Wonder Cabinet

It’s really hard to exaggerate the influence that Philip Glass has had on contemporary classical music. In honor of his eightieth birthday, here's a re-aired conversation with the composer about his memoir, "Words Without Music."

The story of Adam and Eve is as old as sin.  But it’s a lot more than a Bible story. Original Sin at the Heart of All Political Divides; The Imprint of Original Sin on Western Culture; A Blessing in the Garden; When Sin Bears Fruit.

There are nearly 250 million migrants across the world right now. Some will be escaping war or oppression, others will be seeking out freedom or economic prosperity, but whatever the reason, the kind of life they're looking for lies across a border that's policed and restricted. What if it didn't have to be that way? This hour, we explore a world without borders. Artist Molly Crabapple On Why Borders Are Unnecessary; The Case For Open Borders; Why Borders Are Becoming Irrelevant; Rethinking The History Of Mass Migration In America; Life As An Undocumented Immigrant; The Hidden Life of An Economic Migrant.

There are nearly 250 million migrants across the world right now. Some will be escaping war or oppression, others will be seeking out freedom or economic prosperity, but whatever the reason, the kind of life they're looking for lies across a border that's policed and restricted. What if it didn't have to be that way? This hour, we explore a world without borders.

We find ourselves wondering how legendary muckrakers might have reacted to some of these first Trump press briefings.

How do you cope with unpleasant people? When there’s no escape and you’re stuck with someone you can’t stand, what do you do? What Sartre Meant by “Hell is Other People”; His Other Name Rhymes with “Glass Poles”; The Case Against Empathy; Why It Pays to Be Civil; Two Years Living Under Glass.

Nearly 20 million households in America are one paycheck away from losing their homes. For many of these families, keeping a roof over their head means having to choose between the rent or dinner that evening. This hour, we explore how housing insecurity drives poverty in America. Living Hand To Mouth In America; How America's Eviction Epidemic Drives Poverty; Root Shock: How Urban Renewal Destroys Entire Communities; Finding A Way Home; A Simple Solution To End Homelessness In America; Why An Iconic Folk Musician Stopped Playing And Started Making Instruments.

In this hour, we explore why we love conspiracy theories and why we believe them. The United States of Paranoia; Suspicious Minds; Hip-Hop and the Illuminati; UFO Conspiracy Theories; Art, Conspiracy, and Mark Lombardi.

In this podcast, Mark Greif, co-founder of the literary magazine n+1 and author of “Against Everything,” reflects on the art of being a cultural critic.

Computer scientists are closing in on the next frontier in artificial intelligence — machines that can create. But don’t throw away your paintbrush yet. Machine Music Theory 101; Cracking the “Bestseller Code”; My Robot Could Paint That; Creative Differences with Android Lloyd Webber; Nothing Left To Do But Write Songs.