Life Examined

KCRW

A weekly exploration of psychology, philosophy, endurance sports, and finding meaning in the modern world. lifeexamined.substack.com

Episodes

What ski mountaineering teaches you about life, beauty, risk and happiness

What does the city of death teach us about the nature of grief?

The paradox of love: it begins with you

What I’ll miss about the single life

Is “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver the best grief poem ever written?

Some dreamers of the Caribbean dream

"Moby-Dick" remains a psychedelic enigma

The Japanese Art of Happiness

Is "Lonesome Dove" an answer to modern male loneliness?

In praise of quiet kindness, when the world is asking us to be loud

The Two Quotes I Think of — and Lean on — Every Day

Stay in touch with Life Examined over on Substack!

Robert Macfarlane: "Is a River Alive?"

When to medicate the mind with Laura Delano

Yale happiness guru Laurie Santos on the power of time off and modern parenting traps

Ocean Vuong: "The Emperor of Gladness"

“He showed us what simplicity could offer:” Pico Iyer and Paul Elie remember Pope Francis

Midweek Reset: Life: less itinerary - more flow

Brainwashing; the history and complexity of coercive persuasion

Midweek Reset: The Myths of Meritocracy