Imitation
With humanity鈥檚 drive to imitate each other and the advent of global communications, are we creating one global culture to the detriment of the individual and the indigenous?
Imitation can be essential to human learning and advancement but is there a danger, especially in an era of instant communication and global capital, of us mindlessly copying the latest popular phenomenon or creating a monotonous look to our cities? And why in classical music, imitation wasn鈥檛 always a dirty word. Presenter Zeinab Badawi talks to anthropologist Alex Bentley, musicologist Jan Smaczny and architect Robert Adam.
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Chapters
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Alex Bentley
Alex Bentley
Duration: 13:45
Jan Smaczny
Jan Smaczny
Duration: 09:15
60 second idea: Buzzword Censorship App.
60 second idea: Buzzword Censorship App.
Duration: 04:58
Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Duration: 12:32
Alex Bentley
![Alex Bentley]()
Alex Bentley is Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Bristol University who has been studying how imitation spreads in large groups of people.聽 He argues that as we are being forced to make ever quicker decisions from among a dizzy array of options, we would be wise to often rely on the knowledge of the crowd.Jan Smaczny
![Jan Smaczny]()
Jan Smaczny is Professor of Music at Queens University Belfast, and an authority on Czech music.聽 He believes that imitation plays an important role in classical music: for many centuries, emulating someone else鈥檚 compositional style, or even adapting someone else鈥檚 music, has been a perfectly legitimate part of a composer鈥檚 toolbox.Robert Adam
![Robert Adam]()
British architect Robert Adam is a visiting professor of urban design at Strathclyde University and a leading advocate of traditional architecture. He believes that the desire to attract international capital has led to business districts all over the globe looking almost identical.聽 But perhaps this homogeneity will soon be challenged with the rise of Chinese power.
Sixty second Idea to Change the World
Anthropologist Alex Bentley suggests an app that would intelligently filter overused buzz phrases. When watching TV or reading a newspaper, blank time or paper would replace viral, 鈥渙f the moment鈥� phrases. This would provide an incentive for people to say things in an original way, and help the audience understand the true meaning.In Next Week鈥檚 Programme
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Do you think political or business leaders need to be charismatic? Or do you prefer highly competent but somewhat stern people?
We鈥檇 love to hear your views on charm and charisma for a future Forum.
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