A Point of View - 'News' and concentration

Alain de Botton argues that in our mad desire to keep up with what's new, we have lost our ability to concentrate. We are made to feel, he says, that "at any point, somewhere on the globe, something may occur to sweep away old certainties". How was it, he wonders, that for Christians, there has been no news of "world-altering significance to their faith" since 30 AD? He suggests that a period of fasting from our obsession with "news" may be what's needed.

Producer: Adele Armstrong.

Published on Friday, 14th January 2011.

Available Podcasts from A Point of View

Subscribe to A Point of View

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the A Point of View webpage.