
Humankind on Public Radio
David Freudberg
Show overview
Humankind on Public Radio has been publishing since 2015, and across the 11 years since has built a catalogue of 89 episodes. That works out to roughly 40 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a roughly quarterly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 29 min and 30 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Society & Culture show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 5 days ago, with 27 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2026, with 27 episodes published. Published by David Freudberg.
From the publisher
Weekly podcast from public radio’s award-winning program Humankind
Latest Episodes
View all 89 episodesHome Cooking
Income Inequality
Generous Giving
Journey of the Deaf-Blind
Culture of Distraction
Aging in Community, Pt4
Ahead of His Time, Charles Sumner, Pt2
Aging in Community, Pt3
Ahead of His Time: The Story of Charles Sumner, Pt1
Mattie Stepanek’s Heartsong
First Responders
Streetworkers
Mothers Out Front
The Placebo Effect

Words of War and Peace
Author Cynthia Wachtell describes contrasting views of war in American literature, including the Civil War reflections of Walt Whitman and the fervent anti-war beliefs expressed by Mark Twain in several works. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Hospice Doc Joel Bauman
In this documentary we enter a rich dialogue with Joel Bauman, a remarkably gifted physician, trained in care for the elderly. He describes the special needs of palliative care for hospice patients, who have shifted from seeking a cure (which may no longer be realistic) to relief of symptoms and distress, as life draws to a close. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Barely Getting By, Pt2
In a country as wealthy as the United States, “working poor” should be a contradiction in terms. But tens of millions of Americans fall into that category, affecting a growing population of children. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Books to Prisoners
The Prisoners Literature Project, an all-volunteer service based in Berkeley, California, packages and ships books to people who are incarcerated, as a humanitarian gesture and one that helps inmates prepare for re-entry into society. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Answering the Need, Pt2
Years into an uneven economic recovery throughout the United States, more and more Americans will be relying on the good will of their neighbors. When and how to help people in poverty is an ancient ethical question. But in most cases, there remains a wall between the poor and everyone else. This documentary examines why people decide to offer their time and money to answer the need. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.

Answering the Need, Pt1
With the tightening economy, increased middle class anxiety, home foreclosures and lengthening lines at soup kitchens throughout the United States, more and more and more Americans will be relying on the good will of their neighbors. This documentary examines why people decide to offer their time and money to answer the need. To see additional resources and our other programs, please visit humanmedia.org . Humankind specials are heard on NPR and PRX member-stations, in association with GBH Boston.