Karen Armstrong is the author of nearly 20 books on religion. She tells Steve Paulson that traditions from Confucianism to Judaism emerged as responses to the rampant violence of their time. And she says our own time has a lot in common with that age.
In 2003, Craig Mullaney led an infantry rifle platoon along the hostile border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Bennett Alan Weinberg walks Anne Strainchamps through the science of caffeine. Sure it’s an addictive drug, but it has its good points!
Why do certain foods fall out of favor? Aaron Bobrow-Strain tracked the rise and fall of white bread for a book on the subject. He believes our anxieties about food often reflect larger social questions.
Author Chuck Klosterman's Dangerous Idea? Laugh tracks are the most philosophically stupid thing. Ever.
We've interviewed Klosterman a number of times, here's a link to more interviews with him.
David Mitchell talks about his latest novel, "The Bone Clocks," why he likes to jump between different literary genres, and how he became obsessed with questions about death and immortality.
