Happy families? - Science's first mistake
Thinking Allowed
BBC
4.4 • 997 Ratings
🗓️ 27 October 2010
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Was there ever a golden age of the family? Political debates about the family often invoke a norm of family life in which marriages lasted and children thrived. But a new report suggests that pre-marital sex, cohabitation, single parenthood and illegitimacy have been rife for two centuries. It's the post war period from 1945-1970 which is unusual for its high rates of enduring marriages. Many people in the past didn't ever marry because of the problems in obtaining or affording a divorce. The historian Professor Pat Thane discusses families, real and ideal, with Laurie Taylor. Also, are most scientific claims little more than delusions? The Professor of Information Systems, Ian Angell talks about his co-authored book 'Science's First Mistake' which critiques science's claims to 'truth'. Producer: Jayne Egerton.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, |
| 0:06.0 | the Science of Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.0 | Choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the endless |
| 0:38.3 | search and it's a nightmare we want to help you on our brand new podcast off the telly we share what we've been watching |
| 0:45.4 | Clairey ate it. Loads of games, loads of fun, loads of screaming. Lovely. |
| 0:50.8 | Off the telly with me Joanna Paige and me, Natalie Cassidy, so your evenings can be a little |
| 0:56.2 | less searching and a lot more watching. |
| 0:58.6 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 1:01.4 | This is a Thinking Loud Podcast from the BBC and for more details in our terms of use and |
| 1:06.7 | much, much more about Thinking Aloud, go to our website at BBC.co. UK. |
| 1:13.0 | Hello. I can still remember the exact moment when my friend Jim told me that my family was mad. |
| 1:21.0 | We were strolling past the tennis courts in |
| 1:23.4 | Alexandra Park after another tedious day in school and talking earnestly |
| 1:27.1 | about our future about making a lot of money buying big car, marrying Jane Russell |
| 1:31.2 | living in the South, having lots of records and a silver cigarette case. |
| 1:35.0 | Well you'll find it more difficult than me, I said consolingly because you come from a broken home. |
| 1:40.0 | I don't, said Jim, but your mother's dead, I reminded him. There's only you and your dad. It's a broken home. That doesn't mean it's a broken home, said Jim. In any case, I'd rather come from my home than yours. Your family is completely mad. What about the way your dad spends all his time in the outside shed? |
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