Friday, December 6, 2019, 5:55am
Board game critic Eric Thurm argues that games carry subliminal messages — and that even some of the most innocuous games are often more political than we think.
Sunday, December 1, 2019, 1:00pm
Reading books isn't always the best way to learn. Some things you need to learn from your elders, and their wisdom has often been passed down through the generations. We celebrate traditional ways of knowing - from the Potawatomi knowledge of the plant world to the Norwegian folk wisdom of how to chop and burn wood.
Saturday, November 30, 2019, 3:00pm
It's a golden age for board games. Favorites like Catan and Pandemic are selling more than ever. But board games go way back in human history. This week, we investigate the history of mahjong. We hear about an anti-semitic board game from Nazi Germany. And the sadistic culture of elite-level chess.
Sunday, December 1, 2019, 1:00pm
Reading books isn't always the best way to learn. Some things you need to learn from your elders, and their wisdom has often been passed down through the generations. We celebrate traditional ways of knowing - from the Potawatomi knowledge of the plant world to the Norwegian folk wisdom of how to chop and burn wood.
Saturday, November 30, 2019, 3:35pm
Board games are a tradition for a lot of us. But have you ever thought about where those traditions come from? Producer Angelo Bautista investigates the history of mahjong.
Saturday, November 30, 2019, 3:00pm
It's a golden age for board games. Favorites like Catan and Pandemic are selling more than ever. But board games go way back in human history. This week, we investigate the history of mahjong. We hear about an anti-semitic board game from Nazi Germany. And the sadistic culture of elite-level chess.
Friday, November 29, 2019, 3:15pm
Chess has a reputation as a highly-intelligent, elegant game. But sportswriter Brin-Jonathan Butler says it’s also addictive — and sadistic.
Sunday, November 24, 2019, 1:00pm
Most of us will never know what really happens behind bars. Prisons are generally off limits to the public and press, but several new investigations are drawing attention to the conditions in many of our nation's jails. This hour, what should a prison be?
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 3:00pm
It creeps into everything from exercise to diet, from jobs to relationships: guilt that we're not good enough, fit enough, smart enough. Why do we spend so much time feeling guilty? This week, how social media, reality TV and religion fuel a culture of perfectionism
Sunday, November 24, 2019, 1:00pm
Most of us will never know what really happens behind bars. Prisons are generally off limits to the public and press, but several new investigations are drawing attention to the conditions in many of our nation's jails. This hour, what should a prison be?
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 3:00pm
It creeps into everything from exercise to diet, from jobs to relationships: guilt that we're not good enough, fit enough, smart enough. Why do we spend so much time feeling guilty? This week, how social media, reality TV and religion fuel a culture of perfectionism
Sunday, November 17, 2019, 1:00pm
Can we ever get inside the mind of an animal? Learn how an octopus or parrot experiences the world? this week, meet some naturalists and philosophers who are trying -- including a man who wants to be a badger so much, he tried living in a hole in the ground and eating worms.
Thursday, November 21, 2019, 3:25pm
Author Lucas Mann writes that calling reality TV a guilty pleasure is "the dumbest cultural cliche." "To the Best of Our Knowledge" producer Haleema Shah asked him about his book "Captive Audience," which is about his relationship with reality TV and the person he watches it with — his wife.
Saturday, November 16, 2019, 3:00pm
Is there a book you can’t forget? A book that left a mark on you? To the Best of Our Knowledge has just launched a brand-new micro-podcast. It’s called Bookmarks. Tiny stories from writers, about the books they love most. This week, we’ll preview Season One and celebrate books and reading with an eclectic cast of writers from around the country.
Sunday, November 17, 2019, 1:00pm
Can we ever get inside the mind of an animal? Learn how an octopus or parrot experiences the world? this week, meet some naturalists and philosophers who are trying -- including a man who wants to be a badger so much, he tried living in a hole in the ground and eating worms.
Saturday, November 16, 2019, 3:00pm
Is there a book you can’t forget? A book that left a mark on you? To the Best of Our Knowledge has just launched a brand-new micro-podcast. It’s called Bookmarks. Tiny stories from writers, about the books they love most. This week, we’ll preview Season One and celebrate books and reading with an eclectic cast of writers from around the country.
Friday, November 15, 2019, 3:25pm
New York Times Book Review Editor Pamela Paul on why reading — and more importantly, a deep connection to when, why, where and how of what we read — is so important at every age.
Friday, November 15, 2019, 6:00am
Author Susan Orlean on how the worst library fire in American history brought an entire city together to save 700,000 books.
Sunday, November 10, 2019, 1:00pm
Where do you go to find models of powerful women? The ancient world was full of them, real and mythic, but today we barely know their names. Why? This week we rediscover the women of ancient myths and legends.
Saturday, November 9, 2019, 3:00pm
Trees talk to each other, and even form alliances with other trees or other species. Some are incredibly old — the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years. In this hour, we explore the science and history of trees.
