Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton (1942 - 2008) was a literary phenomenon. He sold his first article to The New York Times when he was only 14, and worked his way through Harvard Medical School writing detective stories. He struck gold with his 1969 bestseller The Andromeda Strain, a taut thriller, replete with authentic medical detail, in which a team of scientists fight an extraterrestrial virus that threatens the entire human race. The Andromeda Strain was one of three novels he published that year, the same year he completed his medical studies at Harvard. He pursued post-doctoral studies at the Jonas Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, but soon decided to devote all his time to his writing. An extraordinarily prolific writer, he directed his fascination with the outer reaches of scientific knowledge into a career as a bestselling author and filmmaker. For nearly 30 years, he held a worldwide audience spellbound. Many of his novels, including Rising Sun, Congo, Jurassic Park and The Lost World, became highly successful motion pictures. Crichton produced and directed a number of successful films himself, including Westworld and Coma. He also created the long-running television drama ER, drawing on his own medical background. In this podcast, recorded at the Academy of Achievement's 1992 Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, Michael Crichton discusses the importance of spiritual values, and the role of goals and intentionality in the conscious and unconscious minds.