Think from KERA

In this special two hour edition of Think, we’ll discuss the Downtown Dallas shootings and their aftermath with U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson; Doug Kowalski, retired Dallas Police deputy chief and current Prosper Police chief; Meredith Clark, assistant professor at the University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism, and others. We’ll also hear from you. Call us during the show at 800-933-5372. Tweet us @kerathink or e-mail [email protected]

One of the trickiest decisions for a psychiatrist to make is whether or not to prescribe a patient antidepressants. This hour, we’ll talk about how psychiatrists use statistics, analysis and previous experience in making these decisions – and we’ll talk about using these drugs as a tool within a larger treatment plan. We’ll be joined by Brown University medical school psychiatry professor Dr. Peter D. Kramer, author of “Ordinarily Well: The Case for Antidepressants” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).

Sometimes our jobs and families force us to uproot our comfortable lives and move to unfamiliar places. This hour, we’ll talk about how we can grow to embrace these adopted home towns with Melody Warnick, who’s moved six times herself. She’s the author of “This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live” (Viking).

The Internet can be thought of as a civilization all its own – one with its own set of rules and social mores. This hour, we’ll talk about the intersection of our online lives and our real ones – and how they affect each other – with Virginia Heffernan. She explores these ideas and more in her new book, “Magic and Loss: The Internet as Art” (Simon & Schuster).

Some children get nervous by the thought of being away from their parents or having to talk to new people. And that anxiety can interfere with school work, friendships and personal growth. This hour, we’ll talk about strategies for helping kids get past these fears with child psychologist Dr. Kathleen Trainor. She’s the author of “Calming Your Anxious Child: Words to Say and Things to Do” (Johns Hopkins University Press).

Government programs are in place to help impoverished families, orphans, the disabled and the elderly. Sometimes, though, the money from those programs doesn’t make it to the people in need. This hour, we’ll talk about how those funds are often syphoned off by local governments and private businesses – and how we can correct the problem – with University of Baltimore law professor Daniel. L. Hatcher. He writes about the topic in his book, “The Poverty Industry: The Exploitation of America’s Most Vulnerable Citizens” (NYU Press).

To be a young black man in America is to live in conflict. A black president is proof that anything is possible. Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and others remind us that that promise can be taken in an instant. This hour, we’ll talk with Mychal Denzel Smith about coming of age in this environment – and about rethinking assumptions of black masculinity. He explores these topics and more in his book “Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man’s Education” (Nation Books).

As artificial intelligence becomes more refined, autonomous weapons systems could soon become a reality. This hour on Think, in light of recent advances in autonomous robot technology, we’ll talk about the ethics of reducing human involvement in war – and whether we should preemptively ban these machines. Our guest is Michael C. Horowitz, associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania. His essay “Ban Killer Robots? How About Defining Them First” appears in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

The Asian arowana – or “dragon fish” – is known to sell for more than $100,000. The fish is considered a status symbol and good luck charm in parts of Asia, yet it’s protected under the Endangered Species Act in the United States. This hour, we’ll talk about the fascination with this fish – and whether arowana can survive going forward – with Emily Voigt, author of “The Dragon Behind the Glass: A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World’s Most Coveted Fish” (Scribner).

Learning another language teaches you more than just how to communicate differently. It opens the door to another culture. That was Zora O’Neill’s experience learning Arabic. This hour, we’ll talk with her about how she immersed herself in the Middle East, mastered the language and broadened her worldview in the process. She writes about the experience in her memoir, “All Strangers Are Kin: Adventures in Arabic and the Arab World” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).