Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrom offers a cautionary take on artificial intelligence in his new book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. In it, he imagines what could happen if computers were to ever become smarter than humans. He tells Steve Paulson that it could have catastrophic effects, unless we start thinking about it now.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Katherine Ellison says that pregnancy and motherhood change women's brains for the better, making them smarter, calmer and more competent.
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.
Jerry Apps is a rural historian and chronicler of country life. His book "Old Farm" is a kind of deep history of his land in Wisconsin.
Poet Naomi Shihab Nye talks with Anne Strainchamps about the effects of the violence in Iraq and the Middle-East on the children who see it everyday.
Marilynne Robinson is from Idaho, although she's spent years of her life on the East Coast. The Western character is something Robinson has never let go of, it still informs her life and her writing today.
Kim Evans talks about her essay, "Charlie Kaufman, Screenwriter." The essay is from the book, "The Philosophy of Charlie Kaufman."
Peter T. Kilborn talks about the "new rootless professional class" that consists of mid-level managers and executives who move every few years (sometimes enormous distances, or to foreign countries) to advance their careers.
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