In 1845, Edgar Allen Poe coined the term "The Imp of the Perverse" to describe our drive toward destruction, especially of ourselves. In his short story of the same name, the narrator recalls a murder he'd committed simply because he could get away with it. Later, though, he's driven to confess, not because of guilt but for the same reason he'd killed in the first place: The Imp had driven him to do it.

In this episode, Eric tells a story about resisting the Imp. He first published this piece as an essay in Ricochet Magazine in September 2014.

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Podington Bear created our ad music. Additional music in this episode from the Pangolins, P. Frosini, Kosta T., Nctrnm, and Jahzzar.

Additional voice work in this episode by Shaun Holloway and Chris Boss.

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Do you have an animal-related story? A story about a time you were reminded of your own or other people’s animal-ness? Or maybe a story you’re not sure has anything to do with animals at all but still feels kinda, sorta relevant to things we do with this show? Tell us about it at (571) 446-0341 or record a voice memo on your phone and email it to [email protected].

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