麻豆约拍

Mark Tully considers the enduring effects that being chosen last can have on us and asks whether the negative aspects of competition might out-way the positive.

We often think of those who get picked first as the winners, or the best. But Mark Tully chooses to focus instead on those who are left until the end, whose self-confidence is jeopardised in the name of sport, and in many other areas of our lives.

He also questions the underlying notion that our very existence depends on 'survival of the fittest', a phrase that is often used to justify ruthless competition and the rejection of 'losers'. He discovers that the term originally referred to the survival of species that can best fit their environment, often by cooperation rather than aggression.

So is society better for being competitive, or would life improve for everyone if the pressure to be the best was abandoned? And will the last ever be the first?

The readers are Emily Raymond, David Holt, Adam Fowler and Frank Stirling.

Producer: Adam Fowler
A Unique production for 麻豆约拍 Radio 4