Language
37 episodes
Abelard and Heloise
Melvyn Bragg discusses the story of Abelard and Heloise, a medieval tale of literature and philosophy, love and scandal in the high Middle Ages.
5 May 2005
Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Henrietta Leyser, Michael Clanchy
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
PhilosophyMusic theorists of the medieval Islamic worldAlchemists of the medieval Islamic worldPhilosophers of religionPhilosophers of logicMetaphysics writersIslamic philosophersAstronomers of the medieval Islamic worldAristotelian philosophersEpistemologistsPhilosophers of educationPhilosophers of artIntellectual historyPhilosophers of psychologyMetaphysiciansPhilosophers of mathematics9th-century philosophersPhilosophers of scienceArabic-language commentators on AristotleOntologists9th centuryAstronomyIslamLanguageMathematicsMedicinePsychologyAlcuin
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the cleric, educator and poet from York who put learning for its own sake at the heart of the Carolingian Renaissance
30 January 2020
Featuring: Joanna Story, Andy Orchard, Mary Garrison
History9th-century philosophers8th-century Christian theologians, 8th-century English writers, 8th-century writers in Latin, Anglo-Saxon poets, Anglo-Saxon writersAnglican saintsMedieval English theologiansMedieval Latin-language poetsScholastic philosophersChristian hagiographersGrammarians of Latin8th century9th centuryLanguageTheologyAverroes
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
PhilosophyPhilosophers from al-AndalusPeople from Córdoba, SpainPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of mindPhilosophers of religionCritics of deismPhilosophers of logicPhilosophers of languageCritics of atheismIslamic philosophersAristotelian philosophersEpistemologistsPhilosophers of psychology12th-century Muslim theologiansPolitical philosophersCritics of ChristianityPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyLogiciansArabic-language commentators on AristotleOntologistsSocial philosophersPhilosophers of literature12th centuryIslamLanguagePsychologyTheologyBergson and Time
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas of Henri Bergson on how our experience of time as a duration differs from the scientific measurement of time, and why that matters.
9 May 2019
Featuring: Keith Ansell-Pearson, Emily Thomas, Mark Sinclair
PhilosophyWriters from ParisFrench Nobel laureatesAcademic staff of the Collège de FrancePhilosophers of languageLycée Condorcet alumniMetaphysicians19th-century French writers19th-century French philosophersPhilosophers of mindÉcole Normale Supérieure alumni20th-century French philosophersPhenomenologistsNobel laureates in LiteratureFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesFrench epistemologistsJewish philosophers19th century20th centuryFranceLanguageMedicineBertrand 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
PhilosophyBritish free speech activistsBritish historians of philosophyEnglish logiciansUniversal basic income writersEuropean democratic socialistsMetaphysics writersMembers of the Order of MeritEnglish anti-fascists19th-century atheistsBritish philosophers of educationEmpiricistsEnglish humanistsFree love advocatesGeorgistsBritish critics of religionsEnglish Nobel laureatesNobel laureates in LiteratureTheorists on Western civilizationBritish political philosophersPhilosophers of social scienceEnglish people of Scottish descentEnglish socialistsEnglish male non-fiction writersConsequentialistsFellows of the Royal SocietyLinguistic turnPhilosophers of sexualityRhetoric theoristsMetaphilosophersPhilosophers of loveEnglish political philosophersCritics of work and the work ethicEnglish people of Welsh descent20th-century atheists20th-century English mathematiciansPresidents of the Aristotelian SocietyUtilitariansBritish atheism activistsWriters about communismLogicians19th-century English essayistsSecular humanistsPhilosophers of economicsIntellectual historians, University of Chicago facultyOntologistsEnglish scepticsFreethought writersCritics of the Catholic Church19th-century English philosophersBritish critics of ChristianityPeople from MonmouthshireAristotelian philosophersJerusalem Prize recipientsPhilosophers of lawEnglish prisoners and detaineesBritish philosophers of languageSet theoristsPhilosophers of technologyBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsPhilosophers of mathematicsBritish philosophers of mind20th-century English philosophers19th-century English mathematiciansAnti-nationalistsPhilosophers of literatureEnglish agnosticsBritish philosophers of culture, English pacifistsWriters about globalizationWriters about religion and scienceFellows of Trinity College, CambridgeEnglish essayistsAnalytic philosophersAcademics of the London School of Economics, British philosophers of scienceWriters about activism and social changeAlumni of Trinity College, CambridgePhilosophers of historyBritish philosophers of religionBritish ethicistsAtheist philosophersUniversity of California, Los Angeles facultyBritish philosophers of logicEnglish political writers19th century20th centuryEconomicsLanguageMathematicsChekhov
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of the great Russian writer Anton Chekhov.
