Something Understood

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Religion & Ethics

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life, taking a spiritual theme and exploring it through music, prose and poetry

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Something Understood: Keeping a Mind Open

Embracing the Classical

Keeping a Mind Open

BBC Radio 4 - Something Understood, Keeping a Mind Open

Mark Tully debates the pros and cons of an open mind - in life, politics and philosophy.

Is open-mindedness an essential tool for living or does it signify empty-headedness? Mark Tully teases at this puzzle with help from Sufi, Rumi, and philosopher Bertrand Russell.

Mark Tully debates the pros and cons of an open mind - in life, in politics, in philosophy.

Keeping an open mind lies at the heart of Something Understood - or so Mark suggests. There may, however, be advantages to having a closed mind from time to time - to maintaining unswerving resolution and decisiveness, to wearing metaphorical blinkers to maintain a necessary focus.

Mark Tully examines the cases for and against keeping a mind open at all times with readings from the work of philosophers Eric Hoffer and Bertrand Russell, verse from 13th century mystic Rumi, and music by Arvo Part and Bengali singer Paban Das Baul.

The readers are Jasper Britton, Adjoa Andoh and Francis Cadder.

Presenter: Mark Tully
Producer: Frank Stirling

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