Concepts in metaphysics
The concept of the metaphysics of presence is an important consideration in deconstruction. Deconstructive interpretation holds that the entire history of Western philosophy with its language and traditions has emphasized the desire for immediate access to meaning, and thus built a metaphysics or ontotheology based on privileging Presence over Absence.
6 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Evil
Melvyn Bragg discusses the notion of evil in western philosophy.
3 May 2001
Featuring: Jones Erwin, Stephen Mulhall, Margaret Atkins
Free Will(500th programme)
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the problem of free will - the extent to which we are able to choose our actions.
10 March 2011
Featuring: Simon Blackburn, Helen Beebee, Galen Strawson
Progress
Melvyn Bragg examines whether while mankind has grown in years and knowledge, it has also progressed in terms of happiness and a truer understanding of the human condition.
18 November 1999
Featuring: Anthony O'Hear, Adam Phillips
PhilosophySocial theoriesConcepts in aestheticsPhilosophical schools and traditionsConcepts in epistemologyVirtueOntologyConcepts in metaphysicsPhilosophy of lifeAnthropologySocial conceptsEthical principlesTheories of historyEpistemology of scienceHuman evolutionPolitical conceptsPhilosophy of historyPolitical scienceProgressThe Music of the Spheres
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the music of the spheres, the idea that the revolution of the planets generates a celestial harmony of profound beauty
19 June 2008
Featuring: Peter Forshaw, Jim Bennett, Angela Voss
The Soul
Melvyn Bragg discusses the spectrum of ideas about the soul, the extent of human individuality, and the history of thought concerning immortality and the afterlife.
6 June 2002
Featuring: Richard Sorabji, Ruth Padel, Martin Palmer
Time
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of mankind’s attempt to understand the nature of time. Does it exist independently of our perception of it, or is it merely a figment of our imagination?
30 December 1999
Featuring: Neil Johnson, Lee Smolin