Shows / Humankind on Public Radio
Humankind on Public Radio
Weekly podcast from public radio’s award-winning program Humankind
Episodes
Humankind on Public RadioHorizons of Focus with David Allen
Learning how to focus on different life horizons—from daily responsibilities to broader personal goals—is covered in this enlightening dialogue about “Making…
Humankind on Public RadioHelping Prisoners to Heal, Pt2
When prisoners are freed — as more than 9 in 10 eventually are, they often are harshly stigmatized. Nationwide, nearly half of those paroled end up back in…
Humankind on Public RadioHelping Prisoners to Heal, Pt1
More than a million Americans are locked in jails and prisons. Helping them recover from earlier trauma can safeguard society. Hear the stories of ex-prisoners…
Humankind on Public RadioLibraries Reimagined, Pt3
In this segment, we examine the importance of early literacy, starting with the simple act of reading aloud to a very young child. Librarians, pediatricians…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Illumination of Rumi
To the astonishment of publishers, Jalaluddin Rumi has become the best-selling poet in America. Rumi’s sensational popularity is notable not only because…
Humankind on Public RadioUncommon Ground, Pt2
The dialogues among women with opposing views on abortion gave new insight into how to handle difference, without dehumanizing those we disagree with. Hear how…
Humankind on Public RadioUncommon Ground, Pt1
In the wake of shocking violence at abortion clinics, two apparent enemies — women representing pro-choice and pro-life factions in the Boston area, where…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Power of the Pardon, Pt2
In today’s pay-to-play political environment, and with almost no rules, is the pardon ripe for abuse? In effect, it’s a “get out of jail free” card, as in the…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Power of the Pardon, Pt1
The Constitution allows the president to grant pardons – originally intended as a way to show mercy. But is the pardon ripe for abuse? Hear the history, from…
Humankind on Public RadioBill Siemering
Hear Bill Siemering, the visionary who helped to found NPR and wrote its initial mission statement, articulate the important role public broadcasting plays in…
Humankind on Public RadioBreaking the Cycle
The stories of people in recovery from alcoholism, who had to work through denial and sometimes harsh consequences on the road to sobriety, which can present…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Social Brain
Daniel Goleman is a former New York Times science reporter specializing in how brain function affects the way we feel and perceive life, particularly how…
Humankind on Public RadioFacing the Unthinkable
The 2023 film ‘Oppenheimer’ reminds us of our unfinished business in the nuclear age. Hear Ira Helfand, an emergency room physician, describe the…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Power of Belief, Pt2
We travel to a Detroit program for pediatric cancer patients founded by a rabbi whose daughter died of cancer. He teaches martial arts to young patients…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Power of Belief, Pt 1
What is the role of a patient’s attitude in facing a serious illness? Are the benefits that many people derive from faith also available to cancer…
Humankind on Public RadioWaste and Want
A community service organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts rescues food that would be routinely discarded by grocers, produce companies and others and…
Humankind on Public RadioJudicial Independence, Pt2
Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere…
Humankind on Public RadioJudicial Independence, Pt1
Have our courts – intended by America’s founders to be an independent arbiter of justice – turned into another political battlefield? Are today’s judges mere…
Humankind on Public RadioHome Cooking
We explore the significant benefits of home-cooked meals, including improved family dynamics, greater likelihood of healthy ingredients, lower costs, reduced…
Humankind on Public RadioIncome Inequality
We consider the dramatic increase in income inequality—now at levels that preceded the Great Depression—and how this wealth gap relates to a host of…
Humankind on Public RadioGenerous Giving
We examine current trends in charitable giving by individuals and foundations with Stacy Palmer, long-time editor of The Chronicle of Philanthropy, and one of…
Humankind on Public RadioJourney of the Deaf-Blind
We hear the story of Mary Gillespie, a woman born with normal hearing and vision, but who developed several illnesses starting at age ten. Gradually, she…
Humankind on Public RadioCulture of Distraction
Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Empire of Illusion”, maintains that our popular culture cannot distinguish between reality and…
Humankind on Public RadioAging in Community, Pt4
Nearly 5 million direct care workers assist America’s older adults. They perform their duties in private homes, residential care settings and nursing…
Humankind on Public RadioAhead of His Time, Charles Sumner, Pt2
A look at how slaveholders mercilessly trafficked in human beings, the outrageous Fugitive Slave Act and the time Sumner was viciously assaulted for his…
Humankind on Public RadioAging in Community, Pt3
Millions of adult children or other relatives are caring for older loved ones. They do this out of love, but the cumulative burden can be heavy. We’ll hear…
Humankind on Public RadioAhead of His Time: The Story of Charles Sumner, Pt1
We examine the remarkable life of Charles Sumner, a U.S. senator from Mass. who boldly championed the abolition of slavery. Sumner coined the phrase…
Humankind on Public RadioMattie Stepanek’s Heartsong
In this poignant profile taped prior to his death due to complications from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, child poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek showed…
Humankind on Public RadioFirst Responders
From firefighters to police officers to the Red Cross and many others, First Responders play an essential role in protecting public safety and helping people…
Humankind on Public RadioStreetworkers
In Providence, Rhode Island, a former Israeli army sergeant, Teny Gross, has become a powerful force in combating youth gang violence, in part by recruiting…
