en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:33:00 -0500 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081204-1133a.mp3 Melvyn Bragg explores the history of scientific ideas about heat. His guests this week are Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College; Hasok Chang, Professor of Philosophy of Science at University College London; and Joanna Haigh, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:12:50 -0500 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081204-1133.mp3 1506064 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081127-1132a.mp3 Mevlyn Bragg discusses the Great Reform Act of 1832, a landmark on the road to British democracy. Melvyn is joined by Dinah Birch, Professor of English at Liverpool University; Michael Bentley, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews; and Catherine Hall, Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History at University College London. Sat, 29 Nov 2008 05:56:33 -0500 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081127-1132.mp3 1495630 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081120-1130a.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the Baroque - a term used to describe a vast array of painting, music, architecture and sculpture from the 17th and 18th centuries. His guests this week are Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History and Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge; Nigel Aston, Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Leicester; and Helen Hills, Professor of Art History at the University of York. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:28:04 -0500 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081120-1130.mp3 1482437 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081113-1020a.mp3 Melvyn Bragg opens up the mind and delves into the complex world of the brain in this discussion about neuroscience. His guests this week are Martin Conway, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds; Gemma Calvert, Professor of Applied Neuroimaging at Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick; and David Papineau, Professor of Philosophy of Science at King’s College London. Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:12:06 -0500 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081113-1020.mp3 1470571 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081106-1130a.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses Aristotle's 'Politics' - a two and a half thousand year old collection of notes that have cast a very long shadow in political philosophy. He is joined by Angie Hobbs, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick; Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge; and Annabel Brett, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge. Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:40:05 -0500 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081106-1130.mp3 1458469 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081030-1130c.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the Spanish American liberator, Simon Bolivar. He is joined by Anthony McFarlane, Professor of Latin American History at the University of Warwick; John Fisher, Professor of Latin American History at the University of Liverpool; and Catherine Davies, Professor in the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies at the University of Nottingham. Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:52:02 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081030-1130.mp3 1447747 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081023-1130a.mp3 Melvyn Bragg delves into the depths of Dante's medieval poetic vision of hell. He is joined by Margaret Kean, University Lecturer in English and College Fellow at St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford; John Took, Professor of Dante Studies at University College London; and Claire Honess, Senior Lecturer in Italian at the University of Leeds and Co-Director of the Leeds Centre for Dante Studies. Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:28:08 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081023-1130.mp3 1435007 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081016-1130c.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the theory of Vitalism, the quest for the spark of life that ranged over centuries. He is joined by Patricia Fara, Fellow of Clare College and Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University; Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science and Medicine at Imperial College, University of London; and Pietro Corsi, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford. Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:04:07 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081016-1130.mp3 1423199 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081009-1130a.mp3 Melvyn Bragg grapples with the inconsistencies of mathematics as revealed by the Austrian mathematician Kurt Godel in 1930; a discovery which changed the perception of maths forever. He is joined by Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford; John Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Gresham Professor of Geometry; and Philip Welch, Professor of Mathematical Logic at the University of Bristol. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:32:02 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081009-1130.mp3 1413851 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081002-1130a.mp3 Melvyn discusses the monumental impact of the Graeco-Arabic translation movement which began in the 8th century in Baghdad. His guests this week are Peter Adamson,Reader in Philosophy at King's College London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; and Peter Pormann, Wellcome Trust Assistant Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick. Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:56:08 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20081002-1130.mp3 1399523 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080925-1130a.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the curious, wonderful and sacred history of miracles in this first programme of the new series of 'In Our Time'. He is joined by Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London; Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture; and Janet Soskice, Reader in Philosophical Theology at Cambridge University. Sat, 27 Sep 2008 09:32:06 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080925-1130.mp3 1388306 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080710-1130.mp3 In this final programme in the current series of 'In Our Time', Melvyn Bragg explores the decadence and political corruption of Imperial Rome, as seen through the eyes of the ancient Roman historian, Tacitus. His guests this week are Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London; Ellen O’Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol; and Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:28:18 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080710-1130.mp3 1264815 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080703-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the intriguing group of 17th century writers, the metaphysical poets, with a particular focus on John Donne. Melvyn is joined by Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London; Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and Drama at the University of Nottingham; and Tom Cain, Professor of Early Modern Literature at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:12:14 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080703-1130.mp3 1254678 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080626-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the mighty Arab conquests of the 7th century with his guests Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; and Robert Hoyland, Professor in Arabic and Middle East Studies at the University of St Andrews. Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:20:09 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080626-1130.mp3 1244339 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080619-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg considers the celestial harmonies of the planets, a Pythagorean concept which fascinated astrologists, artists and mathematicians for centuries. He is joined by Peter Forshaw, Postdoctoral Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford; and Angela Voss, Director of the Cultural Study of Cosmology and Divination at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:56:13 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080619-1130.mp3 1233515 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080612-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the complexities of Anglo-German relations through the 19th century and in the build up to the First World War. He is joined by Richard Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge; Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London; and Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at Cambridge University. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:40:10 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080612-1130.mp3 1223461 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080605-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the Russian scientist, Trofim Lysenko, and the far-reaching effects his pseudo-science had on the Soviet Union. Melvyn's guests this week are Robert Service, Professor of Russian History at the University of Oxford; Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London; and Catherine Merridale, Professor of Contemporary History at Queen Mary, University of London. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:28:05 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080605-1130.mp3 1211675 This podcast has been relaunched. If you receive this message, then you will need to resubscribe to get future episodes. You can find the new version and more information about subscribing at bbc.co.uk/podcasts Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:04:14 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20070824-1300_40_pc.mp3 1210068 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080529-1137.mp3 Melvyn Bragg explores the mathematical concept of probability with his three guests: Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford; Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews; and Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick. Thu, 29 May 2008 09:28:08 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080529-1137.mp3 1201202 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080522-1115.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the Black Death with Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London; Samuel Cohn, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow; and Paul Binski, Professor of the History of Medieval Art at Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge. Thu, 22 May 2008 16:56:54 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080522-1115.mp3 1191514 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080515-0755.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the amazing discovery of the Library at Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire. He is joined by Eleanor Robson, Senior Lecturer at Cambridge University and Vice-Chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq; Karen Radner, Lecturer in the Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London; and Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:40:19 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080515-0755.mp3 1181537 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080508-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg delves into the long and varied history of the brain with his three guests -Vivian Nutton, Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London; Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde; and Marina Wallace, Professor at the University of the Arts, London, Central St Martin’s College of Art and Design. Sat, 10 May 2008 16:20:09 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080508-1130.mp3 1169692 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080501-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the Enclosures of the 18th century that underpinned the agricultural revolution. He is joined by Rosemary Sweet, Director of the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester; Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow and Mark Overton, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Exeter. Thu, 01 May 2008 07:28:13 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080501-1130.mp3 1159177 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080424-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg explores the philosophical concept of materialism with his guests this week - Anthony Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London; Caroline Warman, Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford; and Anthony O’Hear, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:52:03 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080424-1130.mp3 1148682 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080417-1142.mp3 Unfortunately, for copyright reasons, this week's edition of the programme is not available to download. However, if you want to listen to it again, you can find 'In Our Time' on the radio 4 website at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 Sat, 19 Apr 2008 06:40:02 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080417-1142.mp3 1139947 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080410-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the Norman Yoke: the idea that the Battle of Hastings sparked the cruel oppression of Anglo-Saxon liberties by a foreign ruling class. He is joined by Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Christ Church, Oxford; Richard Gameson, Professor in the Department of History at Durham University and Matthew Strickland, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 06:20:14 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080410-1130.mp3 1126061 Demon Figures and Fairies have undergone a series of transformations according to their historical context, but what remains constant is their supernatural power and their association with the very human concerns of marriage, death and loss. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:51 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060511-1000_40_pc.mp3 21843 How did Mill's utilitarian background shape his political ideas? Why did he think Romantic literature was significant to the rational structure of society? On what grounds did he argue for women's equality? And how did his notions of the individual become central to modern social theory? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:51 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060518-1100_40_pc.mp3 28545 'Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting' (Leibnitz). But how were mathematical formulations used to create early music? Why do we in the West hear twelve notes in the octave when the Chinese hear fifty-three? What is the mathematical sequence that produces the so-called 'golden section'? And why was there a resurgence of the use of mathematics in composition in the twentieth century? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:51 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060525-0900_40_pc.mp3 37608 The 17th century physician William Harvey wrote in the preface to his thesis On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals, a letter addressed to King Charles I. 'The heart of animals is the foundation of their life, the sovereign of everything within them...from which all power proceeds. The King, in like manner, is the foundation of his kingdom, the sun of the world around him, the heart of the republic, the foundation whence all power, all grace doth flow'. How had the Ancient Greeks and Islamic physicians understood the heart? What role did the bodily humours play in this understanding? Why has the heart always been seen as the seat of emotion and passion? And why was it that despite Harvey's discoveries about the heart and its function, this had limited implications for medical therapy and advancement? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:51 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060601-1100_40_pc.mp3 46017 When Abraham Lincoln met the writer Harriet Beecher Stowe after the start of the American Civil War, he reportedly said to her: 'So you're the little lady whose book started this big war'. Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852, is credited as fuelling the cause to abolish slavery in the northern half of the United States in direct response to its continuation in the South. What impact did Uncle Tom's Cabin have on the abolitionist cause in America? How did the book create stereotypes about African Americans, many of which endure to this day? And what was its literary legacy? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:51 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060608-1100_40_pc.mp3 56713 Carbon forms the basis of all organic life and has the amazing ability to bond with itself and a wide range of other elements, forming nearly 10 million known compounds.What gives carbon its great ability to bond with other atoms? What is the significance of the recent discovery of a new carbon molecule - the C60? What role does carbon play in the modern chemistry of nanotechnology? And how should we address the problem of our diminishing carbon energy sources? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:51 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060615-1400_40_pc.mp3 69529 What made Goethe the dominant cultural icon of his time and after? What links were there between his interest in politics and the arts? Why did he support Napoleon despite the French invasion of Weimar? How did his relationships with women define his work? And how was he able to transform the status of the German language? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:35 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060408-0800_40_pc.mp3 7747 Cardinal John Henry Newman is perhaps the most significant Christian theologian of the nineteenth century. For over a decade, between 1833 and 1845, Newman and his fellow travellers, the Oxford Movement, argued that the Church of England was a holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. They sought to assert the Catholic nature of their Church just as secularism, liberalism, non-conformism, and even Roman Catholicism, seemed to threaten her. Why between 1833 and 1845 was the voice of reaction such a loud one? What was the Oxford Movement and what motivated them? How did they present their ideas to the Anglican clergy at large and what did the clergy make of them? And why did they leave such a powerful legacy for the Church of England, its character and its churches? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:35 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060413-1000_40_pc.mp3 8129 Inoculation was an early attempt at creating immunity to disease, but was later dismissed when Edward Jenner pioneered immunisation through vaccination in 1796. Vaccination was hailed a huge success. Napoleon described it as the greatest gift to mankind, but it met unexpected opposition after it was made compulsory in Britain in 1853. How did a Gloucestershire country surgeon become known as the father of vaccination? Why did the British government introduce compulsory smallpox vaccination in 1853? What were the consequences of those who opposed it? And how was the disease finally eradicated? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:35 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060420-1040_40_pc.mp3 9403 'Its grandeur does not consist in one thing, but in the unique assemblage of all things. Whatever human industry has created you find there. It seems as if only magic could have gathered this mass of wealth from all the ends of the earth.' So wrote Charlotte Bronte in 1851 after visiting the Great Exhibition set in the vast Crystal Palace in London's Hyde Park. Its impact was huge in terms of the development of British manufacturing. How did the Exhibition crystallise a particular moment in early Victorian Britain? In what way did it capitalise on the dawn of mass travel and greater levels of international co-operation? How did fears of revolutionary Europe define the policing and organisation of the event? And how far, if at all, did the Great Exhibition go in blurring class distinctions? