Thinking Aloud

Writer Andrew Lawler speaks with Marcus Smith about the enduring mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, one of America's oldest legends.

Philosopher Christian Miller discusses the nature of character with Marcus Smith.

Cartoonist Ken Krimstein delves into his comic biography about philosopher Hannah Arendt.

Lars Gert Lose, the ambassador from Denmark to the United States, discusses Denmark's social and economic relationship to the United States and the future of the alliance between the EU and the US.

Writer Fiona Sampson speaks about Mary Shelley's life of loss and love and the gender inequity Shelley faced as the woman who wrote "Frankenstein."

Heather Curtis tells the story of a newspaper that gave birth to the ways in which we think about humanitarianism. Dr. Curtis is an Associate Professor of Religion at Tufts University. She is the author of two book and served as the senior editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Religion in America. Among other awards, she has received grants from the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals and the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard University.

Amanda Lotz, renowned media analyst and Professor of Media Studies at the University of Michigan, rolls through the history of television and offers some predictions as to its future. Professor Lotz has authored and coauthored a number of books, most recently We Now Disrupt this Broadcast: How Cable Transformed Television and the Internet Revolutionized It All.

Anna Zeide walks Marcus Smith through the history of the canning industry and tells the story of how consumers came to trust in food that came from a little opque can.

Guest Katherine Benton-Cohen visits with Marcus Smith about the Dillingham Commission and how its legacy is affecting U.S. immigration law today.

Marcus talks about surprise with Dr. Vera Tobin: how it salts our stories, sometimes to great effect, sometimes leaving a bitter taste in our mouths. Vera Tobin is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at Case Western University. Before that, she taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara.