NPR religion reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty is a practicing Christian who interviewed mystics, skeptics and a wide range of scientists to see if her faith could really stand up to the latest scientific research.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Rehman here. This story quite literally hit close to home for me. I grew up just about an hour away from the suburb it takes place in, and until working on this story, I never would have imagined that building a mosque could be so controversial, especially in a place as cosmopolitan as Chicago. Standing under its massive dome, I was struck by the odd realization that a building could simultaneously be a haven and source of community for some, and symbol of fear and hatred for others. Though the story took place more than a decade ago, it seems we’re still wrestling with many of the same questions around religious inclusion and American identity.
On a foggy summer night, eleven people depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet bound for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the plane plunges into the ocean and only two people survive. This is how the new novel, "Before the Fall," opens. It's one of the best suspense novels of the year. The author is Noah Hawley, who's made a name for himself as the executive producer and writer of the award-winning TV series, "Fargo." And yes, "Fargo" is inspired by the Coen Brothers' film of the same name.
Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor of The New Yorker, recommends E.O. Wilson's "The Meaning of Human Existence."
Charles Eisenstein's Dangerous Idea? Questioning our core beliefs can change our world.
Researchers have discovered that cats have their own taste in music. It sounds nothing like that crap you listen to.
Karl Marx biographer Francis Wheen tells Steve Paulson his subject was a thoroughly bourgeois man who chose utter penury.
Chris Gray is the author of “Cyborg Citizen.” He thinks anyone whose body has been artificially altered by technology is a cyborg. Forget bionic limbs, he means even people who’ve had vaccinations!
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