Humankind on Public RadioMothers Out Front
A visit with Mothers Out Front, a fascinating group of mothers who come together (usually at house parties) to focus on the threat that climate change poses to…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Placebo Effect
We explore the mysterious ability of placebos to promote measurable physical healing, even when no medicine is present, and what this tells us about the power…
Humankind on Public RadioHospice Doc Joel Bauman
In this documentary we enter a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs…
Humankind on Public RadioPower of Concentration with George Mumford
George Mumford teaches top athletes the “superpowers” of mindfulness, concentration, insight, right effort and trust as techniques to strengthen…
Humankind on Public RadioLiving Fully with Illness
The power of a patient’s self-reflection as a tool for coping with illness is explored by a nurse scientist who has studied meditation as a health…
Humankind on Public RadioUnintended Consequences(Children of Alcoholics)
We consider the plight of tens of millions of Americans in families and relationships with alcoholics. How does the destabilizing influence of active addiction…
- Humankind on Public Radio
Public Radio in Democracy
Bill Siemering, NPR’s first program director and the author of its inspiring mission statement, recounts the network’s early goal of honoring diversity by…
Humankind on Public RadioBeyond War: Waging Peace, Pt 1
In these special Humankind documentaries, ‘Beyond War’ takes a look back at the last time the U.S. military had major involvement in the Middle East. We…
Humankind on Public RadioNonviolent Communication
It’s been said that we’ve learned how to speak but not necessarily how to communicate. Rarely are we taught the art of deep listening or how to…
Humankind on Public RadioAnthony Burns/Fugitive Slave
In this documentary we explore how federal courts enforced fugitive slave laws. Historians, actors and legal scholars re-create the famous case of a young…
Humankind on Public RadioSteps to Recovery, Pt2
In the second half of our documentary on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, we examine the AA recovery principles that have promoted sobriety for millions of…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Medicine Garden, Pt 1
Herbal remedies: Do they work? Are they safe? In The Medicine Garden, a special series drawn from our archives, you’ll take a fascinating tour of this…
Humankind on Public RadioHospice Doc Joel Bauman
We dive into a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs of palliative…
Humankind on Public RadioPracticing Prevention with Ralph Snyderman
In this episode, we hear from physician Ralph Snyderman, MD, a proponent of preventive medicine, who believes that our health care system should place greater…
Humankind on Public RadioConstant Emergency Pt1
Have we entered an age of unrelenting chaos? As we grope for a “new normal”, has humanity reached a kind of turning point? In this timely audio documentary…
Humankind on Public RadioSeeds of Peace
Take a trip to a pristine spot in Maine for an afternoon spent with Palestinian and Israeli youth as they come together to play, connect, and discuss the…
Humankind on Public RadioConstant Emergency, Pt2
As we grope for a “new normal”, has humanity reached a kind of turning point? It feels that way — in the wake of the Covid pandemic, intensifying…
Humankind on Public RadioHealing the Trauma of War, Pt1
After war, our veterans face a new battle: emotional and spiritual conflict that is normal to human beings who’ve experienced intense brutality. In this…
Humankind on Public RadioBooks to Prisoners
The Prisoners Literature Project, an all-volunteer service based in Berkeley, California, packages and ships books to people who are incarcerated, as a…
Humankind on Public RadioUncommon Ground, Pt1
In the wake of shocking violence at abortion clinics, two apparent enemies — women representing pro-choice and pro-life factions in the Boston area, where…
Humankind on Public RadioAfter-Effects of War with Christal Presley
Christal Presley, an English teacher in Virginia who experienced “secondary trauma” in response to the extreme behavior of her father, a Vietnam-era veteran…
Humankind on Public RadioSteps to Recovery, Pt 2
Alcoholics Anonymous marks its beginning when one hopelessly addicted drunk realized that connecting with a fellow-sufferer would create a safe zone in which…
Humankind on Public RadioSteps to Recovery, Pt 1
Alcoholics Anonymous marks its beginning when one hopelessly addicted drunk realized that connecting with a fellow-sufferer would create a safe zone in which…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Way of Tao, Pt 2
Jonathan Star took twelve years to master the nuances of ancient Chinese in his quest to produce a remarkably lucid and evocative English translation of Lao…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Way of Tao, Pt 1
Jonathan Star took twelve years to master the nuances of ancient Chinese in his quest to produce a remarkably lucid and evocative English translation of Lao…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Practice of Forgiveness, Pt 2
Author and prison therapist Robin Casarjian reframes the act of forgiveness not to condone hurtful behavior but as a shift in perception that allows us not to…
Humankind on Public RadioAging in Community, pt. 2: Participants
Within a decade, America will be looking different. In addition to other demographic changes, 70 million Baby Boomers are now entering their retirement years…
Humankind on Public RadioThe Practice of Forgiveness, Pt 1
Author and prison therapist Robin Casarjian reframes the act of forgiveness not to condone hurtful behavior but as a shift in perception that allows us not to…
- Humankind on Public Radio
Aging in Community, pt. 1: Connecting to Community
Within a decade, America will be looking different. In addition to other demographic changes, 70 million Baby Boomers are now entering their retirement years…
- Humankind on Public Radio
Judicial Independence, pt. 4: Term Limits
The Constitution specifies that once federal judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, they can hold their office “during good…