Introduction

Are we living through an era of madness? Stephen Blackwood sits down with best-selling author Douglas Murray to discuss manifestations of madness in contemporary culture. They explore the metaphysical system sustaining present ideologies, consider the necessity of meaning and forgiveness, and move beyond to discuss the transcendent values and works of art that enlighten, and perhaps offer an antidote for, the madness of the present.

Works mentioned:

Literature: T. S. Eliot, especially The Four Quartets; Philip Larkin; C. Day-Lewis; Shakespeare

Music: Palestrina; Orlando Gibbons; Thomas Tallis, especially Spem in Alium and Lamentations of Jeremiah; Gustav Mahler, especially Symphony No. 3; Igor Stravinsky; Olivier Messiaen; Johannes Brahms, piano; Benjamin Britten; Michael Tippett