In Our Time
BBC Radio 4
Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC 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’re looking to explore the history of religion, from Buddhism’s early teachings to the Protestant Reformation.
If you’re 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’s famous Sunflowers. From Gothic architecture to the works of Shakespeare, each episode of In Our Time offers new insight into humanity’s 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’s 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.
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’re looking to explore the history of religion, from Buddhism’s early teachings to the Protestant Reformation.
If you’re 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’s famous Sunflowers. From Gothic architecture to the works of Shakespeare, each episode of In Our Time offers new insight into humanity’s 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’s 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
Mentioned books
Jun 23, 2005 • 42min
The KT Boundary
Scientists discuss the KT Boundary, a global thin grey line marking a cataclysmic event 65 million years ago. Topics include impact theory at Meacher crater, Deccan Traps eruptions, dating methods for geological events, extinction patterns, and the rise of mammals after dinosaurs' extinction.
Jun 16, 2005 • 42min
Paganism in the Renaissance
Exploring the resurgence of pagan imagery in Renaissance art through iconic works by Botticelli and Titian. Discussing the shift from moralistic interpretations of Ovid's myths to embracing classical authenticity. Delving into the challenges faced by artists depicting nudity and the evolution of Church views on art during the Renaissance period.
Jun 9, 2005 • 42min
The Scriblerus Club
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Scriblerus Club. The 18th century Club included some of the most extraordinary and vivid satirists ever to have written in the English language. We are given giants and midgets, implausible unions with Siamese twins, diving competitions into the open sewer of Fleet-ditch, and Olympic-style pissing competitions: "Who best can send on high/The salient spout, far streaming to the sky". But these exotic images were part of an attempt by Pope, Swift and their cadres to show a world in terrible decline: "Religion, blushing, veils her sacred fires,And unawares Morality expires.Nor public flame, nor private dares to shine;Nor human spark is left, nor glimpse divine!Lo! Thy dread empire, Chaos! Is restored:Light dies before thy uncreating word".So wrote Alexander Pope in his great mock epic verse, The Dunciad. Who were the Scriblerans? And what in eighteenth century society had driven them to such disdain and despair?With John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English, University College London; Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English, Royal Holloway, University of London; Marcus Walsh, Kenneth Allott Professor of English Literature, University of Liverpool.
Jun 2, 2005 • 42min
Renaissance Maths
The podcast delves into the evolution of mathematics during the Renaissance, from Greek geometry's dominance to the incorporation of algebraic influences from India and Arabia. It explores the practical applications of mathematics in warfare, architecture, and navigation. The impact of Fibonacci's numerical system and the transition to symbolic algebraic notation are highlighted. The emergence of calculus and the contrasting views of Leibniz and Newton shape the development of modern mathematics.
May 26, 2005 • 42min
The French Revolution's reign of terror
Historian Melvyn Bragg and guests delve into the French Revolution's reign of terror, discussing the September massacres, motivations of key figures, Louis XVI's fate, internal conflicts among Republicans, Robespierre's ambiguous conduct, and the lasting impact on revolutionary movements worldwide.
May 19, 2005 • 28min
Beauty
Melvyn Bragg and guests debate beauty's moral qualities, Plato's influence on aesthetics, Pythagoras' math as beauty, Plato vs. Aristotle on beauty's essence, Kant's unique aesthetic judgments, Hegel on art's evolution towards spirit.
May 5, 2005 • 42min
Abelard and Heloise
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the story of Abelard and Heloise, a tale of literature and philosophy, theology and scandal, and above all love in the high Middle Ages. They were two of the greatest minds of their time and Abelard, a famous priest and teacher, wrote of how their affair began in his biography, Historia Calamitatum, “Her studies allowed us to withdraw in private, as love desired, and then with our books open before us, more words of love than of reading passed between us, and more kissing than teaching. My hands strayed oftener to her bosom than to the pages; love drew our eyes to look on each other more than reading kept them on our texts”. Years later, when she was an Abbess at the head of her own convent, Heloise wrote to Abelard: “Even during the celebration of Mass, when our prayers should be purer, lewd visions of those pleasures take such a hold upon my unhappy soul that my thoughts are on their wantonness instead of on prayers”. With Anthony Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London; Henrietta Leyser, Medieval Historian and Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford; Michael Clanchy, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the Institute of Historical Research.
Apr 28, 2005 • 28min
Perception and the Senses
Exploring how our brains perceive data, starting with the intriguing discovery that a chimpanzee's hand can activate visual brain functions. The podcast also delves into how babies learn through touch, the chemical combination of smell and taste for flavor perception, and the complex interplay of the senses. It questions whether we truly perceive the world as others do and challenges the distinction between our sensory experiences.
11 snips
Apr 21, 2005 • 42min
The Aeneid
In this enlightening discussion, guests Philip Hardie, a Latin expert from Oxford, Catharine Edwards, a classicist from Birkbeck, and Edith Hall, a cultural historian from Durham, delve into Virgil's 'The Aeneid'. They explore how Aeneas embodies Roman identity amidst the chaos of war, linking it to Augustus's reign. The impact of Greek culture on Roman literature, the poignant themes of duty versus passion through Aeneas's trials, and the emotional depth of female characters like Dido are all examined, revealing the epic's enduring relevance.
Apr 14, 2005 • 28min
Archaeology and Imperialism
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the link between archaeology and imperialism. In 1842 a young English adventurer called Austen Henry Layard set out to excavate what he hoped were the remains of the biblical city of Nineveh in Mesopotamia. On arrival he discovered that the local French consul, Paul Emile Botta, was already hard at work. Across the Middle East and in Egypt, archaeologists, antiquarians and adventurers were exploring cities older than the Bible and shipping spectacular monuments down the Nile and the Tigris to burgeoning European museums.What was it about the ancient cultures of Egypt and Mesopotamia that so gripped the 19th century imagination? How did nationalism and imperialism affect the search for the ancient past and how did archaeology evolve from its adventuresome, even reckless, origins into the science of artefacts we know today?With Tim Champion, Professor of Archaeology, University of Southampton; Richard Parkinson, Assistant Keeper in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum; Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.
