
Philosophers of law
Philosophy of law is a branch of philosophy that examines the nature of law and law's relationship to other systems of norms, especially ethics and political philosophy. It asks questions like "What is law?", "What are the criteria for legal validity?", and "What is the relationship between law and morality?" Philosophy of law and jurisprudence are often used interchangeably, though jurisprudence sometimes encompasses forms of reasoning that fit into economics or sociology.Philosophy of law can be sub-divided into analytical jurisprudence, and normative jurisprudence.
11 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
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
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 cultureConfucius
Melvyn Bragg discusses the philosophy of Confucius, a body of ideas which, more than any other philosophy, has defined what it is to be Chinese.
1 November 2001
Featuring: Frances Wood, Tim Barrett, Tao Tao Liu
PhilosophySocial philosophersPhilosophers of cultureAphoristsPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of educationFounders of religionsClassical humanists5th-century BC historians6th-century BC Chinese writers, Zhou dynasty philosophers, Deified Chinese men, Chinese political philosophers, 5th-century BC Chinese writers, Zhou dynasty writers6th-century BC religious leaders, 5th-century BC religious leadersHannah Arendt
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas of Hannah Arendt who examined totalitarianism and politics and, when covering the Eichmann trial, explored 'the banality of evil'.
2 February 2017
Featuring: Lyndsey Stonebridge, Frisbee Sheffield, Robert Eaglestone
PhilosophySocial philosophersPhilosophy writersFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophers of historyPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of lawGerman political philosophersExistentialistsPolitical philosophersJewish agnosticsPhilosophers of technologyWomen religious writers20th-century German philosophersHeidelberg University alumniMembers of the American Academy of Arts and LettersAmerican political philosophersExilliteratur writersGerman agnosticsGerman Ashkenazi JewsJewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United StatesGerman women philosophersAmerican philosophers of educationPrinceton University faculty20th-century American essayists20th-century American women writers20th-century German women writers20th-century American philosophers20th-century German non-fiction writersJewish existentialistsThe New School facultyScholars of antisemitismUniversity of Marburg alumniGerman philosophers of education, German ethicistsGerman Zionists, American Ashkenazi Jews, American agnostics, American ZionistsUniversity of Chicago faculty, Intellectual historiansHegel'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
Featuring: Sally Sedgwick, Robert Stern, Stephen Houlgate
PhilosophyPhilosophy writersMetaphysiciansEnlightenment philosophersWriters about religion and scienceGerman male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of lawPantheists19th-century German male writers19th-century German philosophersGerman LutheransGerman male essayistsGerman political philosophersGerman philosophers of historyGerman philosophers of artTheoretical historians19th-century German essayists18th-century German male writersGerman philosophers of languageHeidelberg University alumni19th-century mystics18th-century German writersAcademic staff of the Humboldt University of BerlinGerman idealistsBurials at the Dorotheenstadt CemeteryDeaths from choleraUniversity of Tübingen alumni18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayistsGerman philosophers of mind, German philosophers of religion19th-century historians, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 18th-century German educatorsHobbes
Melvyn Bragg discusses Thomas Hobbes, the great 17th century philosopher who famously said that ungoverned man lived a life that was ‘solitary, poor, brutish and short’.
1 December 2005
Featuring: Quentin Skinner, David Wootton, Annabel Brett
PhilosophySocial philosophersOntologistsTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of mindPhilosophers of historyPhilosophers of religionMetaphysiciansPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of scienceEpistemologistsCritics of the Catholic ChurchPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of mathematics17th-century English male writersNatural law ethicistsPhilosophers of languageEmpiricistsAlumni of St John's College, Cambridge17th-century English writers17th-century writers in LatinBritish critics of religionsRhetoric theoristsPolitical realistsBritish philosophers of education17th-century English philosophersEnglish physicistsEnglish political philosophersBritish critics of ChristianityThomas HobbesEnglish theologiansMaterialistsKant'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
Featuring: Fiona Hughes, Anil Gomes, John Callanan
PhilosophyOntologistsPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of literatureTheorists on Western civilizationWriters about activism and social changeEnlightenment philosophersWriters about religion and scienceAge of EnlightenmentGerman male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of social science18th-century philosophers19th-century German male writers19th-century German philosophersMetaphilosophersGerman LutheransGerman male essayistsGerman political philosophersGerman philosophers of historyLogiciansNatural law ethicistsNatural philosophersPhilosophers of logicPhilosophers of sexualityGerman philosophers of artGerman philosophers of cultureTheoretical historians19th-century German essayistsRationalistsMembers of the Prussian Academy of Sciences18th-century German male writersGerman philosophers of sciencePhilosophers of war19th-century German non-fiction writersGerman agnostics18th-century German writersGerman idealistsIdealistsGerman epistemologistsGerman nationalistsHumor researchersLecturersPeople of the Age of Enlightenment19th-century Prussian peopleKantianismGerman philosophers of education, German ethicists18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayistsGerman philosophers of mind, German philosophers of religionGerman logicians, Kantian philosophersMarcus Aurelius
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life, meditations and reputation of this stoic and philosopher king, who Machiavelli called the last of the 'Five Good Emperors'.
