École Normale Supérieure alumni
An école normale supérieure (French pronunciation: [ekɔl nɔʁmal sypeʁjœʁ]) or ENS is a type of publicly funded higher education institution in France. A portion of the student body, admitted via a highly-selective competitive examination process, are French civil servants and are known as normaliens.
5 episodes
Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:
PhilosophyScienceOntologistsFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophy writersPhilosophers of literaturePhilosophers of mindTheorists on Western civilizationMetaphysiciansPhilosophers of religionMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyAphoristsRecipients of the Copley MedalAtheist philosophers20th-century atheistsNobel laureates in LiteraturePhilosophers of social scienceChristian humanistsExistentialistsForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesJewish philosophersPhilosophers of psychologyUniversity of Paris alumniWriters from Paris20th-century French philosophersFrench Roman CatholicsFrench atheistsFrench political philosophersHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesPhilosophers of sexualityChristian radicalsCritics of work and the work ethicMembers of the French Academy of SciencesPhilosophers of languageBurials at Père Lachaise CemeteryFormer Roman CatholicsFrench philosophers of educationFrench philosophers of scienceFrench women philosophersMarxist theoristsMembers of the Académie Française20th-century French novelistsFrench male non-fiction writersFrench philosophers of cultureFrench philosophers of historyFrench socialistsLegion of Honour refusalsPhenomenologistsPhilosophers of deathWomen mystics19th-century French philosophersCritical theoristsForeign members of the Royal SocietyFrench Nobel laureatesFrench epistemologistsFrench feministsFrench literary criticsFrench philosophers of artFrench sociologistsLibertarian socialists20th-century French women writers20th-century deaths from tuberculosisAcademic staff of the Collège de FranceAction theoristsBlind writersBurials at Montparnasse CemeteryFrench Resistance membersFrench anarchists, French anti-capitalists, French anti-fascistsFrench communistsFrench humanistsGrand Cross of the Legion of HonourLycée Condorcet alumniLycée Henri-IV alumniLycée Louis-le-Grand alumniMembers of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsTuberculosis deaths in England19th-century French chemists19th-century French writers20th-century French dramatists and playwrightsAcademic staff of the University of ParisAnti-Stalinist leftChristian anarchists, Nonviolence advocatesContinental philosophersConverts to Christianity from JudaismCritics of MarxismDominican mysticsEnactive cognitionFree love advocatesFrench Marxists, French anti-war activistsFrench biographers, French ethicistsFrench magazine foundersFrench scientists with disabilitiesPhilosophers of nihilismPlatonistsRecipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st classScholars of antisemitism
Bergson 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
PhilosophyFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesMetaphysiciansJewish philosophers20th-century French philosophersLycée Condorcet alumniPhilosophers of languageNobel laureates in LiteraturePhenomenologists19th-century French writersAcademic staff of the Collège de FranceWriters from Paris19th-century French philosophersFrench Nobel laureatesÉcole Normale Supérieure alumniFrench epistemologistsPhilosophers of mindLouis Pasteur
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of Louis Pasteur, microbiologist, developer of vaccines, saviour of the French beer and wine industries and preserver of milk.
18 May 2017
Featuring: Andrew Mendelsohn, Anne Hardy, Michael Worboys
ScienceRecipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 1st classMembers of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and ArtsFrench Roman CatholicsMembers of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and SciencesMembers of the American Philosophical SocietyMembers of the Académie Française19th-century French chemistsHonorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of SciencesForeign members of the Royal SocietyForeign associates of the National Academy of SciencesÉcole Normale Supérieure alumniMembers of the French Academy of SciencesFrench scientists with disabilitiesGrand Cross of the Legion of HonourRecipients of the Copley MedalMaurice 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
PhilosophyAction theoristsFrench philosophers of artExistentialistsFrench philosophers of scienceÉcole Normale Supérieure alumniMarxist theoristsPhenomenologistsBurials at Père Lachaise CemeteryFrench magazine foundersFormer Roman CatholicsFrench humanistsFrench epistemologistsFrench philosophers of educationFrench political philosophersLycée Louis-le-Grand alumniAcademic staff of the University of ParisPhilosophers of psychologyAcademic staff of the Collège de FranceFrench male non-fiction writersEnactive cognitionFrench philosophers of cultureOntologists20th-century French philosophersUniversity of Paris alumniFrench socialistsSartre
Melvyn Bragg discusses the life and works of French novelist, playwright and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.
7 October 2004
Featuring: Jonathan Rée, Benedict O'Donohoe, Christina Howells
PhilosophyLycée Henri-IV alumni20th-century atheistsNobel laureates in LiteratureFrench sociologistsBlind writersFrench communistsFrench philosophers of artPhilosophers of nihilismFrench biographers, French ethicistsExistentialistsPhilosophers of social scienceFrench philosophers of sciencePhilosophers of deathÉcole Normale Supérieure alumniTheorists on Western civilizationPhilosophers of literatureContinental philosophersPhilosophers of sexualityPhenomenologistsFree love advocatesFrench atheistsPhilosophy writersCritical theoristsBurials at Montparnasse CemeteryFrench Nobel laureates20th-century French novelistsFrench humanistsLegion of Honour refusals20th-century French dramatists and playwrightsFrench magazine foundersFrench anarchists, French anti-capitalists, French anti-fascistsFrench philosophers of historyAphoristsFrench philosophers of educationFrench political philosophersFrench epistemologistsFellows of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesLycée Louis-le-Grand alumniFrench Marxists, French anti-war activistsFrench literary criticsLibertarian socialistsFrench philosophers of cultureFrench Resistance membersAtheist philosophersFrench scientists with disabilitiesOntologistsPhilosophers of mindMetaphysicians20th-century French philosophersWriters from ParisFrench socialistsScholars of antisemitismSimone 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 advocates