14 March 2013
Featuring: Catriona Kelly, Cynthia Marsh, Rosamund Bartlett
CulturePositivistsModernist theatre19th-century non-fiction writers from the Russian Empire20th-century deaths from tuberculosisRussian atheists19th-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 writersBurials at Novodevichy Cemetery19th century20th centuryLanguageRussiaComenius
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Czech man who tried to use education to build a better understanding between the peoples of Europe who were otherwise divided by religious wars.
19 May 2022
Featuring: Vladimir Urbanek, Suzanna Ivanic, Howard Hotson
Heidelberg University alumni17th-century German bishops, 17th-century Protestant theologians, 17th-century writers from Bohemia, Bishops of the Moravian Church, Burials in North Holland, Czech Protestant clergy, Czech Renaissance humanists, Czech bishops, Czech educational theorists, Czech emigrants, Czech exiles, Czech expatriates in Germany, Czech expatriates in Hungary, Czech expatriates in the Dutch Republic, Czech male writers, Czech people of Hungarian descent, Czech people of the Moravian Church, Czech philosophers, Czech schoolteachers, Czech scientists, Czech theologians, Grammarians from the Czech Republic, Immigrants to the Dutch Republic, John Amos Comenius, People from Uherské Hradiště District, Writers of the Moravian Church17th-century writers in LatinPhilosophers of educationLutheran saints17th centuryLanguageTheologyDarwin: On the Origin of Species
Melvyn Bragg presents a series about the life and work of Charles Darwin. How Darwin was eventually persuaded to publish On the Origin of Species in November 1859.
7 January 2009
Featuring: Jim Moore, Steve Jones, Jim Secord, Johannes Vogel
Elizabeth Anscombe
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the influential thinker who rejuvenated moral philosophy in the postwar period.
22 June 2023
Featuring: Rachael Wiseman, Constantine Sandis, Roger Teichmann
PhilosophyVirtue ethicistsConverts to Roman CatholicismAnalytic philosophersBertrand Russell Professors of PhilosophyDeaths from kidney failure in the United KingdomChristian ethicistsPresidents of the Aristotelian SocietyBritish philosophers of languageFellows of the British AcademyBritish philosophers of mind20th-century British philosophersFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesRoman Catholic writersBritish women philosophersFellows of Somerville College, OxfordWittgensteinian philosophersAlumni of Newnham College, CambridgeAction theoristsCatholic philosophersCambridge University Moral Sciences Club20th centuryLanguageGoethe
Melvyn Bragg discusses the great German polymath Johann Wolfgang Goethe - novelist, dramatist, poet, humanist, scientist and philosopher.
6 April 2006
Featuring: Tim Blanning, Sarah Colvin, W. Daniel Wilson
18th-century German male writersMembers of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences19th-century German non-fiction writersGerman philosophers of language19th-century travel writersMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesPhilosophers of sexualityLiteracy and society theoristsGerman autobiographersGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writersEpigrammatistsJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und DrangEpic poetsPhilosophers of linguistics18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from WeimarGerman untitled nobilityNatural philosophersWriters about activism and social changeRomantic poetsGerman travel writersGerman librariansPhilosophy writersGerman political philosophersFabulists19th-century German novelistsGerman FreemasonsColor scientistsGerman philosophers of culture18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayistsFreethought writersGerman philosophers of science19th-century German philosophersGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationTheorists on Western civilizationLiterary theoristsUniversity of Strasbourg alumniLeipzig University alumni19th-century German historiansGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsPhilosophers of social science19th-century German essayists19th-century German male writersGerman male essayistsEnlightenment philosophers18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historiansPantheistsPhilosophers of literatureGerman philosophers of art18th century19th centuryGermanyLanguageGoethe and the Science of the Enlightenment
Melvyn Bragg assesses the scientific legacy of the 18th century German poet and thinker Goethe, who gave us the term morphology and is sometimes even credited with inventing biology itself.
