A Song Called Life

In Episode #188, sociologist Dr. Dinur Blum joins Osi to delve into the social causes behind mass shootings. They discuss the complex role of mental health in these incidents and examine the difficulties in identifying and providing treatment for potential perpetrators. Dr. Blum also sheds light on how America’s distinctive gun culture and the ease of access to firearms contribute to the frequency of mass shootings. Additionally, they explore the effects of social isolation, loneliness, and alienation on individuals who turn to such violent acts.

Dinur Blum is Lecturer in Sociology at California State University, Los Angeles, USA. Beyond his work on student-athletes in college, he studies the social causes of mass shootings in the US with his colleague Christian G. Jaworski. He also co-hosts the Learning Made Easier podcast with Adam G. Sanford.

In Episode #187, philosopher Dr. Holly Lawford-Smith joins Osi to discuss her book Is It Wrong to Buy Sex? (Little Debates about Big Questions). They explore whether purchasing sex is inherently wrong, examining the ethical frameworks that shape differing views on the subject. The discussion also addresses the societal impact of legalizing or prohibiting sex work, weighing how each approach influences individuals and communities. Additionally, they delve into the complexities of consent within commercial sex and whether it reinforces harmful power dynamics.

Holly Lawford-Smith is an Associate Professor in Political Philosophy in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne. She is also a Visiting Academic in the School of Law at the University of Reading and a Network Member of the Open University Gender Critical Research Network. Holly serves on the Editorial Boards of Political Philosophy, Journal of Applied Philosophy, and the Journal of Controversial Ideas. She is a member of Genspect’s Killarney Group Think Tank, a monthly columnist at Quillette, and a Featured Author at Fairer Disputations.

In Episode #186, geologist Dr. Paul Bierman joins Osi to discuss his groundbreaking research on Greenland's ice sheet, featured in his new book, When the Ice Is Gone: What a Greenland Ice Core Reveals about Earth's Tumultuous History and Perilous Future. They explore the historical significance of Greenland’s ice sheet melting naturally in the distant past, challenging long-held beliefs about its stability. They dive into new revelations about the ice sheet's vulnerability, even without the influence of modern human activity, and examine how scientists use ice cores to uncover and interpret key events in Earth's history.

Paul Bierman has been a geologist and professor at the University of Vermont since 1993. His research and teaching expertise focus on the interaction of people, climate, and Earth’s dynamic surface. Public science communication, including books, essays, images, and talks is his passion.

Bierman’s research has taken him around the globe. He has studied erosion in Australia, South America, and several countries in Africa and the Middle East. In Greenland, Bierman and his graduate students are tracing the history of the Greenland Ice sheet over the last several million years, an adventure that repeatedly takes them helicoptering over the ice as well as dissecting ice cores, some collected more than half a century ago. In Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York, Bierman and his students created the first record of storminess and erosion that extended back over the last 10,000 years.

In Episode #185, sociologist Dr. Joanna Kempner joins Osi to discuss her groundbreaking book Psychedelic Outlaws: The Movement Revolutionizing Modern Medicine. They explore the use of psilocybin mushrooms as a treatment for severe headaches, examining what this breakthrough means for the future of psychedelic medicine. The conversation covers the regulatory challenges that drive patients to create their own remedies, the broader implications for the healthcare system, and how political and systemic forces shape the development and accessibility of pain treatments.

Joanna Kempner, associate professor in the Department of Sociology at Rutgers University, is an award-winning sociologist of science, medicine, technology, and inequality, and the author of Psychedelic Outlaws: The Movement Revolutionizing Modern Medicine and Not Tonight: Migraine and the Politics of Gender and Health.Kempner’s research explores the social forces that determine which medical issues receive attention and which are systematically overlooked. Kempner’s research is published in top journals across multiple disciplines, including Science, PLoS Medicine, and Social Science & Medicine and is often featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, PBS Newshour, and the BBC. She’s also a West Philly mom with two kids, two cats, and a very small poodle.

In Episode #184, philosopher Dr. Nick Bostrom joins Osi to explore his latest book Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World. Together, they delve into thought-provoking questions about the future of humanity. What new sources of meaning and fulfillment could arise in a world where human labor is no longer necessary? How might superintelligence reshape our self-perception and sense of identity? What shifts could occur in societal norms and relationships in an era of technological abundance? Dr. Bostrom also contemplates the deeper philosophical and spiritual issues that emerge when technology fulfills all practical needs.

