How is Character Created and Shaped?
How character is created, shaped and strengthened. With novelist Amitav Ghosh, bioethicist Ilina Singh and cultural commentator David Brooks.
What does it mean to be ‘of good character’? How easy is it to change and where does character come from? Are we shaped by our genes or experiences? Shedding light on the creation of fictional characters is novelist Amitav Ghosh, bioethicist Ilina Singh considers how society responds to children who struggle to fit in and the New York Times columnist David Brooks shares his concerns about the rise of a ‘Big Me’ culture and the decline of humility. Presented by Quentin Cooper.
(Photo: Silver congratulates Gold at the 2012 Olympics (Getty Images)
Last on
Clip
-
![]()
A test of true character
Duration: 01:02
Chapters
-
David Brooks
How can you become a better person?
Duration: 11:14
Ilina Singh
Is there a biology of character and what does that mean for society?
Duration: 08:21
60 second idea
What Do You Think About That?
Duration: 03:43
Amitav Ghosh
How fictional characters surprise their authors
Duration: 13:16
David Brooks
![David Brooks]()
David Brooks is a columnist for The New York Times and teaches at Yale University in the United States. He thinks we should spend less time striving for wealth, fame and status and look inwards to strengthen our capacity for self-awareness, self-restraint, compassion and humility. He is the author of ‘The Road to Character’.
Ilina Singh
![Ilina Singh]()
Dr Ilina Singh is Professor of Neuroscience and Society at the University of Oxford in the UK. She is a bioethicist whose work examines the psychosocial and ethical implications of advances in biomedicine and neuroscience for young people and families. Her new study is entitled ‘Becoming Good: Early Intervention and Moral Development in Child Psychiatry’.Amitav Ghosh
![Amitav Ghosh]()
Amitav Ghosh is a novelist whose work has been translated into more than twenty languages. His latest novel, ‘Flood of Fire’, completes The Ibis Trilogy. It opens in India in 1839 and charts the progress of its characters through the moral maze of China’s First Opium War.60 second idea to change the world
![60 second idea to change the world]()
Ilina Singh believes that to encourage children to engage with the world and participate in debate, we should ask them the question ‘What do you think about that ?’ every day. And pause. And listen.
‘That’ can be a person, place, thing or idea. Just point and ask – and don’t forget the pause. Adults need to hear what children and teenagers have to say and young people need an opportunity to challenge, to collaborate and to take part.Broadcasts
- Mon 8 Jun 2015 01:05GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service Online
- Tue 9 Jun 2015 08:05GMTÂ鶹ԼÅÄ World Service Online
Do you think political or business leaders need to be charismatic? Or do you prefer highly competent but somewhat stern people?
We’d love to hear your views on charm and charisma for a future Forum.
Podcast
-
![]()
The Forum
The programme that explains the present by exploring the past
Related Content