To the Best of Our Knowledge: The New Alone

In this hour, more people than ever before in US history are living alone. But they're not an example of an isoalted America, full of strangers who don't connect. They're living lives of fullment and social engagement. Eric Klinenberg writes about the trend in Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone.

Next, why are we so obsessed with finding someone who completes us? What if we're already complete? That's what Michael Cobb wonders. In his book Single he argues that it's time to take the pressure off couples and look at other ways of living.

Then, Alan Doyle is the lead singer of the band Great Big Sea, a group comprised of friends that's been around for years. He stopped by our studios to talk about the ins and outs of his first solo album, Boy on Bridge.

After that, when life gives you lemons, sometimes you make lemonade. And sometimes you write, and bake and play piano at three 3 am. That's what Dominique Browning did after she and her staff were let go when the magazine, House and Garden folded. She writes about getting to know herself in the book Slow Love.

And finally, When people let go of religion, they often let go of the fellowship and community that go along with the faith. But Greg Epstein is trying to change that. As Harvard University's Humanist Chaplain, he's forging new models of community-building without God. [Broadcast Date: September 26, 2012]