What to do with your sadness, pain, and grief
How can we find happiness? That’s an old question. Since the beginning of philosophy people have been wondering what makes us happy and how to get more of it. But if you’re a real person…
What do animals feel?
Can you ever really know what’s going on inside the mind of another creature? In some cases, like other humans, or dogs and cats, we might be able to guess with a bit of confidence.…
Are men okay?
This week, host Sean Illing gets personal when he asks professor and podcast host Scott Galloway: What’s going on with men? There’s a growing body of evidence that men are falling behind in education, the…
How to feel alive
The sheer feeling of aliveness. We all know what that is, even though it comes in many different forms. Maybe it’s going for a long run at night. Or free-climbing a mountain. Or an intense…
The antidote to climate anxiety
In this episode, host Sean Illing speaks with marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson about her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures. Johnson approaches climate change with informed optimism, encouraging us…
America’s reactionary moment
What just happened? It’s been almost two weeks since the presidential election, and many Americans are still grappling with the result. The political reckoning will probably last for months, if not years, and we may…
Well this is awkward
Philosopher Alexandra Plakias says there are no awkward people, only awkward situations. In her book, Awkwardness: A Theory, Plakias explains the difference between embarrassment and awkwardness, how awkwardness can be used by people in power as…
What just happened, and what comes next
This has been an unusual week. Sean and the TGA team are still sifting through it all and figuring out what to think about the presidential election. In the meantime, our colleague Jonquilyn Hill has leapt…
Does being “woke” do any good?
What does it mean to be “woke”? It’s become a catchall term to smear or dismiss anything that has any vague association with progressive politics. As a result, anytime you venture into an argument about…
Is America collapsing like Ancient Rome?
What can ancient Rome teach us about American democracy? The Roman Republic fell for a lot of reasons: The state became too big and chaotic; the influence of money and private interests corrupted public institutions;…