Life Examined

Global loneliness and the wonders of human touch

In the wake of the pandemic, there is much to be done to restore human connectivity, but loneliness is hardly a new phenomena. Long periods of isolated living in an increasingly virtual world is taking a toll on our health. 

The philosophy of middle age: From projects to process

Jonathan Bastian talks with philosopher Kieran Setiya, author of “Midlife: A Philosophical Guide”  about the meaning and feeling of hitting midlife and how philosophy helped provide answers to Setiya’s own anxieties and perceived failures. Later, Geoff Dyer, author of “The Last Days of Roger Federer And Other Endings” examines what it means to give up something you love and why last works and best works don’t need to follow a chronological order. Delve deeper into life, philosophy, and what makes us human by joining the Life Examined discussion group on Facebook.

Predicting the future: The true story of the Premonitions Bureau

Jonathan Bastian talks with Sam Knight, staff writer for the new Yorker, about his latest book, “The Premonitions Bureau: A True Account of Death Foretold.” Knight tells the true story of British psychiatrist John Barker, who after learning that several people had predicted the 1966 Aberfan disaster in Wales, became convinced that premonitions and the ability to see into the future were real. “[Barker] had this idea to call a friend of his who was a science reporter at the Evening Standard in London,” Knight says, “to put out a national call for premonitions.” Delve deeper into life, philosophy, and what makes us human by joining the Life Examined discussion group on Facebook.

Behind the front lines of drug legalization and harm reduction

On this week’s Life Examined, we’re teaming up with KCRW’s Bodies podcast. In “Do Less Harm,” the second episode of the new season, producer Hannah Harris Green travels to West Virginia, where despite government push back, activists are handing out clean needles and the opioid overdose medication Narcan. Host Jonathan Bastian talks with Green and Bodies creator and host Allison Behringer about their new season and Green’s experience meeting people who use drugs in rural West Virginia. We also hear from Dr. Carl Hart, Columbia University psychologist and author of  “Drug Use for Grown Ups,” on why he thinks the legalization of recreational drug use is important. 

Robert Macfarlane on nature, language, and music

Jonathan Bastian talks with Robert Macfarlane, fellow at Emmanuel College at Cambridge University, about his love of the mountains and his latest fascination with the subterranean world, which is the subject of his latest book, “Underland: A Deep Time Journey.” 
“I'm fascinated by where matter meets metaphor,” Macfarlane says. “The underworld is … this unbiddable, scarcely known, deep ground that we walk on every day, we walk on the crust, our feet are the things that keep us in contact with the earth, they are palms, as it were, to the ground.”
Macfarlane also shares his passion for language and metaphor in nature and his latest musical project, “Lost in The Cedar Wood.” with singer/songwriter Johnny Flynn. 
Delve deeper into life, philosophy, and what makes us human by joining the Life Examined discussion group on Facebook.

The weaponization of shame

Cathy O’Neil talks about the increase and profiteering in public shaming. Siva Vaidhyanathan asks whether shame is an effective tool against racism and to promote social justice.

Is gender innate?

Primatologist Frans de Waal examines the significance of biology and culture on gendered behavior, and neuroscientist Lise Eliot debunks the theory that the male and female brains are different.

Dogs: The science behind their success

Jonathan Bastian talks with Clive Wynne, psychologist and founder of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, about the science behind studying dogs and what makes them so unique. Wynne, also the author of “Dog is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You,” says that, “dogs, like ourselves, have a capacity, drive, and desire to have strong emotional bonds with members of other species.” Delve deeper into life, philosophy, and what makes us human by joining the Life Examined discussion group on Facebook.

Understanding anxiety —and its surprising upside

Jonathan Bastian talks with Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Emotion Regulation Lab at Hunter College, about the anxiety epidemic and her book “Future Tense; Why Anxiety Is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad).” “Anxiety is a feature of being human,” Dennis-Tiwary says. “It’s not a bug, it's not a malfunction. We can learn and work through it.” Delve deeper into life, philosophy, and what makes us human by joining the Life Examined discussion group on Facebook.

Rabbi Steve Leder: Uvalde shooting, navigating grief, and ‘ethical wills’

Jonathan Bastian talks with Steve Leder, the senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles about tragedy, grief, and the loss of a child in the aftermath of the massacre in Uvalde, Texas. Rabbi Leder also discusses his new book “For You When I Am Gone: Twelve Essential Questions to Tell a Life Story,” the legacy we leave behind when we die, and the writing of an “ethical will.” Delve deeper into life, philosophy, and what makes us human by joining the Life Examined discussion group on Facebook.