Simply Charly's Culture Insight

  Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) was an iconic film director and producer of over 50 movies, including Dial M for Murder, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds. The techniques he pioneered inspired a new generation of filmmakers and revolutionized the "thriller" genre. Jack Sullivan is a literary scholar and professor of English at Rider University. He has published several books including New World Symphonies: How American Culture Changed European Music and most recently Hitchcock's Music. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Alfred Hitchcock.

  Austrian-born economist Friedrich Hayek was noted for his criticisms of the Keynesian welfare state and of totalitarian socialism which was laid out in his popular book The Road to Serfdom (1944). In 1974, he shared the Nobel Prize for Economics with Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal. Nicholas Wapshott is the author of Keynes/Hayek: The Clash That Defined Modern Economics and Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher: A Political Marriage. A former senior editor at the London Times and the New York Sun, he is now international editor at Newsweek, and lives in New York City. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Friedrich A. Hayek.

  Best known for his Incompleteness Theorem, Kurt Gödel (1906–1978) is considered one of the most important mathematicians and logicians of the 20th century. By showing that the establishment of a set of axioms encompassing all of mathematics would never succeed, he revolutionized the world of mathematics, logic, and philosophy. Rebecca Goldstein is the author of Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Gödel and, most recently, Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received many awards for her fiction and scholarship, including a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. She shares her insight into the life and work of Kurt Gödel. SUGGESTED READING

  Charles Darwin (1809–1882) laid the foundations of evolutionary biology through the process of natural selection, which he outlined in his seminal work, On the Origin of Species. John Darnton is a Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and best-selling novelist who has worked for The New York Times for over 40 years. His many books include Neanderthal, The Experiment, Mind Catcher, The Darwin Conspiracy, and most recently Black & White and Dead All Over Again. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Charles Darwin.

  Considered to be the most influential physicist of the 20th century, Albert Einstein (1879–1955) developed the theory of relativity and laid foundations for modern quantum mechanics. Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Frank Wilczek is a theoretical physicist who won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics for a discovery in the world of quarks, the building blocks of the atomic nucleus. His latest book is The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether and the Unification of Forces. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Albert Einstein.

 The third and final member of a chain of Athenian philosophers who would shape the foundation of Western philosophy, Aristotle (384 B.C.E.–322 B.C.E.) was a student of Plato, who would eventually go on to mentor Alexander the Great. Nicknamed “The Reader” by Plato, Aristotle’s writings on science, ethics, and politics dominated Western society for centuries and had a profound impact on the development of Western culture. With his subjects ranging from natural science to metaphysical and ethical philosophy, Aristotle formalized logic and devised the scientific method as we know it today. David Roochnik is Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. He is the author of numerous articles on Greek philosophy, Greek literature, rhetoric (ancient and modern), post-modernism, and the nature of philosophy. He has been awarded both the Gitner Award for Distinguished Teaching at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Outstanding Teaching Award by the Honors Program in the College of Arts and Sciences. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Greek philosopher Aristotle.

  Widely considered as one of the top musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis (1926–1991) was a major force in jazz. He was not only a gifted trumpeter and composer, but also an innovator who created a nine-member band called the “nonet,” in which unconventional (in jazz) instruments like French horn and tuba were used. He also invented a style known as “cool jazz,” characterized by softer and more subdued tempos than traditional jazz rhythms. Quincy Troupe is an awarding-winning author of ten volumes of poetry, three children’s books, and six non-fiction works. In 2010 Troupe received the American Book Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement. Among Troupe's best-selling works are Miles: The Autobiography of Miles Davis and his memoir, Miles & Me soon to become a major motion picture. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Miles Davis.

  John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) was an influential British economist whose ideas on government intervention in the economy were considered to be both revolutionary and controversial. Nicholas Wapshott, author of Keynes Hayek: The Clash that Defined Modern Economics, shares his insight on why John Maynard Keynes Was “Ahead of His Time.” He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of John Maynard Keynes.

  Alan Turing (1912–1954) was an English mathematician, logician, pioneer of computer science, and wartime code-breaker. He is credited with creating a design for the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE), the early electronic stored-program computer, as well as the Bombe—a decryption device that the British government used during WWII to crack the German “Enigma,” machine, which encrypted secret messages. Jack Copeland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, where he is Director of the Turing Archive for the History of Computing. His recent biography Turing: Pioneer of the Information Age draws on many years of conversations with Turing's closest friends and colleagues, and he explores the complex character of this shy genius as well as describing the breadth and importance of Turing's legacy. Copeland's other books include The Essential Turing; Artificial Intelligence; Colossus—The Secrets of Bletchley Park’s Codebreaking Computers; and Alan Turing’s Electronic Brain. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Alan Turing.

