Dean Hamer says that human beings are hard-wired for belief and are genetically pre-disposed to reach beyond their own limitations.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
"Independent People" by Halldór Laxness reviewed by author David Mitchell ("Cloud Atlas")
Daphne Merkin responds to Hilary Clinton as a cultural symbol and public personality.
David Gessner wants to change the way people write about nature. Instead of the traditional stories about wild animals in pristine landscapes, he calls for a style of nature writing that's messy, even raucous.
Brent Silby teaches philosophy in Christchurch, New Zealand and is the author of an article in "Philosophy Now" magazine called "The Simulated Universe."
Charles Dwyer on art with his homeless neighbor - Jerry Pfeil.
According to historian Thomas Laqueur, neither sanitation nor the soul fully explain the rang of rituals we've developed for caring for dead bodies. For him, there is a deeper anthropological truth at work: caring for the dead marks the human transition from nature into culture.
Chuck Klosterman tells Steve Paulson that interviewing celebrities is a tricky business because there really isn't any up side in it for the star.
Pages
