KERA

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-22-16_HR_2.mp3 For the entirety of recorded history, there has been conflict in the world. So talking about what it would take to achieve a lasting peace is maybe a little ambitious. That’s exactly what we’ll do, though, when we’re joined by a panel of North Texas philosophers and academics, who’ve agreed to work through the question: What would it take to have peace on Earth?

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-21-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] America is home to thousands of miles of hiking trails. Silas Chamberlin joins us to talk about how they got there – and about how the 19th Century urban walking clubs developed into a leisure activity practiced in every state in the union. His new book is called “On the Trail: A History of American Hiking” (Yale University Press).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-21-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] Canada’s tar sands contain some of the world’s dirtiest oil. That doesn’t mean energy companies aren’t interested in excavating it, though. We’ll talk about the effect that drilling for oil in Alberta will have on climate change with Neela Banerjee, who writes about the topic for InsideClimate News. We’ll also get the perspective of Alan Jeffers, Exxon mobile media relations manager, about the company’s role in the dialogue about the risks of climate change.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-20-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] Whether in a hot toddy or on the rocks, there’s a good chance whiskey will be poured during this month’s holiday parties. Firestone and Robertson Distilling Company head distiller Rob Arnold and TCU chemistry professor Eric Simanek join us to talk about how grain and water combine to make bourbon, rye and scotch. They explain the process in “Shots of Knowledge: The Science of Whiskey” (TCU Press).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-20-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] Racism is generally considered an ugly personality trait. It might be more than that, though. Sander L. Gilman, a psychiatry professor at Emory University, joins us to talk about classifying racism as a mental illness. He writes about the idea in “Are Racists Crazy: How Prejudice, Racism, and Antisemitism Became Markers of Insanity” (NYU Press).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-19-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] In a recent interview with Fox News, President-Elect Donald Trump said it’s unnecessary for him to receive the daily intelligence briefing. And he’s been skeptical of the CIA’s investigation into Russian influence on the presidential election. Joshua Rovner, chair of International Politics and National Security at SMU, joins us to talk about what’s at stake if the future president ignores the intelligence community.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-19-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] By now, we generally anticipate a future that includes self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and other advancements. And that means now is the time to prepare for the effect these leaps forward will have on our lives. Futurist Amy Webb joins us to talk about getting ready for what’s to come, which she writes about in “The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is Tomorrow’s Mainstream” (PublicAffairs).

Parents, supervisors and teachers spend much of their days trying to energize those in their care to make the most of their lives. This hour, we’ll talk about strategies for motivating others with Duke professor of psychology and behavioral economics Dan Ariely. He writes about the topic in “Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations” (TED). http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-15-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3]

People who run for public office or lead large organizations have to be at least narcissistic enough to believe they are the best person for the job. This hour, we’ll talk about the opposite of narcissism – humility – and the role it plays in leadership with Ashley Merryman. She explores the idea in a recent edition of the Washington Post. http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-15-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3]

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-14-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] In the last decade, a small but influential part of the populace has returned to vinyl records, film cameras and other tangible things once thought useless in our digital world. This hour, we’ll talk about the enduring appeal of tangibility with David Sax, author of “The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter” (PublicAffairs).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-14-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] Since the Industrial Revolution, humankind hasn’t been a very good steward of the only planet known to support life. This hour, we’ll talk about the scientists, elected officials and philanthropists working to reverse that trend and save the world with TED science curator David Biello, author of “The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake Civilization in Earth’s Newest Age” (Scribner).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-13-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] Innovation is often the brainchild of creative people sitting back and daydreaming about a better world. This hour, we’ll talk about how history has been shaped by the pursuit of amusement with Steven Johnson, creator of the PBS series “How We Got to Now.” His latest book is called “Wonderland: How Play Made the Modern World” (Riverhead Books).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-13-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] Stephen Breyer has served as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court since 1994. This hour, we’ll talk with him about his career on the bench – and about his newest book, “The Court and the World: American Law and the New Global Realities” (Vintage Books). He’s in town for events today and tomorrow with the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-12-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] American parents often focus on teaching their young children to be more independent. Moms and dads in other parts of the world, though, take different approaches. This hour, we’ll talk with parenting experts Robert and Sarah LeVine about what we can learn from other cultures when it comes to child rearing. They write about their decades of research in “Do Parents Matter? Why Japanese Babies Sleep Soundly, Mexican Siblings Don’t Fight, and American Families Should Just Relax” (Public Affairs).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-12-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] This month, President-Elect Donald Trump has announced a steady stream of cabinet appointees. This hour, we’ll talk about building smooth transitions from one administration to the next with G. Edward DeSeve of the Brookings Institute. He writes about the topic in “The Presidential Appointee’s Handbook” (Brookings).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-08-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] Much of the time, we have little control over events that negatively affect our lives. We do, however, have some say in how we react to our worlds being turned upside down. This hour, we’ll talk about how to think clearly and keep our feelings in check during a crisis with Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David. She’s the author of “Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life” (Avery).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-08-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] We all feel more productive when well-rested. So why is our downtime such a low priority? This hour, we’ll talk about the idea of “deliberate rest” – and about strategies to incorporate it into our busy schedules – with Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, a visiting scholar at Stanford. He writes about the topic in “Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” (Basic Books).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-07-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3] Two years ago, 276 school girls were kidnapped in Nigeria by Boko Haram. Since then, some have been freed, others escaped and at least six have died. This hour, we’ll talk about how the kidnapping has affected families – and about ongoing efforts to rescue the remaining students – with Helon Habila. He’s the author of “The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings and Islamist Militancy in Nigeria” (Columbia Global Reports).

http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-07-16_HR_1.mp3[Download MP3] In the 20th Century, the white working class occupied the political and economic middle in both the United States and Great Britain. This hour, we’ll talk about how many in this demographic have come to feel disenfranchised and taken up positions on the political margins with George Mason University’s Justin Gest. He’s the author of “The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Era of Immigration and Inequality” (Oxford).

Dolphins, chimpanzees and other mammals are among the smartest creatures on Earth. Deep in the ocean, though, lives another class of highly intelligent animals – cephalopods. This hour, we’ll talk about how the octopus and its close relatives were likely the first to develop a complex nervous system – and about how that evolution took place independent of land animals – with City University of New York professor Peter Godfrey-Smith. He’s the author of “Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness” (Farrar Straus and Giroux). http://traffic.libsyn.com/kerathink/KERA_Think_12-06-16_HR_2.mp3[Download MP3]