The life, work and legacy of the 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Read more
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Wittgenstein
The life, work and legacy of the 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.
The Devil
Melvyn Bragg examines how the Devil became an established figure in Christianity.
The Alphabet
Melvyn Bragg investigates how sounds turned into signs and signs became the alphabet.
Lamarck and Natural Selection
Melvyn Bragg discusses Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the 18th century French precursor to Darwin.
Cryptography
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins and history of codes.
Thermopylae
Melvyn Bragg examines the Battle of Thermopylae, a defining clash between East and West.
The Sublime
Melvyn Bragg explores a transcendental idea that took hold on the Age of Enlightenment.
Rutherford
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear science.
The Mughal Empire
Melvyn Bragg and guests examine how much the British Raj owed to the Mughal Emperors.
Dreams
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the function and interpretation of dreams.
The Norse Gods
Melvyn Bragg examines the myths and theology that inspired the Vikings.
Theories of Everything
Melvyn Bragg explores the 30 year search to solve all the biggest questions in physics.
China's Warring States period
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the astonishingproductivity of the Chinese Golden Age.
The Fall
Melvyn Bragg examines the concept of original sin and its influence in Christian Europe.
The Later Romantics
Melvyn Bragg examines the poetry, tragedy and idealism of Byron, Shelley and Keats.
Hysteria
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how emotional experiences can become physical symptoms.
Tea
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss tea, the first truly global commodity.
Heroism
Melvyn Bragg explores what defines a hero, and their place in classical society.
Zero
Melvyn Bragg examines the number between 1 and -1, once denounced as the devil's work.
Toleration
Melvyn Bragg looks at the politics behind the rise of religious freedom in England.
The Planets
Melvyn Bragg examines our knowledge of the planets in both our and other solar systems.
Babylon
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the truth behind the empire of Babylon.
Empiricism
Melvyn Bragg examines the 17th century idea that all knowledge arises from experience.
Renaissance Magic
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Renaissance obsession with Magic.
Washington and the American Revolution
Melvyn Bragg examines the first President of the US and what drove him to revolution.
Pi
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of the longest and most detailed number in nature.
The Odyssey
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the monster filled epic, 鶹Լr’s Odyssey.
Agincourt
The history and legacy of the English army's defeat of the French at Agincourt in 1415.
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.