10 February 2000
Featuring: Nicholas Boyle, Simon Schaffer
Science18th-century German male writersMembers of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences19th-century German non-fiction writersGerman philosophers of language19th-century travel writersMembers of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and HumanitiesPhilosophers of sexualityLiteracy and society theoristsGerman autobiographersGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writersEpigrammatistsJohann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sturm und DrangEpic poetsPhilosophers of linguistics18th-century German civil servants, 18th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 18th-century German historians, 18th-century German novelists, 18th-century German poets, 18th-century travel writers, 19th-century German civil servants, 19th-century German diplomats, 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century German poets, German bibliophiles, German diplomats, German male novelists, People from Weimar, Scientists from Weimar, Writers from Frankfurt, Writers from WeimarGerman untitled nobilityNatural philosophersWriters about activism and social changeRomantic poetsGerman travel writersGerman librariansPhilosophy writersGerman political philosophersFabulists19th-century German novelistsGerman FreemasonsColor scientistsGerman philosophers of culture18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayistsFreethought writersGerman philosophers of science19th-century German philosophersGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationTheorists on Western civilizationLiterary theoristsUniversity of Strasbourg alumniLeipzig University alumni19th-century German historiansGerman male dramatists and playwrights, German male poetsPhilosophers of social science19th-century German essayists19th-century German male writersGerman male essayistsEnlightenment philosophers18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historiansPantheistsPhilosophers of literatureGerman philosophers of art18th century19th centuryGermanyLanguageHegel'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
PhilosophyDeaths from cholera18th-century German male writersBurials at the Dorotheenstadt CemeteryGerman philosophers of languageGerman LutheransWriters about religion and scienceGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writersGerman idealistsAcademic staff of the Humboldt University of BerlinUniversity of Tübingen alumniPhilosophy writers18th-century German writersGerman political philosophersPhilosophers of lawMetaphysicians18th-century German philosophers, 18th-century essayists19th-century German philosophersTheoretical historiansGerman philosophers of mind, German philosophers of religionHeidelberg University alumni19th-century German essayists19th-century German male writersGerman male essayistsEnlightenment philosophers18th-century German educators, 18th-century historians, 19th-century German educators, 19th-century historiansPantheists19th-century mysticsGerman philosophers of art18th century19th centuryGermanyLanguageMedicineHildegard of Bingen
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the medieval mystic, composer and writer Hildegard of Bingen.
26 June 2014
Featuring: Miri Rubin, William Flynn, Almut Suerbaum
HistoryGerman women philosophersManuscript illuminatorsAnglican saintsRoman Catholic mysticsPre-Reformation Anglican saintsHerbalistsCatholic philosophersGerman classical composersWomen religious writersWomen mystics12th-century writers in LatinMystic poetsMedieval Latin-language poets12th-century Christian saintsBenedictine philosophersAngelic visionariesCreators of writing systemsDoctors of the Church12th centuryLanguageMusicHobbes
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
PhilosophyCritics of the Catholic ChurchPhilosophers of culture17th-century writers in LatinPhilosophers of mind17th-century English writersRhetoric theoristsPhilosophers of religionMaterialistsEnglish political philosophersPhilosophers of languageBritish critics of ChristianityPolitical realistsEpistemologistsBritish philosophers of educationPhilosophers of lawEmpiricistsMetaphysiciansBritish critics of religionsPhilosophers of mathematics17th-century English male writersAlumni of St John's College, CambridgeTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyThomas HobbesSocial philosophersNatural law ethicistsEnglish theologians17th-century English philosophersEnglish physicistsOntologists17th centuryLanguageMathematicsMedicineTheologyJorge 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
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of GermanyPostmodern writers, Recipients of the Legion of HonourPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of timeSpanish-language poetsPhilosophers of mindSurrealist writersBlind poetsLiteracy and society theoristsPhilosophers of pessimismMetaphysics writers20th-century mysticsMetaphor theoristsSonneteersPhilosophers of artJerusalem Prize recipientsMagic realism writersTrope theoristsBlind writersPhilosophers of identityLecturersPhilosophers of mathematics20th-century translatorsHaiku poetsLiterary theoristsAnthologistsAphorists20th-century essayistsPhilosophers of literature20th centuryLanguageMathematicsJosephus
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Flavius Josephus, author of The Jewish War.
