Closer To Truth Video Archive

Show 101:  What Are the Grand Questions of Science?

From genetics to cosmology to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of numerous and extraordinary mega-revolutions that will change the very nature of life. In today's episode, America's top scientists, authors and experts identify the key areas where science is focused, discuss their merits and impact, and rank them in order of importance. Joining host Robert Kuhn are astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; author/astronomer Timothy Ferris; evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala; professor of neuroscience and philosophy Patricia Smith Churchland; and theoretical physicist Steve Koonin. [more]

Show 102: Will the Internet Change Humanity?

Experts in public policy, technology and media gather to discuss the full and real impact of the Internet and the information age on humans and humanity. Find out how access to information, instant gratification and the personal, 
institutional and growing global impact of computer use and Internet access are changing the way we think, the way we do things, our communities and our civilization. Marvin Minsky, a leading authority on artificial intelligence joins host Robert Kuhn along with geopolitical economist Francis Fukuyama; technological analyst George Geis; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; and planetary scientist Bruce Murray. [more]

Show 103: What's Creativity and Who's Creative?

Creativity is exciting, but also demanding, consuming, frustrating, and addicting. It's inspiring, but also fickle, erratic, tricky, and risky. Experts gather to discuss this remarkable thing called creativity in a lively discussion that combines sweeping theories, fascinating stories, clever experiments and personal confessions. Find out where creativity comes from, how it's applied, and why it can be found anywhere, at home or work, in art as well as science. Joining host Robert Kuhn are television producer Stephen J. Cannell; inventor, entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil; creativity and happiness authority Mihaly Csikszentmihaly; music educator Robert Freeman; and corporate creativity expert John Kao. [more]

Show 104: New Communities for the New Millennium?

The word "community" may sound archaic, a social remnant of the idyllic 1950s. But paradoxically, in our high-tech age of instant information, "community" is more relevant than ever, though its broader boundaries and greater diversities may surprise you. Today's panelists explore communities in all forms, from political and social to scientific and technological. Joining host Robert Kuhn are astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson; founder and president of the Discovery Institute Bruce Chapman; social architect Barbara Marx Hubbard; Yale Law School student Saru Jayaraman; and linguist John McWhorter. [more]

Show 105: How Did This Universe Begin? 

It's called "The Big Bang" -- that inexplicable moment when an infinitesimally small point expanded majestically, and cooked up space, time, energy and matter into a colossal cosmic stew. How can we draw such a fine-grained portrait of the "ultimate beginning" and what scientific answers reach across billions of years? Humanity's ancient and perpetual fascination with the universe's beginnings is discussed in light of recent, revolutionary discoveries in cosmology, and what they mean for human understanding. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Nobel Laureate and physicist Leon Lederman; physicist/cosmologist Andrei Linde; cosmologist Wendy Freedman; theologian Nancey Murphy; and mathematician Frank Tipler. [more]

Show 106: Can We See the Near Future - Year 2025?

Close you eyes. Now fast-forward 25 years. Open your eyes. What do you see? Humanity has moved through the agrarian age to the industrial age and now, the information age. With what moniker will we label our future? Experts 
gather to argue where we've been, what we've learned, what the future holds in store, and if it really is possible to forecast the not too distant future. Joining host Robert Kuhn are creativity pioneer Edward de Bono; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; artificial intelligence expert Edward Feigenbaum; futurist Graham T.T. Molitor; and planetary scientist Bruce Murray. [more]

Show 107: What is Consciousness? 

It's the stuff of our private selves, that which gives us our personal and collective identity. But just what is this thing called consciousness? Experts say that this human experience called consciousness is a mental experience, of the mind but not of the brain. Today's panelists look inside the mind and talk about just what is and what's so special about human consciousness. Joining host Robert Kuhn are physicist James Trefil; consciousness expert David Chalmers; philosopher of mind John Searle; anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz; and theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf. [more]

Show 108: Can You Really Extend Your Life? 