  Considered by many to be the greatest composer of all time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) composed hundreds of pieces of music. Among his most famous works are Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music, 1787), and the operas Don Giovanni (1787) and Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute, 1791). He died of a mysterious fever at age 35. One of the greatest violin virtuosos of our time, German-born Anne-Sophie Mutter has performed concerts in all the major music centers of Europe, the USA, and Asia. She celebrated her 30th stage anniversary in 2006—which coincided with Mozart’s 250th anniversary—with a series of new recordings of all his major works for violin. About Mozart, she said: “He has always been present in my life. I’ve never stopped thinking about him, and I’ve always been trying out new ways to get closer to him. He’s the composer I have grown up with, who was always there waiting for me at every juncture of my career.” She joins us on Culture Insight to share her insight into the life and work of Mozart.

  Best known as the wife of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill served as one of her husband's closest confidantes, aiding him during his brightest moments as well as his darkest hours. During World War II, she led the Young Women's Christian Association's wartime efforts and also assisted in the Red Cross's efforts to provide relief in Russia. Sonia Purnell is a political reporter who has worked for a number of high-profile newspapers, including the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Independent on Sunday, and the London Evening Standard. She is the author of Just Boris, an acclaimed biography of Boris Johnson, London’s exuberant mayor. Her latest book, Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill, explores the peculiar dynamics of the fascinating union between Clementine and Winston Churchill. She joins us on Culture Insight to share her insight into the life and work of Clementine Churchill.

  Scotland’s greatest philosopher, David Hume (1711–1776) was a key figure of the Scottish Enlightenment. He is generally considered one of the three main figureheads, along with John Locke and Bishop George Berkley of the influential British Empiricism movement. Although not well-received in his own time, his A Treatise on Human Nature, published in 1739, is now a classic text. Paul Russell is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia where he teaches courses on Metaphysics, Philosophy of Religion, and the History of Modern Philosophy among others. His research interests focus primarily on free will and moral responsibility and the history of early modern philosophy (particularly the philosophy of David Hume). His most recent work is entitled The Riddle of Hume's Treatise: Skepticism, Naturalism, and Irreligion (Oxford University Press: 2008). He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of David Hume.

  Generally considered one of the most influential physicists in history, Albert Einstein’s (1879–1955) groundbreaking theories reshaped the scientific community’s view and understanding of the universe. He developed the special and general theories of relativity and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Alan Lightman is a novelist, essayist, physicist, and educator. He is Adjunct Professor of Humanities and formerly senior lecturer in Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His novels include Einstein's Dreams, which has been translated into more than thirty languages, and The Diagnosis, which was a National Book Award finalist in Fiction in 2000. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Albert Einstein. SUGGESTED READING

  Although some of his theories are still hotly debated, Sigmund Freud, (May 6, 1856–September 23, 1939) is widely regarded as a trailblazer in the realm of psychiatry and psychology. The Austrian psychiatrist and neurologist, who was allegedly the first to offer a comprehensive explanation of how human behavior is determined by the conscious and unconscious forces, is regarded as the founder of psychoanalysis. Frank Sulloway is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology and a member of the Institute of Personality and Social Research at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of two highly acclaimed books, Freud, Biologist of the Mind: Beyond the Psychoanalytic Legend and Born to Rebel: Birth Order, Family Dynamics, and Creative Lives. Sulloway's research interests include evolutionary psychology, evolutionary biology, and the history of science. He joins us on Culture Insight to share his insight into the life and work of Sigmund Freud.

  Best known for his Incompleteness Theorem, Kurt Gödel (1906–1978) is considered one of the most important mathematicians and logicians of the 20th century. By showing that the establishment of a set of axioms encompassing all of mathematics would never succeed, he revolutionized the world of mathematics, logic, and philosophy. Janna Levin is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University. Her scientific research concerns the Early Universe, Chaos, and Black Holes. Her recent book, the novel A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines (Knopf, 2006), won the PEN/Bingham Fellowship for Writers, which “honors an exceptionally talented fiction writer whose debut work . . . represents distinguished literary achievement.” She is also the author of the popular science book How the Universe Got Its Spots: Diary of a Finite Time in a Finite Space. She joins us on Culture Insight to share her insight into the life and work of Kurt Gödel.