Contagion and Viruses

Matthew Sweet investigates viruses and how they could disrupt our understanding of the nature of organisms, and looks at what history can teach us about the current pandemic. With philosopher John Dupré, historian Mark Honigsbaum, New Generation Thinker Lisa Mullen and artist Matt Adams who works with Blast Theory.

Mark Honigsbaum is the author of The Pandemic Century: One Hundred Years of Panic, Hysteria and Hubris. Lisa Mullen has written Mid-Century Gothic: The Uncanny Objects of Modernity in British Literature and Culture after the Second World War. Professor John Dupré is director of the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences, and professor of philosophy at the University of Exeter. You can find about Matt Adams' work at https://www.blasttheory.co.uk/

Producer: Luke Mulhall

Check out our podcast episode New Thinking: Science Fiction Hetta Howes discusses how science fiction extends beyond literature with Caroline Edwards and Amy Butt https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p086zq4g

You might also like this Sunday feature looking at the idea of the grid https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08v8qn4 and this Sunday Feature about the idea of Apocalypse How https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b088j46v from the Radio 3 programme archives.