Sideshow 8: Lion & Lamb

The French, Spanish, and the Americans believed that heading west was a divine calling. This is the story of when beliefs cross the line into territory more dangerous than the land itself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

The Gold Rush became a beacon of hope for many. They headed West to seek their fortunes. But Americans weren’t the only ones looking for a better life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

We didn’t become fascinated with the Wild West until Hollywood gave us gunfights at high noon and heroic outlaws. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour !Dans l’histoire humaine, l’animal est partout depuis toujours. Déjà, parce que la viande a pu occuper une grande part de notre régime alimentaire. Et puis parce que les peaux, les os, la graisse et les tendons des animaux ont servi à confecti ... Show More

A zoopolis is a future society that philosophers envision where wild, domesticated, and denizen animals have full political and legal rights. What would that look like? In this episode, we look at how animals were put on trial in medieval European courts, and how animal rights ad ... Show More

While the the concept of a court system is an entirely human invention, it turns out non-human animals have been in some sort of court not once, but countless times across the span of history. In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore the strange way in ... Show More

If we could talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals, what would we say? We’d better start thinking of something good because researchers are learning to speak sperm whale, prairie dog, and a bunch of other species' languages.See omnystudio.com/listener ... Show More

You probably know exactly what animal we mean when we say “unicorn,” but descriptions and depictions of unicorns have shifted over the millennia. Some lore has roots in sightings of real animals that people have found difficult to describe, or that have been misinterpreted.  Lear ... Show More

A zoopolis is a future society that philosophers envision where wild, domesticated, and denizen animals have full political and legal rights. What would that look like? In this episode, we look at how animals were put on trial in medieval European courts, and how animal rights ad ... Show More

Seventy thousand years ago, our human ancestors were insignificant animals, just minding their own business in a corner of Africa with all the other animals. But now, few would disagree that humans dominate planet Earth; we've spread to every continent, and our actions determine ... Show More

Why do we prioritize human rights over those of other species? Philosopher Peter Singer dives into what he calls "speciesism," the root of the widely ignored mistreatment of animals around the world, from factory farms to product-testing facilities. He makes the case for ending t ... Show More