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To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Back in 1956, philosopher Colin Wilson wrote a best-selling book that popularized the concept we’ve been talking about – “The Outsider.” It’s a study of misfit artists and writers, like Kafka, van Gogh and Dostoevsky – it’s never been out of print, and is still considered the classic work on alienation, creativity and the modern psyche. Blair Lorimer from the “Starve the System” YouTube channel thinks everyone should read it.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Dame Evelyn Glennie is an award winning solo percussionist and composer who performs with the great orchestras and popular artists. She's also deaf. She talks with Steve Paulson about touching sound.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Darrin McMahon is the author of “Happiness: A History.” He tells Jim Fleming the Founding Fathers equated happiness with virtue...

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Most people think of conflict as something to be avoided, but there's another way to view it -- as creative and generative. In his book "The Art of Rivalry," Boston Globe art critic Sebastian Smee explores how intense conflicts, broken friendships and personal reconciliations fueled some of the most dramatic breakthroughs in Modern Art. He tells Steve Paulson that the rivalry between Picasso and Matisse contributed, in part, to cubism.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Megabyte, terabyte, gigabyte... web-watcher David Siegel says the web's just too data heavy. The answer is to stop duplicating and make all that data - particularly our personal data - more meaningful. 

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

"Gifts make slaves like whips make dogs" is an anthropologist's tale of inter-cultural difference in gift exchanges.

David Graeber takes us on a tour of gift giving, and gift economies. He also takes a swing at the question of whether it's possible to give a truly selfless gift.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Jeff VanderMeer recommends "The Other Side" by Alfred Kubin.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Pir Zubair Shah risked his life to report from Waziristan -- a Taliban stronghold in northwest Pakistan -- where he was detained by both the Taliban and government forces. He spoke to Jim Fleming about the dangers of reporting from that region of Pakistan. 

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