Archive by Genre: Philosophy

1. Abelard and Heloise

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the medieval tale of Abelard and Heloise.
2. Altruism

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss philosophical and evolutionary arguments over altruism.
3. Anarchism

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the political creed of Anarchism.
4. Aristotle's Poetics

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Aristotle's Poetics.
5. Aristotle's Politics

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Aristotle’s ‘Politics’.
6. Averroes

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 12th century Islamic philosopher, Averroes.
7. Avicenna

   Melvyn Bragg discusses the Persian Islamic philosopher Avicenna.
8. Baconian Science

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Jacobean thinker Francis Bacon and Baconian Science.
9. Beauty

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the qualities of beauty and the history of aesthetics.
10. Bohemianism

    Melvyn Bragg examines the 19th century Parisian philosophy of life lived for art.
11. Camus

    The life ad work of the Algerian-French writer and philosopher, Albert Camus.
12. Cogito Ergo Sum

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Rene Descartes' famous statement.
13. Common Sense Philosophy

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss common sense philosophy.
14. Confucius

    Melvyn Bragg and guests examine the chinese philosophy of Confucianism.
15. Consciousness

    Melvyn Bragg examines why ideas about consciousness preoccupy philosophers and scientists.
16. Cynicism

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Cynics, the performance artists of philosophy.
17. Daoism

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Daoism, the ancient Chinese philosophy and religion.
18. David Hume

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the work of the Scottish philosopher David Hume.
19. Democracy

    Melvyn Bragg examines the origins of the most cherished form of government in the world.
20. Duty

    Melvyn Bragg examines duty, a concept that has excited philosophers through history.
21. Edmund Burke

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the philosopher, politician and writer Edmund Burke.
22. Empiricism

    Melvyn Bragg examines the 17th century idea that all knowledge arises from experience.
23. Evil

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the notion of evil in western philosophy.
24. Existentialism

    Melvyn Bragg and guests examine the 20th century philosophy of existentialism
25. Feminism

    Melvyn Bragg examines the development of the empowerment of women in the 20th century.
26. Free Will

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss free will.
27. Freedom

    Melvyn Bragg considers what it is to be free and how freedom became such a powerful value.
28. Friendship

    Melvyn Bragg explores the concept of friendship; ‘a single soul dwelling in two bodies’.
29. Godel's Incompleteness Theorems

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the mathematician Kurt Godel and his work.
30. Good and Evil

    Melvyn Bragg examines how we judge good and evil in modern western civilisation.
31. Guilt

    Melvyn Bragg and guests take a long hard look at the idea of guilt.
32. Happiness

    Melvyn Bragg considers whether 'happiness' means living a life of pleasure or of virtue.
33. Heraclitus

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus.
34. Heroism

    Melvyn Bragg explores what defines a hero, and their place in classical society.
35. Hobbes

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes.
36. Humanism

    The history and legacy of classical Humanism, invented by Cicero.
37. Ibn Khaldun

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 14th-century Arab philosopher of history Ibn Khaldun.
38. Kierkegaard

    Melvyn Bragg examines the rich and radical ideas of the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard.
39. Laws of Nature

    Melvyn Bragg considers whether what is true in physics is true in all areas of existence.
40. Logic

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history of logic.
41. Logical Positivism

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the radical philosophy of the Vienna Circle.
42. Machiavelli and the Italian City States

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli.
43. Maimonides

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides.
44. Marx

    The life and ideas of Karl Marx who changed the world with his Communist Manifesto.
45. Mary Wollstonecraft

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft.
46. Materialism

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Materialism in Philosophy.
47. Mill

    The life and ideas of the 19th century political philosopher John Stuart Mill.
48. Miracles

    Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history of miracles.
49. Moses Mendelssohn

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the German-Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn.
50. Neoplatonism

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the ancient philosophical school of Neoplatonism.
51. Nihilism

    The history of the philosophy that claims that truths are illusory.
52. Ockham's Razor

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the ideas of William Ockham including Ockham's Razor.
53. Originality

    Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the creative force of originality.
54. Politeness

    Melvyn Bragg examines the cultural effect of the eighteenth century idea of Politeness.
55. Popper

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the Anglo-Austrian philosopher Karl Popper.
56. Pragmatism

    Melvyn Bragg and guests examine the American philosophy of pragmatism.
57. Progress

    Melvyn Bragg examines whether mankind has made as much moral as material progress.
58. Pythagoras

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas of Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans.
59. Redemption

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss redemption, crucial for Judeo-Christian thought.
60. Relativism

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss relativism; a philosophy with no absolute truths.
61. Rhetoric

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discusses rhetoric; supported by Aristotle but reviled by Plato.
62. Sartre

    The life and work of French novelist, playwright and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.
63. Schopenhauer

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the pessimistic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer.
64. Socrates

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the iconic Greek philosopher, Socrates.
65. Spinoza

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the Dutch, Jewish and Christian Philosopher, Baruch Spinoza.
66. St Thomas Aquinas

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss St Thomas Aquinas.
67. Stoicism

    Melvyn Bragg explore Stoicism, the most influential philosophy in the Ancient World.
68. The Consolations of Philosophy

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the consolation of Philosophy.
69. The Continental-Analytic Split

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Continental and Analytic philosophical traditions.
70. The Enlightenment in Scotland

    Melvyn Bragg examines the emergence and impact of the Scottish Enlightenment.
71. The Examined Life

    Melvyn Bragg investigates how our preoccupations about how to live have altered over time.
72. The Frankfurt School

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas and influence of the Frankfurt School.
73. The Han Synthesis

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Han Synthesis philosophies of China.
74. The Individual

    Melvyn Bragg explores the concept of the individual from the Renaissance to today.
75. The Mind/Body Problem

    Melvyn Bragg examines the history of thought about the mind/body problem in philosophy.
76. The Philosophy of Love

    Melvyn Bragg examines the western understanding of the Philosophy of Love since Plato.
77. The School of Athens

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Raphael's depiction of Plato and Aristotle.
78. The Social Contract

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Social Contract; a key idea in political philosophy.
79. The Soul

    The history of thought on immortality, the self and the afterlife.
80. The Translation Movement

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss classical Greek ideas in the Arabic and the Islamic world.
81. Thoreau and the American Idyll

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the philosopher and naturalist Henry David Thoreau.
82. Utopia

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss why we are as enthralled as ever by the idea of a Utopia.
83. Virtue

    Melvyn Bragg explores the meaning and purpose of the philosophical concept of virtue.
84. William Hazlitt

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and works of the essayist William Hazlitt.
85. William James's 'The Varieties of Religious Experience'

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James.
86. Wittgenstein

    The life, work and legacy of the 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Showing all (86) "Philosophy" programmes.

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