On Being with Krista Tippett

Could codes like we see in computer programs be in the DNA of the cosmos? The physicist James Gates is a leading string theorist who is evolving mathematics to convey truth much like poetry does. He reveals why string theory stretches our imaginations about the fundamental nature of reality. And he shares what his life in science has taught him about how fallibility makes us more complete, and imagination makes us more knowledgeable.

Krista Tippett's unedited interview with S. James Gates Jr., the Toll Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland in College Park. Krista interviewed him on January 25, 2012 from the studios of APM in St. Paul, MN. Gates was in the studios of NPR in Washington, D.C. This interview is included in the show "Uncovering the Codes for Reality." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

Desmond Tutu says that despite all the evil and suffering in the world, human beings are "remarkable things" who are "made for goodness." We explore how his understanding of God and humanity has unfolded through the history he's shaped -- and even through his friendship with the Dalai Lama.

This is On Being's Unheard Cuts. Krista Tippett interviewed Desmond Tutu on March 12, 2010 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This interview is included in the show "Desmond Tutu's God of Surprises." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

Meredith Monk is a kind of archeologist of the human voice. She says that "the voice could be like the body" -- flexible and fluid with practice. Through music as through meditation, the longtime Buddhist practitioner pushes the boundaries of what we can do without words. And she tells Krista Tippett what she's learned about mercy and impermanence, spirit and play. A lush hour of music and thought not to be forgotten.

Krista Tippett's unedited interview with Meredith Monk, award-winning, composer, singer, director and choreographer. She spoke with her on January 11, 2012 from the studios of APM in St. Paul, Minnesota. Meredith Monk was in a private recording studio in New York City. This interview is included in the show "Meredith Monk's Voice." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

Journalism can make us care -- or it can numb us to human suffering. Nicholas Kristof's columns in The New York Times wrap hard news inside human stories with broad appeal. Krista talks with him about the lessons of his life covering some of the worst atrocities in the world. He draws on insights of neuroscience, for example, to pierce through compassion fatigue.

Krista Tippett's unedited interview with Nicholas Kristof, op-ed columnist for the New York Times. She spoke with him on September 3, 2010 from the studios of APM in St. Paul, Minnesota. Nicholas Kristof was in a private recording studio in New York City. This interview is included in the show "Journalism and Compassion." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

For Black History Month: public historian Tiya Miles. She's a MacArthur "genius" who's unearthing an especially painful chapter of the American experience -- the intersecting history of African-Americans and Native Americans, and the little-known narratives that Cherokee landowners held black slaves. Even with history this difficult, Tiya Miles shows us the possibility of stretching the canvas of the past wide enough to hold both hard truths and healing.

Krista Tippett's unedited interview with Tiya Miles, Chair and Professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She spoke with her on November 16, 2011 from the studios of APM in St. Paul, MN. Tiya Miles was in studio at Michigan Radio at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This interview is included in the show "Toward Living Memory." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

John O'Donohue was an Irish poet and philosopher beloved for his insistence on beauty as a human calling and a defining aspect of God. The human soul hungers for beauty, John O'Donohue insisted, and we feel most alive in its presence. It returns us often in fleeting but sustaining moments to our highest selves. And a neglect of beauty, he believed, is at the heart of our deepest modern crises.

Krista's unedited interview with the late Irish poet and philosopher,John O'Donohue. She spoke with him on October 1, 2007 in her the studios of APM in St. Paul, MN. This interview is included in our show "The Inner Landscape of Beauty." Download the mp3 of the produced show at on-being-dot-org.

An exclusive track of John O'Donohue reading his poem "A Blessing for a Friend on the Arrival of Illness" during his interview with Krista Tippett on October 1, 2007 in the studios of APM in St. Paul, Minnesota. This poem is included in the On Being show "The Inner Landscape of Beauty." Download the mp3 of the produced show at onbeing.org.

An exclusive track of John O'Donohue reading his poem "A Blessing for One Who Holds Power" during his interview with Krista Tippett on October 1, 2007 in the studios of APM in St. Paul, Minnesota. This poem is included in the On Being show "The Inner Landscape of Beauty." Download the mp3 of the produced show at onbeing.org.

An exclusive track of John O'Donohue reading his poem "Beannacht" during his interview with Krista Tippett on October 1, 2007 in the studios of APM in St. Paul, Minnesota. This poem is included in the On Being show "The Inner Landscape of Beauty." Download the mp3 of the produced show at onbeing.org.