25 February 2021
Featuring: Simon Goldhill, Angie Hobbs, Catharine Edwards
Marx
Melvyn Bragg discusses Karl Marx who once said that while other philosophers wanted to interpret the world, he wanted to change it. And he changed the world with his Communist Manifesto.
14 July 2005
Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Francis Wheen, Gareth Stedman Jones
PhilosophySocial philosophersOntologistsTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of mindWriters about activism and social changePhilosophers of historyPhilosophers of religionMetaphysiciansPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of scienceEpistemologistsWriters about religion and scienceAtheist philosophersGerman male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of lawPhilosophers of education19th-century German philosophersPhilosophers of economicsGerman political philosophers19th-century atheistsCritics of work and the work ethicAnti-consumeristsPhilosophers of technologyCritics of religionsMarxist theoristsAnti-nationalistsJewish socialistsHumboldt University of Berlin alumniWriters about globalizationGerman Marxist writersCritics of JudaismStateless peoplePamphleteersGerman revolutionariesBurials at Highgate CemeterySocialist feminists19th-century German historiansMembers of the International Workingmen's AssociationUniversity of Bonn alumniGerman writers on atheismFellows of the Royal Society of ArtsUniversity of Jena alumniMaterialistsAnti-imperialistsCritics of political economyPhilosophical anthropologyGerman anti-capitalists, Jewish communists, German socialist feministsEconomic historians, German sociologistsMontesquieu
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas of the French political philosopher (1689-1755) whose work on liberty and republicanism, banned at home, influenced the US constitution.
14 June 2018
Featuring: Richard Bourke, Rachel Hammersley, Richard Whatmore
HistoryFellows of the Royal SocietyEnlightenment philosophersPhilosophers of lawFrench Roman CatholicsFrench political philosophersMembers of the Académie FrançaiseFrench philosophers of historyMembers of the Prussian Academy of Sciences18th-century French male writers18th-century French philosophersContributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–1772)French political writersSt Thomas Aquinas
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss St Thomas Aquinas, the Catholic Church's foremost western philosopher and theologian.
17 September 2009
Featuring: Martin Palmer, John Haldane, Annabel Brett
PhilosophyAnglican saintsMetaphysiciansWriters about religion and sciencePhilosophers of lawUniversity of Paris alumniAristotelian philosophersNatural law ethicistsCatholic philosophersVirtue ethicistsChristian ethicistsLutheran saintsScholastic philosophersClassical theismMedieval Latin-language poetsAngelic visionariesCritics of atheism13th-century writers in Latin13th-century philosophersDoctors of the ChurchSystematic theologiansChristian apologistsDominican mysticsThomas AquinasMagic (supernatural)Tocqueville: Democracy in America
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Alexis de Tocqueville and his study of the American democratic system, written as an example to France of how democracy might develop there.
22 March 2018
Featuring: Robert Gildea, Susan-Mary Grant, Jeremy Jennings
HistoryPhilosophers of lawWriters from ParisUniversity of Paris alumniFrench Roman CatholicsNatural law ethicistsFrench political philosophersMembers of the Académie FrançaiseFrench philosophers of historyFrench male non-fiction writersHistorians of the French Revolution19th-century French philosophersKnights of the Legion of HonourFrench political scientistsFrench political writers19th-century French male writersEconomic sociologistsFrench philosophers of culture, French sociologists