With Good Reason cover art

With Good Reason

With Good Reason

By: With Good Reason
Listen for free

About this listen

 Each week on With Good Reason we explore a world of ideas with leading scholars in literature, history, science, philosophy, and the arts. With Good Reason is created by Virginia Humanities and the Virginia Higher Education Broadcasting Consortium.All rights reserved Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Music That Speaks

    Music That Speaks
    Apr 30 2026
    If you’re looking for new music, you might turn to youtube, spotify, social media–basically, the internet. In Cuba, internet access is so limited that music is passed through a USB network called Sneakernet. Mike Levine explains how Sneakernet helps spread the rhythms–and politics–of reparto music. And: What does it sound like when trees sing? Or rocks? Or city waterworks? Sara Bouchard is a sound artist who often works with data from objects and nature to make music. Later in the show: As a young kid music brought meaning to Donald Sorah’s life–and it kept him in school. Now as a teacher, he brings the joy of music making to students who don’t think of themselves as musicians. He’s been named an Outstanding Faculty Member by The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Plus: There’s nothing quite like sharing your favorite songs with the people you love. But Kevin Caffrey says that kind of shared musical experience can also be a way to connect with strangers.
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Eye in the Sky

    Eye in the Sky
    Apr 23 2026
    There’re over 10,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. And they do more than just power our phones and GPS, they’re giving us a whole new perspective on who we are. Dan Runfola sifts through countless satellite images to learn more about our human footprint and the evolution of society. And: Michael Shingledecker uses the James Webb Space Telescope to study ice layers that freeze in clouds of stardust. He says this cosmic ice is a key ingredient in the formation of the universe. Later in the show: At first glance, plankton might seem unimpressive. They’re tiny little brainless micro-organisms that drift with the tides and currents. But they play a huge role in the ocean carbon cycle. Scott Doney tracks plankton - from the Antarctic to the Caribbean - by using satellites to observe ocean color.
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Love in the Time of Hubots

    Love in the Time of Hubots
    Apr 17 2026
    In the German novel “I’m Your Man” a couples therapist and her robot partner Tom explore the limits of post-human love. Holly Yanacek wrote the English translation of the novel about what happens when our perfect partner is a machine. And: An after-school philosophy club has elementary school children discussing deep ideas with undergrads. Anne van Leeuwen says readings of Frog and Toad and Shel Silverstein are giving rise to conversations about bravery and infinity. Later in the show: In The Historical Mind, Ryan Holston argues that our biggest political problems can be traced to a "thinning" of the human character, and that without self-restraint even the best Constitution becomes useless. Plus: State and local candidates are drowning in the national political divide. Jesse Richman says the polarization nationally is driving voters in state elections to make choices based on the letter next to a candidate’s name.
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
No reviews yet