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Wonder Cabinet is an independent podcast from Anne Strainchamps and Steve Paulson, Peabody Award-winning creators of public radio's To The Best Of Our Knowledge. For 35 years, that show brought long-form conversations to 200+ stations nationwide; its interviews are now archived in the Library of Congress.

Episodes feature intimate, long-form conversations with scientists, philosophers, writers, a... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes708Founded15 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CulturePhilosophy

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Artwork for Wonder Cabinet

Latest Episodes

We all know our attention is being competed for — but historian of science D. Graham Burnett calls it something more alarming: a "civilizational biohack." In this episode, we talk with Burnett, a Princeton historian of science and co-founder of "The ... more

What happens when one of the world’s leading neuroscientists has a mystical experience that upends his understanding of reality?

In the 1990s, Christof Koch helped launch the modern science of consciousness, searching for the neural basis of subject... more

Sharon Blackie is one of our foremost fairy tale interpreters.  In her new book, “Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now,” she reclaims the subversive fairy tale heroines of the past.  Not passive, well-behaved princesses — think Tatterhood instead... more

Can capitalism save the world it's destroying?

Rebecca Henderson thinks so. An economist at Harvard Business School and author of Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire, she has advised some of the world's biggest corporations and argues that cap... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

D. Graham Burnett
Historian of science at Princeton; co-founder of The Friends of Attention; co-author of Attensity and founder of the Strother School of Radical Attention
Princeton University; Friends of Attention; Strother School of Radical Attention
Episode: Rewilding Attention with D. Graham Burnett
Christof Koch
Neuroscientist; former president of the Allen Institute for Brain Science; chief scientist at Tiny Blue Dot Foundation
Tiny Blue Dot Foundation; Allen Institute for Brain Science
Episode: Christof Koch on the Cosmic Toad
Sharon Blackie
Folklorist, fairy tales scholar, feminist psychotherapist; author of Ripening and other works
The Art of Enchantment (substack); Ripening
Episode: Why We Need Fairy Tales Now — with Sharon Blackie
Rebecca Henderson
Author of Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire; Harvard Business School professor; climate activist
Harvard Business School
Episode: Rebecca Henderson: Can Capitalism Save the World It’s Destroying?
Caroline Winterer
Stanford historian
Stanford University
Episode: Caroline Winterer: Dinosaurs, Deep Time and the American Soul
Mary Jane Rubenstein
Philosophy and religion professor at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Episode: Mary-Jane Rubenstein: Pantheism and the Godness of Nature
Dekila Chungyalpa
Environmental scientist and conservationist; founder of the LOKA Initiative
Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Episode: Dekila Chungyalpa on the Sacred Feminine and the Living Earth
Manvir Singh
Anthropologist, UC Davis; contributor to The New Yorker
UC Davis; The New Yorker
Episode: Manvir Singh: Was Shamanism the First Religion?
David George Haskell
Biologist and author of How Flowers Made Our World; explores contemplative natural observation
Author and biologist
Episode: David George Haskell: Flowers and the Revolutionary Power of Beauty

Hosts

Anne Strainchamps
Host of Wonder Cabinet; co-founder/producer with a long history in public radio; known for thoughtful, exploratory interviewing and deep curiosity about science, philosophy, and culture.
Steve Paulson
Co-host of Wonder Cabinet; long-form interviewer with breadth across science, philosophy, and culture; also associated with Luminous and public radio projects.
Wonder Cabinet
Independent podcast featuring intimate conversations with scientists, philosophers, writers, and artists exploring the wonders of the natural world and our relation to reality.

Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars from 1.3k ratings
  • Great new podcast!

    I’ve been listening to a number of episodes of Wonder Cabinet and am overall quite impressed by the host’s thoughtful choice of subjects and guests, and overall engaging production values. A show of interesting ideas and philosophical viewpoints. While I will miss ‘To the Best of our Knowledge’, Wonder Cabinet is a worthy evolution of that concept, and in my opinion worth spending the time and effort to check it out and see if it resonates with you. Highly recommended.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    bjfabb04
    United Statesa month ago
  • New favorite

    I love this podcast. It’s philosophical and ecocentric view is so interesting, and the guests always add so much knowledge and new ways of looking at things

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Yaelpedroza
    United States2 months ago
  • Great new podcast

    So far I have only listened to the deep time episode.It is fantastic. I have been a dinosaur fan since childhood, but this podcast brought up perspectives and intersections with other topics that I have not encountered previously. I hope they keep up this great work so us podcast listeners will have new thought experiences for years to come

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MishaS
    United States2 months ago
  • Faaaaantastic!

