Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

19th-century German male writers

The concept of Germany as a distinct region in Central Europe can be traced to Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul (France). The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (AD 9) prevented annexation by the Roman Empire, although the Roman provinces of Germania Superior and Germania Inferior were established along the Rhine.

9 episodes

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CultureHistoryPhilosophyScienceOntologistsPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of literatureTheorists on Western civilizationWriters about activism and social changeMetaphysiciansEnlightenment philosophersAge of EnlightenmentAphoristsCritics of the Catholic ChurchWriters about religion and scienceAtheist philosophersGerman male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of social science18th-century philosophers19th-century German philosophersExistentialistsGerman LutheransMetaphilosophersPantheistsPhilosophers of economicsPhilosophers of psychologyGerman male essayistsGerman philosophers of historyGerman political philosophersLogiciansNatural law ethicistsNatural philosophersPhilosophers of logicPhilosophers of lovePhilosophers of sexuality19th-century atheistsCritics of work and the work ethicGerman philosophers of artGerman philosophers of cultureLiteracy and society theorists19th-century German essayistsAnti-consumeristsCritics of religionsEpic poetsGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationLiterary theoristsSimple living advocatesTheoretical historians18th-century German male writers19th-century German male musicians20th-century German philosophersAnti-nationalistsGerman philosophers of languageGerman philosophers of scienceHeidelberg University alumniHumboldt University of Berlin alumniIrony theoristsLeipzig University alumniMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesMembers of the Prussian Academy of SciencesPhenomenologistsPhilosophers of warPolitical realistsRationalistsRomantic poetsUniversity of Göttingen alumni18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayists19th-century German non-fiction writers19th-century German writersCritical theoristsCritics of JudaismFabulistsFreethought writersGerman critics of ChristianityGerman philosophers of mind, German philosophers of religionGerman untitled nobilityMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesPhilosophers of pessimism18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historians18th-century German writers19th-century German historians19th-century German novelists19th-century mystics19th-century travel writersAcademic staff of the Humboldt University of BerlinColor scientistsDeterministsEpigrammatistsGerman FreemasonsGerman agnosticsGerman autobiographersGerman epistemologistsGerman idealistsGerman librariansGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsGerman monarchistsGerman nationalistsGerman travel writersHumor researchersIdealistsJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und DrangLecturersMilitary theoristsPeople associated with the University of BaselPeople from the Province of SaxonyPeople of the Age of EnlightenmentPhilosophers of linguisticsPhilosophers of timeStateless peopleUniversity of Strasbourg alumni18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from Weimar19th-century German journalists19th-century Prussian peopleAnti-natalistsBrother duosBurials at the Dorotheenstadt CemeteryCollectors of fairy talesContinental philosophersDeaths from choleraDeaths from pneumonia in GermanyEconomic historians, German sociologistsEconomic sociologistsGerman eugenicistsGerman logicians, Kantian philosophersGerman military personnel of the Franco-Prussian WarGerman military writersGerman music criticsGerman philologistsGerman philosophers of technologyGerman writers on atheismKantianismMax WeberMilitary personnel from Saxony-AnhaltPhilosophers of nihilismUniversity of Bonn alumniUniversity of Marburg alumniUniversity of Tübingen alumni
  1. Clausewitz and On War

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss On War, the 19th-century treatise on the theory of warfare by the Prussian soldier Carl von Clausewitz.

    17 May 2012

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    Featuring: Saul David, Hew Strachan, Beatrice Heuser

     
  2. Goethe

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the great German polymath Johann Wolfgang Goethe - novelist, dramatist, poet, humanist, scientist and philosopher.

    6 April 2006

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    Featuring: Tim Blanning, Sarah Colvin, W. Daniel Wilson

     
    Philosophers of linguisticsGerman philosophers of artRomantic poetsGerman philosophers of scienceGerman political philosophersJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und Drang18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from WeimarLiteracy and society theoristsPhilosophers of social science19th-century German philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationGerman travel writersPhilosophers of literaturePhilosophers of sexualityEpic poets19th-century German novelistsPhilosophy writersLeipzig University alumni18th-century German male writersEpigrammatists18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayists19th-century travel writers19th-century German male writersUniversity of Strasbourg alumniGerman philosophers of languageMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesLiterary theoristsMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesFabulistsGerman untitled nobilityGerman philosophers of culture19th-century German essayistsGerman male essayists18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historiansGerman autobiographersGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationNatural philosophersGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsPantheistsFreethought writersEnlightenment philosophersGerman librariansWriters about activism and social changeColor scientistsGerman Freemasons19th-century German historians19th-century German non-fiction writersGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writers
  3. Goethe and the Science of the Enlightenment

    Melvyn Bragg assesses the scientific legacy of the 18th century German poet and thinker Goethe, who gave us the term morphology and is sometimes even credited with inventing biology itself.

    10 February 2000

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    Featuring: Nicholas Boyle, Simon Schaffer

     
    SciencePhilosophers of linguisticsGerman philosophers of artRomantic poetsGerman philosophers of scienceGerman political philosophersJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und Drang18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from WeimarLiteracy and society theoristsPhilosophers of social science19th-century German philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationGerman travel writersPhilosophers of literaturePhilosophers of sexualityEpic poets19th-century German novelistsPhilosophy writersLeipzig University alumni18th-century German male writersEpigrammatists18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayists19th-century travel writers19th-century German male writersUniversity of Strasbourg alumniGerman philosophers of languageMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesLiterary theoristsMembers of the Bavarian Academy of SciencesFabulistsGerman untitled nobilityGerman philosophers of culture19th-century German essayistsGerman male essayists18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historiansGerman autobiographersGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationNatural philosophersGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsPantheistsFreethought writersEnlightenment philosophersGerman librariansWriters about activism and social changeColor scientistsGerman Freemasons19th-century German historians19th-century German non-fiction writersGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writers
  4. Hegel's Philosophy of History

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Hegel's ideas on history as the progress of the consciousness of freedom, and whether we enjoy more freedom now than those in past centuries.

    26 May 2022

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    Featuring: Sally Sedgwick, Robert Stern, Stephen Houlgate

     
  5. Kant's Copernican Revolution

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Kant's ideas on how the world depends on us, on the limits of human knowledge and why we are bound to ask questions we cannot answer.

    3 June 2021

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    Featuring: Fiona Hughes, Anil Gomes, John Callanan

     
  6. Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Nietzsche's influential ideas about what it means to be moral.

    12 January 2017

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    Featuring: Stephen Mulhall, Fiona Hughes, Keith Ansell-Pearson

     
  7. Schopenhauer

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the pessimistic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and his extraordinary influence.

    29 October 2009

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    Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Beatrice Han-Pile, Christopher Janaway

     
  8. The Brothers Grimm

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm and what they can tell us about the German imagination and 19th-century romantic nationalism.

    5 February 2009

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    Featuring: Juliette Wood, Marina Warner, Tony Phelan

     
  9. Weber's The Protestant Ethic

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Max Weber's book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

    27 March 2014

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    Featuring: Peter Ghosh, Sam Whimster, Linda Woodhead