Challenges to the modern era / Peter Russell and Bill McKibben ; interviewed and produced by Pamela Burton.

Two interviews which explore aspects of the modern human condition, from new developments in evolution to the creation of mass culture through television.|CHALLENGES TO THE MODERN ERA / Peter Russell and Bill McKibben| interviewed and produced by Pamela Burton. SERIES: Philosopher stone Two interviews which explore aspects of the modern human condition, from new developments in evolution to the creation of mass culture through television. CONTENT: pt.1. Peter Russell, author of White Hole in Time, discusses his idea that human evolution is accelerating with increased pace of contemporary urban society. He uses mechanical and technological examples to point to how seemingly small changes in production techniques have transformed the nature of economics. He asserts that the next stage in human development will be in the arena of inner consciousness, for we cannont deal with 20th century technology by Stone Age values -- pt.2. Bill McKibben, author of the Age of Missing Information, discusses how a global media eliminates differences, but can also illuminate differences between diverse culutres. Through the study of one day of television programs broadcast on 100 channels in May 1990, McKibben concludes that mass media is crucial for the development of human values and assumptions about the world. RECORDED: KPFK, 19 May 1992. BROADCAST: KPFK, 19 May 1992.