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Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss when and how life on earth originated. Read more
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The Origins of Life
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss when and how life on earth originated.
Politeness
Melvyn Bragg examines the cultural effect of the eighteenth century idea of Politeness.
Sartre
The life and work of French novelist, playwright and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.
The Han Synthesis
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Han Synthesis philosophies of China.
Witchcraft
The history of witchcraft in Reformation Europe.
Rhetoric
Melvyn Bragg and guests discusses rhetoric; ed by Aristotle but reviled by Plato.
Electrickery
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the dawn of the age of electricity.
Zoroastrianism
The history of Zoroastrianism, claimed to be the first monotheistic religion.
Higgs Boson
The history of the quest to find the Higgs Boson, also known as the 'God Particle'.
The Venerable Bede
The life and work of the Venerable Bede who revolutionised Christian scholarship.
Jung
The extraordinary mind and theories of the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung.
Machiavelli and the Italian City States
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
Melvyn Bragg examines the Second Law of Thermodynamics from steam to the Big Bang.
Faust
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the myth of Faustus and temptation by evil.
The Roman Republic
The rise and eventual downfall of the Roman Republic which survived for 500 years.
Tsar Alexander II's assassination
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881.
The Mind/Body Problem
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of thought about the mind/body problem in philosophy.
The Cambrian Period
Melvyn Bragg examines the Cambrian period, when there was an explosion of life on Earth.
Alchemy
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Alchemy, the ancient science of transformations.
Stoicism
Melvyn Bragg explore Stoicism, the most influential philosophy in the Ancient World.
Modernist Utopias
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the mad, bad world of modern utopias.
Dark Energy
Melvyn Bragg examines recently discovered 'dark energy' and its effect on the universe.
Angels
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the heavenly host of Angels.
John Ruskin
The life and work of one of the most influential figures of the Victorian era.
Alfred and the Battle of Edington
Melvyn Bragg examines King Alfred and the defeat of the Vikings at Battle of Edington.
Archaeology and Imperialism
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the link between archaeology and imperialism.
The Aeneid
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss ‘The Aeneid’, Virgil's great epic poem about Rome.
Perception and the Senses
Melvyn Bragg examines perception: how the brain reacts to the mass of data crowding it.
Abelard and Heloise
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the medieval tale of Abelard and Heloise.
Beauty
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the qualities of beauty and the history of aesthetics.
The French Revolution's reign of terror
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the reign of terror during the French Revolution.
