Podcast Summary: The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode: “David Attenborough’s Planet (We Just Live on It)”

Release Date: January 19, 2018
Host: David Remnick
Guests: Sir David Attenborough, Mary Oliver (poet), Ruth Franklin (critic), David Hagland (New Yorker literary editor)

Overview

This episode is a celebration of nature and our relationship with it, featuring a profound interview with Sir David Attenborough about his remarkable career documenting the natural world, the making of Blue Planet 2, and the environmental challenges facing our planet. The episode also includes readings and discussion centered on poet Mary Oliver, whose work likewise revolves around attentive observation and reverence for nature.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Sir David Attenborough: Awe and the Infinite Variety of Nature

(Begins ~02:15)

• Sense of Awe:
  Attenborough reflects on what keeps his fascination alive after 60 years:

  “Infinite variety is what gives you awe... every problem has had more solutions to it by evolution than you can imagine.”
  (David Attenborough, 02:44)

• Beauty in Nature:
  He marvels at the beauty in nature persisting even where it doesn't seem strictly necessary for survival:

  “Why butterflies are so beautiful is a matter of awe.” (David Attenborough, 03:27)

• Urban Roots and Perception:
  Both Attenborough and the interviewer confess to being “city boys.” Attenborough thinks urbanites might experience stronger awe precisely because nature is less familiar:

  “Perhaps it is the city people ... for whom that perception of awe comes as so bewitching an emotion.” (David Attenborough, 03:49)

2. Memorable and Strange Creatures

(Begins ~04:13)

• The Weedy Sea Dragon:

  “It's disguised as seaweed to a simply unbelievable degree ... They have this wonderful dance ... the female hands over the eggs to the male and he looks after them. The whole business is Disney-esque.”
  (David Attenborough, 04:27)

• Animal Personalities:
  Attenborough affirms some creatures, such as octopuses, express clear individual personalities and even artfulness:

  “They're artful, they're cunning. You almost wonder at times whether they've got a sense of humor.”
  (David Attenborough, 05:46)

• Spiders with Character:
  He tells an anecdote about filming spiders, revealing even spiders can show traits that suggest personality—some are “hopeless,” others “absolute darling[s].” (David Attenborough, 07:15–09:17)

• Least Favorite Animal:
  Rats, for personal reasons, are his least favorite:

  “I've had rats run over my face when I'm asleep ... that's not fun.”
  (David Attenborough, 06:32)

3. Filmmaking, Technology, and What Remains Unseen

(Begins ~10:39)

• Technological Advances:
  Modern technology has revolutionized wildlife filmmaking, now enabling the team to capture animal behaviors (e.g., sea lions trapping tuna) previously unfilmable:

  “Now we have drones and we were able to send it up and get these extraordinary shots.”
  (David Attenborough, 11:03–13:15)

• Longtime Quests:
  Attenborough recounts how, years ago, filming snow leopards felt impossible—now, with remote cameras, it's possible.

4. The Planet in Peril—Environmental Advocacy

(Begins ~13:37)

• From Optimism to Action:
  The final episode of Blue Planet 2 highlights the threats facing oceans and the changing view that they are limitless:

  "For years we thought the oceans were so vast ... that nothing we could do could have an effect on them. But now we know that was wrong."
  (Interviewer quoting narration, 13:55)

• Responsibility to the Future:

  “I couldn’t look my grandchildren in the eyes if they said ... you didn’t do anything about it ... that would be terrible.”
  (David Attenborough, 14:11)

• Success Stories:
  Attenborough cites the recovery of whale populations as proof that coordinated action can restore nature:

  “If you give the natural world just half a chance, it bounces back in an extraordinary way.”
  (David Attenborough, 14:56)

• Climate Change Denial:
  He laments that some influential people still deny environmental crises.

