February 12, 2010

100s of Leading Thinkers on 10 Great Podcasts

Check out over a 1000 interviews and talks with 100s of leading thinkers on these 10 great podcasts featuring thought leaders from across the spectrum of ideas. For the past five years we’ve featured hundreds of podcasts as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From these resources we’ve selected the top 10 best podcasts that feature an abundant amount of interviews and talks with today’s leading thinkers. Here are podcasts we’ve selected, along with some suggested audio books that we offer on download from authors featured in each podcast:

1. Commonwealth Club Radio Program Podcast

The Commonwealth Club of California has been bringing fascinating speakers to their forum since 1903. Their podcast feed currently features four years of speaking events! Recent speakers include Timothy Ferriss, Simon Winchester, Arianna Huffington, Robert Reich, Andre Agassi, Deepak Chopra, Taylor Branch, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Noam Chomsky, Chris Anderson, Michael Moore, Christopher Hitchens, Madeleine K. Albright, and literally hundreds of other speakers with podcasts going back to 2006!

This forum also features panel discussions on a variety of topics such as the Summer of Love, America’s Budget Crisis, Religion in U.S. Culture and Society, Moving Forward in Iraq, Capitalism 3.0, The Politics Of Food, Health of Africa, and Digital Health. Scroll down the list of their podcasts and you’re sure to find something that interests you.

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
Supercapitalism by Robert Reich

The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss

The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever Edited by & with Commentary by Christopher Hitchens

2. NPR Series: Books That Changed the World Podcast

This podcast is certain to get you interested in some of the books that have had the most impact in global history. Grove/Atlantic published a series of books by prominent writers focusing on the most significant works of literature that introduced groundbreaking ideas and altered the course of human history. This NPR series features 30-minute interviews that were conducted over time with the authors of all these books on NPR’s Talk of the Nation program hosted by Neal Conan and featuring live callers from across the United States. In this series you’ll hear:

• Francis Wheen talks about Das Kapital and separates the ideas of Marx from the many applications of Marxism throughout history.
• Karen Armstrong discusses how The Bible has been used historically in the traditions of Judaism and Christianity.
• Christopher Hitchens speaks about Thomas Paine’s views on the rights of man, religion, and the revolutions of his time.
• Military historian Hew Strachan discusses Napoleonic military theorist Carl von Clausewitz’s On War and how it influenced much of military strategy going into World War I & II.
• Philosopher Simon Blackburn talks about Plato’s The Republic including Plato’s controversial arguments against art and democracy.
• Darwin scholar Janet Browne talks about Darwin’s theory of evolution and the significance of his book Origin of Species in science history.
• Islamic studies professor Bruce Lawrence talks about The Koran and tries to explain its many interpretations throughout history.
• Conservative author and satirist P.J. O’Rourke talks about Adam Smith’s 900-page tome The Wealth of Nations and some of the brilliant ideas that Smith came up with about free markets while living in a largely agrarian society.

Listen to these podcasts on Books That Changed the World!

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
On the Wealth of Nations by P.J. O’Rourke

The Qur’an: A Biography by Bruce Lawrence

Darwin’s Origin of Species: A Biography by Janet Browne

Plato’s Republic by Simon Blackburn

Clausewitz’s on War by Hew Strachan

Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man by Christopher Hitchens

The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong

Marx’s Das Kapital by Francis Wheen

Homer’s the Iliad and the Odyssey: A Biography by Alberto Manguel

3. We The People Stories Podcast

From the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania comes this podcast featuring politicians, historians, journalists, authors, and other notable figures discussing issues related to the U.S. Constitution and other contemporary issues facing America. Each podcast is typically an hour long and features an interview or a panel discussion on a specific topic. Their podcast feed goes all the way back to 2004 with over 150 podcasts available!

Political figures featured on the podcast include Tom DeLay, Newt Gingrich, Bill Bradley, Justice Stephen Breyer, John McCain, Pat Buchanan, George McGovern, Justice Antonin Scalia, and more. Authors, historians, & journalists featured include Cornel West, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David Brooks, Dinesh D’Souza, Tavis Smiley, Walter Isaacson, Dave Isay, Tom Brokaw, Ken Burns, Naomi Wolf, Jon Meacham, John C. Bogle, and others. There’s also a number of panels discussing various constitutional issues throughout U.S. history. Enjoy this podcast, loaded with capitivating talks from the National Constitution Center.

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism by John C. Bogle

No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin

The New American Story by Bill Bradley

4. Seminars About Long Term Thinking Podcast

From The Long Now Foundation comes this fascinating series of Seminars About Long Term Thinking. These dozens of podcasts with leading thinkers go back all the way to 2003! Podcasts on the feed include CEO Philip Rosedale talking about the game Second Life, Chris Anderson talking about The Long Tail, founder and president of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales speaking on vision, author Jared Diamond discussing his book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, writer Bruce Sterling speaking about The Singularity, musician Brian Eno chatting with Will Wright (creator of the video game “The Sims” and forthcoming “Spore”), and dozens of other interesting podcasts on topics like climate change, human life extension, etc. Have a listen. Recent podcasts feature anthropologist Wade Davis, San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, Michael Pollan, Niall Ferguson, Francis Fukuyama, Sam Harris, and Chris Anderson.

