Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is thought to be the oldest epic poem ever written, created in 2000 BCE. Throughout time, poetry has stayed constant, with greats like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Henry Thoreau publishing cherished works still topical today. John Kenney is a modern poet whose work is frequently featured in the New Yorker. He’s best known for his …
Two years ago, NBC debuted a strange new comedy show called The Good Place. It was written by Michael Schur, a writer on The Office and the creator of Parks & Recreation, so people were willing to get it a change… but it’s logline was pretty out-there. It’s a half-hour comedy about people who died in the afterlife and, specifically, about Eleanor …
We all love a good theater performance. But are theater and performance good strategies to affect social change? Our guest thinks so. He’s a performer, writer and educator who uses serious play and theater to help change people’s minds and change society for the better.
Comedy is all around us: all over social media, in advertisements, even on church signs. Former Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings says that while it can be fun, it does come at a cost when jokes are made in arenas where they're inappropriate. We discuss the history and impact of jokes on our culture.
Authors Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein use humor to explain philosophical beliefs from deep thinkers, like Immanuel Kant and John Locke.
Authors Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein authors join the show to tell stories, crack jokes, and clarify some of the big ideas of philosophy.
This week's guest, Larry Bogad is a performer, writer and educator who uses serious play and theater to help change people’s minds and change society for the better.
Sometimes talking about serious subjects - even with friends and family - can cause arguments and bad feelings. But just as Mary Poppins said, “…a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down,” humor can make the discussion of serious subjects go down easier. Our guests are two very talented and funny people who use humor, satire and irony to make their …
Everyone likes a good comedy show, and these days there seems to be a comedian around every corner. Comedy club comics, television shows, movies and plays that try to make us laugh at the absurdities of life are very popular, but did you ever wonder just how they come up with their material? We talk to a veteran comedy writer about the process of writing …
Sometimes talking about serious subjects, even with friends and family, can cause arguments and bad feelings. But just as Mary Poppins said, “…a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down,” humor can make the discussion of serious subjects go down easier. Our guests are two very talented and funny people who use humor, satire and irony to make their points …
