Pulled Up Short
This is a podcast that aims to create moments of being “pulled up short” -- experiences of surprise and curiosity when we encounter an idea, text, or experience that challenges our ways of thinking and deeply held assumptions about the world.Each episode features a different insight, with each one asking us to entertain the possibility of a different worldview and re-examine some of our presuppositions.
Episodes
33 episodes
Why isn't utopia ideal? (Micah Lott)
Featuring Micah Lott (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Daniel Groll (commentator)Science fiction books and movies help us to imagine what a utopian society may look like. Though many representations have been offered, one common t...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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37:55
Does collaboration have a dark side? (Amy Shuffelton)
Featuring Amy Shuffelton (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and David Blustein (commentator)In schools and workplaces, people are often encouraged to be “good collaborators” or "team players." However, in this episode, Amy Shuffelton p...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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26:40
Can boredom lead to flourishing? (Kevin Gary)
With Kevin Gary (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Jeffery Frank (commentator)"I'm bored" is a phrase often met with disdain from parents, teachers, and friends alike. It seems obvious that we should do our best to avoid boredom, i...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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29:35
Should teachers indoctrinate their students? (Douglas Yacek)
Featuring Douglas Yacek (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Caitlin Bolton (commentator) Since the start of common schooling, indoctrination has remained a central concern. Today, cries of "liberal brainwashing" undergird moves...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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38:23
Have we ignored the individual in assessment? (Richard Lerner)
Featuring Richard Lerner (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Carol Lee (commentator)We think we know a good deal about human development, based on our current research and measurement about people. There's an assumption that we meas...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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35:22
Does the medium override the message? (Michael Serazio)
Featuring Michael Serazio (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Chip Zuckerman (commentator)In an era where accusations of fake news run rampant, it might provide us with some comfort in knowing that we at least hold conscious control...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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39:52
Is the search for authenticity futile? (Lauren Bialystok)
Featuring Lauren Bialystok (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Regina Bendix (commentator) Most of us have been inundated with the seemingly well-intentioned advice to "be authentic" or simply, to "be yourself." In this episode...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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43:43
What's the risk of avoiding risk? (Eduardo Duarte)
Featuring Eduardo Duarte (guest) with Samantha Ha DiMuzio (host) and Jessica Harless (commentator)Eduardo Duarte has often been labeled an "adrenaline junkie" by his friends given his interest in activities like mountain biking and skii...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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41:14
Can coding make us more human? (Marina Bers)
Featuring Marina Bers (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and David Goodman (commentator)Coding is usually understood as a neutral tool that we use for practical purposes and to solve technical problems. However, in this episode, Marina...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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37:35
Is hope worth hoping for? (Kieran Setiya)
Featuring Kieran Setiya (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Gregory Fried (commentator)The conventional wisdom is that hope is a good thing. Hope is valorized, especially in the face of hardship and the many challenges of life. Howe...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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32:44
Do things happen for a reason? (Karin Nisenbaum)
Featuring Karin Nisenbaum (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Scott Seider (commentator)Do you believe in fate? Whether you think everything happens for a reason or is completely up to chance, tune into this episode to reimagine the...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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36:01
Is individuality impossible? (Kenneth Gergen)
Featuring Kenneth Gergen (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Samantha Ha DiMuzio (commentator)Usually, we envision ourselves as individuals who build relationships, comprise communities, and make our own decisions. In this episode, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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41:31
Have we forgotten about social class? (Andy Hargreaves)
Featuring Andy Hargreaves (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Allison Skerrett (commentator)In conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is not uncommon to discuss differences along axes of race, gender, or sexual ori...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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43:05
Could dementia be a gateway to mystical experience? (Mark Freeman)
Featuring Mark Freeman (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Suzanne KirschnerThere is no doubt that dementia is a painful and heartbreaking disease. However, in accompanying his mother in her own experience with dementia, Mark Freema...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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36:01
Is purpose both backward and forward-looking? (William Damon)
Featuring William Damon (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Howard Gardner (commentator)In conversations about human development, talk about purpose often centers on providing meaning to the present and guiding our future life traje...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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40:28
Where is the boundary between reality and fiction? (Constantine Nakassis)
Featuring Constantine V. Nakassis (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Michael Lempert (commentator). We often feel that there is a sharp distinction between the world of fiction and the "real world." For example, is there reall...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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43:44
Is expertise dangerous? (Marina McCoy)
Featuring Marina McCoy (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Alexandra Michel (commentator)We often turn to experts in our lives for all kinds of matters. It isn't uncommon, for example, to turn to surgeons for medical expertise or ca...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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39:01
Stop teaching? (Anna Stetsenko)
Featuring Anna Stetsenko (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Megan Laverty (commentator)It is far from a secret that contemporary schools aren't perfect, but should we really stop teaching students? In this episode, Anna Stetsenko o...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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45:55
Are prisons separate from society? (Matt DelSesto)
Featuring Matt DelSesto, David Sellers, and Allison Pyo (guests) with Stanton WorthamLarge walls and secure perimeters physically isolate prisons from the rest of society. This episode, however, draws on insights from the Boston College...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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35:43
What if we are not alone in the universe? (Andrea Vicini)
Featuring Andrea Vicini (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Kristina Wirtz (commentator)The possibility of extra-terrestrial or beyond human life is a common theme in popular culture. However, in this episode, Andrea Vicini asks us ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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40:24
What if art and science aren't opposites? (Ellen Winner)
Featuring Ellen Winner (guest) with Stanton Wortham (host) and Keith Sawyer (commentator)There is a seemingly age-old division between art and science, which on one hand attributes emotions and creativity to art, and on the other hand, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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44:30
What is the complexity in simplicity? (Howard Gardner)
Featuring Howard Gardner (guest) and Stanton Wortham (host) with Gabrielle Oliveira (commentator)Everyone has heard the mantra: keep it simple. Why make something more complicated than it needs to be? In this episode, Howard Gardner ref...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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39:02
Have we lost touch with our most important sense? (Richard Kearney)
Featuring Richard Kearney with Stanton Wortham (host) and Colleen Griffith (commentator). In our current era of the pandemic and of social distancing, we are confronted with the challenges of prolonged periods without contact. I...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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36:45
Does neuroscience indicate that humans have no free will? (Greg Fried)
Featuring Greg Fried with Stanton Wortham (host) and Liane Young (commentator)Though it has become a commonsense assumption that humans indeed have control over their decision-making, Greg Fried offers a neurological insight in this epi...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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36:24
Did school children learn more during the pandemic? (Rebecca Lowenhaupt)
Featuring Rebecca Lowenhaupt with Stanton Wortham (host) and Vincent Cho (commentator)As COVID-19 rages on, there is increasing conversation and controversy about the impact of the pandemic on education and school children. Many have ch...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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33:22
