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The End of Progress?

Will Self reflects on how pinning our hopes on finding a vaccine for the pandemic could affect our wider faith in the idea of progress.

The writer, Katherine Mansfield, was diagnosed with TB in 1917. She travelled across Europe - trying all sorts of therapies - until her death. But it would be another twenty years before a cure was actually discovered.
Will Self questions whether - if it takes years to find an effective vaccine or treatment for COVID 19 - we will still manage to maintain our faith in human progress.

Producer: Adele Armstrong

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9 minutes

Last on

Sun 16 Aug 2020 08:48

Broadcasts

  • Fri 14 Aug 2020 20:50
  • Sun 16 Aug 2020 08:48

Podcast