The Problem with the Solution

Invisibilia

• Episode: The Problem with the Solution
• Website: Invisibilia
• Feed URL: https://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510307
• Duration: 00:59:30
• Published: 2016-07-01 09:02

In this episode we find that the solution can be the problem. The hour begins with a charming couple from Utah who stumble across a clever fix to their clogged drain problem one day while they are showering together. For them, the impulse to fix the problem leads to a happy adventure into the world of patenting and manufacturing a new product. From there, the hour takes a turn to explore how this very same impulse to fix a problem — the impulse that has led the human species to invent telephones and bicycles and rocket ships — has surprising consequences when it comes to the problem of mental illness.