The Atlantic’s Robert Wright has listed several podcast for readers to try in 2013. He lists two “high-brow” shows, including In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg and Partially Examined Life, which features a compelling gimmick (if I may use the term):

“This podcast faces some self-imposed obstacles: (1) It features four, sometimes five, people, and since the regulars are all American males without distinctive regional accents, it’s not immediately easy to tell them apart, so their personalities take a while to crystallize. (2) It’s about philosophy! And I mean real philosophy. Most of the regulars did graduate work in philosophy and were headed for academia before they ‘thought better of it,’ as their web site puts it. So their idea of a good time is an in-depth, sometimes even technical, discussion of Wittgenstein or Quine.”

That’s high-brow, all right. I’m going to check it out.

Wright also recommends two Buddhist podcasts, including Buddhist Geeks. That’s a good one, though I feel the hosts are prone to rambling.

I have a few recommendations of my own:

• StarTalk Radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Not only is Neil brilliant and compelling, he’s often paired with a comedian co-host who plays the role of the layman listener. I love this show.
• The Truth. Short audio dramas that are wonderfully written, performed and produced.
• The Adam and Dr. Drew Show. Fans of old-school Loveline will enjoy Adam and Dr. Drew together again and doing their thing.
• BBC Drama of the Week. More audio dramas, expertly performed and produced.