Greil Marcus is one of America's most admired pop culture critics, and has now taken on the entire American canon.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Sleep may be an utterly common activity, but neuroscientist Giulio Tononi believes it's the greatest experiment in consciousness.
You can also listen to the EXTENDED interview, and read the extended transcript.
George Cotkin, author of “Existential America,” says that angst is familiar emotional territory for Americans and explains why Existentialism appealed to people here.
Greg Critser is a veteran science and medical journalist. He's the author of three critically acclaimed books, most recently, "Eternity Soup: Inside the Quest to End Aging."
Is it actually possible to give a truly selfless gift? Anthropologist David Graeber says it's not only impossible, the entire idea of a "free gift" is nothing but a construct born in opposition to impersonal market economies. In other words, it’s you know, complicated.
Science historian Holly Tucker chronicles the controversies over the first blood transfusions in the 17th century and why this raised fundamental questions about science.
Maybe feminism is a moot point. According to journalist Hanna Rosin, in the rapidly changing world we live in, women are far outpacing men. She writes about the trend in her book "The End of Men."
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