We use cookies and other tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience. If you continue to use our site, you agree to the use of such cookies. For more info, see our privacy policy.
Skip to main content

Hi. We love you. Be our Life Partner.

Support the show to get ad-free listening, bonus content, and our new Greatest Hits Archive.

Learn more
This American Life Partners logo
00:00
00:00
  • Transcript
  • Share
This American Life
  • Life Partners
  • How to Listen
  • Episodes
  • Recommended
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Announcements
    • Fellowships
    • Jobs
    • Music
    • Make Radio
    • On The Road
    • FAQ
    • Submissions
    • Merch
    • Contact Us
    • Our Other Shows
  • Merch
  • Follow Us
  • Life Partners
188
June 22, 2001

Kid Logic (2001)

Stories of kids using perfectly logical arguments, and arriving at perfectly wrong conclusions.

  • Download
    Control-click (or right-click) Tap and hold to download
  • Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Subscribe
  • Transcript
Marc Wathieu

We made an updated version of this episode in 2016.

Prologue

Host Ira Glass talks with Rebecca, who, using perfectly valid evidence, arrived at the perfectly incorrect conclusion that her neighbor, Ronnie Loeberfeld, was the tooth fairy. We hear her story. Ira also talks with Dr. Alison Gopnik, co-author of the book, The Scientist in the Crib, about what exactly kid logic is. Alison is also author of The Philosophical Baby.(6 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

Baby Scientists With Faulty Data

More stories like the one in the prologue, where kids look at something going on around them, observe it carefully, think about it logically, and come to conclusions that are completely incorrect. Includes a story set at Christmastime, where a father tells his daughter about the baby Jesus being born, and all the "good stuff." Then the daughter notices a picture of Jesus on the cross, and asks why they killed him. The child later asks about Martin Luther King, Jr. (11 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Jonathan Goldstein
Jack Hitt
Act Two

The Game Ain't Over Til The Fatso Man Sings

Howie Chackowicz tried a risky combination when he was little, kid logic with puppy love. He used to think that girls would fall in love with him if they could just see him sleeping, or if they could hear him read aloud. He revisits his biggest childhood crush and finds out that not only did his methods not work, but that no one even noticed them. (11 minutes)

By

Howie Chackowicz
Act Three

Werewolves In Their Youth

Michael Chabon reads an excerpt from his short story Werewolves in Their Youth, from his collection of the same name, about an act of kid logic that succeeds where adult logic fails. His most recent book is Telegraph Avenue.(16 minutes)

By

Michael Chabon
Act Four

One Brain Shrinks, Another Brain Grows

Julie Hill with a story about her six-year-old son, and how he tries to make sense of his father's terminal illness. (11 minutes)

By

Julie Hill

Related

If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these
158: Mob Mentality
May 5, 2000

Act Two: One Tin Soldier Rides Away

What happens when seventh graders become an angry mob? Karen Bernstein reports on her own seventh grade class from small-town Connecticut.
638: Rom-Com
Feb. 9, 2018

Act Four: You Had Me at Hello

Comedian Jillian Welsh tells Diane Wu about one of the most romantic—and stressful—nights of her life, a night that paralleled the plot of a rom-com in several ways.
198: How to Win Friends and Influence People
Nov. 2, 2001

Act Four: Just Be Yourself

Jonathan Goldstein with a story about what it's like to date Lois Lane when she's on the rebound from Superman.

Staff Recommendations

View all
154
Mar. 10, 2000

In Dog We Trust (2000)

Exactly how much are the animals that live in our home caught up in everyday family dynamics?

472
Aug. 17, 2012

Our Friend David

Favorite stories by our longtime contributor and friend David Rakoff.

This American Life

This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange.

  • How to Listen
  • Episodes
  • Recommended
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Announcements
    • Fellowships
    • Jobs
    • Music
    • Make Radio
    • On The Road
    • FAQ
    • Submissions
    • Merch
    • Contact Us
    • Our Other Shows
  • Merch
  • Contact
  • Life Partners
  • Serial
  • S-Town
© 1995 - 2025 This American Life Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Subscribe

  • on Spotify
  • in Apple Podcasts

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email