The Biology of the Spirit [On Being from APM]

The Biology of the Spirit

March 12, 2009
On Being OnDemand:
» Download (mp3, 53:09) ¦ » Listen Now (RealAudio, 53:09) ¦ » Podcast

Former surgeon Sherwin Nuland speaks about his sense of wonder at the body's capacity to sustain life and support our pursuits of order and meaning, and why he believes the human spirit is an evolutionary accomplishment of the brain. The three-pound human brain, he says, is the most complex structure that has ever existed on this planet.

About the Image

"Manipulation of the Human Brain"

+ (image: Duran Riccio)

Program Details

» Particulars
an annotated guide to the radio program with readings, images, and links
» Books + Music
» Krista's Journal
» Transcript
» Credits

Hear the Music

» On Being Playlist ¦ hear full-length tracks of each song played in the program

About the Image

"Manipulation of the Human Brain"
(image: Duran Riccio)

Unheard Cuts

» Unedited Interview with Nuland [mp3, 53:53]

Our podcast of the finished program is a highly polished product with a lot of tight production elements. But, sometimes it's fun — and informative — to listen to a rawer, uninterrupted version of Krista's conversation with her guests. Take a listen and tell us what you think.

Selected Readings and Speeches

» Readings of Nuland's Writing
You can hear and read four selected passages from Sherwin Nuland's writing on the virtue of beauty, love and death, the biological basis of spirit, and human potentiality in the face of distress.

» "Brain, Mind, and Spirit: The Wisdom of the Human Body" [RealAudio, 1:15:41]
Listen to the complete audio of Sherwin Nuland's lecture given at the Chautauqua Institution on August 22, 2005. For more of his lectures, visit The Great Lecture Library.

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Voice on the Radio

Sherwin Nuland

Nuland is clinical professor of surgery at Yale University, where he also teaches bioethics and medical history. His books include Maimonides, How We Die, and How We Live: The Wisdom of the Body.