Long life is humanity's ancient and perennial goal. Prophets promised it, explorers searched for it and today's society is obsessed with it. Today's panelists discuss the biology of aging and debate the facts, fads and fallacies of living longer -- and offer the best, most sensible advice to slow the aging process. Joining host Robert Kuhn are gene therapist French Anderson; best-selling author and surgeon Sherwin Nuland; fitness theorist Arthur S. De Vany; biophysicist Gregory Stock; and longevity expert Roy Walford. [more]

Show 109: Can ESP Affect Our Lives? 

Most people believe that ESP, or extrasensory perception, is real. Most scientists assume the opposite. Is ESP wishful thinking, sloppy science or clever conjuring -- or could it be real? Today's experts explore the topics of the paranormal, extrasensory perception, the power of mind-over-body and why accepting the reality of things nonphysical would require changing our entire world view. Joining host Robert Kuhn are physicist James Trefil; parapsychologist Dean Radin; neuropsychologist Barry Beyerstein; anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz; and parapsychologist Charles Tart. [more]

Show 110 Whatever Happened to Ethics and Civility?

Many blame the feverish pace of modern society and the intensity and ferocity of competition for today's lack of morals and common courtesy. Yet, many more believe that society is impoverished without ethics and civility. Today's
expert panelists discuss the waning ethics and civility in American society and debate what, if anything, can be done about it. Joining host Robert Kuhn are the founder and president of the Discovery Institute Bruce Chapman; Yale 
Law School student Saru Jayaraman; linguist John McWhorter; social architect Barbara Marx Hubbard; and theologian Richard Mouw. [more]

Show 111: How Does Technology Transform Thinking? 

Light-speed technology is accelerating, and even changing the way we think. So much so that you're irritated when there a 10-second delay in downloading a Internet site even when just a few years ago you were thrilled to a 
same-day fax. Today's expert panelists take on technology to discuss what it is about technology that is affecting our modes of thought, how thinking has changed, and how humans can keep up with the raging pace of technological change. Joining host Robert Kuhn are geopolitical economist Francis Fukuyama; artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; planetary scientist Bruce Murray and technological innovator George Kozmetsky. [more]

Show 112: Strange Physics of The Mind? 

Two fundamental theories -- quantum mechanics and relativity -- have changed forever our understanding of reality. Quantum mechanics describes the very small-scale structure of atoms and their components. Relativity describes the 
very large-scale structure of space and time. Today's panelists discuss why some physicists have suddenly become obsessed with using physics to explain the human mind, consciousness and how we think. Joining host Robert Kuhn are sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; physicist James Trefil; consciousness expert David Chalmers; philosopher of mind John Searle; and theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf. [more]

Show 113: Can Science Seek the Soul?

Belief in the existence of the "spiritual essence" of an immortal soul has infused human thought and history. Still, most of today's scientists remain materialists who believe that only the physical world is real. Today's topic pits the scientific materialists against those who believe in the concept of "dualism," which requires some nonphysical component -- call it a "soul" -- to transform the human brain into the human mind. Joining host Robert Kuhn are neuropsychologist Warren Brown; parapsychologist Dean Radin; transpersonal psychologist Charles Tart; philosopher of mind John Searle; and theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf. [more]

Show 114: Does Sex Have a Future? 

Sex has long permeated modern life, transforming values and changing morals. But is technology adding a new twist? Today's top experts discuss what happens when technology multiplies sexual options and accelerates sexual shifts. Joining host Robert Kuhn are sex therapists Cliff and Joyce Penner; human sexuality authority Paul Abramson; medical historian Vern Bullough; and biophysicist Gregory Stock. [more]

Show 201: Can We Imagine the Far Future - Year 3000? 

Everyone knows it's important to think ahead -- but just how far do you need to go? Some say we should be looking up to 1,000 years into the next millennium, at what kinds of jobs will exist, what will we drive, and how will we learn, communicate, worship and wonder. Find out what today's top scientists, governments, educators and social scientists are thinking about, why you should care, and how it will affect the world, and your own family's future. Joining host Robert Kuhn are creativity pioneer Edward de Bono; fuzzy logic expert Bart Kosko; futurist Graham T.T. Molitor; and planetary scientist Bruce Murray. [more]

Show 202: What are the Next Breakthroughs in Science?

