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Thinking Aloud episodes
- Daniel Mark: Western Democratic Values--Embracing Them in a Dangerous WorldDaniel Mark is a political philosopher who thinks that many threats exist now to basic American values as enshrined in the Constitution. When thinking about both domestic and international affairs, we would do well to put those values in the forefront of our individual and collective minds.29 min
- Kerry Mitchell: How National Parks Create and Manage Emotions of Spirituality
Whether you realize it or not, America’s great national parks are not just presented “as they really are.” The experience of encountering a national park is one that has been studied, managed, and tweeked by generations of park rangers and planners until just the right emotion is most effectively, most unnoticeably achieved. And in more times than not, the emotion our nation’s park planners are after is one of spirituality, of somehow linking your experience with nature to your experiences of god. It is a very interesting, sophisticated process and one that allows all of us to enjoy our national, natural treasures to the highest degree possible—though never in some untouched, unmediated way. Today's guest on Thinking Aloud discusses how and why we feel what we feel when in our national parks.
0 min - Crina Geschwandtner: Religious Experience as a Topic of Serious Scholarly StudyThe philosopher of religion Crina Geschwandtner is determined to help show the academic world that personal religious experience is a topic worthy of serious scholarly study. Spiritual experiences are often thought in the academy to be intellectual fluff--the subjective ghost stories of uneducated fools. Geschwandtner is one of several philosophers helping to give her area of inquiry growing intellectual heft and value.28 min
- Byron Adams: Science in Antarctica--Researching Worms at the Earth's BottomToday's Thinking Aloud is about Antarctica, that huge continent way down south that only rarely enters onto our radar screens. Our guest is BYU biologist Byron Adams who has spent two months a year for the last 14 years studying a species of nematode worm found nowhere else on earth. Why this worm? Because its ability to exist in a state of suspended animation for centuries at a time during periods of extreme cold (ya know, like in Antarctica), has huuuuuuge potential benefits for preserving all kinds of things in the future: cheese, bacon, more worms, and above all, humans when they undertake long-distance space travel.29 min
- Jennifer Ackerman: The Genius of Birds--A Look at One of Nature's Real Brainiacs (rebroadcast)Jennifer Ackerman’s new book The Genius of Birds shows thatour planet’s ubiquitous birds are far more intelligent, sophisticated, andsocially complex than we ever realized before. On today’s Thinking Aloud, host Marcus Smith talks to her aboutstartling new research into the complex mental lives of these most seemingly common ofterrestrial inhabitants.30 min
- Eben Kirksey: Emergent Ecologies--Serendipitous Happenings in the Environment (rebroadcast)In an age where most of humanity is very snugly set in its artificial and destructive ways, the thought of trying to actually restore nature to its former glory may seem farfetched or hopeless. But one scientist isn’t giving up hope, Eben Kirksey, author of the book Emergent Ecologies believes that while there may not be a return to the way things were, that the new species and ecosystems springing up around us may be something to celebrate. He shows us that with a little thoughtful care, humanity’s mistakes could become serendipitous opportunities for growth.30 min
- Winifred Gallagher: How the Post Office Created America: A History (rebroadcast)In the age of overnight shipping and the internet's instant communication, it's easy to forget the incredibly central role that the U.S. Post Office once played in American life. As well, it's also easy to overlook the fact that it continues to play a huge role in the American economy in the 21st century. Today's guest is here to discuss her new history of the U.S. Post Office, an institution which continues to be crucial to American life.30 min
- David Saperstein: The U.S. Response to Ongoing Global Threats to Religious FreedomDavid N. Saperstein is the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. He thus serves as the USA’s chief diplomat on issues of religious freedom worldwide. Today he discusses the very real threats to religious freedom around the globe and what can be done to protect it.29 min
- Brenden Rensink: Native Americans and the US Borderlands--New Historical Insights (rebroadcast)In perhaps the most famous address ever by a U.S. historian, Frederick Jackson Turner pronounced in 1893 that it was the existence of a western frontier that gave America its unique identity. Today's guest is a specialist in borderlands studies and is here to teach us about more recent, updated approaches to thinking about America's immense borders.30 min
- Gerald Horne: How Haiti's Slave Revolt and Independence Changed HistoryThe revolution that brought Haiti Independence and freedom for its slaves was much more central to American history than many of us were given to understand back in grade school. Historian Gerald Horne addresses the lasting impact of this monumental chapter in the history of the Western World.0 min
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BYUradio Thinking Aloud Podcast