Jane Goodall on Science and Spirit: The Iconic Primatologist Talks to Bill Moyers and Reads Her Poem “The Old Wisdom”

“As human beings, we can encompass a vague feeling of what the universe is, and all in this funny little brain here — so there has to be something more than just brain, it has to be something to do with spirit as well.”

Alan Lightman’s superb recent meditation on science and religion reminded me of a 2009 Bill Moyers conversation with legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, in which the celebrated scientist contemplates the question of science and spirit — a question previously pondered by such great minds as Galileo in 1615, Ada Lovelace in 1844, Albert Einstein in 1936, Isaac Asimov throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and perhaps most famously Carl Sagan in 1985.

In the interview, found in the altogether fantastic Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues (public library), Goodall also reads her beautiful poem “The Old Wisdom,” inspired by the eternal inquiry and found in her 1999 book Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey (public library), which further explores Goodall’s views on science and spirituality.

THE OLD WISDOM

When the night wind makes the pine trees creak
And the pale clouds glide across the dark sky,
Go out my child, go out and seek
Your soul: The Eternal I.

For all the grasses rustling at your feet
And every flaming star that glitters high
Above you, close up and meet
In you: The Eternal I.

Yes, my child, go out into the world; walk slow
And silent, comprehending all, and by and by
Your soul, the Universe, will know
Itself: the Eternal I.

A transcript of the full discussion, absolutely stimulating from beginning to end, can be found it Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues, which also features conversations with luminaries like E.O. Wilson, Karen Armstrong, John Lithgow, Michael Pollan, and Jon Stewart.

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Pioneering Primatologist Jane Goodall’s Children’s Book about the Healing Power of Pet Love

The story of a scruffy white dog makes a heartening case for pet therapy for kids.

As a lover of little-known children’s books by celebrated luminaries — including especial favorites by Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, James Joyce, and Sylvia Plath — I was thrilled to chance upon a signed copy of Dr. White (public library) by none other than beloved primatologist and reconstructionist Jane Goodall.

“It was a cold, wet morning. Dr. White dashed to the hospital. He was late,” the charming 1999 tale begins. But as the hospital cook dries Dr. White’s rain-roused head with a towel, we realize the good “doctor” is in fact a small, shaggy white dog who helps children heal. The story, full of tender and expressive watercolors by Julie Litty, is based on a real pup-healer at a London hospital and bespeaks Goodall’s unflinching faith in the inextricable, in this case life-saving link we share with our fellow non-human beings.

Dr. White’s reign of love, however, is soon interrupted by an antagonistic efforts of a zealous health inspector who refuses to stray from the rules and evicts Dr. White from the hospital.

But when the inspector’s own little girl falls ill, Dr. White sneaks back in with the help of the hospital staff and the situation takes a heartening turn.

Complement Dr. White with more lovely children’s books by famous “adult” authors like Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, Gertrude Stein, Anne Sexton, T. S. Eliot, and John Updike.

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