Forum - A World of Ideas

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  Weekly

• Episodes available for:
  30 Days

Recent episodes (4)

• Corruption. Peter Eigen, Mohammed Hanif, Alena Ledeneva. 04 Feb 2012

  Sat, 4 Feb 12

  Duration:
  41 mins
  
  Available:
  24 days remaining

  It can be a shadowy network of power or a blatant request for a bribe from a bureaucrat who otherwise won’t process your paperwork: corruption worldwide takes many forms. So how should we define it? And what steps can be taken to stop it spreading? With the founder of Transparency International Peter Eigen, Pakistani author Mohammed Hanif and Russian sociologist Alena Ledeneva.

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• Controlling experiments. Chris Mason, Eduardo Miranda, Esther Duflo. 28 Jan 2012

  Sat, 28 Jan 12

  Duration:
  41 mins
  
  Available:
  17 days remaining

  The triumphs and pitfalls of experimenting with life: surgeon and leading exponent of regenerative medicine, Professor Chris Mason, reports on new advances in cell therapy that are revolutionising medicine. Science has also seeped into the work of Brazilian composer Eduardo Miranda who coaxes computers to turn biological data into song. The staple of medical research, the randomised controlled trial, has inspired French economist Esther Duflo’s new approach to evaluating aid programmes.

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• Willpower. Roy Baumeister, Cleo Van Velsen, Veronique Tadjo. 21 Jan 12

  Sat, 21 Jan 12

  Duration:
  41 mins
  
  Available:
  10 days remaining

  Are we able to resist temptation? Psychology Professor Roy Baumeister says we spend a quarter of our waking hours denying our desires. Dr Cleo Van Velsen, Consultant Psychiatrist says there’s no such thing as willpower. We can’t turn on a switch for self-control, we have to try, fail, and fail a bit better the next time. And Ivorian author, poet, and painter Veronique Tadjo sees desire as a positive force that motivates and inspires.

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• Freedom of Expression. TG Ash, Jonathan Biss, Fawaz Gerges. 14 Jan 2012

  Sat, 14 Jan 12

  Duration:
  41 mins
  
  Available:
  3 days remaining

  How far should we be free to express ourselves? Timothy Garton Ash is launching a free speech initiative at Oxford University. He tells us why he thinks we should aspire to a world with no taboos. Fawaz Gerges, Middle Eastern Politics Professor of the LSE, explores the role that the will to be free is having in the Arab Spring. And internationally acclaimed pianist Jonathan Biss makes the case for Beethoven as a fiercely independent musical rebel.

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