Neuroscientist Richard Davidson is a leading expert on the science of mindfulness. He's teamed up with the Dalai Lama to put Buddhist monks in brain scanners, and he's developing a new scientific model for studying emotion.
You can also listen to the EXTENDED interview, and read the extended transcript.
Rita Golden Gelman tells Anne Strainchamps how she became a professional nomad, and recounts some stories from her travels in Bali and rural Mexico.
Jason Zinoman talks to Jim Fleming about his book, "Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror."
Robert Thurman tells Anne Strainchamps about the Buddhist concept of self and why it leads to compassion and understanding.
Steve Paulson talks with Jerry Huffman, a reporter and anchor for Wisconsin Public Television, about the best recent books that try to make sense of the Post Cold War World.
Mukoma Wa Ngugi is a poet and English professor who writes crime novels set in his native Kenya. He says the crime genre lets him write truthfully about race, class and violence in cities like Nairobi.
The music of avant-garde composer Philip Glass is distinct and memorable. His span reaches across opera and symphonies to film scores and popular music. One cannot exaggerate the influence this world-renowned composer has had on modern classic music. And now, at 78, Philip Glass has given us one more work to ponder: his memoir, called “Words Without Music.”
Jonathan Haidt talks with Jim Fleming about an often-overlooked emotion - elevation.
