Award-winning science writer Stephen S. Hall, who writes about the intersection of science and society, discussed his new book, WISDOM: From Philosophy to Neuroscience, on March 18, 2010 in a talk sponsored by the Stanford Center on Longevity.

WISDOM: From Philosophy to Neuroscience examines ancient concepts of wisdom through the lens of modern brain science. The book is based in part on “The Older-and-Wiser Hypothesis,” a New York Times Magazine article in 2007 that featured research by Center on Longevity director Laura Carstensen. Hall’s book expands on the ideas in that article to present a deeper view of the science of wisdom.

Hall served as an editor and contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine from 1997-2000. His previous books include “Size Matters: How Height Affects the Health, Happiness, and Success of Boys – and the Men They Become,” “Merchants of Immortality: Chasing the Dream of Human Life Extension,” “A Commotion in the Blood: Life, Death, and the Immune System,” “Mapping the Next Millennium: How Computer-Driven Cartography Is Revolutionizing the Face of Science” and “Invisible Frontiers: The Race to Synthesize a Human Gene.” He also teaches science journalism and explanatory journalism at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.

The Stanford Center on Longevity studies the nature and development of the entire human life span and looks for innovative ways to use science and technology to solve the problems of people over 50 and improve the well-being of people of all ages.