In an effort to preserve our various traits and qualities as people, many of us strive for a work/life balance between our professional and personal selves. But in the larger context of our world and its economy, professional (and associated productive) behavior can be treated as more crucial to one’s value. How can professionally-oriented attitudes cast shadows on the practices (unprofessional or otherwise) of our personal lives. Is truly free and personal time threatened by the demands of a professional mindset? Should a workplace extend empathy to it’s employees and their varied lives?
Episode 208: The Chains of Privacy
When we consider the concept of "privacy," we typically imagine what we do or do not share or reveal to the world. But in an increasingly digital and interconnected world, the idea of privacy bears more heavily in communal or mutual spaces than it may have in the past. This week, we welcome Ian Fox to explore how interwoven the idea of privacy has become in modern society. What do recent scandals and revelations teach us about privacy as it relates to courtesy and compassion? What do the topics we want to keep private reveal about us?
Episode 203: Why We Study Art History
Many of us approach the realm of art history with degrees of apprehension, uncertainty and intellectual dread. We treat its topics as pedantic and its concepts as cumbersome, but why? This week, we welcome Tamar Avishai to discuss the study of art history and how it might inform the world beyond the field. What can the subject teach us about storytelling or the detachments of the ivory tower? How do we make art history and other topics unnecessarily distant because of our perceptions?
Further Reading:
The Lonely Palette
Episode 163: The Great American Eclipse
On August 21st, 2017, millions of Americans flocked to see a total solar eclipse as it ventured across the continental U.S. Beyond the visual and scientific marvel, the event came at a time of great division in our country. The path forward is unclear, and rife with political disagreements, shame and fear for our future. But the eclipse obscured all of that for a while, creating unity and a sense of perspective and place in the universe. This week, we speak with technology journalist Wade Roush about his thoughts and experiences on the eclipse. How might it serve as a metaphor for our current political climate? What is its value as a natural phenomenon?
