Cover image of A History of Ideas

A History of Ideas

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the work of key philosophers and their theories.

Ranked #1

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Surgeon Gabriel Weston on medical technology

Surgeon Gabriel Weston on medical technology

Surgeons of the distant past were little more than skilled butchers, trying to minimise the agony of their bone-sawing c... Read more

29 Jan 2015

12mins

Ranked #2

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Historian Justin Champion on Francis Bacon

Historian Justin Champion on Francis Bacon

Historian Justin Champion on Francis Bacon's anxieties about the fallibility of technological innovators. The 17th centu... Read more

28 Jan 2015

12mins

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Ranked #3

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Psychotherapist Mark Vernon on Freud

Psychotherapist Mark Vernon on Freud

What is love? Psychotherapist Mark Vernon looks at Freud's ideas on the Greek god Eros, which he saw as a kind of life f... Read more

30 Jul 2015

12mins

Ranked #4

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Why Are Things Beautiful?

Why Are Things Beautiful?

A new history of ideas presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices.Melvyn is joined by four guests with different ... Read more

17 Nov 2014

11mins

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Ranked #5

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Neuroscientist Paul Broks on Free Will and the Brain

Neuroscientist Paul Broks on Free Will and the Brain

Paul Broks tackles an age-old philosophical argument over whether humans have free will or whether all events are pre-de... Read more

14 Nov 2014

12mins

Ranked #6

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How Should We Live Together?

How Should We Live Together?

A history of ideas. Presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices. Each week Melvyn is joined by four guests with di... Read more

20 Jul 2015

12mins

Ranked #7

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Lawyer Harry Potter on Individual Freedom and the State

Lawyer Harry Potter on Individual Freedom and the State

Harry Potter is a criminal barrister and watches people being let off and locked up for a living. He is interested in th... Read more

12 Nov 2014

12mins

Ranked #8

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Theologian Giles Fraser on Religious Freedom

Theologian Giles Fraser on Religious Freedom

Theologian Giles Fraser thinks freedom is overrated. It has become a kind of tyranny or obsession. He is interested in t... Read more

13 Nov 2014

11mins

Ranked #9

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Classicist Edith Hall on Aristophanes in Plato

Classicist Edith Hall on Aristophanes in Plato

In 416BC the Greek playwright Aristophanes went to a drinking party. The guests included many famous Athenians, includin... Read more

28 Jul 2015

13mins

Ranked #10

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Economist Kate Barker on the Free Market

Economist Kate Barker on the Free Market

Is a Free Market the vital foundation of a fair, dynamic and creative society? The father of economics, Adam Smith certa... Read more

22 Jul 2015

12mins

Ranked #11

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Philosopher Angie Hobbs on Plato's Philosopher Kings

Philosopher Angie Hobbs on Plato's Philosopher Kings

Professor Angie Hobbs asks if the key to harmonious living could be found in Plato's Republic where he proposes that the... Read more

23 Jul 2015

13mins

Ranked #12

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Writer Lisa Appignanesi on the Love of Children

Writer Lisa Appignanesi on the Love of Children

How should we love our children? Can we build on the feelings we experience when we see them for the first time, raise t... Read more

31 Jul 2015

12mins

Ranked #13

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Theologian Giles Fraser on Altruism

Theologian Giles Fraser on Altruism

Giles Fraser discusses gene theory versus altruism with playwright Tom Stoppard whose play The Hard Problem explores the... Read more

29 Jul 2015

12mins

Ranked #14

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Philosopher Timothy Secret on Ancestor Worship

Philosopher Timothy Secret on Ancestor Worship

If we're to live well together we must first learn to live well with the dead, says Timothy Secret.At traditional Chines... Read more

24 Jul 2015

13mins

Ranked #15

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Philosopher Jules Evans on Aristotle and Flourishing

Philosopher Jules Evans on Aristotle and Flourishing

Philosopher Jules Evans wants to prove there's been a revival of Aristotle's ideas about flourishing and how to live a g... Read more

31 Mar 2015

13mins

Ranked #16

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How Do I Live a Good Life?

How Do I Live a Good Life?

A new history of ideas presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices. Each week Melvyn is joined by four guests with... Read more

30 Mar 2015

12mins

Ranked #17

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Archaeologist Matt Pope on tools and human evolution

Archaeologist Matt Pope on tools and human evolution

There's a tiny bone needle at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire. For archaeologist Matt Pope it's hugely significant. 13,000 ... Read more

30 Jan 2015

12mins

Ranked #18

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Historian Justin Champion on Toleration

Historian Justin Champion on Toleration

Professor Justin Champion examines Locke's theory of Toleration through the inhabitants of Spitalfields past and present... Read more

21 Jul 2015

13mins

Ranked #19

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What Is Love?

What Is Love?

A history of ideas. Presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices.Each week Melvyn is joined by four guests with dif... Read more

27 Jul 2015

12mins

Ranked #20

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Philosopher Barry Smith on Descartes and Consciousness

Philosopher Barry Smith on Descartes and Consciousness

Rene Descartes, one of the most influential philosophers ever, thought the mind was like an open book that could be read... Read more

17 Apr 2015

12mins

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