Eternal flame: The continued relevance of the myth of Prometheus

In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from the gods to give it to humans, and suffered an eternity of punishment for doing so. This hour, we revisit that myth, and talk about why it resonates so much today. Plus, we’ll take a look at the 2012 film Prometheus.

GUESTS: 

Adrienne Mayor: Research scholar in the Classics Department and the History of Science Program at Stanford University. She is the author of Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines and Ancient Dreams of Technology, among other books

Annie Dorsen: Theater director who works at the intersection of algorithmic art and live performance. Her most recent production was Prometheus Firebringer. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship

A.O. Scott: Critic at large for The New York Times Book Review, where he was formerly film critic. He is the author of Better Living Through Criticism

Dom Nero: Writer, video editor, and co-host of “Eye of The Duck,” a podcast about movies and the scenes that make them special

SONGS: 

“Road to Hell (Live)” by the Original Cast of Hadestown

“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel

“Oppenheimer” by Old 97s

“Prometheus” by SickTanicK

“A Planet” by Marc Streitenfeld

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Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.