Can we still be idealistic about childhood? How do we square the impact of war, stories of sexual abuse, the impact of time spent on screens with the idea of children's experiences being about play, learning to be social, listening and creating stories ? Anne McElvoy's guests include: Katherine Rundell, author of the Waterstones book of 2023 Impossible Creatures, her series about children's literature is on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds next week. It's called The Lion, the Witch and the Wonder. Emily Baughan, Senior Lecturer in 19th/20th Century British History at the University of Sheffield and author of Saving the Children: Humanitarianism, Internationalism and Empire. She is a New Generation Thinker working with BBC Radio 4 and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to share her research on radio. Miriam Cates former Conservative MP who is now Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social Justice. Andrew Cooper, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Warwick who teaches courses on philosophy of nature, philosophy of mind, and existentialism. Grace Lockrobin who is Co-Director of SAPERE - a UK charity that works to realise the benefits of a philosophical education as widely and equitably as possible.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson

Gabriel Gatehouse, a journalist and broadcaster investigating conspiracy theories, hosts a lively discussion with novelist Elif Shafak, known for her thought-provoking narratives, and academic poet Janine Bradbury. They explore how reading, both fiction and history, fosters empathy in a polarizing world. Philosopher Jonathan Egid delves into the complexities of empathy, while Tiffany Watt Smith examines emotional intricacies like schadenfreude. Historian Rana Mitter links these themes to broader historical narratives, emphasizing the power of literature in understanding diverse perspectives.

Renowned literary critic and philosopher Fredric Jameson delves into the intricate dynamics of rivalry, discussing its historical roots from Shakespearean figures to modern icons like Elon Musk. The conversation explores how personal ambition and competition shape politics and cultural landscapes today. Additionally, insights into the Warburg Institute reveal its treasure trove of knowledge and eclectic collections. Guests include journalist Michael Crick, historian Helen Castor, and writer Kate Maltby, enriching the dialogue on rivalry's enduring impact.

Climate, trust, politics, communication. Some would say we live in a period of crisis several areas of society and life. How can we make sense of the present moment, and where do we go from here?Plus, we hear about the short list for this year's Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize and ask what that tells us about scientific publishing.Matthew Sweet is joined byTimothy Morton, whose most recent book is Hell: In Search of a Christian Ecology Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the University of Oxford Clare Chambers, Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Cambridge Jessica Wade, Royal Society University Research Fellow and Lecturer in Functional Materials at Imperial College London and one of the judges for They are all appearing at the How the Light Gets in Festival of Ideas this weekend in London - more information at howthelightsgetsin.org Plus Mark Solms, neuroscientist and editor of the newly published Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Works of Sigmund FreudThe Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize 2024 which will be announced on October 24th. The books shortlisted are:Eve: How The Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon Your Face Belongs to Us: The Secretive Startup Dismantling Your Privacy by Kashmir Hill The Last of Its Kind: The Search for the Great Auk and the Discovery of Extinction by Gísli Pálsson Why We Die: The New Science of Ageing and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through? by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith Everything Is Predictable: How Bayes’ Remarkable Theorem Explains the World by Tom ChiversProducer: Luke Mulhall

With the success of the far right Alternative for Deutschland party in the German elections, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris making their pitches to American voters to be their leader and the Conservatives in this country voting for their: we look at Carl Schmitt, the German political theorist of democracy, crisis and dictatorship, to see if he can help us make sense of the present moment.Anne McElvoy's guests are: Gisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston, is a British German politician. A former Labour politician she now sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords David Runciman is former Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge and now hosts Past Present Future: The History of Ideas Podcast. His most recent book is called The History of Ideas : Equality, Justice and Revolution Tom Simpson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford Katya Adler is the BBC's Europe EditorPlus Charles Tripp, emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern politics at SOAS is chair of the judges for the 2024 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding Books on the shortlist announced this week are: Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues by Ross Perlin Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway The Tame and the Wild: People and Animals after 1492 by Marcy Norton Divided, Racism, Medicine and why we Need to DeColonise Healthcare by Annabel Sowemimo Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories by Amitav Ghosh The Secret Lives of Numbers: A Global History of Mathematics and its Unsung Trailblazers by Kate Kitagawa and Timothy RevellThe winner of the prize of £25,000 will be announced on October 22nd 2024. And Free Thinking will be looking at some of the other non fiction book prize shortlists over episodes this AutumnProducer: Luke MulhallYou can find past episodes of Free Thinking available on BBC Sounds and as the BBC Arts & Ideas podcast

