Maybe people 30,000 years ago weren't so different from us. That's one of Werner Herzog's takeaways from seeing the ancient paintings in Chauvet Cave. The renowned filmmaker describes his own experience of awe when he encountered this prehistoric art.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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Actor Tracy Arnold reads excerpts from the email of Rachel Corrie, the young American peace activist who was recently killed by an Israeli Army bulldozer in the Gaza Strip.
Thomas Groome tells Steve Paulson that, according to the Catholic Church, Hell is not an actual, fiery place. It's a state of eternal alienation and isolation resulting from our own moral choices.
British novelist Will Self has written some very strange books. His latest is called “How the Dead Live.”
Reporter Scott Wallace joined Brazilian explorer Sidney Posseulo on an expedition deep into the Amazon in search of one of the last uncontacted tribes, the Arrow People.
William La Fleur is the author of “Liquid Life: Abortion and Buddhism in Japan.” He tells Anne Strainchamps about the Japanese mizuko rituals which are a form of public apology addressed to aborted fetuses.
Stephen Greenblatt tells the remarkable story of how the discovery of an ancient poem helped launch the Scientific Revolution. Also, an excerpt from Lucretius' poem "On the Nature of Things."
Before the Internet, a good memory wasn't just useful; it was prized as a sign of intelligence. And there were memory geniuses who developed mental tricks for storing information. Philosopher and novelist Simon Critchley delves into the fascinating history of the memory palace, which once promised almost God-like wisdom.
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