Robert Kuhn, left, the host of
Closer to Truth, chats with Bruce
Murray during a taping of the show.

Shedding light on sociocosmic riddles
Javier Marquez

What would it be like to sit in on conversations between some of the greatest minds in the English-speaking world? And contribute to those discussions and receive the impressions of other participants? The producers of the television series Closer to Truth wanted to know, so they created a multifaceted vehicle that allows viewers to do this, and more.

Closer to Truth is, as the title suggests, an attempt to approach aa clearer understanding of perplexing questions about society, the universe, and the relationship between the two. Some of these questions have mystified thinkers and artists for centuries, while others have risen only recently alongside scientific and technological advances.

During each show, a handful of experts are assembled to discuss these universal themes, and the resulting interplay of ideas is captured. In that roster of noted authors, researchers, and thinkers, Caltech is primarily represented by Bruce Murray, professor of planetary science and geology. The president of the Planetary Society and a pioneer in exploring the solar system, Murray has appeared in five shows with titles such as “Will the Internet Change Humanity?”, “Can We Imagine the Far Future—Year 3000?”, and “Will Intelligence Fill the Universe?”

Besides Murray, Caltech is represented by Vice President and Provost Steve Koonin, who participated in the shows “Why Is Quantum Science So Beautiful?” and “What Are the Great Questions Of Science?” In addition, Vice Provost David Goodstein moderates an online discussion based on the latter show.

According to Murray, “Closer to Truth is an attempt to take on the dumbing down of America in the television world because there is so little of substance there. These programs are substantive.”
The project is the brainchild of Robert Kuhn, a Pasadena writer, investment banker, and business strategist. Kuhn serves as the host and mediator of the half-hour programs. Always dapper in his dark suit, he poses provocative questions and deftly directs the flow of answers to keep the debates lively and engaging.

Closer to Truth’s first season has produced a comprehensive overview of grand questions that fall into broad themes. These are Technology and Society, Creativity and Thinking, Health and Sex, Brain and Mind, and Universe and Meaning. Every show takes a focused look at individual topics that fall under these umbrella themes.

Those seeking answers, however, will have to look elsewhere for definitive truths. “I think that part of the agenda here is to expose the issue, not to resolve it,” Murray said. “The philosophy has been that you’re not going to get convergence in these discussions.”

A side benefit to the debates, Murray noted, is that they provide exposure for the collected guests. The show’s question-and-answer format, in a setting far from the lab and the classroom, presses the speakers to express defend their positions as eloquently as they can. Each must also tailor his or her message so that it is accessible to the layperson.

Murray stressed that the program’s audience includes not only the invited guests’ peers and colleagues, but also the average citizen who has pondered such questions. Because these questions address concepts that affect scientists and non-academics alike, he added, the potential audience for Closer to Truth is huge.

One aspect of the Closer to Truth project that makes it distinct from so-called “knowledge affairs” programs is its three-pronged media presence. Complementing the broadcast is an interactive Web site (www.closertotruth.com) that contains much information as well as streaming video and transcripts of previously aired shows. Furthermore, Kuhn explores the issues in finer detail in the eponymously titled book that was published last year.

Murray and Valerie Elachi, the Caltech-based associate producer of CTT, maintain the project’s Web site, which also offers visitors opportunities for online expression of their views. The Web staff of local PBS station KCET created the site.

“I think there is a long-term benefit in taking high content quality in things like this and creating a really good Web site,” he said. “There’s nothing in that set of 28 shows that’s obsolete this coming year. Those topics remain.”

Murray’s work on the site has given him the chance to create and utilize a feature that provides a forum for viewer feedback and response.

“I’ve had a parallel interest and secondary career in trying to find ways to use new communication technology for serious discourse,” Murray said. One of those ways is a kind of online discussion called HyperForum. This feature invites visitors to make their contributions to four online discussions, the idea being that the conversations initiated by the televised debates continue long after the credits roll.

While taping of this season’s shows is currently being planned, possibilities for the future are open. The Web site will also grow to include more topics in the HyperForum, including a new one on parapsychology. Murray added that he is actively forming relationships with other universities, research organizations, and individual viewers to increase participation and raise the discussions to new levels.
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