Four Thought

Architect Sir Terry Farrell explains why architects are uniquely placed to solve the problems of Britain's public spaces - and why doing the work for free is crucial to its success.Sir Terry explains how working pro bono can bring together businesses, councils and community groups who would otherwise find it hard to work together, and how these architectural schemes or 'masterplans' can transform the public spaces we all share. He describes some of the schemes he has worked on - and how, even though it sometimes takes years, the benefits are clear to see.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Kamin Mohammadi uses her own and her family's history in Iran to argue that life - particularly private life - under an authoritarian regime is lived more creatively.She describes the complicated and sometimes intricate behaviour which is required to navigate - creatively - around restrictions on private lives. And she explains how everything from the newest technology to shared taxis are called in aid of young people wishing to sit close and steal caresses.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Entrepreneur Paddy Docherty says business is best placed to bring prosperity to impoverished and post conflict nations, arguing that only the commercial sector can supply the scale and dynamism needed to make a lasting impact on development. Four Thought is a series of talks with a personal viewpoint recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London.Producer: Sheila Cook.

Comedian Kate Smurthwaite argues it's time to stop laughing at sexism and time to stop prejudice against women comedians, because comedy is a key part of UK culture, affecting our opinions and values. Four Thought is a series of talks with a personal viewpoint recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Campaigner Martin Cassini argues that our system for managing traffic is overdue for radical reform and should be based on trust in human nature rather than an obsession with controlling it. He says a drastic cut in the number of traffic lights would begin the transformation, saving lives, time and money. Four Thought is a series of talks with a personal viewpoint recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Writer and former England table tennis champion Matthew Syed says we should not overemphasise the importance of talent over effort. Four Thought is a series of talks recorded before an audience at the RSA in London. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Clare Melford, CEO, International Business Leaders Forum, argues that Buddha should be in the boardroom. She explains what CEOs need to learn about the tenets of Buddhism to make their businesses thrive while being sustainable. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Professor June Andrews, Director, the Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling, argues for a revolution in our approach to dealing with dementia. She outlines immediate low cost changes that would make a dramatic difference to delaying the onset of the illness and caring for people with dementia. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Jules Evans, author of "Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous Situations", explores what ancient Greek and Roman philosophy can tell modern society about wellbeing. He celebrates the link between modern psychotherapy and the wisdom of Socrates, the Stoics and other ancient philosophers but warns that the new politics of happiness is in danger of becoming illiberal. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Bobby Cummines, Chief Executive, UNLOCK, the National Association of Reformed Offenders, who served 13 years in high security prisons for robbery and manslaughter, argues if society wants to reduce crime, reformed criminals must be helped to get jobs and discrimination against them needs to stop. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Robin Gorna has spent 26 years working globally to combat AIDS. She fears that at a time when we know how to deal with the problem, we are losing the political will to tackle it. She sees finances drying up, and stigma, prejudice and an unwillingness to engage with social and sexual aspects of the illness preventing millions from getting access to the treatment and care they need. Robin believes there is a real opportunity to end the epidemic, and she blames short attention spans and the wrong actions for the fact that it is still on the increase. Four Thought is a series of talks in which speakers give a personal viewpoint recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London.Producer: Sheila Cook.

The influential founder of the Transition Towns movement Rob Hopkins argues for a new approach to energy, society and our surroundings - with the help of a bottle of beer and a ten pound note bearing a picture of David Bowie.Four Thought is a series of talks combining personal stories with fresh arguments, recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London.Producer: Sheila Cook.

Gordon Bridger draws on a lifetime's experience as an economist in developing countries to argue that we should spend overseas aid differently to stop it doing more harm than good. He urges an end to direct transfers of money to governments as he fears inadequate audit can too easily allow misuse of funds.Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded live in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers air their thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society. Producer: Sheila Cook.

Author Bali Rai says that stopping talking about race is the best way to stop racism, and sees pride in our own racial identity as part of the problem. Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded live in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.Producer: Sheila Cook.

Creativity is just as vital in science and engineering as it is in art and drama, argues Gerard Darby.Yet the present education system is undermining young people's natural creativity, he says, and is in urgent need of reform. He highlights some novel approaches, and explains why this matters both for the individuals, and for our wider society and economy.Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Novelist Clare Allan asks why lying gets such a bad press. The truth, she argues, can be far more dangerous.Can lies both liberate and illuminate? As a novelist she discusses how she takes full advantage of her position to tell stories, to invent the facts. But in so doing so, she says, fiction can lead us closer to the truth. Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Entrepreneur Judith Clegg argues that the special culture of technology start-ups could make the world a dramatically better place, if adopted more widely.Even after a year of dramatic change, she believes we could do with some more - in sectors as varied as banking, government and energy companies. The start-up culture of pay-it-forward, decent treatment of staff, enthusiasm and hard work is just what we need in every sector in these hard economic times, she says.With a family background steeped in entrepreneurial spirit, and a career spent breathing life into start-ups, she now runs the Takeout consultancy, which helps big organisations learn lessons from the start-up community, and the Glasshouse, a meeting space for entrepreneurs, and is co-founder of a startup investment fund.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Social trends analyst Paul Flatters argues that childhood today is better than ever before, and he explains why wrongly thinking the reverse is bad for us as individuals and as a society.Paul deconstructs several examples of recent media coverage, and explains why charities and academics have a vested interest in exaggerating the negative.He also seeks to dispel the inevitable gloom of early January by pointing out the many ways in which research suggests life is certainly no worse, and much better, for children and families than it has ever been before.Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Tim Smith says Britain is very far from broken. In fact, he argues, its are a really good country, and if we learn to trust one another again we could be wonderful.Pointing to the success of collaborative ventures he started, like the Eden Project and Big Lunch, he suggests we should set ourselves the goal of energy independence. This, he says, would be as much about the symbolism as the environmentalism: a vivid demonstration that far from being a dying culture, we are in fact a vigorous one.Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.Producer: Giles Edwards.

Alcohol and drug researcher James Lange describes how YouTube videos of drug use have improved the speed and quality of his research, and argues that they can be a vital tool for scientists.Dr. Lange's research has been into salvia divinorum, and he explains how new technology could now make his job even easier.He argues that YouTube is an incredible archive of social and biological behaviour, which did not exist a few years ago, and that using it in a sophisticated and systematic way can help us to quickly understand complicated behaviour.Four Thought is a series of talks which combine thought provoking ideas and engaging storytelling. Recorded in front of an audience at the RSA in London, speakers take to the stage to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society.Producer: Giles Edwards.