The Open Mind, hosted weekly by Alexander Heffner, is a thoughtful excursion into the world of ideas across politics, media, science, technology, the arts, and all realms of civic life.
Episodes
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The Audacity of News
HBO VICE correspondent Isobel Yeung on reporting from the frontlines of Syria and Sudan.26:49 -
Can Civility Survive?
Keith Bybee, author of "How Civility Works," on finding common ground in public discourse28:17 -
Taxation With Patriotism
Vanessa Williamson on her new book “Read My Lips: Why Americans Are Proud to Pay Taxes.”27:35 -
The Story of Science
Doron Weber of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation on human understanding, science and the arts28:25 -
Tolerating Intolerance
Teresa Bejan of Oxford, on “Mere Civility: Disagreement and the Limits of Toleration.”28:02 -
Rescuing the Middle Class Republic
Ganesh Sitaraman on his new book “The Crisis of the Middle Class Constitution”28:20 -
Full-Hearted Hymns
French-American songwriter Madeleine Peyroux on soulful music in times of political unease28:31 -
Centrism for America
Nick Troiano of the Centrist Project on electing independent candidates amidst dysfunction28:01 -
United to Protect Democracy
Ian Bassin of United to Protect Democracy on holding the Executive Branch accountable.28:13 -
Twitter and Tear Gas
Zeynep Tufekci on “Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest.”28:36 -
Rust Belt Populism
John Fetterman, Mayor of Braddock, PA, discusses authentic solutions to serve the public.28:27 -
A Politics in Crisis
Host of MSNBC’s The Last Word, Lawrence O’Donnell on the condition of American politics.28:46 -
Educating Hip Hop
DJ, Producer, and Professor 9th Wonder on the preservation of a Hip Hop archive and legacy27:35 -
We the…Bots and Trolls
Oxford Internet Institute’s Nick Monaco on bots, trolls and their influence on society27:57 -
DEFCON U.S.A.
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Stephen Cheney of the American Security Project on security concerns.28:27 -
Readers and the Citizenry
Hanna Ingber of The New York Times Reader Center, on connecting journalists and readers27:57 -
The Town Hall Lives
Town Hall Project’s Jimmy Dahman on promoting civic engagement with elected officials.28:20 -
Dreams and Daggers
Jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant on identity, soul and political purpose of her music.27:39 -
Defining Civic Media
MIT Center for Civic Media’s Ethan Zuckerman on activism, technology and the digital world28:37 -
All Politics is Reproductive
U Mass Professor Laura Briggs on her book "How All Politics Became Reproductive Politics"27:23 -
Putin and Political Murder
Scholar Amy Knight on her new book "Orders to Kill: The Putin Regime and Political Murder"27:15 -
Constitutional Crisis or Consensus?
U. Missouri, Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy’s Justin Dyer on legal polarity28:23 -
Don't March, Run…
Run for Something's Amanda Litman on recruiting Millennials to run for local office.27:41 -
What's the Matter with the Democrats?
Thomas Frank, author of "Listen, Liberal: Whatever Happened to the Party of the People?"27:21 -
American Hardship
Economic Hardship Reporting Project’s Alissa Quart talks about a broken American economy.26:57 -
Problem-Solving Heroism
Congressman Tom Suozzi talks about modeling a way forward for politics beyond dogma.28:38 -
The Wisdom of Elders
British-Barbadian saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings on how ancestors shape his music and life28:40 -
Securing American Suffrage
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Grimes on gerrymandering and voting rights.28:19 -
Destiny of the Heartland
Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, candidate for governor, on Rust Belt politics.28:08 -
Monuments and Identity Politics
Vann Newkirk of The Atlantic, on culture wars and the memorialization of American history28:35 -
Escaping Velocity
Trumpeter Theo Croker talks about creating a unique jazz for the next generation.28:35 -
Populists Revolt
Steve Hilton, founder of Crowdpac and former advisor to David Cameron, on populism.28:35