With the success of the far right Alternative for Deutschland party in the German elections, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris making their pitches to American voters to be their leader and the Conservatives in this country voting for their: we look at Carl Schmitt, the German political theorist of democracy, crisis and dictatorship, to see if he can help us make sense of the present moment.Anne McElvoy's guests are: Gisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston, is a British German politician. A former Labour politician she now sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords David Runciman is former Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge and now hosts Past Present Future: The History of Ideas Podcast. His most recent book is called The History of Ideas : Equality, Justice and Revolution Tom Simpson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford Katya Adler is the BBC's Europe EditorPlus Charles Tripp, emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern politics at SOAS is chair of the judges for the 2024 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding Books on the shortlist announced this week are: Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues by Ross Perlin Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future by Ed Conway The Tame and the Wild: People and Animals after 1492 by Marcy Norton Divided, Racism, Medicine and why we Need to DeColonise Healthcare by Annabel Sowemimo Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories by Amitav Ghosh The Secret Lives of Numbers: A Global History of Mathematics and its Unsung Trailblazers by Kate Kitagawa and Timothy RevellThe winner of the prize of £25,000 will be announced on October 22nd 2024. And Free Thinking will be looking at some of the other non fiction book prize shortlists over episodes this AutumnProducer: Luke MulhallYou can find past episodes of Free Thinking available on BBC Sounds and as the BBC Arts & Ideas podcast

Noreen Masud, a lecturer in Twentieth Century Literature, and Kirsty Sinclair Dootson, a film and media lecturer, dive deep into the concept of escapism. They discuss how travel, cinema, and literature serve as both a refuge and distraction in our lives. The conversation touches on how identity influences our need for escape and the socio-political implications of cinematic art, especially during tough times. They also explore the philosophical significance of dreams and the complexity of opinions in a fast-paced world.

Guests Mark Miodownik and Emily Herring discuss the illusion of time, summer solstice, and comedy philosophy. Topics include Bergson's theory of time as duration, material time in physics, and the magical women conference in Birmingham. Comedian Rob Newman and physicist Fay Dowker contribute insights on time perception and philosophical musings on the nature of comedy.

Histories spanning the Big Bang to the present, and the story of an entire continent have been written by two of the Free Thinking guests tonight. What insights do big histories bring and what is the value of focusing on a single family or object ? And how do these approaches apply when looking at policy and government. Matthew Sweet's guests are:Professor Peter Frankopan has written New Silk Roads and The Earth Transformed: An Untold History Alison Light's most recent book of essays is called – Inside History: From Popular Fiction to Life-Writing, previous titles include Common People: The History of an English Family Zeinab Badawi is author of An African History of Africa. The first presenter of the ITV Morning News and co-presenter of Channel 4 News, she is president of SOAS University of London. Bronwen Maddox is CEO of Chatham House and a Visiting Professor in the Policy Institute at King's College London. She's been Director of the Institute for Government and editor and chief executive of the magazine Prospect. BBC Moscow Correspondent Steve RosenbergProducer: Lisa Jenkinson.

With D-day commemorations giving us images of "the finest generation" and discussion about how parties are targeting different age groups in the UK election, Anne McElvoy hosts a discussion looking at what divides and unites us in a fracturing world. Dr Eliza Filby - a historian of generational evolution and contemporary values and author of Inheritocracy and Generation Shift gives us the low down on boomers to Gen Alpha. Professor Rana Mitter is ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of books including China's Good War: How World War II is Shaping A New Nationalism and China's War with Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival. A presenter of Free Thinking on BBC Radio 3 before he joined Harvard, you can find him hosting plenty of Free Thinking discussions. Jo Hamya's debut novel was called Three Rooms. The Hypocrite explores what happens when we become frightened of the generations below us Tom Simpson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and a Senior Research Fellow at Wadham College. And joining the conversation to talk about how the political parties are trying to woo voters of different ages is Gaby Hinsliff, columnist for The GuardianProducer: Luke Mulhall