  “There are still people who deny that it's happening. Some of them are in very high office.”
  (David Attenborough, 15:57)

5. Mortality, Humanity, and Connection to Other Living Things

(Begins ~16:01)

• On Life and Mortality:
  Attenborough reflects on how close study of life makes him acutely aware of the fragility of all beings:

  “The difference between something that was just living five minutes ago and is not anymore is very difficult to define ... And we are the same, from that point of view. And that's what ... links us all.”
  (David Attenborough, 16:23)

• Personal Thoughts on Aging and Death:

  “Of course I think about death. I think about death every time you get up in the morning, but it’s a matter of luck, isn’t it?”
  (David Attenborough, 17:17)

Mary Oliver: Poetry of Attention and Devotion to Nature

(Begins ~18:15)

• Reading “The Summer Day” [18:52]:
  Mary Oliver’s celebrated poem is read aloud, ending with her iconic question:

  “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
  (Mary Oliver, 19:51)

Critical Discussion on Mary Oliver’s Poetry

With Ruth Franklin & David Hagland (20:18–25:18)

• Accessibility and Popularity:

  • Oliver’s poetry is noted for its directness and ability to speak to the average reader without demanding specialist knowledge:

    “You don't feel like you need to have a degree in poetry in order to understand Mary Oliver.”
    (Ruth Franklin, 21:22)

• Academic Skepticism:

  • Some critics view her work as too accessible or overt, especially in her frank spiritual references, which may explain why she isn’t universally critically acclaimed.

• Nature in the City:

  • Oliver’s poetry encourages finding wonder wherever one is; “attention is the beginning of devotion.” (Expressed by Ruth Franklin, quoting Oliver, 23:32)

• Reading “Mornings at Blackwater” [24:27]:
  Another poem read by Oliver, with a message about letting go of the past and choosing to fully live in the present:

  “Put your lips to the world and live your life.”
  (Mary Oliver, 25:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Evolution’s Variety:

  "Almost every problem has had more solutions to it by evolution than you can imagine."
  (David Attenborough, 02:44)

• On Conservation:

  "If you give the natural world just half a chance, it bounces back in an extraordinary way."
  (David Attenborough, 14:56)

• On Poetry and Nature:

  "Attention is the beginning of devotion."
  (Mary Oliver, quoted by Ruth Franklin, 23:32)

• Mary Oliver’s Iconic Question:

  "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
  (Mary Oliver, 19:51)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:44] – Attenborough on awe and nature’s inexplicable beauty
• [04:27] – The weedy sea dragon: strangeness and beauty
• [05:46] – Animal personality and artfulness, especially in octopuses
• [07:15–09:17] – Personality in spiders; evolution of attitudes toward animal emotion
• [11:03] – Advances in wildlife filmmaking and capturing elusive animals
• [13:37] – Environmental themes and responsibility in Blue Planet 2
• [14:56] – Conservation success: the comeback of whales
• [16:23] – Human mortality and kinship with other forms of life
• [18:52] – Mary Oliver reads “The Summer Day”
• [21:22] – Critical discussion of Oliver’s accessibility and style
• [23:32] – The spiritual imperative of attention in Mary Oliver’s poetry
• [24:27] – Mary Oliver reads “Mornings at Blackwater”

Tone and Style

The conversation is reverent, contemplative, and tinged with both urgency (regarding the environmental crisis) and delight (in discovery and beauty). Attenborough’s warmth, clarity, and sense of wonder come through, along with Oliver’s gentle but insistent call to notice and cherish the natural world.

For Listeners Who’ve Missed the Episode

This episode is a dual meditation on humanity’s place in nature—from the perspectives of documentary legend Sir David Attenborough and poet Mary Oliver. It balances sobering truths about the perilous state of the planet with hope drawn from both Attenborough’s conservation successes and Oliver’s invitation to live attentively and purposefully. Both figures urge us, in their own ways, to look closely, to cherish, and to act.

[Advertisements, intros, and outros have been omitted.]