The "big breakthroughs" in science seeming to be "bigger" than ever, and happening faster and faster. But just how do scientists challenge current belief to come up with scientific breakthroughs? Today's group of scientific experts discusses the role of independent scientific study; how "paradigms"  work in science; and whether scientific discoveries are conditioned by the prevailing culture. Joining host Robert Kuhn are astrophysicist Neil deGrasse 
Tyson; author/astronomer Timothy Ferris; evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala; professor of neuroscience and philosophy Patricia Smith Churchland; and child psychologist Rochel Gelman. [more]

Show 203: How Does Creativity Work At Work? 

Creativity forms something from nothing, but innovation shapes that something into practical products and services. Today's panelists discuss the connection between creativity and innovation; how businesses can cultivate and grow organizational creativity; and why these attributes are so critical for organizations and individuals in today's changing work environment. Joining host Robert Kuhn are television producer Stephen J. Cannell; inventor, author and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil; author and authority on creativity and happiness Mihaly Csikszentmihaly; music educator Robert Freeman; and psychiatrist and corporate creativity expert John Kao. [more]

Show 204: Do Brains Make Minds?

Modern brain research has given humankind a deeper understanding of how humans sense, think and feel. Yet, while the topic has enticed philosophers for centuries, the debate's still out as to whether modern science has gotten 
any farther in understanding the brain, mind and body connection. Today's expert panelists talk about the connection between the gray matter called a brain, the thoughts we think, the mind-body connection, and whether there's 
something more to the human mind than what resides in the brain. Joining host Robert Kuhn consciousness expert David Chalmers; philosopher of mind John Searle; anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz; theoretical physicist Fred Alan Wolf; 
and neuropsychologist Barry Beyerstein. [more]

Show 205: Will Gene Therapy Change the Human Race?

The revolutionary medical breakthrough of gene therapy is much more than the treatment of disease by altering human DNA -- it offers the intriguing possibility of creating "designer children." Today's experts debate the benefits of and difference between genetic therapy and genetic enhancement, and the ethical impact of altering human evolution.  Joining host Robert Kuhn are evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala; gene therapist French Anderson; best-selling author and surgeon Sherwin Nuland; biophysicist Gregory Stock; and neuroscientist Allan Tobin. [more]

Show 206: Why Do We Make Music and Art? 

The man-made creations we call art and music have the amazing ability to make you happy, to bring you to tears, to raise your passion and soothe your soul. But why is it that one person's pleasure is another's pain? Listen in as our 
experts debate how music and art appreciation reflect our culture, whether appreciation of the arts is learned or innate, and why we react so differently and individually to art and music. Joining host Robert Kuhn are author and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil; poet Rhoda Janzen; cultural studies professor Todd Boyd; artist Todd Siler; and music educator Robert Freeman. [more]

Show 207:  Why is Quantum Physics So Beautiful? 

Beautiful, elegant and full of charm and symmetry. That's how some scientists would describe quantum physics, the most basic and scientific picture of our world. Join top scientists and watch as they turn on to and describe what 
they think is so special about quantum physics. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Nobel Laureate and physicist Leon Lederman; physicist/cosmologist Andrei Linde; theoretical physicist Steve Koonin; scientist and sci-fi author 
Gregory Benford; and physicist Charles Buchanan. [more]

Show 208: How Did We Think in the Last Millennium? 

In the last thousand years, we've been transported from knights on horses to kids on computers. Life and how we live has been incredibly transformed, but humanity has paid a high price for its incredible growth. Today's top experts look back at the last millennium and the thinking processes that simultaneously built civilization and spread devastation to look for lessons to guide us through the next thousand years. Joining host Robert Kuhn are creativity pioneer Edward de Bono; futurist Graham T.T. Molitor; planetary scientist Bruce Murray; artificial intelligence expert Edward Feigenbaum; and best-selling author and surgeon Sherwin Nuland. [more]

Show 209: Who Needs Sex Therapy? 

