Four Thought

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Recent episodes (10)

• Ed Yong 19 Oct 11

  Wed, 19 Oct 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  Science journalist and blogger Ed Yong explores the physical and philosophical implications of being host to billions of microbes. He reports the latest science showing how the bacteria we come into contact with can profoundly affect our lives - from the ability to digest different foodstuffs to our susceptibility to asthma, diabetes and even stress and anxiety. And he asks whether he should be seen as a human, or a universe of bacteria in a "human shaped sack"? Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.

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• Kate Fox 12 Oct 2011

  Wed, 12 Oct 11

  Duration:
  15 mins

  Social anthropologist Kate Fox argues that we need to re-learn much of our thinking about the effects of alcohol & adapt preconceptions.

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• Cindy Gallop 5 Oct 2011

  Wed, 5 Oct 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  Advertising guru Cindy Gallop argues that if as businesses and individuals we define what we stand for and stay true to it, we could embrace a world of zero privacy. Cindy describes her own embrace of zero privacy as rather more extreme than most, after a frank admission two years ago which has since gone viral online. She explains why she designed her internet startup to require its users to pause and reflect on what they stand for, and urges people from every walk of life to redesign their lives around what they want to do.

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• Matthew Goodwin 28 Sept 2011

  Wed, 28 Sep 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  Matthew Goodwin says supporters of the far right are generally neither irrational nor isolated, and that a far right party without extremist baggage could be electable in Britain. He has spent much of the last decade with members and supporters of the British far right, examining their hopes and aspirations, what they wish to achieve. As an expert in electoral behaviour and extremism at the University of Nottingham, he has also been carefully studying hundreds of polls to explore whether there is a wider resonance for their message. It is an intensely controversial area of study - particularly in the light of the recent atrocities in Norway.

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• Russell M. Davies 21 Sept 2011

  Thu, 22 Sep 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  After the internet and social media, what will be the next technological revolution? Writer, blogger and social entrepreneur Russell M. Davies argues that like the early days of blogging, we are about to witness another flowering of individual creativity. This time, he says, it will unleash "all sorts of interesting gadgety things", and determine our relationships with them. "It's about making your own stuff, which might be a bit silly and a bit trivial and pointless, but you get the satisfaction of making it yourself," he says. This revolution in individual gadgetry - and designing our relationship with them - will prove "exciting, radical, life-affirming stuff". Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.

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• Charles ffrench-Constant 14 Sept 2011

  Wed, 14 Sep 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  Charles ffrench Constant explains the promise of regenerative medicine for research into diseases like Multiple Sclerosis.

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• Jim Crumley 7 Sep 2011

  Wed, 7 Sep 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  Jim Crumley calls for a "new dance with wolves." He urges us to coexist with wolves and says we might even learn something from them.

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• Ed Howker 31 Aug 2011

  Mon, 5 Sep 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  Ed Howker asks whether following the recent riots in England today's younger generation deserve their bad reputation. He is a co-founder of the Intergenerational Foundation and co-author of Jilted Generation: How Britain has Bankrupted its Youth.

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• Andrew Robinson 24 Aug 2011

  Fri, 2 Sep 11

  Duration:
  14 mins

  Andrew Robinson asks what can we learn from geniuses?

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• Owen Hatherley: 17 Aug 2011

  Wed, 17 Aug 11

  Duration:
  15 mins

  Owen Hatherley deplores the architectural style of recent so-called urban regeneration.

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