The Big Ideas

Every month, a group of academics, columnists and philosophers dissect a phrase that's become an intellectual cliché in order to analyse its true meaning

The Big Ideas podcast: Rousseau's 'Man is born free'

On the tricentenary of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Benjamen Walker and guests explore the legacy of the Swiss-born French philosopher

07-10
12:41

The Big Ideas podcast: Plato's 'just society'

Benjamen Walker and guests explore the legacy of Plato's Republic

05-09
09:49

The Big Ideas podcast: Guy Debord's 'society of the spectacle'

Benjamen Walker explores situationism and the legacy of French philosopher Guy Debord's famous phrase

03-28
13:18

The Big Ideas podcast: Friedrich Nietzsche's 'God is dead'

What did Nietzsche mean by the death of God? Benjamen Walker and guests explore the legacy of the German philosopher's statement

02-04
14:04

The Big Ideas podcast: Friedrich Kittler's computer wars

Philosopher Avital Ronell and novelist Tom McCarthy are among those joining Benjamen Walker to discuss the legacy of 'the Derrida of the digital age'

12-27
13:16

The Big Ideas podcast: EF Schumacher's 'small is beautiful'

Economist Andrew Simms and Guardian columnist Madeleine Bunting are among those joining Benjamen Walker to discuss the legacy of Schumacher's 'Buddhist economics'

11-09
12:03

The Big Ideas podcast: Adam Smith's 'invisible hand' - audio

Philosopher John Gray and Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee are among those joining Benjamen Walker to consider the legacy of Smith's much-abused phrase

10-06
12:14

The Big Ideas podcast: the banality of evil

In the second of a series of philosophy podcasts, Benjamen Walker and guests consider the impact and legacy of Hannah Arendt's famous phrase

08-17
20:13

The Big Ideas podcast: The medium is the message

In the first of a series of philosophy podcasts, Benjamen Walker and guests discuss the communication theorist Marshall McLuhan and his most famous line

07-20
10:35

The Big Ideas podcast: coming soon

Every month, a group of academics, columnists and philosophers dissect a phrase that's become an intellectual cliche in order to analyse its true meaning. The Big Ideas podcast starts on 21 July 2011

07-15
00:37

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