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Carl Honore

In Praise of Slowness

Date Recorded: Nov 20th, 2003
Recorded At: Cambridge, Massachusetts, distributed by WGBH Forum Network, www.wgbh.org/forum
Recorded By: Cambridge Forum, www.cambridgeforum.org
Duration: 30:00  

Topic Background

We live in the age of speed. We strain to be more efficient, to cram more into each minute, each hour, each day. Since the Industrial Revolution shifted the world into high gear, the cult of speed has pushed us to a breaking point. Living on the edge of exhaustion, we are constantly reminded by our bodies and minds that the pace of life is spinning out of control. In Praise of Slowness, Carl Honore’s recent book, and the subject of this talk, traces the history of our increasingly breathless relationship with time and tackles the consequences of living in this accelerated culture of our own creation. Realizing the price we pay for unrelenting speed, people all over the world are reclaiming their time and slowing down the pace — and living happier, healthier, and more productive lives as a result. A slow revolution is taking place.

The talk was provided by the WGBH Forum Network in Boston, which features live and archived webcasts of free public lectures in partnership with Boston’s leading cultural and educational organizations. They are online at www.wgbh.org/forum/.

Carl Honore’s talk is accompanied by a 30 minute lecture by Toronto author and philospher Mark Kingwell, who speaks on a related topic.

Speaker Biography

Carl Honore was born in Scotland and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. Since 1991, he has written from all over Europe and South America. His work has appeared in publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Economist, the Observer, National Post, Globe and Mail, Houston Chronicle and Miami Herald.

He now lives in London with his wife, who is also a writer, and their two children.

For more information about Carl Honore visit www.inpraiseofslow.com

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