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:35 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060427-1200_40_pc.mp3 10288 The 18th century explorer and astronomer James Cook wrote: 'Ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for man to go'. Cook's ambition took him to the far reaches of the Pacific and led to astronomical observations which measured the distance of Venus to the Sun with unprecedented accuracy. How had ancient trade routes set a precedent for colonial expansion? What was the link between astronomy and surveying? What tools did the 18th and 19th century astronomers have at their disposal? And how did the British justify their colonial ambition and scientific superiority? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:35 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060504-1100_40_pc.mp3 15982 Geoffrey Chaucer immortalised the medieval pilgrimage and the diversity of 14th century society in his Canterbury Tales. What do we know of the man who is called the Father of English Literature? And why does his poetry still speak to us today? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060209-0900_40_pc.mp3 477 The story of human evolution stretches back over 6 million years. It is not the story of one but of several diverse species, some of whom walked the Earth at the same time. But what conditions created the opportunity for diverse human species to thrive? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060216-0900_40_pc.mp3 891 For an obscure German princess Catherine's ambition was large: the transformation of a semi-barbaric country into a model of the ideals of the French Enlightenment. But should she be remembered as Russia's most civilised ruler or a megalomaniacal despot? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060223-0900_40_pc.mp3 1314 In Greek and Roman times, friendship was thought of as being an essential constituent of both a good society and a good life; a good society because it lay at the heart of participative civic democracy; a good life because it nurtured wisdom and happiness. It is this period which gives us the texts on friendship which, to this day, are arguably the most important of their kind. So how did the Ancients establish the parameters of the true nature of friendship in the literature and philosophy that followed? How have different forms of friendship helped or hindered creativity and intellectual pursuit? What has been the apparent relationship between friendship and power? And what of the darker aspects of friendship - jealousy, envy and exploitation? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060302-0900_40_pc.mp3 2293 Four hundred years ago Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote was published in Madrid. It was an immediate success and recognised as one of the classic texts of Western Literature, revered by writers such as Sterne, Goethe, Flaubert, Dostoevsky, Kafka and Melville. How has the book endured over the centuries? What was the relationship between Cervantes' work and the world of 17th century Spain in which he lived? In what ways was Don Quixote an interpretation of the age which hitherto had not been articulated? And can it live up to the claim that it was the first European novel? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060316-0900_40_pc.mp3 4246 The history of negative numbers is one of stops and starts. The trailblazers were the Chinese who by 100 BC were able to solve simultaneous equations involving negative numbers. The Ancient Greeks rejected negative numbers as absurd, by 600 AD, the Indians had written the rules for the multiplication of negative numbers and 400 years later, Arabic mathematicians realised the importance of negative debt. But it wasn't until the Renaissance that European mathematicians finally began to accept and use these perplexing numbers. Why were negative numbers considered with such suspicion? Why were they such an abstract concept? And how did they finally get accepted? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060309-0900_40_pc.mp3 2735 In 1660 a group of scientists gathered together in London to form the Royal Society. Amongst its members were Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren and Isaac Newton, who explicitly rejected dogma and insisted on practical experimentation and observation. How was the Royal Society formed against a backdrop of religious and political strife? What was it about the way this group of men worked that allowed each individual to flourish in his own field? And how successful was the Royal Society in disseminating the benefits of experimental science? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060323-0900_40_pc.mp3 5444 In 800 AD on Christmas Day in Rome, Pope Leo III proclaimed Charlemagne Emperor. A Frankish King who held more territory in Western Europe than any man since the Roman Empire, Charlemagne's lands extended from the Atlantic to Vienna and from Northern Germany to Rome. His reign marked a period of enormous cultural and literary achievement. But at its foundation lay conquest, conversion at the point of a sword and a form of Christianity that was obsessed with sin, discipline and correction. How did Charlemagne become the most powerful man in Western Europe and how did he finance his conquest? Why was he able to draw Europe's most impressive scholars to his court? How successful was he in his quest to reform his church and educate the clergy? And can the Carolingian period really be called a Renaissance? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060330-0900_40_pc.mp3 6534 What made Goethe the dominant German cultural icon of his time and after? What links were there between his interest in politics and the arts? Why did he support Napoleon despite the French invasion of Weimar? How did his relationships with women define his work? And how was he able to transform the status of the German language? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060406-0900_40_pc.mp3 7637 What made Goethe the dominant cultural icon of his time and after? What links were there between his interest in politics and the arts? Why did he support Napoleon despite the French invasion of Weimar? How did his relationships with women define his work? And how was he able to transform the status of the German language? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20060406-1000_40_pc.mp3 7702 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080327-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the momentous historical event of the dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII with his guests: Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University; Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford; and George Bernard, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Southampton. