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The Forum, the BBC World Service programme which boldly crosses boundaries: scientific, creative and geographic, presented by Bridget Kendall.

Meet the guests

British author and poet Bernadine Evaristo turns the tragedy of the translatlantic slave trade on its head looking at what happens if white becomes black, in her latest novel Blonde Roots.

Cambridge Professor of Mathematics Timothy Gowers asks whether finding a solution is actually as easy as checking one and, if so, why this could transform the world we live in.

Arab-American literary scholar Suheil Bushrui tells us why he believes poets are the visionaries of our age.

Listen to the 60 Second Idea To Change The World

Each week one guest presents an idea to enhance the world. This week it's the turn of mathemtician Timothy Gowers.

COMMENTS ON THE PROGRAMME

Only one complaint, you must look at the historical history of debate and its aims and the feeling of dumbing down and it being an antidote to that and getting people to think. It does not refer to a internal debate about a snack, etc.
Wouter, Pretoria

I think it's good that you include a mathematician among your guests. I would like to hear much more from those wonderfully creative and usually quite humble people who are routinely shut out of public discourse by the chattering classes.
William, UK

I think Timothy Gowers' idea is a good one. In my opinion, from studying the way trials function with rules of evidence, grounds for objections and so on, Common Law (Criminal Justice) can be a source of inspiration for good debating practices; but I'm not fond of the rhetorical aspects.
David, Quebec

The novelist who 'turned slavery upside down' seems to think slavery was something done to blacks by whites. It wasn't. It was something done by the white upper classes to the poor, of whatever race or colour. The first slaves to be used in the West Indies were poor white Britons, but they had a tendency to die in the unfamiliar conditions, which is why they were subsequently replaced by slaves from Africa. This always seems to be forgotten when the subject is discussed.
David, Cumbria

As a six former who competively debates both within school and at university competitions, I wanted to point out that 'debating' is a competitive sport, where certain motions are proposed to be spoken about within the tight structure and style of the debate, rather than just about any issue at any time!
Anmonymous

A decision can be taken in two ways: rationally and intuitively. A point of view is more rational, to go out at night could be intuitive, what colour to paint the wall by mixing paints is mostly intuitive until science can explain my preference. And intuitive decisions are best made instantaneously in my view.
Russell, Surbiton

I wish to make a historical point that does not take away from Bernadine. Many people don't know that scientists had to create a special catagory of 'whiteness' for the Scots and the Irish and yet they were both treated with unbelievable cruelty over 800 years.
Chris, Dublin

Listening to the debate about computers overtaking us in terms of creativity serves to underline the reasons that the humanities and science are often treated as two opposing worlds - in this case the humanities are here to remind us that we as humans are the point of all the research and knowledge we gather and science is there to debunk and disprove that myth!
Liam, Kent

In my view a rigorous mathematical proof is not in the least necessary. What is required is vigilance. No system is ever secure if it is assumed to be secure and therefore no longer the subject of double checking, random checking and continual devil's advocacy.
James, Passenham

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