    Wonderfully produced, incredibly interesting, always engaging, easy to access, stimulating…

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Gr2323
    United States3 months ago
  • Medicine for the Heart!

    First time listening to this podcast, and the interview with David George Haskell was absolutely brilliant. Grateful for those who point us to more beauty and possibility amidst the sensation of chaos and darkness. Keep expanding my awareness so more can be included in this moment. Blessings for a successful endeavor. The world needs this medicine for the heart!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    sil_mindful
    United States3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some listeners note it as a perceptive evolution of prior public radio formats and value the long-form format.
Listeners praise the high-quality, thoughtful conversations and elegant production.
Many appreciate the blend of science, philosophy, and nature with a hopeful, awe-filled tone.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Why We Need Fairy Tales Now — with Sharon Blackie
Q: What distinguishes your approach from traditional Jungian analyses of fairy tales?
I prioritize the idea that archetypes and images can exist outside the individual psyche, tapping into an imaginal world, and I argue for listening to the image as a living, morally meaningful presence rather than simply projecting inner psychology onto it.
Why We Need Fairy Tales Now — with Sharon Blackie
Q: Sharon, why are these stories so important to you?
Because fairy tales saved me in childhood by reflecting the harsh realities I faced, and they offer a realistic, non-sugarcoated framework for endurance, resilience, and finding a path through difficult circumstances.
Dekila Chungyalpa on the Sacred Feminine and the Living Earth
Q: What did you learn about working with Christian and evangelical communities, and how did that shape your approach to bridging science and religion?
She describes initial distrust from evangelical communities toward scientists, the importance of trust, and finding meeting points where disaster response and climate concerns align with faith-driven compassion, ultimately highlighting the value of respectful dialogue and shared goals.
Dekila Chungyalpa on the Sacred Feminine and the Living Earth
Q: Thank you. I'm talking with Dekila Chungyalpa, and I want to pick up her story with her experience of working in conservation science, which ultimately led her to found the LOKA Initiative. How did that path unfold?
Dekila explains the split between being a scientist by day and a practicing Buddhist by night, the challenge of integrating faith into science, and how personal burnout and climate anxiety pushed her toward faith-based collaboration, culminating in the LOKA Initiative to unite faith leaders and scientists for climate action.
Caroline Winterer: Dinosaurs, Deep Time and the American Soul
Q: Why did dinosaurs become part of our national identity in the United States?
Dinosaurs and deep time offered a way for Americans to imagine a history that predates European civilization, which in turn helped construct a sense of American distinctiveness, progress, and power, while also being co-opted to justify policies like westward expansion and the removal of Native peoples.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Age Range
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Frequently Asked Questions About Wonder Cabinet

What is Wonder Cabinet about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, long-form show that curates conversations with scientists, philosophers, writers, and artists to explore wonder, nature, and the human relationship with the planet. Across installments, it frequently centers on consciousness, ecology, myth, and cultural narratives that shape how we understand reality, often weighing scientific insight against imaginative and ethical perspectives. Noteworthy is the show's commitment to intimate, deep-dive dialogue with a wide network of guests—from neuroscientists and economists to poets and naturalists—delivering a distinctive blend of rigor, wonder, and narrative richness that invites listeners to rethink what they know about the world.

A standout quality is the breadth of guest expertise an... more

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How many listeners does Wonder Cabinet get?

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What are the audience demographics for Wonder Cabinet?

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How many subscribers and views does Wonder Cabinet have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Wonder Cabinet has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Wonder Cabinet?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Wonder Cabinet:

1. On Being with Krista Tippett
2. Radiolab
3. Fresh Air
4. City Arts & Lectures
5. Hidden Brain

How many episodes of Wonder Cabinet are there?

Wonder Cabinet launched 15 years ago and published 708 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Wonder Cabinet?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Wonder Cabinet?

Recent guests on Wonder Cabinet include:

1. D. Graham Burnett
2. Christof Koch
3. Sharon Blackie
4. Rebecca Henderson
5. Caroline Winterer
6. Mary Jane Rubenstein
7. Dekila Chungyalpa
8. Manvir Singh

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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