Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Four podcasts for deeper thinking this summer

By Ryan Maloney, assistant women's volleyball coach



"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature." ~ Marcus Aurelius

I used to be cynical about how much we rely on our cell phones today. A constant temptation, the cell phone seemed a major distraction from the important work of being human.

I've softened my tone though in the past couple years as I've come to realize that cell phones are just the latest manifestation in human thinking. Before that it was computers, before that television and radio, books and newspapers, and before that people simply daydreamed. The medium has changed, but what's important hasn't: the quality of the content. We can choose to consume what's nourishing, or we can waste our time.

Podcasts have made my morning commute a time of nourishment, rather than just a way to get somewhere. Here are four favorites:

1) On Being



Krista Tippett was given the National Humanities Medal by Barack Obama in 2014 for On Being. The show, "examines the animating questions at the center of human life." Her guests have included the 14th Dalai Lama, Maya Angelou, and Desmond Tutu, and center on creativity, meaning, religion, and science.


A staple in the world of radio since the 1980's, Terry Gross has now conducted 1,000's of interviews with the world's most gifted artists, politicians, and scientists on Fresh Air. 



Invisibilia is only a year old, but it currently ranks No. 4 on iTune's list of top podcasts. Co-hosts Lulu Miller and Hanna Rosin team up to explore the ideas, beliefs, and assumptions that shape human behavior.




The format of TED Radio Hour is simple and straightforward, taking related TED talks and housing them in one hour-long radio format. Some past topics include, "The Power of Design," The Case for Optimism," and "What We Fear."