the lessons of "On The Road" and why Kerouac still matters. Also, Joyce Johnson shares...Read more
Original Air Date:
September 09, 2007
There's no question – we crave authenticity. You want "real" Chinese or Mexican food? Then make sure you find a restaurant that makes food the way it's made in the old country. Music lovers are also obsessed with authenticity - from folk and blues to rap...just consider the mantra of hip hop - "...Read more
Original Air Date:
August 19, 2007
In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge we'll talk with Daniel Pinchbeck and hear the latest science on brain plasticity. Who says you can't teach an old brain new tricks?Read more
Original Air Date:
August 05, 2007
Author, Author
Part Four
Violence, crime, destitution. No so much fun in real life, but in literature they can be divine. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll dive into the world of pulp fiction. From the classic noir...Read more
Original Air Date:
June 10, 2007
"Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you." That's according to Ogden Nash. Saturday night is definitely a special night. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, Susan Orlean tells us about some of the Saturday...Read more
Original Air Date:
June 10, 2007
In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, it's children's books, for us.Read more
Original Air Date:
June 03, 2007
When asked what he thought about Western civilization, Gandhi once famously said: I think it's a good idea. Gandhi's form of extreme nonviolence led to the civilized retreat of the British from the Indian sub-continent. But does non-violence still have the right stuff to effect social change in...Read more
Original Air Date:
May 13, 2007
It's been described as many things -- a battlefield, a tender trap, a drug. But according to Rob Sheffield, love is a mix tape. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, Sheffield will tell us how music was a big part of his marriage to Renee… and how it helps him to cope with her loss. Also...Read more
Original Air Date:
April 01, 2007
William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, Virginia Wolfe: they were unknown writers at some point. But, who are the world’s next literary lions? In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, the young writer. We'll talk with the next generation of novelists about to come into their own. And, a re-...Read more
Original Air Date:
March 25, 2007
These days, everybody wants to make a movie. And with today's technology, just about anyone can. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, the rise of the indie film. Chris Gore talks about "My Big Fat Independent Movie." And we'll meet a former waitress who spent her life-savings to make a...Read more
Original Air Date:
March 18, 2007
Daniel Tammet has an amazing mind. He can recite from memory 22 thousand digits in the number pi. He can learn a foreign language in a week. But he also has trouble with simple directions, like telling the difference between left and right, and he's had to teach himself to laugh at jokes. Tammet...Read more
Original Air Date:
February 11, 2007
Smoking cigarettes is bad for you. Ok, we can all agree on that. So then, why are 20 percent of us still smoking? That's 60 million Americans. And new smokers start every day. Why? It's more than just nicotine. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, we'll explore the sublime pleasures of...Read more
Original Air Date:
December 31, 2006
Black men are in crisis. And the long-standing ideal of the Strong Black Men might be at the heart of the problems that black men face today. On To the Best of Our Knowledge, we'll explore a revolutionary model of black masculinity - a New Black Man. Also, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author,...Read more
Original Air Date:
December 17, 2006
We look at the controversial Gnostic Gospels and the story of a buried Christianity.Read more
Original Air Date:
December 10, 2006
There are lots of good reasons for belonging to an automobile service club like Triple A, but way down deep, you really only do it for the Trip-Tiks. In this hour of To The Best Of Our Knowledge, maps and the imagination. We'll consider what kind of information belongs on a map - geographical,...Read more
Original Air Date:
December 03, 2006
How did the universe begin? Science says it all started with the Big Bang, an unimaginable explosion some 15 billion years. Religion sees the mysterious hand of God. Is there room in the cosmos for both?Read more
Original Air Date:
November 26, 2006
Whether you call them graphic novels or comic books, there’s no denying that they offer limitless creative storytelling possibilities. Chris Ware and Marjane Satrapi are two of the most critically-acclaimed graphic novelists. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, Ware and Satrapi will...Read more
Original Air Date:
November 26, 2006
Roses are red. Violets are blue. My mistress's eyes are nothing like the sun. A sadder and a wiser man, he rose the morrow morn. I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. In this...Read more
Original Air Date:
October 29, 2006
Remember the girl on TV with the frying pan? She was out to make a point about your brain on drugs, and she did. Now Daniel Levitin's catching a lot of people's ears with a new book called "Your Brain on Music." In this hour, To the Best of Our Knowledge visits with Daniel Levitin and explores...Read more
Original Air Date:
October 22, 2006
"We're all of us guinea pigs in the laboratory of God. Humanity is just a work in progress." So said Tennessee Williams. Inventor and visionary Ray Kurzweil believes the new, improved version of humanity could feature computers the size of blood cells implanted in our brains....Read more
Original Air Date:
October 15, 2006