Got sex? As a society, we certainly are obsessed with sex, but despite the hype, some experts claim that as individuals we're finding less pleasure and fulfillment. Today's top scientists and social experts discuss a topic that 
is at once ultimately private and excessively public. They offer insight into our society's sexual norms and discuss why and how a new kind of "sex therapy" may offer help to many. Joining host Robert Kuhn are sex therapists 
Cliff and Joyce Penner; best-selling author and surgeon Sherwin Nuland; human sexuality authority Paul Abramson; and medical historian Vern Bullough. [more]

Show 210: How Does Technology Transform Society? 

It's unstoppable and unavoidable, and it's blowing to bits communication, business and life as we know it. Technology is making prettier television pictures, smart houses and smart cars, changing every aspect of business and government, shrinking the world and giving access to anything to almost anyone. Today's panelists discuss how technology is forever changing life as we know it and how change and continuing growth are just as unstoppable as social change is inevitable. Joining host Robert Kuhn are geopolitical economist Francis Fukuyama; artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky; technological innovator George Kozmetsky; scientist and sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; and biophysicist Gregory Stock. [more]

Show 211: Can You Learn to be Creative? 

For years we thought that in order to be creative you had to "be born with it." Now, new thinking on the subject reveals that everyone can learn to be more imaginative and creative -- all you need is high energy and strong 
motivation. Find out how to tap into this learned skill from today's expert panelists. Joining host Robert Kuhn are scientist and sci-fi novelist Gregory Benford; creativity and happiness authority Mihaly Csikszentmihaly; corporate 
creativity expert John Kao; artist Todd Siler; and poet Rhoda Janzen. [more]

Show 212: What is Parapsychology?

There's something to be said about telepathy, clairvoyance and psychokinesis, despite the fact that it may be inexplicable in scientific terms or by natural law. In the scientific arena, the psychological phenomena of 
parapsychology fascinates some and simply annoys others. Today's panelists from the fields of science and parapsychology debate whether ESP can really be studied as a science and if claims of strange, psychic phenomena can be subject to the scientific method. Joining host Robert Kuhn are physicist James Trefil; parapsychologist Dean Radin; neuropsychologist Barry Beyerstein; anthropologist Marilyn Schlitz; and parapsychologist Charles Tart. [more]

Show 213: Will This Universe Ever End? 

There are two basic theories about how the universe will end. Neither are pleasant. The first spells out an inward-rushing, squashing-together of all things and the second has everything flying apart and dissipating into 
nothingness. But recent and startling findings are putting all guesses up for grabs. Listen in as people who get paid to ponder the end of the universe put their best theories on the table. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Nobel Laureate and physicist Leon Lederman; cosmologist Wendy Freedman; physicist/cosmologist Andrei Linde; theologian Nancey Murphy and mathematician Frank Tipler. [more]

Show 214: Will Intelligence Fill the Universe? 

There are three questions that speak directly to human uniqueness and purpose. 1) Does intelligent non-human life exist anywhere in the universe?; 2) Given the fullness of time, will human beings spread across the galaxies?; and 3) Is there something special about this universe that causes or even requires self-aware creatures like human to appear? Today's experts look at humankind and whether the evolution of conscious beings was an accident or a necessity. Joining host Robert Kuhn are Nobel Laureate and physicist Leon Lederman; evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala; planetary scientist Bruce Murray and mathematician Frank Tipler; and sci-fi novelist GregoryBenford. [more]

CLOSER TO TRUTH  Video Series
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Closer to Truth is the first offering in a new genre of programming called Knowledge Affairs, media designed to expose viewers to state-of-the-art ideas in science, social science and the humanities, and keep them up-to-date and engaged with the freshest thoughts of the world’s foremost scientists, scholars, critics, artists, writers, organizational leaders and public personalities – individuals who are challenging current beliefs across all disciplines, and who do so in a lively, accessible and provocative presentation.  Each episode runs approx. 30 minutes in length.