Start the Week

Blood, guts and swearing robots


Listen Later

Victorian hospitals were known as 'houses of death' and their surgeons, who never washed their hands, were praised for their brute strength and speed. Lindsey Fitzharris tells Andrew Marr about the pioneering British surgeon Joseph Lister who transformed his profession. Anaesthesia was discovered in the 1840s but Professor Lesley Colvin says we're still learning about the complex relationship between the brain and the perception of pain, as well as understanding the potential harm of the increased use of strong opiates. Pain is common to all humans, but could - and should - robots feel pain? This is the question Dr Beth Singler poses in a new film exploring the limits of Artificial Intelligence. And if they are programmed to feel pain, should they also be taught to swear? Dr Emma Byrne looks at the science of bad language and why it can also be harnessed to reduce pain.

Producer: Katy Hickman.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Start the WeekBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

154 ratings


More shows like Start the Week

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,747 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

301 Listeners

The Archers by BBC Radio 4

The Archers

1,096 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

378 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

892 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,066 Listeners

The Reith Lectures by BBC Radio 4

The Reith Lectures

213 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,475 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,816 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

301 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,783 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,041 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,080 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

477 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

107 Listeners

Moral Maze by BBC Radio 4

Moral Maze

69 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

126 Listeners

Daily Politics from the New Statesman by The New Statesman

Daily Politics from the New Statesman

140 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

44 Listeners

The Briefing Room by BBC Radio 4

The Briefing Room

74 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,220 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,041 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

102 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,051 Listeners