Susan Pinker on the benefits of face-to-face contact
Anne McElvoy discusses communities, both actual and online, with psychologist Susan Pinker, online gamer Nicholas Lovell, poet Sam Riviere and philosopher Daniel Dennett.
On Start the Week Susan Pinker argues that face-to-face contact increases longevity and reduces the risks of illness. She tells Anne McElvoy that although new technology connects more people, it can often leave us more disconnected. However the writer and gamer Nicholas Lovell explains that online gamers have their own sense of community. The philosopher Daniel Dennett considers whether it's possible to create a robot that can rival the human brain, and the poet Sam Riviere has used and manipulated the results of search-engines to compose his new collection: 72 poems marking the 72 days of Kim Kardashian's marriage in 2011.
Producer: Katy Hickman.
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Susan Pinker
Susan Pinker is a developmental psychologist and award-winning newspaper columnist.
The Village Effect: Why Face-to-Face Contact Matters is published by Atlantic Books.
Nicholas Lovell
Nicholas Lovell is a games designer and a gaming enthusiast.
Nicholas is the author of The Curve and runs a consultancy, Gamesbrief, on the business of games.
Sam Riviere
Sam Riviere is a poet.
Kim Kardashian’s Marriage is published by Faber & Faber.
Daniel Dennett
Daniel Dennett is a philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist.
Daniel is giving a talk at the Royal Institution, Convergence: Information, evolution, and intelligent design, on Wednesday 25 March.
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Anne McElvoy |
| Interviewed Guest | Susan Pinker |
| Interviewed Guest | Nicholas Lovell |
| Interviewed Guest | Sam Riviere |
| Interviewed Guest | Daniel Dennett |
| Producer | Katy Hickman |
Broadcasts
- Mon 23 Mar 201509:00BBC Radio 4
- Mon 23 Mar 201521:30BBC Radio 4
Podcast
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Start the Week
Weekly discussion programme, setting the cultural agenda every Monday
