In a SPIEGEL interview, peace activist and author Jonathan Schell discusses the lessons of the Fukushima disaster, mankind’s false impression that it can somehow safely produce electricity from the atom, and why he thinks the partial meltdown in Japan could mark a turning point for the world. SPIEGEL: Mr. Schell, what unsettled you the most […]
Archive | Interviews
Technology Pioneer David Gelernter: ‘Love Is Beyond Watson’
What does Watson’s Jeopardy victory tell us? Not much, says David Gelernter, the computer science pioneer and Yale professor. SPIEGEL spoke with Gelernter about the prospects of achieveing artifically-created consciousness and the belief that eternal life can be secured on a hard drive. SPIEGEL: Dr. Gelernter, the American journalist Ambrose Bierce described the word we […]
‘People are basically good’: Twitter-Founder Biz Stone on the networks revolutionary power
Isaac “Biz” Stone, 36, reportedly set up Twitter with his buddy Jack Dorsey in only two weeks in 2006. Meanwhile, the Network has over 175 million users worldwide. Q: Mr. Stone, the movie „The Social Network“ depicts how Facebook-founder Mark Zuckerberg bullied his way to be the youngest billionaire of all times. Would it be […]
The Tiger Mother’s Bite: ‘A Story in Favor of Coercion, Chinese-Style’
Law professor, mother and author Amy Chua’s memoir, “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” has touched off an angry debate in the United States on parenting styles. In an interview with SPIEGEL, Chua talks about drilling her daughters and threatening to burn their stuffed animals in order to motivate them to learn. SPIEGEL: Dr. Chua, […]
‘Starfish, Daisies and Raying Purple Forms’: Oliver Sacks on the Wonder of Sight
In a SPIEGEL interview, New York neurologist and author Oliver Sacks discusses his new book, “The Mind’s Eye,” which explores how creative people compensate for their sight disorders or blindness. He also discusses his own “face blindness,” which makes it difficult to recognize people. (–> photo-gallery OPTICAL ILLUSIONS) SPIEGEL: Dr. Sacks, five years ago, you were diagnosed with a […]
Sci-Fi Author Daniel Suarez: ‘We Have To Regain Control Over Our Own Data’
Programmer Daniel Suarez has written books about a future where human lives are controlled by software. Suarez’ sci-fi scenario involves a malicious, murdering ‘bot’ network. It’s fiction — but Suarez warns that the groundwork for such a future is being laid by the likes of Facebook, Twitter and mobile phone firms. SPIEGEL: Mr. Suarez, in […]
Google Co-Founder on Pulling out of China: ‘It Was a Real Step Backward’
Last week, Google announced it would withdraw its Chinese operations from Beijing and instead serve the market from freer Hong Kong. The Internet giant’s co-founder, Sergey Brin, 36, discusses his company’s troubles in China and its controversial decision to pull up stakes and leave. SPIEGEL: With your decision to close Google’s Chinese Web site, you […]
SPIEGEL Interview with Al Gore: ‘I Am Optimistic’
In a SPIEGEL interview, former US vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore, 61, discusses Barack Obama’s environmental policies, the endless push by lobbyists to derail reforms and his hopes for a global deal at the climate change summit in Copenhagen next month. SPIEGEL: Mr. Vice President, you write in your new book, […]