Today, the Dutch philosopher Spinoza - father of the Enlightenment - is revered, but in the mid-17th century, he was branded a heretic by his Jewish congregation in Amsterdam. Recently, philosopher Steve Nadler was asked if Spinoza should be exonerated. He explains why he said no.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Tenzin Palmo is a Tibetan Buddhist who was born in England as Diane Perry. She became a Buddhist nun and spent twelve years meditating alone in a tiny, remote cave in the Himalayas.
You've heard the saying, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Journalist David Rieff thinks that's rubbish, and he says if you want peace, it's sometimes better to forget historical crimes than try to get justice.
When Asra Normani got an assignment to research Tantra - an ancient form of yoga - she thought she'd have an adventure. She ended up on a journey of the spirit and the heart.
Steven Poole tells Anne Strainchamps that video games can be an art form and that they will continue to increase in sophistication.
The relationship between poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge is discussed by Steve Paulson and Adam Sisman.
Rob Knight is one of the rising stars in the new science of the microbiome. He tells us what he and his colleagues are up to at his Boulder, Colorado lab.
Summer festivals are a huge part of the American music scene -- and of the music marketplace. Why do millions of people risk sunburn and dehydration when they could hear the same music better with earbuds? Music critic Maura Johnston unpacks the economics and the atavistic lure of the summer music festival.
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