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:33 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080327-1130.mp3 1104203 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080320-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the rich and radical ideas of the 19th century Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, with John Lippitt, Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Hertfordshire; Clare Carlisle, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool; and Jonathan Ree, Visiting Professor at Roehampton University and at the Royal College of Art. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:31 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080320-1130.mp3 1093149 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080313-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg delves into the rich and complex world of Greek mythology. He is joined by Nick Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London; Richard Buxton, Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Bristol and Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge University. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:29 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080313-1130.mp3 1082541 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080306-1245.mp3 Melvyn Bragg explores the life and achievements of Ada Lovelace, daughter of Byron and prophet of the computer age. With him to discuss the "enchantress of numbers" are Patricia Fara, Fellow of Clare College and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University; Doron Swade, Visiting Professor in the History of Computing at Portsmouth University and John Fuegi, Research Fellow in Media and Gender Studies at the Universities of Stanford and Maryland. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:28 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080306-1245.mp3 1074034 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080228-1120.mp3 Melvyn Bragg explores the dramatic themes and history behind one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, "King Lear". He is joined by Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick; Katherine Duncan-Jones, Tutorial Fellow in English at Somerville College, Oxford; and Catherine Belsey, Research Professor in English at the University of Wales, Swansea. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:26 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080228-1120.mp3 1060448 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080221-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg considers the mind-blowing concept of the Multiverse with his guests: Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society and Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge; Fay Dowker, Reader in Theoretical Physics at Imperial College and Bernard Carr, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Queen Mary, University of London. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:24 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080221-1130.mp3 1049586 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080214-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg examines the history and the meaning behind one of the world's best known icons, the Statue of Liberty. He is joined by Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University; Kathleen Burk, Professor of American History at University College London and John Keane, Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:23 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080214-1130.mp3 1038745 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080207-1128.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the varying perceptions of the social contract theory - including the ideas of Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau - with his guests Melissa Lane, Senior University Lecturer in History at Cambridge University; Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London and Karen O’Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:18 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080207-1128.mp3 1025354 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080131-1300.mp3 Melvyn Bragg reveals the marvel and scientific endeavor of the Renaissance court of Rudolf II in Prague. He is joined by Peter Forshaw, Postdoctoral Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter; Howard Hotson, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford and Adam Mosley, Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Wales, Swansea. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:16 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080131-1300.mp3 1014426 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080124-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg explores plate tectonics - the revolutionary scientific theory which made geologists (and many more besides) profoundly re-think what the Earth was, how it worked and how it related to all the things in it. Melvyn is joined by Richard Corfield, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University; Joe Cann, Senior Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds and Lynne Frostick, Director of the Hull Environment Research Institute and Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Hull. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:15 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080124-1130.mp3 1004897 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080117-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg ponders the complex character of The Fisher King - the keeper of the Holy Grail, he's been Christian and pagan, tragic and enduring,a fertility god and a symbol of sexual fear and desire. With Melvyn to discuss The Fisher King are Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John’s College, Oxford; Stephen Knight, Distinguished Research Professor in English Literature at Cardiff University and Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University and Director of the Folklore Society. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:13 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080117-1130.mp3 990434 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080110-1115.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the legendary battle in the Crimean War, the Charge of the Light Brigade. He is joined by Mike Broers, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall; Trudi Tate, Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge and Saul David, Visiting Professor of Military History at the University of Hull. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:09 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080110-1115.mp3 980074 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080103-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg considers the life and work of the French writer and philosopher, Albert Camus. His guests are Peter Dunwoodie, Professor of French Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London; David Walker, Professor of French at the University of Sheffield and Christina Howells, Professor of French at Wadham College, University of Oxford. