Wittgenstein's Beetle in a Box Analogy
You can't know exactly what it is like to be another person or experience things from their perspective. Wittgenstein had an analogy for thi...
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A History of Ideas animations
Big questions and theories explained in under 2 minutes from A History of Ideas on BBC Radio 4. Animations voiced by Harry Shearer, Gillian Anderson, Stephen Fry and Aidan Turner. Scripted b...
A History of Ideas animations Podcast Guide
Listen to A History of Ideas animations, a Society & Culture podcast by BBC. Stream 48 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.
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Episodes
20 of 48 episodesEsse est Percipi - ('To be is to be perceived')
If a tree falls in a forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Narrated by Aidan Turner.
Karl Popper's Falsification
Science is based on fact. Isn't it? Narrated by Aidan Turner.
Should You Believe in Miracles?
Philosopher David Hume thought you should look at the evidence. We've employed a Time Lord to investigate. Narrated by Aidan Turner.
The Oedipus Complex and the Westermarck Effect
The Oedipus Complex explained in under 2 minutes. Narrated by Aidan Turner.
Jean Paul Sartre on Love
For Jean-Paul Sartre, freedom was everything. Real freedom means freedom to change your mind and freedom to fall out of love. Narrated by Ai...
Is Selfless Love Possible?
Why do people do good deeds? Are they being selfless or is there something else going on? Narrated by Aidan Turner.
The Myth of the Missing Half
In Plato’s dialogue The Symposium, Aristophanes presented a light-hearted creation myth that attempted to explain the human search for love....
Confucian Ancestor Worship
The family is at the heart of Confucian philosophy. Narrated by Aidan Turner.
Plato's Philosopher Kings
Plato thought leaders should be specially trained philosophers chosen because they were incorruptible and had a deeper knowledge of reality....
The Invisible Hand
Does an invisible hand guide the economy? Narrated by Aidan Turner.
Rene Descartes - “I think, therefore I am”
How did Descartes come to the conclusion of certainty when surrounded by uncertainty and doubt? Narrated by Stephen Fry.
Erving Goffman and The Performed Self
Do we have a true self or are we endlessly performing? Narrated by Stephen Fry.
Jean-Paul Sartre and Existential Choice
According to Jean-Paul Sartre, every choice reveals what we think a human being should be.
Know Thyself
Is it possible to ever 'Know Thyself'? Narrated by Stephen Fry.
Habeas Corpus
Habeas Corpus protects individual freedom and ensures that no one is held without charge.Narrated by Stephen Fry.
Civil Disobedience
A just society has fair laws. But most societies aren’t like that. So what can you do? Narrated by Stephen Fry.
The Veil Of Ignorance
John Rawls argued it might be more just to construct a blueprint for a just society from behind a 'veil of ignorance'. Narrated by Stephen F...
Lex Talionis and Retribution
An eye for an eye might sound like brutal retribution but its roots were in encouraging a sense of proportion. Narrated by Stephen Fry.
Ayn Rand on Selfishness
Ayn Rand believed we have a duty to be selfish and any other behaviour is irrational. Narrated by Stephen Fry.