Psychology
30 episodes
Al-Biruni
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Central Asian polymath al-Biruni and his 11th-century book India, one of the first scholarly works about the country.
10 June 2010
Featuring: James Montgomery, Hugh Kennedy, Amira Bennison
CultureAstronomical instrument makersIslamic philosophersAstronomers of the medieval Islamic worldMedieval Iranian pharmacologists, Transoxanian Islamic scholarsPsychology in the medieval Islamic worldAlchemists of the medieval Islamic worldExplorers of AsiaAsharis, Muslim critics of atheismCritics of deism11th centuryAstronomyIslamPsychologyAl-Ghazali
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Islamic scholar Al-Ghazali, one of the most significant and influential philosophers of the Middle Ages.
19 March 2015
Featuring: Peter Adamson, Carole Hillenbrand, Robert Gleave
Philosophy12th-century Muslim theologiansMetaphysiciansIslamic philosophersPsychology in the medieval Islamic worldEconomists of the medieval Islamic world, MujaddidIranian ethicists, Iranian logiciansEpistemologistsAsharis, Muslim critics of atheismAutobiographers11th century12th centuryEconomicsIslamMedicinePsychologyTheologyAl-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 centuryAstronomyIslamLanguageMathematicsMedicinePsychologyAltruism
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss altruism, described as “an unselfish attention to the needs of others” but how does this square with Darwin’s theory of Evolution?
23 November 2006
Featuring: Miranda Fricker, Richard Dawkins, John Dupré
Averroes
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 centuryIslamLanguagePsychologyTheologyAvicenna
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 logicLogiciansClassical humanistsCritics of atheismPhilosophers of psychologyIslamic philosophersMusic theorists of the medieval Islamic worldMedieval Iranian pharmacologists, Transoxanian Islamic scholarsPhilosophers of mindPhilosophers of mathematicsAlchemists of the medieval Islamic worldCourt physiciansIranian ethicists, Iranian logiciansAristotelian philosophersEpistemologistsOntologistsPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of religionIslamMathematicsMedicinePsychologyChildhood
Melvyn Bragg examines how perceptions of childhood have changed during the 20th century and discusses whether a clear distinction can always be made between childhood and adulthood.
9 December 1999
Featuring: Christina Hardyment, Theodore Zeldin
Consciousness
Melvyn Bragg examines why the elusiveness and impenetrability of consciousness continues to fascinate both philosophers and scientists. Is the human mind just not built to understand its own basis?
25 November 1999
Featuring: Ted Honderich, Roger Penrose
David 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
PhilosophyCritics of the Catholic ChurchPhilosophers of mind18th-century British essayistsWriters about religion and scienceVirtue ethicistsMetaphilosophersPhilosophers of religionBritish male essayistsPhilosophers of logicCriticism of rationalismWriters about activism and social changeAlumni of the University of EdinburghEpistemologistsPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of artBritish philosophers of educationPhilosophers of psychology18th-century British philosophersEmpiricistsPhilosophers of identityBritish consciousness researchers and theoristsBritish critics of religionsPhilosophers of mathematicsDeist philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historySkeptic philosophersPeople of the Scottish EnlightenmentPhilosophers of social scienceConservatismSecular humanistsPhilosophers of economicsEnlightenment philosophersAction theoristsSocial philosophersBritish male non-fiction writersOntologistsFreethought writers18th centuryEconomicsMathematicsPsychologyScotlandEvolutionary Psychology
Melvyn Bragg explores the basis for the idea of Evolutionary Psychology and the context for its development as a discipline. What can it tell us about how we behave, and can it be trusted?
2 November 2000
Featuring: Janet Radcliffe Richards, Nicholas Humphrey, Steven Rose
Guilt
Melvyn Bragg discusses the moral conscience and take a long hard look at the idea of guilt.
1 November 2007
Featuring: Stephen Mulhall, Miranda Fricker, Oliver Davies
Human Nature
Melvyn Bragg discusses human nature. Are humans born as blank slates and our natures are defined by upbringing and experience or is human nature innate and pre-destined, regardless of time and place?
7 November 2002
Featuring: Steven Pinker, Janet Radcliffe Richards, John Gray
Hysteria
Melvyn Bragg discusses a problematic notion which can be an emotional condition, a syndrome, an over-reaction, or the physical signs of trauma, which became the bedrock for psychoanalysis.
22 April 2004
Featuring: Juliet Mitchell, Rachel Bowlby, Brett Kahr
Intelligence
Melvyn Bragg discusses the origins, manifestations and possibilities of intelligence, and examines whether we are born with it, or if it is something we develop as we grow.
1 July 1999
Featuring: Ken Richardson, Michael Ruse
Jung
Melvyn Bragg discusses the mind and theories of the psychiatrist Carl Jung who wrote about the concepts of 'introverted' and 'extroverted', and the significance of the collective history of Mankind.
