Krista's Journal (February 25, 2010)
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My Conversations About Science Has Changed Me Over the Years
As I write this, I'm preparing to head on the road for Rochester (New York), Austin (Texas), New York City, and in a few weeks on to Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford and New Haven, and Washington D.C. Some of this was planned years ago, but it's all dovetailed with this new book / experiment / conversation starter we're calling Einstein's God: Conversations about Science and the Human Spirit. The publication of a book is like a birth, and the baby was born this week.
There were a few surprises in pulling together a bunch of our favorite shows about science and medicine. It was clear that we would take Einstein's utterly intriguing spiritual imagination as our starting point. It was fascinating to discover, then, how much of a thread he is in so many conversations, and not always in predictable ways.
I was concerned at the outset that this might not work as a book. I am a lover of the written word and care about the integrity of the printed word. But I discovered that all the work we do creating our programs is compatible with that passion of mine. There is a lot of writing in our scripts to make big, beautiful ideas accessible to an audience. And we layer in splendid language: Einstein or Darwin's own words, poetry, and passages from physicist Janna Levin's novel. So there is in fact something readable happening beyond a conversation.
Most intriguingly, writing and editing this book gave me a chance to reflect on how this extended and expansive conversation about science across the years has actually changed me and changed the show. We'll immerse ourselves in this subject for the next month of programs while I'm on the road.
Next week, we'll present a new program — one we've created from my live conversation with Robert Wright on the evolution of God, a discussion deeply kindred to our ongoing exploration of the science-religion interface as something far more interesting than a debate. And then we'll bring back our shows with Janna Levin on "Mathematics, Purpose and Truth," Michael McCullough on the biological bases of revenge and forgiveness, and Mehmet Oz on integrative medicine. Finally, we'll observe Easter weekend with a delightful encounter with two Jesuit astronomers who both have asteroids named after them.
Some of you will have been with us for a while on this journey. If you read Einstein's God, let us know what you think about it as a new kind of extension of the show. It's coming out straight to paperback so it can be affordable and ready for both individuals and groups to read, discuss and study by. And needless to say, every purchase supports our ongoing work. I'll end this with a sneak peak for you — my opening essay introducing the first chapter, which I crafted like all the chapter introductions, expanding on the journal entries I've been writing here for years.
Krista Recommends Reading:
"The Human Legacy of a Great Mind and a Wise Man"
by Krista Tippett
This excerpt from Einstein's God: Conversations about Science and the Human Spirit revisits and develops my original written reflection on my conversation with Freeman Dyson and Paul Davies.
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