David Abram is an ecologist, anthropologist and philosopher, and author of "Becoming Animal."
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
We hate mosquitoes.
But why? I mean, yes --- West Nile, dengue, malaria, Zika…not to mention ruined picnics, sleepless nights, and bites you scratch until they bleed … Those are logical reasons to dislike mosquitoes. But admit it – they also just creep you out.
Jeffrey Lockwood gets at the psychology in his book “The Infested Mind.” He’s an entomologist who once had a truly horrific encounter with a swarm of grasshoppers. He was left traumatized. Afterwards he wondered why we all fear and loathe insects so much.
Lockwood told Rehman Tungekar the answer is deep deep in our psyches.
This six minute short film sets a typical frat house scene with heightened visual intensity: beer pong, drunk girls, guys with their shirts off doing shots, hazing rituals, fights. The twist is that the guy at the center of the film is clearly attracted to one of his frat brothers.
There are lots of ways we identify ourselves – where we come from, our race, our religion… but perhaps nothing shapes our identity more than whether we’re a man or a woman. But even that can get really complicated. Independent producer Aubrey Ralph explains.
Billy Collins has stepped down as America’s Poet Laureate, but he hasn’t stopped trying to make poetry more accessible and more widely read.
In this extended interview, Buddhist chaplain Steve Spiro talks about meditations on mortality, about setting the scene at a deathbed, and shares more stories of conscious dying and living.
Alain de Botton's latest project Is art as therapy. Feeling lonely? Stand in front of the Mona Lisa. Anxious about work? Caspar David Friedrich’s “Rocky Reef on the Seashore” will put everything in perspective. Anne talks with de Botton about his new book, free app, and… upcoming museum shows.
Rebecca Goldstein's Dangerous Idea? Teach children to be rigorous critical thinkers.
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