Past Present Future

Apr 24 2024 2.1k
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Past Present Future is a bi-weekly History of Ideas podcast with David Runciman, host and creator of Talking Politics, exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology. David talks to historians, novelists, scientists and many others about where the most interesting ideas come from, what they mean, and why they matter.
Ideas from the past, questions about the present, shaping the future. Brought to you in partnership with the London Review of Books.
New episodes every Thursday and Sunday.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The History of Bad Ideas: Eugenics

Apr 24 2024 55 mins  
For the first episode in our new series about the hold of bad ideas David talks to the geneticist and science broadcaster Adam Rutherford about eugenics: from its origins in the 19th century through its heyday in the 20th century to its continuing legacy today. Is eugenics bad science, bad morality, bad politics – or all three? What are the fears that keep dra

The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Liberation Movements

Apr 20 2024 56 mins  
In our final episode David and Lea discuss liberation movements, from post-colonial liberation to women’s liberation, gay liberation and animal liberation. What, if anything, do these movements have in common? Is liberation about equality or is it about difference? And who needs liberating next – children?You can hear our bonus episodes for this series by signing

The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Existentialism and Psychoanalysis

Apr 17 2024 51 mins  
In the penultimate episode in this series David and Lea discuss two twentieth-century philosophies of freedom and the human psyche. What can existentialism teach us about the nature of free choice under conditions of despair? Is there any escape from bad faith? And what can individuals – or even entire societies – learn about their freedom from being pu

The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Anarchism and Nihilism

Apr 13 2024 50 mins  
In our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea have reached anarchism and nihilism. What is the positive vision of human freedom behind the anarchist rejection of the established order? What can nineteenth-century anarchists teach us about freedom in the twenty-first century? And if nihilists are against everything, what are they for?Sign up t

The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: What is the Free Market?

Apr 10 2024 50 mins  
In the latest episode of our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea explore what makes the free market free – and where it fails. How does buying and selling stuff advance human freedom? What does the free market free us from? And is it really possible to be free in a world dominated by credit and debt? Sign up now for PPF+ to get bonus epi

The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Kant, Enlightenment and Peace

Apr 06 2024 53 mins  
In this episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea explore Immanuel Kant’s vision of rational freedom and perpetual peace. Why was Kant so sure that human reason would produce enlightened progress? Was he right? What are the obstacles likely to derail the advance of peace, then and now? How well do his arguments about free speech and

The History of Freedom w/ Lea Ypi: Machiavelli and Political Liberty

Apr 03 2024 49 mins  
History of Freedom w/ Lea Ypi: Machiavelli and Political LibertyFor the third episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea discuss Machiavelli, republicanism and what it means to live in a free state. What are the institutions that can protect people from domination and exploitation? How can political elites be held to account? Where are

The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: The Ancients - Socrates, Seneca & Jesus

Mar 30 2024 53 mins  
In episode two of our new series David and Lea explore some ancient ideas of freedom and ask what they mean today. What can Socrates teach us about the nature of free inquiry and the pitfalls of democratic freedom? Is Stoicism a guide to emancipation from desire or an exercise in selfishness? And how did Christianity upend the notion of freedom by annexing it to idea

The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Why Does It Matter?

Mar 27 2024 55 mins  
In the first episode of our new series about the history of freedom, David and Lea discuss what the idea means to them and why it matters so much. What did freedom mean to Lea growing up in communist Albania? Is it possible to know true freedom without also having experienced oppression? And how is being free different from being lucky?Subscribe now to PPF+ to get bo

Introducing PPF+

Mar 27 2024 1 mins  
Sign up now for bonus episodes and ad-free listening – and help support the podcast. www.ppfideas.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.