In Our Time Podcast
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.
Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from 成人快手 Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.
History fans can learn about pivotal wars and societal upheavals, such as the rise and fall of Napoleon, the Sack of Rome in 1527, and the political intrigue of the Russian Revolution. Those fascinated by the lives of kings and queens can journey to Versailles to meet Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV the Sun King, or to Ancient Egypt to meet Cleopatra and Nerfertiti. Or perhaps you鈥檙e looking to explore the history of religion, from Buddhism鈥檚 early teachings to the Protestant Reformation.
If you鈥檙e interested in the stories behind iconic works of art, music and literature, dive in to discussions on the artistic genius of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and Van Gogh鈥檚 famous Sunflowers. From Gothic architecture to the works of Shakespeare, each episode of In Our Time offers new insight into humanity鈥檚 cultural achievements.
Those looking to enrich their scientific knowledge can hear episodes on black holes, the Periodic Table, and classical theories of gravity, motion, evolution and relativity. Learn how the discovery of penicillin revolutionised medicine, and how the death of stars can lead to the formation of new planets.
Lovers of philosophy will find episodes on the big issues that define existence, from free will and ethics, to liberty and justice. In what ways did celebrated philosophers such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Karl Marx push forward radical new ideas? How has the concept of karma evolved from the ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism to today? What was Plato鈥檚 concept of an ideal republic, and how did he explore this through the legend of the lost city of Atlantis?
In Our Time celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and the enduring power of ideas.
Episodes to download
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Psychoanalysis and Democracy
Thu 11 Jul 2002
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the impact of politics on psychoanalysis.
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Freedom
Thu 4 Jul 2002
Melvyn Bragg considers what it is to be free and how freedom became such a powerful value.
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Cultural Imperialism
Thu 27 Jun 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines how a dominant power can exert a cultural influence on its empire.
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Wagner
Thu 20 Jun 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines the position of Richard Wagner and his music in German culture.
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The American West
Thu 13 Jun 2002
Melvyn Bragg explores the myths and harsh reality of the 19th century American pioneers.
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Drugs
Thu 23 May 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines the role of narcotics and stimulants in the history of medicine.
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Chaos Theory
Thu 16 May 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines how Chaos Theory has affected our understanding of the universe.
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The Examined Life
Thu 9 May 2002
Melvyn Bragg investigates how our preoccupations about how to live have altered over time.
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The Physics of Reality
Thu 2 May 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines the attempt to reconcile Quantum Theory and classical physics.
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Tolstoy
Thu 25 Apr 2002
Melvyn Bragg explores the life and work of the 19th century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.
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Bohemia
Thu 11 Apr 2002
The history of the ancient kingdom and its religious, national and ethnic ideologies.
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Extra Terrestrials
Thu 4 Apr 2002
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss our chances of ever discovering life on another planet.
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Milton
Thu 7 Mar 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines both the literary and political careers of the poet John Milton.
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Virtue
Thu 28 Feb 2002
Melvyn Bragg explores the meaning and purpose of the philosophical concept of virtue.
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The Celts
Thu 21 Feb 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines what we really know about the Celts of pre-Roman Britain.
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The Universe's Shape
Thu 7 Feb 2002
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the shape, size and topology of the universe.
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Yeats and Mysticism
Thu 31 Jan 2002
Melvyn Bragg explores the strange and mystical world of the Irish poet W B Yeats.
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Happiness
Thu 24 Jan 2002
Melvyn Bragg considers whether 'happiness' means living a life of pleasure or of virtue.
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Catharism
Thu 17 Jan 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines the Cathars, a medieval European Christian sect accused of heresy.
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Nuclear Physics
Thu 10 Jan 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines the 20th century development of nuclear physics as a science.
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Sensibility
Thu 3 Jan 2002
Melvyn Bragg examines the ideas behind the 18th century literary cult of sensibility.
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Rome and European Civilization
Thu 20 Dec 2001
Melvyn Bragg and guests assess the role that Rome has played in European civilization.
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Genetics
Thu 13 Dec 2001
Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the development of the science of genetics.
In Our Time podcasts
Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.
The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10
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