21 May 2015
Featuring: Tessa Rajak, Philip Alexander, Martin Goodman
Language and the Mind
Melvyn Bragg discusses whether the formation of language is innate or cultural and examines how ideas about language are being radically challenged and altered in the 20th century.
11 February 1999
Featuring: Jonathan Miller, Steven Pinker
Lorca
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the work of Federico Garcia Lorca, author of Blood Wedding, Yerma and The House of Bernarda Alba, executed by Franco's forces, his body unrecovered.
4 July 2019
Featuring: Maria Delgado, Federico Bonaddio, Sarah Wright
Lévi-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
CultureAcademic staff of the Collège de FranceFrench sociologistsLycée Condorcet alumniFrench philosophers of educationThe New School facultyJewish atheistsPhilosophers of mindWriters about globalizationWriters about religion and scienceFrench essayistsMetaphilosophersPhilosophers of religionLiteracy and society theoristsUniversity of Paris alumniCorresponding fellows of the British AcademyPhilosophers of languageFrench male non-fiction writersMetaphysics writersGrand Cross of the Legion of HonourPhilosophers of linguisticsFrench philosophers of scienceMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesWriters about activism and social change20th-century atheists20th-century French philosophersIntellectual historyMembers of the Académie FrançaiseJewish historiansCritical theoristsMetaphysicians20th-century French male writersFrench philosophers of historyWriters about communismTheorists on Western civilizationJewish philosophersWriters from ParisFrench epistemologistsAtheist philosophersPhilosophers of social scienceForeign associates of the National Academy of Sciences20th-century French memoiristsMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyPhenomenologistsLinguists from France20th-century essayistsFrench atheistsOntologistsFrench philosophers of culture20th centuryFranceLanguageMedicineMill
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
Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Janet Radcliffe Richards, Alan Ryan
PhilosophyEnglish agnosticsBritish free speech activistsPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of sexualityEnglish logiciansUK MPs 1865–1868Voting theoristsEnglish libertariansEnglish political philosophersBritish male essayistsEnglish essayistsEuropean democratic socialists19th-century English philosophersScholars of feminist philosophyInfectious disease deaths in FranceHonorary Fellows of the Royal Society of EdinburghBritish socialistsPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of psychologyEnglish feminist writers, English feministsAnglo-ScotsEmpiricistsBritish philosophers of languageUtilitariansEnglish autobiographersBritish philosophers of mindRectors of the University of St AndrewsFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of scienceEnglish non-fiction writersPhilosophers of historyBritish social liberals19th-century English non-fiction writersLogiciansBritish ethicistsBritish political philosophers19th-century English writers19th-century English essayistsBritish philosophers of logicPhilosophers of economicsEnglish political writersEnglish people of Scottish descentEnglish socialistsEnglish male non-fiction writersBritish classical liberal economistsEnglish suffragistsEnglish republicansConsequentialists19th centuryEconomicsLanguageMedicinePsychologyNizami Ganjavi
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 12th-century Persian writer of epic romantic poetry whose fame spread from his hometown of Ganja across the Persian-speaking world and beyond.
5 December 2024
Featuring: Christine van Ruymbeke, Narguess Farzad, Dominic Parviz Brookshaw
Ordinary language philosophy
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Ordinary Language Philosophy, one of the most important British contributions to 20th-century thought.
7 November 2013
Featuring: Stephen Mulhall, Ray Monk, Julia Tanney
Rawls' Theory of Justice
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss A Theory of Justice by John Rawls, first published in 1971, a work that's been called the most influential book in 20th-century political philosophy.
19 January 2023
Featuring: Fabienne Peter, Martin O'Neill, Jonathan Wolff
Reading
Melvyn Bragg explores the history of reading from the prayer wheel of medieval England to the electronic book, and discusses whether what we read is essential or peripheral to the people we become.
