we begin with edward o. wilson. >> we know now looking at it with clearer eyes that group versus group is an absolutely fundamental and overpowering the phenomenon in human behavior. it was enough to drive whatever group selection were actually driving, and what it was driving was altruism and what we call the traits of virtue-- that is, compassion, willingness to cooperate. >> rose: and continue with eric kandel. >> we are beginning to understand how people use both their conscious and unconscious mental processes to respond to a work of art. we can outline a scheme of the various steps that are involved in looking at a great painting and having a perceptual response, an emotional response, an empathic response to it. and we can outline in principle how this occurs, that a lot of details that have to be filled out but this is an initial attempt to try to bridge art and brain science. >> rose: and from harvard the theoretical physicist lisa randell. >> what is really wonderful about physics and i think is important

e other book is the social conquest of earth by edward o. wilson which is basically how our species came to rely on social interaction, emotion, teenane w une eot a nd bdd of the social networks we have and how far back that goes and it's a really interesting book to be reading at the same time you're reading about the keedhnn mueti amoonal intelligence needed in the field of politics and reading people and all of this, and this is something that our species has been evolvingith for a long, long time now, and then the time dill "heartfulness," and the father is not originator, but someone who really started to promote centeri preyer, christian basededion. hero luthe rt oviso meditation connected to your religion and h that really deepens our connection to god and everything else, and he wrote this book, which is based on conversations that he h, an'sut butne christian meditation. we have a wide range of reading material this summer. >>> for more information on this and other summer reading lists, visit booktv.org. >>here aookthe fealapngunhe countr

. >> rose: social conquest of earth, edward o. wilson, e o. wilson of harvard. one of my favorites. >> rose: i am pleased to have dr. eric kandel back at this table where he comes frequently, welcome. >> nice of you to have me here. >> rose: the age of insight, why call it the age of insight? >> in the 1900 was a very special period, at the end of the 1900s in which our view of human kind was altered. before that, there was a view of human beings as being essentially rational creatures, specially created by god, this is the view of the enlightenment, it would be different from all other animal species, and then darwin came along and documented how we evolved from simple ancestors, and made us realize that there is a continuity in evolution, and the viennese extended this to pointing out that the human mind is also complicated and not completely rational. there are many irrational components and the idea of an important aspect of the mind being unconscious mental processes, instincts that control our behavior emerged in 1900, and emerged from several different in

the of the book is "the social conquest of earth" by edward o. wilsonh is basically how our species came to really rely on social interaction, emotional intelligence, and the way we communicate with each other, kind of build kind of the social networks that we have and how far back that goes. and that's a really interesting book to be reading. at the same time you're reading about the kennedy-johnson interaction. because there's so much perception and emotional intelligence that is needed in the field of politics, we'd and people and all this, this is something our species has been evolving with for a long, long time now. and then the final book is a father thomas keating called "heartfulness," and father keating is not originated but someone who really started to promote centering prayer which is a christian-based meditation decays a benedictine monk, and really has wrote a lot about the importance of having some meditation connected to your religion and how that really depends our connection to god and everything else. he wrote this book which is base