To The Best Of Our Knowledge
Wisconsin Public Radio
”To the Best of Our Knowledge” is a Peabody award-winning national public radio show that explores big ideas and beautiful questions. Deep interviews with philosophers, writers, artists, scientists, historians, and others help listeners find new sources of meaning, purpose, and wonder in daily life. Whether it’s about bees, poetry, skin, or psychedelics, every episode is an intimate, sound-rich journey into open-minded, open-hearted conversations. Warm and engaging, TTBOOK helps listeners feel less alone and more connected – to our common humanity and to the world we share.For more from the TTBOOK team, visit us at ttbook.org.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 9, 2019 • 52min
The Secret Language of Trees [Rebroadcast]
Trees talk to each other, and even form alliances with other trees or other species. Some are incredibly old — the root mass of aspens might live 100,000 years. In this hour, we explore the science and history of trees.
Guests:
Mark Hirsch, Richard Powers, Suzanne Simard, Amos Clifford, Daegan Miller
Nov 2, 2019 • 52min
Going Underground
Scientists and explorers have found a whole new world under our feet. It's an exciting place, and it's changing what we know about the planet and ourselves.
Guests:
Robert Macfarlane, Jill Heinerth, Ben Holtzman, Werner Herzog, Christine Desdemaines-Hugon
Oct 26, 2019 • 52min
Rituals of Fear
What if experiencing dread — the horror of it all — is good for you?
Guests:
Amy Stewart, Kathryn Harkup, Gemma Files, Dan Chaon, Blanche Barton
Oct 19, 2019 • 52min
If Your Clothes Could Talk [Rebroadcast]
Whether you know it or not, your closets are filled with personal information. Do you think about what are you saying with your clothes?
Guests:
Angelo Bautista, Avery Trufelman, Carolyn Smith, agnès b., Jo Paoletti
Oct 12, 2019 • 52min
The Power Of Pleasure and Joy
What if the most unselfish thing you could do was to pursue pleasure and joy? We make the case for the transformative power of joy, pleasure and delight.
Guests:
Ross Gay, Kathryn Bond Stockton, Laurie Santos, Lynne Segal
Oct 5, 2019 • 52min
Your Miraculous And Mysterious Body [Rebroadcast]
Sometimes, we take our body for granted. But even the everyday things it can do – keep our heart beating, fight off illness – are pretty extraordinary. Do you know what your body can do?
Guests:
Josh Mezrich, Missy Makinia, Porochista Khakpour, Gavin Francis
Sep 28, 2019 • 52min
Filtering Free Speech
The line between free speech and hate speech isn't always clear. When does sensitivity become censorship?
Guests:
Walter Mosley, Jonathan Haidt, Dorothy Kim, Alissa Quart, David Maraniss
Sep 21, 2019 • 52min
What Sparks Creativity? [Rebroadcast]
Where does creativity come from? And what exactly is going on in your brain when the Muse descends?
Guests:
Heather Berlin, Siri Hustvedt, Jim Holt, Mary Sharrat, Nathaniel Mary Quinn
Sep 14, 2019 • 52min
Who Owns Seeds?
As monocropping and agribusiness continue to dominate modern farming, we speak to farmers, botanists and indigenous people about how they are reclaiming our seeds.
Guests:
Bob Quinn, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Seth Jovaag, Cary Fowler
Sep 7, 2019 • 52min
New Voices In Native American Writing [Rebroadcast]
Every so often, a new literary movement coalesces. A new generation of writers finds a voice. This time they’re young, gifted, and Native American.
Guests:
Jennifer Foerster, Tommy Orange, Terese Marie Mailhot, David Treuer, Kevin Goodan, Tall Paul
