Optimism and “The Human Age” v. Pessimism and “In The Dust of This Planet”

Recently, two popular podcast WNYC’s Radiolab and WAMU’s The Diane Rehm Show recently ran episodes about some trivial topics such as the fate of humanity and the planet Earth.  Each featured interviews and their authors, who have vastly divergent outlooks on life.  The podcasts discuss the future of humanity and the planet, particularly the environmental challenges we face.  

Here is a description of the Radiolab episode

Horror, fashion, and the end of the world … things get weird as we explore the undercurrents of thought that link nihilists, beard-stroking philosophers, Jay-Z, and True Detective.

Today on Radiolab, a puzzle. Jad’s brother-in-law wrote a book called ‘In The Dust of This Planet’.

Here is a description of the The Diane Rehm Show interview

At a time when talk of our planet’s future is dominated by gloom, author and naturalist Diane Ackerman is optimistic. She sees reasons across the globe to be excited by human innovation, from India – where a project is underway to plant 2 billion trees along highways – to the lab of a Cornell researcher 3D printing human ears. Ackerman’s latest book explores the ways people are shaping the modern world, and argues for a new understanding of our relationship with the environment and our own bodies. Author Diane Ackerman on why she believes human innovation can save the planet.

 

Guests – Diane Ackerman, naturalist and author of “One Hundred Names for Love”, “A Natural History of the Senses”, and “The Zookeeper’s Wife”.

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