Thomas Jefferson's Bible Mashup - Steven Johnson January 30, 2009

Favorite:

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/01/17/Steven_Johnson_The_Invention_of_Air

Author Steven Johnson credits scientist Joseph Priestley's religious philosophy -- a balance of science and reason that valued morals over miracles -- as inspiration for Thomas Jefferson's "remix" of the Bible.

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Steven Johnson talks about his book, The Invention of Air.

Johnson recounts the story of Joseph Priestley -- scientist and theologian, protege of Benjamin Franklin -- an 18th-century radical thinker who played pivotal roles in the invention of ecosystem science, the founding of the Unitarian Church, and the intellectual development of the U.S. - Book Passage

Steven Johnson is the author of the US bestsellers Mind Wide Open and Emergence. His most recent book is The Invention of Air.

Johnson's writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He also writes for Discover magazine and Wired.com, and was co-founder of the award-winning websites FEED and Plastic.com.

He teaches at New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program and also hosts a weblog at www.stevenberlinjohnson.com.