Nick Bostrom is a Swedish-born philosopher with a background in theoretical physics, computational neuroscience, logic, and artificial intelligence, along with philosophy. He is one of the most-cited philosophers in the world, and has been referred to as “the Swedish superbrain”. He’s been a Professor at Oxford University, where he served as the founding Director of the Future of Humanity Institute from 2005 until its closure in April 2024. He is currently the founder and Director of Research of the Macrostrategy Research Initiative.

In Episode #183, psychologist Dr. Wendy Grolnick, author of Motivation Myth Busters, joins Osi to discuss the psychology of motivation. They explore common but inaccurate beliefs about motivation, why these myths persist, and how motivation is shaped by interests and environment—not just personality. Wendy also dispels the misconception that competition always enhances motivation, offering insights from her new book throughout the conversation.

Dr. Grolnick is interested in motivational development in children and adolescents. Her research focuses on how social contexts (e.g., homes, schools) facilitate children's autonomous motivation, in which they regulate their own behavior and feel agentic with respect to it. She is currently exploring how parenting, on dimensions of autonomy support to control, involvement, and structure, predicts children's autonomous motivation, competence, and adjustment. She is also focusing on factors (e.g., parent attitudes and beliefs, stress and support, evaluative environments) that help or hinder parents' abilities to provide parenting resources to their children. Dr. Grolnick is currently developing a parenting intervention designed to prevent motivational and behavioral problems in school-age children. Dr. Grolnick's work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. Dr. Grolnick teaches courses in motivation, child development, and psychopathology.

In Episode #182, historian Dr. Richard Overy sits down with Osi to explore why war has been such a consistent presence throughout human history. They discuss the role of innate psychological drives in fueling conflict, the influence of power struggles among leaders on major wars, and the evolution of warfare from ancient times to today's global conflicts, including the ongoing situations in Ukraine and Gaza. Drawing from Richard’s book Why War?, the conversation provides a deep analysis of the forces that have shaped and sustained warfare across the ages.

Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich. Educated at Caius College, Cambridge and awarded a research fellowship at Churchill College, Professor Overy taught history at Cambridge from 1972 to 1979, as a fellow of Queens' College and from 1976 as a university assistant lecturer. In 1980 he moved to King's College London, where he became professor of modern history in 1994. He was appointed to a professorship at the University of Exeter in 2004. His work on World War II has been praised as "highly effective in the ruthless dispelling of myths" (A. J. P. Taylor), "original and important" (New York Review of Books) and "at the cutting edge" (Times Literary Supplement.)

In Episode #181, science writer Amorina Kingdon joins Osi to discuss the crucial role of sound in underwater animal communication, highlighting how marine species use it for survival and interaction. They also explore the disruptive effects of human activities, such as shipping and sonar, on marine soundscapes and their impact on ocean life. The conversation draws on insights from Kingdon's book, Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water.

Amorina Kingdon is a science writer whose work has been anthologised in Best Canadian Essays and received honours including a Digital Publishing Award, a Jack Webster Award, and a Best New Magazine Writer from the National Magazine Awards. Previously, she was a staff writer for Hakai Magazine, and a science writer for the University of Victoria and the Science Media Center of Canada. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

In Episode #180, author Michael Finkel joins Osi to discuss his captivating book, The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession. They explore the extraordinary life of Stéphane Bréitwieser, the most prolific art thief in history, who executed more than 200 daring heists.

Michael Finkel is a journalist and memoirist, who has written the books True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa (2005), The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit (2017), and The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession (2023).

In Episode #179, author and podcast host Nicola Twilley joins Osi to explore her book Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves. They discuss how refrigeration revolutionized global food systems and reshaped dietary habits, the pivotal role it plays in international trade and culinary traditions, and its complex contribution to climate change and sustainability challenges.

Nicola Twilley* is author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves (Penguin Press, June 2024), and co-host of the award-winning Gastropod podcast, which looks at food through the lens of history and science, and which is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network in partnership with Eater. Her first book, Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine, was co-authored with Geoff Manaugh and was named one of the best books of 2021 by Time Magazine, NPR, the Guardian, and the Financial Times. She is a contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of Edible Geography. She lives in Los Angeles.