Free Thinking - Being Human: New Generation Thinkers explore Escape, Lying and Fear.
Arts & Ideas
BBC
4.2 • 599 Ratings
🗓️ 16 November 2016
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
New Generation Thinkers Shahidha Bari and Laurence Scott present a programme looking at new research into supernatural fiction writer Vernon Lee with Francesco Ventrella. Lee used the phrase "iron curtain" and declared herself a "cosmopolitan from her birth, without any single national tie or sympathy". They also debate what it means to lie, examine the life of communist informer Harvey Matusow with Doug Haynes, and look at new scientific research into the way consistent lying can change behaviour. Plus, Jenny Kitzinger on the gulf between popular ideas of ‘coma’ and the realities of such states.
Part of a week of programmes on BBC Radio 3 exploring new academic research.
Being Human festival of the humanities runs from 17–25 Nov 2016 at universities across the UK. It is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) which works with Radio 3 on the New Generation Thinkers scheme to find academics who can turn their research into radio.
Producer: Craig Smith
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to the home of the oxymoron. Evil genius. He asked the newspaper to print his obituary early so he'd enjoy it. That's like hiding at your own funeral. Yeah, a big, great gig. I'm Russell Kane. Join me to weigh in on whether the biggest players in history are more evil or genius. Becoming that rich, I'd say that is some level of genius. It also helps that it's a long time ago, right? |
| 0:23.3 | It's like the podcast version of telling your kids the ice cream van plays music when it's out of ice cream. |
| 0:28.9 | Listen to evil genius on BBC sounds. |
| 0:32.0 | Welcome to the Arts and Ideas podcast from the free thinking team at the BBC. |
| 0:37.1 | And inspired by the Being Human Festival, which begins this week in venues around the country, |
| 0:42.6 | we've gathered a crack team of cutting-edge academics and researchers to explore the theme of escape. |
| 0:48.2 | Have you heard of Harvey Matuso, or had he simply escaped your notice? |
| 0:53.0 | A communist turned FBI informant, |
| 0:55.5 | who later reinvented himself as an avant-garde folk musician. |
| 0:59.2 | Doug Haynes is here to open the file on the mysterious Matuso. |
| 1:03.0 | Plus, Tally Sharot, from the affective brain lab, |
| 1:06.4 | is our human polygraph liar-in-chief. |
| 1:09.3 | Or is she? |
| 1:10.8 | How does a Victorian writer escape the tyranny of her sex? |
| 1:14.3 | Francesco Ventrella will be regaling us with the escapades of Violet Padgett, |
| 1:18.6 | otherwise known as Vernon Lee. |
| 1:20.9 | And what does it feel like to escape even consciousness itself? |
| 1:24.6 | Jenny Kitsinger is bedside to talk us through the phenomenon of coma. |
| 1:29.0 | And later, we'll be asking, how many academics does it take to escape a room? |
| 1:34.3 | Right, so we've been joined in the room now by a young woman in 17th century dress singing |
| 1:39.3 | a eerie song at us. |
| 1:42.3 | I think a wench is the technical town. |
... |
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