Roots of Reality

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the various sports superstitions from belief in luck and curses, to athletes engaging in pseudoscientific medicine.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with historian Dr. Amna Khalid about free speech on college campuses, the role identity plays in free speech debates, and how we can teach people to value free speech.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the quest for free speech throughout history and why it is important, the limits of free speech under the 1st Amendment, and the complexities of the free speech and social media debate.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with historian Dr. Jonathan Zimmerman about the history of culture wars in American education, how the field of history has changed, and the importance of having a learning environment that values free thought and open discussion.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about how presentism impacts the societal understanding of history and the various examples of presentism today.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with President of the Applied Policy Research Institute Armenia Lara Setrakian about the origins of the tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, why the current situation is so dangerous, and what can be done to resolve this situation.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the various invasions throughout history, the diversity of the invasions that have occurred historically, and what this tells us about the violence of our species.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with TikTok star Tigran about being an influencer, his work teaching English, and his journey to over a million followers.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with media expert Dr. Jessica Gall Myrick about how social media impacts us mentally, how influencers affect their followers, and the positives and negatives of influencer culture.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the long history of influencers, the different types of influencers, and the importance of skepticism when it comes to influencer culture.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with former professional basketball player Tom McMillen about him being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, his experiences playing for the US Men's National team in the controversial 1972 Summer Olympics, and how basketball has changed.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about basketball's humble origins, how it became a global game, and the most successful teams and players ever.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with comedian Dave Thomas about his journey to comedy, the origins of the popular comedy show SCTV, his work in the film Rat Race, and how comedy has changed over time.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the various forms of comedy throughout history.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with musician Ryan Michaels about the importance of music in his family, the origins of Haley & Michaels, and his work creating music in support of Ukraine.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about his ancestry and what we can learn from our ancestors.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with music producer/DJ Andrew Koalska also known as AKKO, about the rise of electronic music, keeping a healthy perspective in the age of social media, and creating the Roots of Reality theme songs.

Historian Ben Baumann breaks down the billions of years that led to you, answers a question about the meaning of life, and talks about the main idea behind the podcast.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with one of the original members of The Association, Russ Giguere about the origins of the band, the 1960s music scene, and his book Along Comes The Association.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the cultural impact of the 1960s and what the youth of the 60s likely still remember today.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with former NASA Astronaut Rick Hieb about what's it like being in space, his experience performing a record-breaking spacewalk, and the future of spaceflight.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the history of spaceflight, the role of the Soviet Union and United States, and some of the most impressive spaceflight records.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with former Congressman Bob Inglis about his journey to politics, political polarization, and how politics has changed.

Historian Ben Baumann talks about the history of political controversies and the dangers of not learning from them as a society.

In this Roots of Reality Experiences episode, historian Ben Baumann talks with biologist Dr. Rana Dajani about the compatibility between Islam and evolution.