
Philosophers of religion
16 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 writersAverroes
Melvyn Bragg discusses the philosopher Averroes who worked to reconcile the theology of Islam with the rationality of Aristotle, achieving both fame and infamy.
5 October 2006
Featuring: Amira Bennison, Peter Adamson, Anthony Kenny
PhilosophyEpistemologistsCritics of atheismPhilosophers of literaturePhilosophers of logicLogiciansSocial philosophersAristotelian philosophersArabic-language commentators on AristotleCritics of deismPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of languageIslamic philosophersPhilosophers of psychologyPhilosophers from al-AndalusOntologistsPhilosophers of mindPolitical philosophersPhilosophers of religionPeople from Córdoba, Spain12th-century Muslim theologiansPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyCritics of ChristianityAvicenna
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 humanistsCondorcet
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the influential French philosopher and mathematician who tried to apply his Enlightenment ideas on the benefit of education to the French Revolution.
11 January 2024
Featuring: Rachel Hammersley, Richard Whatmore, Tom Hopkins
PhilosophyFrench political scientistsFrench sociologistsDeputies to the French National ConventionFrench biographers, French ethicistsHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesFrench philosophers of scienceFrench feminists18th-century philosophersTheoretical historiansAge of EnlightenmentFrench atheists18th-century French mathematiciansRationalistsBurials at the Panthéon, ParisFrench philosophers of historyFrench philosophers of educationFellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences18th-century French writersMembers of the Académie FrançaiseFrench male non-fiction writersFrench philosophers of cultureMembers of the French Academy of SciencesAtheist philosophersVoting theoristsFrench abolitionistsPhilosophers of religionProto-feministsEnlightenment philosophersUniversity of Paris alumniMembers of the Royal Swedish Academy of SciencesPeople killed in the French RevolutionScholars of feminist philosophy18th-century French male 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 essayistsEdmund Burke
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the work of the philosopher, politician and writer Edmund Burke, whose views on revolution in America and France were hugely influential.
3 June 2010
Featuring: Karen O'Brien, Richard Bourke, John Keane
PhilosophyBritish political philosophersEnglish libertariansNatural law ethicistsIrish Freemasons, Irish libertarians, Irish people of English descentBritish MPs 1774–1780Historians of the French RevolutionEnglish people of Irish descent18th-century philosophersClassical liberalismStreathamitesSocial philosophers18th-century English writersPhilosophers of economics18th-century Irish philosophersVirtue ethicistsCritics of deism18th-century English philosophersPhilosophers of cultureIrish AnglicansPhilosophers of education18th-century Irish writersPhilosophers of artBritish MPs 1784–1790, British MPs 1790–1796Writers from Dublin (city)18th-century Anglo-Irish people, 18th-century Irish male writersRectors of the University of GlasgowConservatismPolitical philosophersPhilosophers of religionAnglican philosophersAlumni of Trinity College DublinBritish MPs 1780–1784, Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituenciesPhilosophers of history18th-century English male writersHeraclitus
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the ancient Greek thinker Heraclitus, immortalised by later scholars as the Weeping Philosopher.
8 December 2011
Featuring: Angie Hobbs, Peter Adamson, James Warren
PhilosophyAncient Greek political philosophersAncient Greeks from the Achaemenid EmpireNatural philosophersPhilosophers of religionAncient Greek epistemologists, Ancient Greek ethicistsAncient Greek metaphysiciansPhilosophers of timeAncient Greek philosophers of mind6th-century BC Greek philosophersOntologistsAncient Greek physicists5th-century BC Greek philosophersHobbes
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 writersJohn Donne
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the extraordinary life and work of one of England's finest love poets and, as Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, most remarkable preachers.
12 January 2023
Featuring: Mary Ann Lund, Sue Wiseman, Hugh Adlington
CulturePeople from the City of London17th-century Anglican theologiansLutheran saintsLiteracy and society theoristsIndependent scholarsPamphleteers17th-century English Anglican priestsChristian poetsAnglican poetsAlumni of Hart Hall, OxfordEpigrammatistsMetaphor theoristsPoet priestsEnglish people of Welsh descentPeople celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar16th-century English male writersCritics of the Catholic ChurchLiterary theoristsEnglish male poets16th-century English poets17th-century English poetsMetaphysical poetsWriters from LondonSonneteersPhilosophers of religionAnglican saintsEnglish satiristsWriters about activism and social changeEnglish male non-fiction writers17th-century English male writersKierkegaard
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the rich and radical ideas of Soren Kierkegaard, often called the father of Existentialism.
20 March 2008
Featuring: Jonathan Rée, Clare Carlisle, John Lippitt
PhilosophyEpistemologists19th-century essayistsChristian humanistsUniversity of Copenhagen alumniMetaphilosophersExistentialistsPhilosophers of deathPhilosophers of literatureExistentialist theologians19th-century male writersChristian poetsSocial philosophersPhilosophy writersAphoristsChristian ethicistsIrony theoristsPhilosophers of culturePeople celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendarPhilosophers of psychologyPhilosophers of artChristian radicalsOntologistsPhilosophers of lovePhilosophers of mindMetaphysicians19th-century pseudonymous writers19th-century deaths from tuberculosisPhilosophers of religionLévi-Strauss
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the work of French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss.
