Green Templeton Lectures 2014: The Tyranny of the Normal

Is normality - or conformity to certain parameters of behaviour and appearance - a necessary condition of all advanced societies or a tyranny which constrains individual aspiration and social evolution? Do conceptions of normality have any objective basis or are they merely social constructions, inexorably tied to the exercise of political and economic power? These questions have troubled some of the influential minds of the last two centuries but are they still relevant today, as conceptions of normality are challenged by advances in genomics and new technologies of human enhancement?

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Episodes

Ordinary People do Extraordinary Things: What Do the Lives of Olympians Tell Us About the Champion in Us All?

Peter Keen, Director of Sport at Loughborough University, gives a talk for the 2014 Green Templeton College lecture series The traditional narrative of Olympic success emphasises hard work, discipline and sacrifice but above all the unique talents of medal winners. Does this stand up to scrutiny? Peter Keen provides an insider's synopsis of the life journeys of successful athletes, from which a number of generalisations will be explored concerning the nature of human performance and the apparent...

Jul 02, 2014•45 min

"I Don't Like the Way I Look": the Psychological Consequences of Appearance Norms

Societal interest in 'looks' has a long history. Until recently, this interest has been considered largely benign: however, norms of appearance have become progressively more extreme and are now unattainable for the vast majority of people. Nichola Rumsey summarises research evidence charting the extensive and damaging impacts of dissatisfaction with appearance on physical and psychological health and the negative consequences for children, young people and adults in key areas of living includin...

Jul 02, 2014•52 min

Cinematically Challenged

Mainstream Hollywood cinema, the dominant medium of the twentieth century, represented the disabled more fully than most minorities, but what (or who) are these images really about? This lecture traces a paradoxical cultural history with the help of half a dozen film clips, from directors as different as William Wyler, Robert Altman and John Carpenter.

Jul 02, 2014•46 min

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