IdeaSphere: A Platform for Today's Voices

Series produced by Guy Rathbun

Series image

This weekly show is devoted to political, social, economic, ecological, philosophical and religious ideas.

This series has been broadcast on public radio, and podcast on National Public Radio for the past 10 years, and has included such luminaries as Robert Reich, Chris Hedges, Michael K. Hudson, Vincent Buligosi, Richard Heinberg, and many more.


561 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Caption: Rickey Gard Diamond
If you wonder why more women are not in the world of finance, just look at capitalism. Societal norms discourage women from taking an interest in e...

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  • Added: Mar 28, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Ellen Meacham
In the spring of 1967, Senator Robert F. Kennedy had an experience that changed his thinking about America, and his own responsibilities. His awake...

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  • Added: Apr 05, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Stephen Nash
Using the Grand Canyon as the trailhead for his book, journalist Stephen Nash sounds an alarm of urgency for protecting our national parks.

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  • Added: Apr 11, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Andrew Yang
According to a 2016 report by Business Insider magazine, three of the world’s largest employers are now replacing their workers with robots.

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  • Added: Apr 19, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Ulrich Boser
You’d think that after several centuries of learning, we’d finally understand how to learn. But, it seems that humans are always on the path to a b...

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  • Added: Apr 24, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Joel Kotkin
Population growth is causing us to rethink our urban and suburban lifestyles, and with that, redesigning cities is a new fad.

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  • Added: May 02, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Ellen Condiff Lagemann
Providing prisoners a chance to earn a college degree may just be the antidote for our lock-them-up society. America is the clear winner among indu...

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  • Added: May 18, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Boots on the Ground jacket cover, Credit: John Dittman, Stars & Strips
The Vietnam War remains a thorn in the side of America’s history. More than 57-thousand US soldiers died and an untold number of Vietnamese civilia...

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  • Added: May 23, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Peter Rubin
Very few realize the significance of Virtual Reality. Yet, VR will change how we work, how we experience entertainment, how we feel emotions, and h...

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  • Added: May 30, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Howard Ross
It wasn’t that long ago political pundits were expressing concern that our politics were becoming too centrist … too middle of the road.

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  • Added: Jun 07, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Dr. Cory Albertson
It’s only been in recent years that gays and lesbians have been portrayed as a normal part of society.

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  • Added: Jun 14, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Jerry Torre
There’s been a documentary, a Broadway musical, an HBO movie, and a memoir. The documentary, produced 40-years ago, is a cult classic, and has heav...

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  • Added: Jun 27, 2018
  • Length: 29:01
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Amir Husain
Artificial Intelligence will drastically change our lives. The technology is expected to advance cyber security, finance, energy, military applicat...

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  • Added: Jul 04, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Piece image
The challenge with understanding the definition of honor is that it’s defined by the past. Everything from honor codes to honor among thieves … due...

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  • Added: Jul 13, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Professor Serhii Plokhy
Twenty-five years before Fukushima the worst nuclear disaster occurred in the Soviet Union.

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  • Added: Jul 20, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Dr. Katharine Gerbner
Before the 17th century, being white didn’t even exist as a racial category. The idea of “whiteness” evolved in the slave-based economies of the En...

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  • Added: Jul 25, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Dr. Richard J. Berstein
She didn’t like being called a philosopher, but that is how she’s recognized. And, as far as philosophy professor Richard J. Bernstein is concerned...

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  • Added: Aug 03, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: James Kirchick
Europe is in crisis. The continent we have known since the end of World War II is quickly changing.

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  • Added: Aug 15, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Professor Fred Block
Most people believe that capitalist economics are self-regulated. According to UC Davis economic sociologist Fred L. Block, this view is simply an ...

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  • Added: Aug 23, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Professor Fred Block
This broadcast is a follow up interview with economic sociologist Fred L. Block. His theory is that capitalist economics are not self-regulating. I...

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  • Added: Aug 30, 2018
  • Length: 29:00
  • Purchases: 1