Forum - A World of Ideas
Bridget Kendall hosts three prominent international thinkers debating big ideas. Duration 48 minutes. Programme broadcast on Sunday on BBC World Service, updated weekly. For more information go to bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/forum.shtml
Updated: 2 days 13 hours ago
Forum: The brain science behind how we read, 28 Aug 10
How the brain decodes reality is discussed on today's programme, with guest presenter Philippe Sands, celebrated barrister and Professor of International Law. French neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene on the amazing feat of reading which involves the brain splitting and processing words. Celebrated Danish Novelist Carsten Jensen on how truth is stranger than fiction, and how a novel reaches truth with the help of a lie. And Mexican historian Jimena Canales on why our perceptions are always a tenth of a second behind the world.
Forum: Long history of obesity. Science and storytelling. Gilman, Mhlophe, Pigliucci. 21 Aug 10
Obesity is often talked of as an ailment of modern affluence. But American cultural historian Sander Gilman says it’s nowhere near as simple as that.
One of the South Africa’s most celebrated storytellers, Gcina Mhlophe, casts some of her fairy dust over us, and performs a very short story exclusively for the programme.
And philosopher and biologist Massimo Pigliucci maintains that it’s not so easy to trace the fuzzy line between scientific fact and conjecture. But he also asserts that there are some pressing, practical reasons why we should try to.