Humankind on Public Radio

Listen to these extraordinary excerpts from Humankind: how victims overcome hatred, the triumph of a child with disabilities, how a fractured family experienced healing, and more. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Over a century later, we recall the remarkable Christmas Truce that spontaneously occurred — contrary to orders — among opposing troops in the frozen WWI battlefield of Flanders, Belgium. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are  heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

To the astonishment of publishers, Jalaluddin Rumi has become the best-selling poet in America. Rumi’s sensational popularity is notable not only because of its content—an intoxicated, rapturous love letter to the divine—but also because his mystical poems were written in Persian in the 13th century. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . […]

In the second half of our documentary on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, we examine the AA recovery principles that have promoted sobriety for millions of recovering alcoholics and have created a template to help people worldwide who struggle with many forms of addiction. To view additional resources for this episode please visit our website at humanmedia.org. […]

Parenting today is performed in the face of an almost impossible arsenal of influences. Such influences can cloud, distract, and even displace the parent from his or her greatest responsibility: guidance. The Kabat-Zinns, a couple from Lexington, MA, authors, and parents, reach out to their fellow parents in this thoughtful and clarifying episode of Humankind. […]

We consider the moral implications of scientific research, especially when the aim is to develop military arms. Are the scientists involved morally responsible for the use of these weapons on civilians? Author and historian Robert Neer recounts the top-secret research conducted at Harvard in the early 1940s, which yielded the weapon napalm.  We also hear […]

This is the second part of our special on the revered journalist and ‘Catholic Worker’ founder Dorothy Day. Recalling the words of her grandmother, Kate Hennessy recalls, “She always said they did not intend to start a soup line. They did not intend to open up houses of hospitality. That this just happened because of […]

When Pope Francis addressed Congress in 2015, he cited four great Americans: President Abraham Lincoln, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., theologian Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day, the famous writer and activist. Day, who died in 1980 at age 83, was a remarkable 20th century figure: journalist and founder of the “Catholic Worker” movement, […]

The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. Some in this diverse population are dangerous and apparently don’t seek rehabilitation to a more productive life. For many others, though, incarceration is a forced opportunity for self-examination and positive change – a process that can be supported and stimulated by spiritual […]

America’s founders recognized that without a king, the fledgling nation would need an informed citizenry—or their bold experiment in democracy would fail. So in early America, the government subsidized newspapers, established the postal system to facilitate information flow and drew up plans for public education. But now in the digital age, does the demise of […]

The second part of our documentary on the brother of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski who reminds us that, “We’ve got to take back the ideal of justice, we’ve got to take back this principle of human dignity. We’ve got to take it back from vengeance, from hatred, we’ve got to say: look, we’re all in this […]

Actress Joanne Hamlin looks at the role of outstanding women in America’s spiritual history. Among other women of strong faith, Hamlin re-creates the life and philosophy of Christian Science founder, Mary Baker Eddy. To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK Follow “Humankind on Public Radio” at: https://www.humanmedia.org/podcast/ Human Media performs public broadcasting production and […]

In a remarkable contrast within one family, we meet social worker David Kaczynski, who in early 1996 had a “dark night of the soul” when he realized that his older brother Ted was the “Unabomber,” a serial murderer. Supported by his wife, and later by his mother, David felt compelled to notify federal authorities, leading […]

Our system of public defenders—who provide legal representation to indigent clients—is widely regarded as malnourished due to inadequate funding. On the fiftieth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that affirmed the right to a fair trial as guaranteed by the Constitution’s Sixth Amendment, Eric Holder, then U.S. Attorney General, pronounced the system to be in […]

We hear diverse voices of Quakerism, known as The Society of Friends, a rich American tradition dating to before the United States was founded. The Friends have long been a vocal presence in expressing concerns about warfare, inequality, and prejudice. To view additional resources for this episode please visit: humanmedia.org/EPISODEPAGELINK Follow “Humankind on Public Radio” at: https://www.humanmedia.org/podcast/ […]