23 May 2013
Featuring: Adam Kuper, Christina Howells, Vincent Debaene
CulturePhilosophers of linguistics20th-century atheistsFrench sociologistsMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesLinguists from FranceCorresponding fellows of the British AcademyMetaphilosophersJewish historiansLiteracy and society theoristsPhilosophers of social scienceForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesFrench philosophers of scienceTheorists on Western civilizationPhenomenologists20th-century French memoiristsFrench atheistsCritical theoristsWriters about religion and scienceWriters about globalizationFrench philosophers of historyFrench epistemologistsFrench philosophers of educationGrand Cross of the Legion of HonourPhilosophers of languageThe New School faculty20th-century French male writersMembers of the Académie Française20th-century essayistsFrench male non-fiction writersAcademic staff of the Collège de FranceFrench essayistsFrench philosophers of cultureIntellectual historyAtheist philosophersJewish atheistsOntologistsPhilosophers of mindMetaphysiciansJewish philosophers20th-century French philosophersLycée Condorcet alumniPhilosophers of religionMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyWriters about communismWriters about activism and social changeUniversity of Paris alumniWriters from ParisMetaphysics writersMarx
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
PhilosophyEpistemologistsCritics of political economySocialist feministsHumboldt University of Berlin alumniMaterialistsUniversity of Jena alumniGerman political philosophersGerman anti-capitalists, German socialist feminists, Jewish communistsFellows of the Royal Society of Arts19th-century German philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationStateless peoplePamphleteersMarxist theoristsPhilosophers of lawCritics of work and the work ethicSocial philosophersPhilosophers of technologyMembers of the International Workingmen's AssociationPhilosophers of economicsWriters about religion and scienceWriters about globalizationUniversity of Bonn alumniPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of educationPhilosophical anthropologyGerman revolutionariesAnti-consumerists19th-century atheistsCritics of religionsAtheist philosophersCritics of JudaismEconomic historians, German sociologistsOntologistsPhilosophers of mindJewish socialistsMetaphysiciansGerman writers on atheismAnti-nationalistsGerman Marxist writersPhilosophers of religionBurials at Highgate CemeteryWriters about activism and social change19th-century German historiansPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writersAnti-imperialistsPopper
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 essayistsSimone Weil
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the French philosopher and social activist Simone Weil. Admired by Albert Camus and Iris Murdoch, she achieved a great deal in her short life.
15 November 2012
Featuring: Beatrice Han-Pile, Stephen Plant, David Levy
PhilosophyLycée Henri-IV alumniChristian humanistsFrench communistsFrench philosophers of scienceÉcole Normale Supérieure alumniFrench feminists20th-century deaths from tuberculosisAnti-Stalinist leftConverts to Christianity from JudaismMarxist theoristsCritics of work and the work ethicFrench anarchists, French anti-capitalists, French anti-fascistsPlatonistsFrench political philosophersFrench women philosophersFrench Resistance membersChristian radicalsDominican mysticsJewish philosophers20th-century French philosophersPhilosophers of religion20th-century French women writersTuberculosis deaths in EnglandWriters from ParisWomen mysticsFrench socialistsCritics of MarxismChristian anarchists, Nonviolence advocatesSpinoza
Melvyn Bragg discusses the philosopher Spinoza whose profound and complex ideas about God had him celebrated as an atheist in the 18th century.
3 May 2007
Featuring: Jonathan Rée, Sarah Hutton, John Cottingham
PhilosophyEpistemologistsMetaphilosophersDeterministsAge of EnlightenmentSocial philosophersPhilosophy writersRationalistsPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of education17th-century writers in LatinCritics of the Catholic ChurchPeople of the Age of EnlightenmentCritics of JudaismOntologistsPhilosophers of mindMetaphysiciansJewish philosophersJewish translators of the BiblePhilosophers of religionPantheistsEnlightenment philosophersBaruch SpinozaPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyTolstoy
Melvyn Bragg discusses the life and times of the 19th century Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, whose novels such as War and Peace gave expression to the compelling moral and social questions of their day.
25 April 2002
Featuring: A. N. Wilson, Catriona Kelly, Sarah Hudspith
Epistemologists19th-century essayistsHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences19th-century non-fiction writers from the Russian EmpireGeorgistsPhilosophers of literatureChristian vegetariansRussian anarchistsMembers of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsSocial philosophers19th-century dramatists and playwrights from the Russian Empire, 19th-century short story writers from the Russian Empire, 20th-century Russian dramatists and playwrights, 20th-century Russian short story writers, Novelists from the Russian Empire, Philanthropists from the Russian Empire, Russian male dramatists and playwrights, Russian male novelists, Russian opinion journalists, Russian-language writersCorresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of education20th-century essayistsOntologistsPhilosophers of mindMetaphysiciansRussian male journalistsPolitical philosophersPhilosophers of religionAnarchist writersWriters about activism and social changePhilosophers of historyChristian anarchists, Nonviolence advocates20th-century letter writers