Leonard Mlodinow — Randomness and Choice (On Being)

Leonard Mlodinow is the author of Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior (2012), among other books. Some of the material in this episode is from Mlodinow's earlier book, The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives (2008).

Leonard Mlodinow — Randomness and Choice

May 1, 2014

Fundamental forces of physics somehow determine everything that happens, as physicist Leonard Mlodinow has written, “from the birth of a child to the birth of a galaxy.” Yet he has intriguing perspective on the gap between theory and reality — and the fascinating interplay between a life in science and life in the world. As the child of two Holocaust survivors, he asks questions about our capacity to create our lives, while reflecting on extreme human cruelty — and courage.

Listen

• Radio Show/Podcast - (mp3, 51:00)
• Unedited Interview- Leonard Mlodinow - (mp3, 1:14:33)
• Transcript

Voices on the Radio

Leonard Mlodinow is a physicist, and the author of several books including The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives and Feynman’s Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life. He's also written for television, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Production Credits

Host/Executive Producer: Krista Tippett
Executive Editor: Trent Gilliss
Senior Producer: Lily Percy
Technical Director: Chris Heagle
Associate Producer: Mariah Helgeson