
Philosophers of mathematics
The philosophy of mathematics is the branch of philosophy that studies the assumptions, foundations, and implications of mathematics. It aims to understand the nature and methods of mathematics, and find out the place of mathematics in people's lives.
9 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
Al-Kindi
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of Al-Kindi, often described as the first philosopher in the Arabic tradition.
28 June 2012
Featuring: Hugh Kennedy, James Montgomery, Amira Bennison
PhilosophyEpistemologistsPhilosophers of logicAristotelian philosophersArabic-language commentators on AristotleAlchemists of the medieval Islamic worldIslamic philosophersPhilosophers of educationPhilosophers of psychologyPhilosophers of art9th-century philosophersPhilosophers of mathematicsIntellectual historyOntologistsMetaphysiciansPhilosophers of religionAstronomers of the medieval Islamic worldPhilosophers of scienceMusic theorists of the medieval Islamic worldMetaphysics writersAlbert Einstein
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Einstein's impact on the world of physics after his 'miraculous year' in 1905 and why he went on to become so very famous after World War One.
14 September 2023
Featuring: Richard Staley, Diana Kormos Buchwald, John Heilbron
ScienceMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophy of science20th-century American male writersAmerican male non-fiction writersStateless peopleNaturalised citizens of Austria20th-century American inventors, Members of the United States National Academy of SciencesAmerican humanistsNobel laureates in PhysicsRecipients of Franklin MedalJewish German physicists, Jewish scientistsPhilosophers of mathematicsJewish agnosticsGerman agnosticsGerman Ashkenazi JewsAmerican Ashkenazi Jews, American Zionists, American agnostics, German Zionists20th-century American engineersAcademic staff of ETH ZurichJewish socialistsAnti-nationalistsEuropean democratic socialistsNaturalized citizens of the United StatesPantheistsAlbert EinsteinMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyWinners of the Max Planck MedalJewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United StatesPhilosophers of scienceGerman male non-fiction writersAvicenna
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Avicenna, among the most important philosophers in the history of Islam.
8 November 2007
Featuring: Peter Adamson, Amira Bennison, Nader El-Bizri
PhilosophyPhilosophers of logicEpistemologistsLogiciansCourt physiciansCritics of atheismIslamic philosophersPhilosophers of religionPhilosophers of psychologyIranian ethicists, Iranian logiciansPhilosophers of mathematicsPhilosophers of scienceAristotelian philosophersMusic theorists of the medieval Islamic worldAlchemists of the medieval Islamic worldMedieval Iranian pharmacologists, Transoxanian Islamic scholarsOntologistsPhilosophers of mindClassical humanistsBertrand 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
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 writersDavid Hume
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the work of David Hume, the philosopher and leading figure of the Scottish Enlightenment.
6 October 2011
Featuring: Peter Millican, Helen Beebee, James Harris
PhilosophyCriticism of rationalismEpistemologistsAction theorists18th-century British essayistsMetaphilosophersSkeptic philosophersPhilosophers of social scienceTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of logicSecular humanistsSocial philosophersPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of economicsWriters about religion and sciencePhilosophers of identityBritish philosophers of educationVirtue ethicistsBritish male non-fiction writers18th-century British philosophersPhilosophers of psychologyPhilosophers of artCritics of the Catholic ChurchBritish critics of religionsPhilosophers of mathematicsAlumni of the University of EdinburghConservatismEmpiricistsOntologistsPhilosophers of mindDeist philosophersPeople of the Scottish EnlightenmentPhilosophers of religionFreethought writersBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsEnlightenment philosophersWriters about activism and social changePhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyBritish male essayistsHobbes
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
PhilosophyEpistemologistsMaterialistsNatural law ethicistsAlumni of St John's College, Cambridge17th-century English philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationEnglish physicistsPhilosophers of lawSocial philosophersBritish philosophers of educationRhetoric theoristsBritish critics of ChristianityPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of language17th-century writers in LatinBritish critics of religionsCritics of the Catholic Church17th-century English writersPolitical realistsPhilosophers of mathematicsEnglish theologiansEmpiricistsOntologistsPhilosophers of mindMetaphysiciansPhilosophers of religionThomas HobbesEnglish political philosophersPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of history17th-century English male writersJorge Luis Borges
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of the Argentinian master of the short story, Jorge Luis Borges.
4 January 2007
Featuring: Edwin Williamson, Efraín Kristal, Evelyn Fishburn
Postmodern writers, Recipients of the Legion of HonourBlind writersLiteracy and society theoristsPhilosophers of literatureTrope theoristsPhilosophers of identityMetaphor theoristsAphoristsJerusalem Prize recipientsCommanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyPhilosophers of cultureAnthologistsPhilosophers of artLiterary theorists20th-century essayistsPhilosophers of mathematics20th-century translatorsPhilosophers of timeMagic realism writers20th-century mysticsPhilosophers of mindLecturersBlind poetsSonneteersHaiku poetsSpanish-language poetsPhilosophers of pessimismMetaphysics writersSurrealist writersPopper
Melvyn Bragg discusses the philosopher Karl Popper, author of The Open Society and a seminal thinker about science.
8 February 2007
Featuring: John Worrall, Anthony O'Hear, Nancy Cartwright
PhilosophyBritish political philosophersEpistemologistsCambridge University Moral Sciences ClubForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesTheorists on Western civilizationBritish ethicistsPhilosophers of logicKnights BachelorLogiciansPresidents of the Aristotelian SocietySocial philosophersPhilosophers of technologyRationalistsAristotelian philosophersPhilosophers of economicsWriters about religion and scienceWriters about globalizationBritish philosophers of educationBritish social liberalsRecipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and ArtBritish male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of mathematicsBritish historians of philosophyJewish agnosticsAcademics of the London School of Economics, British philosophers of scienceCritics of religions20th-century British philosophers20th-century Austrian philosophers, Austrian agnostics, Austrian essayists, Austrian logicians, British agnostics, British logicians, British people of Austrian-Jewish descent, Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom, Writers from ViennaOntologistsPhilosophers of mindRecipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)MetaphysiciansJewish philosophersPolitical philosophersPhilosophers of religionBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsJewish ethicistsMembers of the Order of the Companions of HonourWriters about activism and social change20th-century British essayistsCritics of MarxismPhilosophers of historyFellows of the British AcademyMetaphysics writersBritish male essayistsWittgenstein
Melvyn Bragg discusses how Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the greatest philosophers of the modern age has influenced contemporary culture with his ideas on language.
4 December 2003
Featuring: Ray Monk, Barry Smith, Marie McGinn
PhilosophyEpistemologistsCambridge University Moral Sciences ClubMetaphilosophersPhilosophers of social scienceTheorists on Western civilizationWittgensteinian philosophersPhilosophers of logicAnalytic philosophersPeople with post-traumatic stress disorderBisexual male writersSocial philosophersPhilosophy writersOrdinary language philosophyFellows of Trinity College, CambridgePhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of languageLGBTQ mathematicians, LGBTQ philosophersPhilosophers of artBertrand Russell Professors of PhilosophyPhilosophers of mathematicsJewish agnostics20th-century British philosophersAlumni of Trinity College, CambridgeLinguistic turnOntologistsPhilosophers of mindAustrian people of Jewish descent, Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I20th-century Austrian philosophers, Austrian agnostics, Austrian essayists, Austrian logicians, British agnostics, British logicians, British people of Austrian-Jewish descent, Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom, Writers from ViennaMetaphysiciansJewish philosophersBisexual military personnel20th-century British essayists20th-century British non-fiction writersBritish male essayists