17 February 2000
Featuring: Kevin Sharpe, Jacqueline Pearson
Rhetoric
Melvyn Bragg discusses Rhetoric, the art of speaking which is an expression of inner virtue and also fundamental to ideas about democracy.
28 October 2004
Featuring: Angie Hobbs, Thomas Healy, Ceri Sullivan
Roger Bacon
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss medieval English scholar Roger Bacon, an early pioneer of science who became known as Doctor Mirabilis.
20 April 2017
Featuring: Jack Cunningham, Amanda Power, Elly Truitt
HistoryEnglish philosophersPhilosophers of languageEmpiricistsEnglish alchemistsMetaphysiciansNatural philosophers13th-century writers in LatinCatholic philosophersPhilosophers of mindEnglish translators, Medieval orientalistsCatholic clergy scientistsScholastic philosophersPhilosophers of literature13th-century philosophersPhilosophers of scienceGrammarians of Latin13th centuryLanguageMedicineRudyard Kipling
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of Rudyard Kipling, a writer sometimes described as the poet of empire.
16 October 2014
Featuring: Howard Booth, Daniel Karlin, Jan Montefiore
CultureFellows of the Royal Society of LiteraturePeople of the Victorian eraEnglish male novelistsDeaths from ulcersMythopoeic writersEnglish science fiction writersFreemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England20th-century English memoirists20th-century English male writersEnglish hymnwriters19th-century English poets19th-century English novelistsEnglish anti-fascistsVictorian novelistsMaritime writersEnglish-language poets from IndiaEnglish male short story writers19th-century English short story writersEnglish Nobel laureatesNobel laureates in LiteratureRectors of the University of St AndrewsEnglish children's writers19th-century English non-fiction writersBritish Nobel laureates20th-century English novelistsEnglish people of Scottish descent20th-century English poetsBurials at Westminster Abbey19th century20th centuryLanguageRumi's Poetry
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poetry of Rumi, the Persian scholar and Sufi mystic of the 13th century, whose great poetic works are the Masnavi and the Divan.
11 February 2016
Featuring: Alan Williams, Carole Hillenbrand, Lloyd Ridgeon
Schopenhauer
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the pessimistic philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and his extraordinary influence.
29 October 2009
Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Beatrice Han-Pile, Christopher Janaway
PhilosophyGerman writers on atheismGerman logicians, Kantian philosophersUniversity of Göttingen alumniGerman philosophers of languageGerman philologistsMetaphilosophersPhilosophers of loveGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writersPhilosophers of pessimismPhilosophers of logicGerman critics of ChristianityGerman idealistsSimple living advocatesAcademic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin19th-century atheistsPhilosophy writersGerman political philosophersPhilosophers of psychologyCritics of religionsCritical theoristsGerman eugenicistsGerman philosophers of culture19th-century German writersAnti-natalistsGerman monarchistsGerman ethicists, German philosophers of educationGerman philosophers of science19th-century German philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationGerman philosophers of mind, German philosophers of religionCritics of JudaismGerman epistemologistsLogiciansAtheist philosophers19th-century German essayists19th-century German male writersGerman male essayistsOntologistsPhenomenologistsAphoristsPhilosophers of literatureGerman philosophers of art19th centuryGermanyLanguagePsychologySt 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
PhilosophyWriters about religion and scienceVirtue ethicistsScholastic philosophersUniversity of Paris alumniThomas AquinasClassical theismCritics of atheismDominican mysticsMedieval Latin-language poetsAristotelian philosophersChristian ethicistsLutheran saintsPhilosophers of lawAnglican saintsMetaphysicians13th-century writers in LatinAngelic visionariesDoctors of the ChurchMagic (supernatural)Catholic philosophersNatural law ethicistsChristian apologists13th-century philosophersSystematic theologians13th centuryLanguageMedicineTheologyStrabo's Geographica
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Strabo's Geographica, the only surviving work from the ancient world that describes the entire world known to the Greeks and Romans.
10 April 2014
Featuring: Paul Cartledge, Maria Pretzler, Benet Salway
Tagore
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, winner of the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature.