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson (FOR FREE OF COURSE!)

5. TEDTalks Podcast

The TEDTalks Podcast features key talks from the TED Conference covering the latest ideas in Technology, Entertainment, Design, Business, Science, and other areas. Now on their podcast feed they feature podcasts going back six months and some of the leading thinkers they currently feature include William Ury, Jason Fried, Barry Schwartz, Bruce Feiler, David Brooks, and many more. They’re featuring new talks every week so you may want to subscribe to this one.

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
Rework by Jason Fried

Getting to Yes by William Ury

The Social Animal by David Brooks

6. After Words – C-SPAN Podcast

Each week C-SPAN airs and podcasts their After Words program which features the authors of the latest nonfiction books being interviewed by journalists, public policy makers, and legislators. It’s a podcast worth subscribing to as they almost always have an interesting guest who’s recently finished their book pitted against an interviewer who often has opposing view points and isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions.

In past podcasts they’ve featured Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz on his book Freefall, Jane Goodall on her book Hope for Animals and Their World, Greg Mortenson on his book Stones into Schools, Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner on their book SuperFreakonomics, Peter Schweizer on his book Architects of Ruin, Chris Hedges on his book Empire of Illusion, and a number of authors talking about their latest works. After Words proves to be another brain-stimulating podcast from C-SPAN.

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

Hope for Animals and Their World by Jane Goodall

War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges

7. HumanMedia.org Podcasts

HumanMedia.org produces Public Radio Programs featuring voices of vision, conscience and compassion. Most of the programs are written and produced by David Freudberg and they feature hundreds of programs for sale on download and CD on their website at HumanMedia.org. Their podcast series provides captivating excerpts from their programs. Currently on the feed they feature shows with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, comedian Sid Caesar, mind-body researcher Herbert Benson, and many other interested guests. Enjoy these free podcasts from HumanMedia.org.

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
The Breakout Principle: Maximize Creativity, Athletic Performance, Productivity and Personal Well-Being by Herbert Benson & William Proctor

When God Smiles by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

And we also feature over a dozen titles from the Human Media archive available on audio download:

Human Media Audio Downloads

8. Barnes & Noble.com’s Meet the Writers Podcast

Listen to this series of 15-minute interviews offered by Barnes & Noble. Host Steve Bertrand talks with authors of many of the most popular books available asking questions about their writing career and their latest books. Their list of podcasts extends back to 2006 with over 200 interviews! Some of the authors interviewed include James Bradley, John Hodgman, Sarah Vowell, Naomi Wolf, Arthur Agatston, M.D., Simon Winchester, Cokie Roberts, Arianna Huffington, Jimmy Carter, Martha Beck, Marilu Henner, Samantha Power, Dean Ornish, John Gray, Ph.D., Newt Gingrich, Tommy Lasorda, Madeleine Albright, David Sedaris, Anne Geddes, Yann Martel, Paula Deen, Anthony Bourdain, Judy Blume, Dave Barry, Garrison Keillor, Joyce Carol Oates, Tony Dungy, Michael Beschloss, Michael Ondaatje, Khaled Hosseini, Robert Kurson, Michael Chabon, Chuck Palahniuk, Elaine Pagels, Anne Lamott, Thomas Ricks, Tavis Smiley, Mireille Guiliano, Eric Schlosser, Chuck Klosterman, Joan Didion, Augusten Burroughs, Frank McCourt, Tim Russert, and David Maraniss. Plenty of podcasts to choose from!

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
The South Beach Diet Supercharged by Dr. Arthur Agatston & Dr. Joseph Signorile

Word by Word by Anne Lamott

The Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels

9. BMA: Black Media Archive Podcast

Listen to hundreds of podcasts from notable African and African-American speakers. The Black Media Archive Podcast has collected a wide range of multi-media including speeches, archival video, movies, music, and more. They feature speeches from Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, James Baldwin, Barbara Jordan, Ossie Davis, Langston Hughes, and dozens of other influential black leaders over the course of the past 100 years. (Note: They have quite a large podcast feed so it may take a moment for it to load on our site, but it’s worth the wait.)

Audio books by leading thinkers on this podcast:
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Voices of Black America: Historical Recordings of Speeches, Poetry, Humor & Drama 1908-1947

10. NPR: Fresh Air Podcast

NPR has been podcasting their popular radio show Fresh Air for free as a podcast for a number of years now and it continues to be one of the top podcasts in iTunes. Host Terry Gross has been interviewing persons in arts & entertainment and other fields for over 30 years now. Currently on the feed the podcasts go back two weeks and they generally feature 2-3 stories per episode with great interviews in each segment.

Enjoy this massive collection of audio downloads from leading thinkers!

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