logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2018
55m 28s

The Pattern Problem

NPR
About this episode
A panel of judges sits to decide the fate of the young woman. She's the child of addicts and an ex-addict and ex-felon herself, and she's asking the court to trust her to become an attorney. The outcome of her case hinges on a question we all struggle with: are we destined to repeat our patterns, or do we generally stray in surprising directions? - a question increasingly relevant in an age when algorithms are trying to predict everything about our behavior. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of sexual abuse.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Jul 2025
"The Network" from NPR's Embedded
New from NPR's Embedded: Hosts Victoria Estrada and Marta Martinez travel across Latin America and within the U.S. to understand how women in Brazil discovered one of the medications that's used for self-managed abortions, the spread of this method across the world, and how this ... Show More
42m 6s
Feb 2025
Alternate Realities from NPR's Embedded
New from NPR's Embedded: Reporter Zach Mack thinks his dad has gone all in on conspiracy theories, while his father thinks that Zach is the one being brainwashed. In 2024, after the latest round of circular arguments, they decided to try something new, an attempt to pull each oth ... Show More
25m 53s
Aug 2024
Tested (Ep 2): Questions of a Physical Nature
We go back almost 100 years, to the beginning of women's inclusion in elite sports. It turns out that men had an odd variety of concerns about women athletes. Some doubted these athletes were even women at all. And their skepticism resulted in the first policies requiring sex tes ... Show More
34m 26s
Recommended Episodes
May 2022
Justice
Laura gets a call from a relative who provides insight into Sarah's past. Sarah has her day in court. Her victims have the chance to say their piece, but still struggle to make sense of what happened to them. The judge issues a surprising sentence.See omnystudio.com/listener for ... Show More
29m 11s
Oct 2021
Crime and Punishment
This week, two jurors ask to be excused, citing stress around punishment and the responsibilities in deciding the future of Elizabeth Holmes. A young woman, with unusual ties to this case, gives her perspective as a trial observer, and a veteran Silicon Valley investor puts the T ... Show More
29m 35s
Dec 2018
Finale: The Reckoning
The world watches as more than 200 women and girls confront Larry Nassar at his sentencing hearings. "Little girls don't stay little forever," says one survivor. "They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world." See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect ... Show More
34m 20s
Nov 2023
S03 E11: Star Witness
As we continue to process the far-reaching implications of the shocking verdict in the Kowalski case, we take a closer look at Maya Kowalski’s testimony and what we know about her. She’s emerged as a divisive figure in the case: alternately being cast as a brave heroine or as a m ... Show More
1h 15m
Mar 2019
#149 — The Problem of Addiction
Sam Harris speaks with Sally Satel about addiction. They discuss whether addiction should be considered a disease, the opiate epidemic in the U.S., the unique danger of fentanyl, the politicization of medicine, PTSD, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your play ... Show More
40m 40s
Jul 2025
Episode 21 Legal Rights and Advocacy for Former Offenders Rebuilding Lives Podcast
Overcoming the Odds Imagine this: a former addict, once trapped in the devastating cycle of substance abuse, incarceration, and societal stigma, now walks into a courtroom—not as a defendant, but as a dedicated paralegal committed to helping others rebuild their lives. This indiv ... Show More
18m 56s
Nov 2021
The Child Question
Zoe Strimpel on the difficulty of deciding whether to have, or not have, children. She describes the 'paralysis of ambivalence'. But this ambivalence is surely, she writes, 'a natural response to the idea of setting in train the most unknowable outcome on earth'.Producer: Adele A ... Show More
9m 42s
May 2025
Awkward Tuesday: Cheating Across Continents
One of our listeners is facing a huge moral dilemma, does she mind her own business, or possibly ruin her friends relationship?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
16m 55s