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Free Thinking Episodes

  1.

    Positive and negative politics, 'intellectual vices' and the face you bring to work

    Sir Richard Evans, Margaret Heffernan, Isabel Oakeshott, Quassim Cassam join Anne McElvoy.

  2. Life expectations, philosophy in the world, protest

    Matthew Sweet with David Willetts, Elizabeth Oldfield, Will Davies and Tiffany Watt Smith.

  3. Winning and Losing, Plato scroll, the decline of Nightlife

    Winning and losing with Lea Ypi, Peter Hitchens, Michael Mansfield KC and Cath Bishop.

  4. Kant today, Spice Girls Reunited, Impersonating an Animal

    Girl power past and present, the wisdom of goats and seagulls and Kant's ideas on reason.

  5. Tacitus, Byron's fanmail and Bluey

    Mary Beard, Konnie Huq, Helen Carr and Tom Peck join Shahidha Bari.

  6. Change, Scrabble and Cultural Christianity

    Matthew Sweet and guests look at ideas about change: political, climate, personal.

  7. Hobbes, Abba, Waterloo and margarine

    Matthew Sweet and guests look back at the week exploring the ideas shaping our lives today

  8. Pranks

    Matthew Sweet and guests assess the value of pranks and what purpose they may serve.

  9. Writing Place

    Sylvia Townsend Warner's move to Dorset, Heidegger's Heimat and the River Arun in Sussex.

  10. Approaches to death

    Archaeologists Marianne Hem Eriksen, Pauline Harding: historians Cat Byers, Harriet Soper

  11. Happiness

    Matthew Sweet investigates the history, politics and economics of this elusive concept.

  12. Scottish Kingship

    Medieval myth making, the kings of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny.

  13. Free speech, censorship and modern China

    The writings of Chinese women, from Ding Ling to coming of age in the 1990s

  14. Edward Bond

    Matthew Sweet and guests discuss the playwright Edward Bond (18 July 1934 鈥� 3 March 2024)

  15. Sleep justice and sleeplessness

    Laurence Scott talks to researchers exploring how we sleep and the idea of sleep justice

  16. Images of Persia

    Poetry by Hafez, Nowruz (New Year) and the Haft Sin table, the Mongol invasion, music.

  17. Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation

    Matthew Sweet and guests look at the 1974 Gene Hackman film about surveillance and murder.

  18. New Thinking : Muses and women's creativity

    From Pre-Raphaelite models to the daughter of Maud Gonne: Naomi Paxton with new research.

  19. Sarah Maldoror, Storm Jameson, The Hague Congress

    Ahead of International Women's Day, Shahidha Bari hears stories linking women with war.

  20. The Dutch connection

    John Gallagher hears about new research into Anglo-Dutch trade and early publishing.

  21. Stitching Stories

    Shahidha Bari visits a textile art show + research on embroidery, stage outfits & vintage

  22. Can - Future Days

    Matthew Sweet and guests take a deep dive into the influential German group's 1973 album

  23. Myths, ships and history

    Anna McKay, Lloyd Belton and Oliver Finnegan delve in the deep for seafaring histories.

  24. The Condom and VD

    Matthew Sweet and guests talk about sexual health, VD clinics, sex work and condoms.

  25. Chocolate

    Shahidha Bari discusses the confection that has conquered the world.

  26. The Greenwich Outrage

    Matthew Sweet and guests discuss an attempt to blow up the Royal Observatory in 1894.

  27. Picnics

    From Picnic at Hanging Rock to an Iron Curtain Pan European picnic

  28. On the Silver Globe

    Matthew Sweet and guests discuss Andrzej Zulawski's compelling science fiction film.

  29. East/West religious connections

    Authors Rowan Williams & Christopher Harding and artist Gayle Chong Kwan join Rana Mitter.

  30. Secrets, lies and Irish History

    Clair Wills, Martin Doyle, Scott McKendry and Louise Brangan discuss secrets and conflict.

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