Wonder Cabinet

By Wonder Cabinet ProductionsSociety & Culture Philosophy

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Typical duration
45 min
per episode

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Wonder Cabinet episodes

October 13, 2016 The Problem With Men's Locker Rooms and Women's Restrooms
Why Donald Trump's locker rooms and sex-segregated bathrooms are a bad idea
18 min
October 09, 2016 Time Travel
We explore our obsession with time travel and what it can teach us about ourselves. Why Are We So Obsessed with Time Travel?; Going Back in Time to Prevent a Tragedy; Reliving Groundhog Day; A Radical New View of Time ; A Novel Based on a Real-Life Time Capsule.
52 min
October 06, 2016 Why Some People Shouldn't Vote
It would be hard to imagine a more fundamental American value than democracy. For centuries, disenfranchised people have fought for the right to vote. But would we be better off if fewer peoplevoted - if only the people who actually know about public policy were allowed to vote? What if democracy itself is the problem with our government? That's the radical idea of Georgetown philosopher Jason Brennan (author of "Against Democracy"), who says most voters are shockingly ignorant of basic political issues. In this extended interview with Steve Paulson, Brennan proposes "the rule of the knowledgeable."
24 min
October 02, 2016 Our Mysterious Universe
For all the amazing discoveries that scientists have made, the cosmos is still full of mysteries - from dark matter to quantum entanglement. Will physicists ever explain the universe, or is it fundamentally unknowable? We explore the frontiers of physics and ponder what it means to live with mystery Did We Find an Alien Civilization?; The Unknowable Universe; Is Quantum Entanglement for Real?; In the Newton Archives; On Being Terry Gilliam.
52 min
October 02, 2016 Fermentation
Celebrate Live Culture: Exploring the Fermentation Revival Ferment This!; You Won't Believe What They Eat In Iceland; Smells Bad, Tastes Bad, Covered in Slime; Grow Your Own Clothes; The Day The Yogurt Took Over; What Your Poo Says About You; Dangerous Idea: Human Vices Help Drive Evolution; What Comes After Homo Sapiens?.
52 min
September 25, 2016 Locked Up
Most of us will never know what really happens behind bars. Prisons are generally off limits to the public and press, but a national prisoner strike on the 45th anniversary of the Attica Prison riot is drawing new attention to the conditions in many of our nation's jails. This hour, what should a prison be?
How The Attica Prison Riot Fueled Mass Incarceration in America; Working Undercover As A Private Prison Guard; In Defense of Flogging; Norway's Unusual Approach to Imprisonment; How To Reduce Mass Incarceration; Exploring the Emotional Roots of Justice.
52 min
September 22, 2016 Colson Whitehead's "Underground Railroad"
One of this year's big novels is Colson Whitehead's sweeping historical novel, "The Underground Railroad." It's an unflinching look at the experience of slavery, inspired by the classic slave narratives. And being a sci-fi geek, Whitehead also weaves in bits of fantasy, creating an alternative history that features an actual underground railroad and other historical oddities. In this extended podcast interview, Whitehead tells Steve Paulson that he wasn't going to stick to the facts, but he did stick to the truth.
26 min
September 18, 2016 Being Broke and White
There’s a powerful new voting bloc in America. They’re white, working class, and they live in places that have been left behind. We'll talk with "Hillbilly Elegy" author J.D. Vance, and country music star Brandy Clark joins us in the studio to play some music and talk about her hometown.
Hillbilly Elegy; Big Day in a Small Town; In the Century of Rust; Smart Decline; The Future of Whiteness.
53 min
September 18, 2016 Automate It
Automated machines are taking over our lives. They're not the scary robots you see in movies, but more and more of today's technology - from smart phones to airplanes - is automated. And some of the world's biggest companies are racing to come up with a "master algorithm" - a formula that will let machines learn anything. This could lead to self-driving cars and even a cure for cancer. But do we want to give machines so much control?
The Quest for the Master Algorithm; App Intelligence; Is Automation Ruining Our Lives?; They Had Androids in the Enlightenment?; Stephen Wolfram on Computer Creativity; Garth Hallberg's "City on Fire".
52 min
September 15, 2016 Lithium And Lies: A True Story About Sex, Drugs and Mania
Public radio producer Charles Monroe-Kane confronts the truth about the years he spent self-treating his mental illness with a dangerous mix of hard drugs and alcohol
20 min

About Wonder Cabinet

From the publisher's feed

Wonder Cabinet is an independent podcast from Anne Strainchamps and Steve Paulson, Peabody Award-winning creators of public radio's To The Best Of Our Knowledge. For 35 years, that show…