Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

Members of the Order of Merit

The Order of Merit (French: Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by King Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign—currently Edward VII's great-great-grandson, Charles III—and is restricted to a maximum of 24 living recipients from the Commonwealth realms, plus a limited number of honorary members.

5 episodes

Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:

CultureHistoryPhilosophyScienceFellows of the Royal SocietyOntologistsFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophers of literatureTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of historyWriters about activism and social changeMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyCritics of the Catholic ChurchEnglish essayistsEnglish male non-fiction writersRecipients of the Copley MedalWriters about religion and scienceAtheist philosophersBurials at Westminster AbbeyPhilosophers of law20th-century atheistsNobel laureates in LiteraturePhilosophers of social scienceForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesMetaphilosophersPantheistsPhilosophers of economicsPhilosophers of mathematicsAristotelian philosophersEnglish male novelistsEnglish people of Scottish descentLogiciansPhilosophers of lovePhilosophers of sexuality19th-century English poets19th-century atheistsCritics of work and the work ethicEmpiricistsEnglish male short story writersVictorian novelists19th-century English novelists20th-century English male writersAlumni of St John's College, CambridgeAnalytic philosophersEnglish agnosticsPhilosophers of technologyRoyal Medal winnersVictorian poetsAnti-nationalistsBritish critics of religionsBritish philosophers of educationCharles DarwinEnglish Nobel laureatesEnglish short story writersEnglish socialistsMetaphysics writersRhetoric theoristsWriters about globalization19th-century British short story writers20th-century English philosophersAcademic staff of the University of GöttingenAlumni of Newnham College, CambridgeAlumni of Trinity College, CambridgeBritish Nobel laureatesBritish ethicistsBritish philosophers of mindBritish political philosophersEnglish people of Welsh descentEnglish political philosophersEuropean democratic socialistsFellows of the Royal Society of LiteratureFreethought writersUtilitariansVictorian writers19th-century English essayists19th-century English philosophers20th-century British biologists20th-century English mathematicians20th-century English non-fiction writersAlumni of Somerville College, OxfordBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsBritish free speech activistsBritish historians of philosophyBritish philosophers of languageConsequentialistsEnglish activistsEnglish emigrants to the United StatesEnglish logiciansEnglish political writersFellows of Somerville College, OxfordFellows of Trinity College, CambridgeGeorgistsInstitute for Advanced Study visiting scholarsJerusalem Prize recipientsLinguistic turnNobel laureates in ChemistryNobel laureates in PhysicsPresidents of the Aristotelian SocietyRecipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and ArtWinners of the Max Planck Medal19th-century British biologists, 19th-century English naturalists, British evolutionary biologists, Fellows of the Linnean Society of London, Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellows of the Zoological Society of London19th-century British writers19th-century English mathematicians19th-century English scientists20th-century British chemists, British biophysicists, British crystallographers20th-century British physicists, Members of the Pontifical Academy of SciencesAcademics of the London School of Economics, British philosophers of scienceAlumni of King's College LondonBritish atheism activistsBritish biochemistsBritish botanical illustratorsBritish critics of ChristianityBritish deistsBritish male poetsBritish philosophers of culture, English pacifistsBritish philosophers of logicBritish philosophers of religionBritish scientists with disabilitiesBritish theoretical physicists, Mathematical physicistsEnglish anti-fascistsEnglish humanistsEnglish prisoners and detaineesEnglish scepticsForeign members of the USSR Academy of SciencesFree love advocatesIntellectual historians, University of Chicago facultyPeople from MonmouthshireRecipients of the Dalton MedalSecular humanistsSet theoristsUniversal basic income writersUniversity of California, Los Angeles facultyWomen Nobel laureatesWriters about communism
  1. Alfred Russel Wallace

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Victorian pioneer of evolutionary theory Alfred Russel Wallace.

    21 March 2013

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    Featuring: Steve Jones, George Beccaloni, Ted Benton

     
  2. 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

     
    PhilosophyNobel laureates in LiteratureBritish philosophers of languageGeorgistsEnglish political writersFree love advocatesSet theoristsAristotelian philosophersWriters about religion and scienceJerusalem Prize recipientsFellows of Trinity College, CambridgeEnglish logiciansPhilosophers of mathematicsBritish historians of philosophyEmpiricistsOntologistsMetaphysics writersBritish political philosophersFellows of the Royal SocietyMetaphilosophersTheorists on Western civilizationBritish ethicistsPhilosophers of literatureBritish free speech activists20th-century English philosophersAnalytic philosophersEnglish humanistsRhetoric theoristsAtheist philosophersEnglish political philosophersEnglish anti-fascistsEnglish people of Scottish descentPhilosophers of historyEnglish agnostics20th-century atheistsConsequentialistsEnglish socialistsPhilosophers of social scienceBritish philosophers of religionPresidents of the Aristotelian SocietyLogiciansPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of sexuality19th-century English mathematiciansCritics of work and the work ethicSecular humanistsPhilosophers of technologyPhilosophers of economicsWriters about globalizationBritish philosophers of educationBritish philosophers of culture, English pacifistsBritish philosophers of logicCritics of the Catholic ChurchPeople from MonmouthshireAlumni of Trinity College, CambridgeLinguistic turnPhilosophers of loveEuropean democratic socialistsBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsWriters about activism and social changeEnglish Nobel laureatesMembers of the Order of MeritEnglish prisoners and detaineesUtilitariansIntellectual historians, University of Chicago facultyEnglish scepticsBritish critics of ChristianityEnglish people of Welsh descentUniversal basic income writersBritish philosophers of mind19th-century English philosophersBritish critics of religionsAcademics of the London School of Economics, British philosophers of science19th-century atheistsUniversity of California, Los Angeles facultyAnti-nationalists20th-century English mathematiciansEnglish essayistsFreethought writersBritish atheism activistsWriters about communism19th-century English essayistsEnglish male non-fiction writers
  3. Dorothy Hodgkin

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the work, ideas and life of the woman who won the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on the structures of vitamin B12 and penicillin.

    3 October 2019

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    Featuring: Georgina Ferry, Judith Howard, Patricia Fara

     
  4. Paul Dirac

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Bristolian theoretical physicist, ranked alongside Einstein by his peers, who won a Nobel for his work on quantum mechanics.

    5 March 2020

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    Featuring: Graham Farmelo, Valerie Gibson, David Berman

     
  5. Thomas Hardy's Poetry

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Hardy's poems, which he prized far above the novels which made him famous and rich, and his ambition to be ranked alongside Shelley and Byron.

    13 January 2022

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    Featuring: Mark Ford, Jane Thomas, Tim Armstrong