7 May 2015
Featuring: Chandrika Kaul, Bashabi Fraser, John Stevens
English-language poets from IndiaNational anthem writersKnights Bachelor19th-century Bengali poets, 19th-century Indian composers, 19th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights, 19th-century Indian educational theorists, 19th-century Indian essayists, 19th-century Indian male artists, 19th-century Indian musicians, 19th-century Indian painters, 19th-century Indian philosophers, 19th-century Indian poets, 19th-century classical musicians, 19th-century male musicians, 20th-century Bengali poets, 20th-century Indian composers, 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights, 20th-century Indian educational theorists, 20th-century Indian essayists, 20th-century Indian novelists, 20th-century Indian painters, 20th-century Indian philosophers, 20th-century Indian poets, Alumni of University College London, Bengali Hindus, Bengali male poets, Bengali musicians, Bengali nationalists, Bengali philosophers, Bengali zamindars, Bengali-language poets, Brahmos, Dramatists and playwrights from British India, Hindu poets, Indian Hindus, Indian Nobel laureates, Indian classical composers, Indian male dramatists and playwrights, Indian male essayists, Indian male painters, Indian male poets, Indian male songwriters, Indian portrait painters, Indian social reformers, Indian songwriters, Musicians from Kolkata, Oriental Seminary alumni, Painters from West Bengal, People associated with Santiniketan, People associated with Shillong, People from the Bengal Presidency, Poets from British India, Poets from West Bengal, Presidency University, Kolkata alumni, Rabindranath Tagore, Tagore family, Vangiya Sahitya Parishad, Writers from KolkataNobel laureates in LiteratureArtist authorsFounders of Indian schools and collegesHaiku poets19th century20th centuryLanguageMusicPaintingTolstoy
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
Philosophers of cultureRussian anarchistsPhilosophers of mindPhilosophers of religion19th-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 writersAnarchist writersRussian male journalistsChristian vegetariansWriters about activism and social changeCorresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesEpistemologistsPhilosophers of education19th-century essayistsMetaphysiciansPolitical philosophersHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesGeorgistsPhilosophers of history19th-century non-fiction writers from the Russian EmpireOntologistsSocial philosophersChristian anarchists, Nonviolence advocates20th-century letter writers20th-century essayistsMembers of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsPhilosophers of literature19th century20th centuryLanguageMedicineRussiaWalter Benjamin
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the remarkable philosopher and critic whose ideas, developed in the 1930s, became highly influential after his death while escaping the Holocaust.
10 February 2022
Featuring: Esther Leslie, Kevin McLaughlin, Carolin Duttlinger
PhilosophyWriters from BerlinFrankfurter Zeitung peopleJewish socialistsGerman philosophers of artGerman philosophers of cultureGerman literary criticsGerman philosophers of languageGerman Marxist writersGerman male essayistsHumboldt University of Berlin alumniExilliteratur writers20th-century German male writersGerman philosophers of technology20th-century German philosophersPhilosophers of literatureGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writersJewish philosophers20th centuryGermanyLanguageWittgenstein
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
PhilosophyPhilosophers of cultureOrdinary language philosophyPhilosophers of mindMetaphilosophersFellows of Trinity College, CambridgeBritish male essayistsPhilosophers of logicPhilosophers of languageAnalytic philosophersPeople with post-traumatic stress disorder20th-century British essayists20th-century Austrian philosophers, Austrian agnostics, Austrian essayists, Austrian logicians, British agnostics, British logicians, British people of Austrian-Jewish descent, Naturalised citizens of the United KingdomBertrand Russell Professors of PhilosophyAlumni of Trinity College, Cambridge20th-century British non-fiction writersEpistemologistsPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of artMetaphysiciansWriters from ViennaPhilosophers of mathematicsAustro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I20th-century British philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationJewish philosophersBisexual military personnelBisexual male writersAustrian people of Jewish descentLGBTQ mathematicians, LGBTQ philosophersPhilosophers of social scienceWittgensteinian philosophersJewish agnosticsSocial philosophersCambridge University Moral Sciences ClubOntologistsLinguistic turn20th centuryLanguageMathematicsMedicineWarWriting and Political Oppression
Melvyn Bragg discusses how two writers’ work has been shaped by political oppression and examines whether writers have a political role in modern society.
8 April 1999
Featuring: Nadine Gordimer, Ariel Dorfman
