Uploaded September 2019 | Updated September 2026, 51 minutes ago
Silence is an endangered species, says Gordon Hempton. He defines real quiet as presence — not an absence of sound, but an absence of noise. The Earth, as he knows it, is a “solar-powered jukebox.” Quiet is a “think tank of the soul.” We take in the world through his ears. (Original Air Date: May 10, 2012)
About the Guest:
Gordon Hempton is founder and vice president of The One Square Inch of Silence Foundation based in Indianola, Washington. His books include, together with John Grossman, “One Square Inch of Silence: One Man's Quest to Preserve Quiet.” He has produced more than 60 albums of natural soundscapes.
Visit our website to read the transcript, download the episode, or listen to the unedited interview: onbeing.org/programs/gordon-hempton-silence-and-the-presence-of-everything
Visit our On Being Classics Library, where this episode is featured:
onbeing.org/libraries/classics
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Silence is an endangered species, says Gordon Hempton. He defines real quiet as presence — not an absence of sound, but an absence of noise. The Earth, as he knows it, is a “solar-powered jukebox.” Quiet is a “think tank of the soul.” We take in the world through his ears. (Original Air Date: May 10, 2012)
About the Guest:
Gordon Hempton is founder and vice president of The One Square Inch of Silence Foundation based in Indianola, Washington. His books include, together with John Grossman, “One Square Inch of Silence: One Man's Quest to Preserve Quiet.” He has produced more than 60 albums of natural soundscapes.
Visit our website to read the transcript, download the episode, or listen to the unedited interview: onbeing.org/programs/gordon-hempton-silence-and-the-presence-of-everything
Visit our On Being Classics Library, where this episode is featured:
onbeing.org/libraries/classics
STAY IN TOUCH
Facebook: facebook.com/onbeing
Twitter: twitter.com/onbeing
Instagram: instagram.com/onbeing
Newsletter: onbeing.org/newsletter
OUR PODCASTS
On Being with Krista Tippett: onbeing.org/series/podcast
This Movie Changed Me: onbeing.org/series/this-movie-changed-me
Becoming Wise: onbeing.org/series/becoming-wise
