Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

English political writers

"Politics and the English Language" (1946) is an essay by George Orwell that criticised the "ugly and inaccurate" written English of his time and examines the connection between political orthodoxies and the debasement of language. The essay focuses on political language, which, according to Orwell, "is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind".

3 episodes

Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:

CulturePhilosophyFellows of the Royal SocietyOntologistsPhilosophy writersFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophers of literatureTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of historyWriters about activism and social changeEnglish male poetsPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of scienceCritics of the Catholic ChurchEnglish essayistsWriters about religion and scienceAtheist philosophersEnglish male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of social science20th-century atheistsMetaphilosophersNobel laureates in LiteraturePhilosophers of economicsPhilosophers of mathematicsAristotelian philosophersBritish male essayistsEnglish AnglicansEnglish people of Scottish descentLogiciansPhilosophers of lovePhilosophers of psychologyPhilosophers of sexuality19th-century atheistsCritics of work and the work ethicEmpiricistsEnglish male novelistsEnglish non-fiction writersAnalytic philosophersEnglish agnosticsEnglish male short story writersPhilosophers of technology19th-century English non-fiction writers19th-century English writersAlumni of Trinity College DublinAnti-nationalistsBritish critics of religionsBritish philosophers of educationEnglish Nobel laureatesEnglish feminists, English feminist writersEnglish satiristsEnglish socialistsIrish male poetsMembers of the Order of MeritMetaphysics writersRhetoric theoristsWriters about globalization20th-century English philosophersAnglican writersAnglo-Irish artists, Irish fantasy writersBritish ethicistsBritish philosophers of mindBritish political philosophersEnglish fantasy writersEnglish libertariansEnglish people of Welsh descentEnglish political philosophersEnglish republicansEnglish short story writersEuropean democratic socialistsFreethought writersNeoclassical writersScholars of feminist philosophyUtilitarians17th-century Anglo-Irish people18th-century Anglo-Irish people, 18th-century Irish writers, 18th-century Irish male writers18th-century English novelists18th-century pseudonymous writers19th-century English essayists19th-century English philosophers20th-century English mathematiciansAlumni of Trinity College, CambridgeBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsBritish free speech activistsBritish historians of philosophyBritish philosophers of languageBritish socialistsConsequentialistsEnglish logiciansEnglish pamphleteersEnglish suffragistsFellows of Trinity College, CambridgeGeorgistsJerusalem Prize recipientsLinguistic turnPresidents of the Aristotelian Society19th-century English mathematiciansAcademics of the London School of Economics, British philosophers of scienceAlumni of Hart Hall, OxfordAnglo-ScotsBritish atheism activistsBritish classical liberal economistsBritish critics of ChristianityBritish philosophers of logicBritish philosophers of religionBritish social liberalsEnglish anti-fascistsEnglish autobiographersEnglish humanistsEnglish pacifists, British philosophers of cultureEnglish prisoners and detaineesEnglish scepticsFree love advocatesHonorary Fellows of the Royal Society of EdinburghInfectious disease deaths in FranceIrish satiristsJonathan SwiftPeople educated at Kilkenny CollegePeople from MonmouthshireRectors of the University of St AndrewsSecular humanistsSet theoristsUK MPs 1865–1868Universal basic income writersUniversity of California, Los Angeles facultyUniversity of Chicago faculty, Intellectual historiansVoting theoristsWriters about communism
  1. Bertrand Russell

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the influential 20th-century British thinker Bertrand Russell, widely regarded as one of the founders of Analytical philosophy.

    6 December 2012

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    Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Mike Beaney, Hilary Greaves

     
    PhilosophyFellows of the Royal SocietyOntologistsPhilosophers of literatureTheorists on Western civilizationWriters about activism and social changePhilosophers of historyCritics of the Catholic ChurchWriters about religion and scienceEnglish essayistsAtheist philosophersEnglish male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of social sciencePhilosophers of mathematics20th-century atheistsMetaphilosophersPhilosophers of economicsNobel laureates in LiteratureAristotelian philosophersPhilosophers of loveLogiciansPhilosophers of sexualityEnglish people of Scottish descent19th-century atheistsEmpiricistsCritics of work and the work ethicAnalytic philosophersEnglish agnosticsPhilosophers of technologyAnti-nationalistsMembers of the Order of MeritBritish critics of religionsRhetoric theoristsEnglish Nobel laureatesEnglish socialistsMetaphysics writersWriters about globalizationBritish philosophers of education20th-century English philosophersEuropean democratic socialistsBritish philosophers of mindEnglish people of Welsh descentBritish ethicistsUtilitariansEnglish political philosophersFreethought writersBritish political philosophersBritish philosophers of languagePresidents of the Aristotelian SocietyBritish historians of philosophy20th-century English mathematiciansEnglish logicians19th-century English philosophersJerusalem Prize recipientsGeorgists19th-century English essayistsAlumni of Trinity College, CambridgeBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsConsequentialistsEnglish political writersFellows of Trinity College, CambridgeBritish free speech activistsLinguistic turnUniversity of California, Los Angeles facultySet theoristsEnglish humanistsBritish atheism activistsUniversal basic income writersEnglish anti-fascistsWriters about communismPeople from Monmouthshire19th-century English mathematiciansBritish critics of ChristianityEnglish prisoners and detaineesEnglish scepticsFree love advocatesBritish philosophers of logicBritish philosophers of religionSecular humanistsUniversity of Chicago faculty, Intellectual historiansAcademics of the London School of Economics, British philosophers of scienceEnglish pacifists, British philosophers of culture
  2. Mill

    Melvyn Bragg discusses the 19th century political philosopher John Stuart Mill and his treatise On Liberty which is one of the sacred texts of liberalism.

    18 May 2006

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    Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Janet Radcliffe Richards, Alan Ryan

     
  3. Swift's A Modest Proposal

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Jonathan Swift's satirical 1729 pamphlet A Modest Proposal, which reveals much about attitudes to the Irish and the poor in 18th-Century Britain.

    29 January 2009

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    Featuring: John Mullan, Judith Hawley, Ian McBride