On Being with Krista Tippett

American novelist Marilynne Robinson and Brazilian astrophysicist Marcelo Gleiser are both passionate about the majesty of science, yet they share a caution about our 'piety' towards the discipline. They connect discoveries about the cosmos, new ways of understanding the mind, and our longing to understand our origins.

Marilynne Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and essayist and Marcelo Gleiser is an astrophysicist and professor at Dartmouth College. Krista Tippett spoke with them on October 15, 2012 during a live event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This interview is included in our show "The Mystery We Are." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

Joanna Macy is a Buddhist philosopher of ecology and an exquisite translator of the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. We take that poetry as a lens on her wisdom, at 81, about the great dramas of our time: ecological, political, and personal. Rilke sought the shape of meaning in a now-vanished central Europe at the turn of the last century. Joanna Macy's vision took shape in crucibles of the 20th century; she sees us at a pivotal moment in history -- with possibilities of unraveling, or of creating a life-sustaining human society.

Joanna Macy is a Buddhist scholar, Rilke translator, and philosopher of ecology. Krista Tippett spoke with her on July 13, 2010 via ISDN line. This interview is included in our show "A Wild Love for the World." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

A veteran Republican senator and Democratic economist are political bridge people who've brought differing approaches and shared love of country to generations of economic policy. In this tense political moment, they offer straight talk and wise perspective -- and won't let partisan gridlock have the last word. The final dialogue in our Civil Conversations Project.

Krista Tippett's unedited conversation with Senator Pete Domenici and Alice Rivlin. Krista spoke with them on October 9, 2012 in front of a live, public audience at The Brookings Institution in Washington DC. This interview is included in our show "Political Bridge People." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

Jonathan Rauch and David Blankenhorn came to the gay marriage debate from two, predictable opposing sides -- but with an equal desire to strengthen marriage. They're pursuing another way to talk about this difficult issue, and others, with civility and honesty.

Krista Tippett's unedited conversation with Jonathan Rauch and David Blankenhorn. Krista spoke with them on October 10, 2012 in front of a live, public audience at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This interview is included in our show "The Future of Marriage." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

Bobby McFerrin is a musical genius. He's a master of improvisation and a genre-bending vocal magician and conductor. And he sings the territory between music, mystery, and spirit. Who better to contemplate the human voice -- its delights, its revelations, and its mystery?

Bobby McFerrin is a ten-time Grammy Award winner, and one of the world's best-known vocal innovators and improvisers, a world-renowned classical conductor, and a passionate spokesman for music education. Krista Tippett spoke with him on April 22, 2011 in a studio at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This interview is included in our show "Catching Song with Bobby McFerrin." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

No issue is more intractable than abortion. Or is it? Most Americans fall somewhere between the absolute poles of "pro-life" and "pro-choice." David Gushee, a Christian ethicist who advocates a "consistent ethic of life," and Frances Kissling, an abortion-rights activist, reveal what they admire in the other side and discuss what's really at stake in this debate. Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Minnesota for The Civil Conversations Project, this often conversation doesn't begin or end in the predictable places.

Krista Tippett's unedited conversation with Christian ethicist David P. Gushee and abortion-rights activist Frances Kissling. Krista spoke with them on September 26, 2012 in front of a live, public audience at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The light and smells in places like hospitals can often depress us. And, our favorite room at home keeps us sane. But why? Immunologist Esther Sternberg explains the scientific research revealing how physical spaces create stress and make us sick -- and how good design can trigger our 'brain's internal pharmacies' and help heal us.

Krista Tippett spoke with immunologist Esther Sternberg on March 30, 2012. This unedited interview is included in our show, "The Science of Healing Places." Download the mp3 of the produced show at onbeing.org.

As part of The Civil Conversations Project, Krista Tippett speaks with two Christian leaders who are reshaping their part in common life, and the common good -- something much bigger than politics. Recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Minnesota, this often surprising conversation addresses subjects like gay marriage, abortion, and the strident reputation that Christian evangelicals have earned in the past decade.