The common wisdom is that we’re getting more violent all the time. Witness the genocides and world wars of the last century. But cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker says we have it all wrong. And in his 800 page book “The Better Angels of Ourselves” he makes the case for how violence has declined.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Susannah Cahalan talks about her book, "Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness."
Do tests such as the SAT and ACT offer a complete picture of a student's abilities? Psychologist Robert Sternberg doesn't think so. He tells Anne Strainchamps that we need to change the way we evaluate students, starting with college entrance exams.
John Flansburgh and John Linnell comprise the musical duo “They Might Be Giants.” They talk with Steve Paulson about their music, and their obsession for old pop songs.
Innovative dancer and choreographer Sally Gross is now in her late 70s. And though she was one of the dancers who revolted against the Martha Graham school of modern dance she says her most impressive feat was overthrowing something far greater: her own body.
There’s been a pandemic or a nuclear war. Most of humanity is wiped out. Armed vigilantes steal your stuff and eat your family. The good news is, you can survive all this! If you have “the Knowledge.”
Wendy Burden is the author of "Dead End Gene Pool," a memoir of her childhood among wealthy but highly dysfunctional remnants of the Vanderbilt fortune.
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