2 December 2004
Featuring: Brett Kahr, Ronald Hayman, Andrew Samuels
Kierkegaard
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
PhilosophyChristian humanistsPhilosophers of cultureExistentialist theologiansPhilosophers of mindMetaphilosophersPhilosophers of lovePhilosophers of religion19th-century male writers19th-century pseudonymous writersChristian poetsEpistemologistsChristian ethicistsPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of artChristian radicalsPhilosophers of psychologyIrony theorists19th-century essayistsMetaphysiciansPeople celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendarUniversity of Copenhagen alumni19th-century deaths from tuberculosisPhilosophers of deathOntologistsSocial philosophersAphoristsExistentialistsPhilosophers of literature19th centuryMedicinePsychologyTheologyMaurice Merleau-Ponty
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the insights of this French philosopher into the relationship between mind and body, the role of language in thought and the value of habits
27 March 2025
Featuring: Komarine Romdenh-Romluc, Thomas Baldwin, Timothy Mooney
PhilosophyAcademic staff of the Collège de FranceFrench magazine foundersFrench philosophers of educationFrench socialistsUniversity of Paris alumniFrench male non-fiction writersFrench philosophers of scienceFormer Roman CatholicsMarxist theoristsÉcole Normale Supérieure alumni20th-century French philosophersFrench political philosophersPhilosophers of psychologyAcademic staff of the University of ParisBurials at Père Lachaise CemeteryFrench philosophers of artFrench humanistsLycée Louis-le-Grand alumniEnactive cognitionOntologistsAction theoristsPhenomenologistsExistentialistsFrench epistemologistsFrench philosophers of culture20th centuryFrancePsychologyMemory
Melvyn Bragg discusses the significance of memory. Is it a repository of events waiting to be plucked to consciousness?
29 May 2003
Featuring: Martin Conway, Mike Kopelman, Kim Graham
Memory and Culture
Melvyn Bragg discusses how our ways of remembering have changed and explores whether memory itself can remain forever unchanged in its role within our psychology.
27 May 1999
Featuring: Malcolm Bowie, Nancy Wood
Mill
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 centuryEconomicsLanguageMedicinePsychologyNeuroscience
Melvyn Bragg and guests David Papineau, Martin Conway and Gemma Calvert discuss recent developments in neuroscience and examine the relationship between the mind and the brain.
13 November 2008
Featuring: Martin Conway, Gemma Calvert, David Papineau
Neuroscience in the 20th Century
Melvyn Bragg discusses the history of neuroscience, how far scientists have got with understanding the brain and what their research can tell us about ourselves and the world we live in.
24 December 1998
Featuring: Susan Greenfield, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran
Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Nietzsche's influential ideas about what it means to be moral.
12 January 2017
Featuring: Stephen Mulhall, Fiona Hughes, Keith Ansell-Pearson
PhilosophyCritics of the Catholic Church19th-century German male musicians19th-century German journalistsPhilosophers of timeUniversity of Bonn alumni19th-century German non-fiction writersPhilosophers of sexualityWriters about religion and scienceMetaphilosophersGerman philosophers of historyGerman male non-fiction writersCritics of work and the work ethicGerman critics of Christianity19th-century Prussian peopleGerman music criticsWriters about activism and social changeStateless peoplePhilosophy writersIrony theoristsDeterministsPhilosophers of psychology19th-century German novelistsPeople from the Province of SaxonyCritics of religionsCritical theoristsAnti-consumeristsMetaphysiciansGerman philosophers of culturePeople associated with the University of BaselGerman military personnel of the Franco-Prussian WarGerman ethicists, German philosophers of education19th-century German philosophersTheorists on Western civilizationDeaths from pneumonia in GermanyGerman philosophers of mind, German philosophers of religionGerman epistemologistsPhilosophers of nihilismLeipzig University alumniPhilosophers of social science19th-century German male writersGerman male essayistsOntologistsAphoristsExistentialistsAnti-nationalistsPhilosophers of literatureGerman philosophers of art19th centuryGermanyMedicineMusicPsychologyWarPerception and the Senses
Melvyn Bragg discusses perception: how the brain reacts to the mass of data continually crowding it and examines what governs our perception of the world.
28 April 2005
Featuring: Richard Gregory, David Moore, Gemma Calvert
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
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 centuryGermanyLanguagePsychologyThe Examined Life
Melvyn Bragg discusses what self-examination through philosophy can teach us about living our lives, and where it ranks in our quest for self-knowledge alongside science, the arts and religion.
9 May 2002
Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Janet Radcliffe Richards, Julian Baggini
The Mind/Body Problem
Melvyn Bragg discusses the history of thought about the mind/body problem in philosophy. Does the mind rule the body or the body rule the mind? And where does the mind reside?
13 January 2005
Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Julian Baggini, Sue James
The Nervous System
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history and science of the nervous system, the network of tissues which allows parts of the body to communicate with each other.
10 February 2011
Featuring: Colin Blakemore, Vivian Nutton, Tilli Tansey
William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience
Melvyn Bragg and guests Jonathan Ree, John Haldane and Gwen Griffith-Dickson discuss The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James.
13 May 2010
Featuring: Jonathan Rée, John Haldane, Gwen Griffith-Dickson
Philosophy19th-century American philosophersCorresponding fellows of the British AcademyAnalytic philosophersMembers of the American Academy of Arts and LettersWilliam JamesPsychologists of religionAmerican philosophers of religion20th-century American philosophersPhilosophers of deathAmerican philosophers of mind, American philosophers of sciencePhilosophers of war19th-century American writersExistentialistsOntologistsPhilosophers of history19th century20th centuryAmericaPsychology