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:08 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080103-1130.mp3 969216 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071227-1200.mp3 Melvyn Bragg explores the meaning and origins of the Nicene Creed, a statement of essential faith spoken for over 1600 years in Christian Churches. He is joined by Martin Palmer,director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture; Caroline Humfress, Reader in History at Birkbeck College, University of London and Andrew Louth, Professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at the University of Durham. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:07 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071227-1200.mp3 961076 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071220-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the theory of the Four Humours -yellow bile, blood, choler and phlegm in the original theory of everything. He is joined by David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York; Vivian Nutton, Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London and Noga Arikha, Visiting Fellow at the Institut Jean-Nicod in Paris. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:05 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071220-1130.mp3 949538 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071213-1245.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses the mighty Sassanian Empire with his guests Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures at the School of Oriental and African Studies; Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Iranian and Islamic Coins in the British Museum and James Howard-Johnston, University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies at the University of Oxford. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:03 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071213-1245.mp3 938519 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071129-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg examines The Fibonacci Sequence, an infinite string of numbers named after, but not invented by, the 13th century Italian mathematician Fibonacci. His guests are Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford; Jackie Stedall, Junior Research Fellow in History of Mathematics at Queen’s College, Oxford; and Ron Knott, Visiting Fellow in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Surrey. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:54:00 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071129-1130.mp3 915292 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071206-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses genetic mutation with his guests Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics in the Galton Laboratory, University College London; Adrian Woolfson, lectures in Medicine at Cambridge University and Linda Partridge, Weldon Professor of Biometry at University College London. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:53:57 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071206-1130.mp3 926499 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071122-1400.mp3 Melvyn Bragg and his guests -Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London; Stephen Gill, University Professor of English Literature and Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford and Emma Mason, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Warwick - discuss William Wordsworth's epic autobiographical poem, "The Prelude". Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:53:53 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071122-1400.mp3 905260 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071115-1132.mp3 Melvyn Bragg and his guests -Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge; Jenny Uglow, Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Warwick and Hasok Chang, Reader in Philosophy of Science at University College London - discuss the discovery of oxygen. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:53:50 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071115-1132.mp3 894980 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071108-1100.mp3 Melvyn Bragg and his guests Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge and Nader El-Bizri, Affiliated Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge discuss the great 11th century Persian philosopher, Avicenna. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:53:49 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071108-1100.mp3 885255 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071101-1136.mp3 Melvyn Bragg and his guests - Miranda Fricker, Senior Lecturer in the School of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London; Stephen Mulhall, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at New College, Oxford and Oliver Davies, Professor of Christian Doctrine at King’s College London - examine the complex sentiment of guilt. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:53:47 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071101-1136.mp3 871284 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071025-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg and his guests -Amanda Vickery, Reader in History at Royal Holloway, University of London; John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London and Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter - discover how new ideas of taste artfully redecorated the living rooms, literature and social politics of the 18th century. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:53:46 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071025-1130.mp3 860570 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071018-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg turns his gaze onto the cornucopia of stories that is The Arabian Nights. He is joined by Robert Irwin, Senior Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; Marina Warner, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex and Gerard van Gelder, Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:53:44 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20071018-1130.mp3 850418 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080403-1130.mp3 Melvyn Bragg discusses Newton's Laws of Motion - the three fundamental laws of physics that put man on the moon. He is joined by guests Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College; Raymond Flood, University Lecturer in Computing Studies and Mathematics and Senior Tutor at Kellogg College, University of Oxford and Rob Iliffe, Professor of Intellectual History and History of Science at the University of Sussex. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:48:54 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/radio4/iot/iot_20080403-1130.mp3 1116434 Karl Popper is one of the most significant philosophers of the 20th Century, whose ideas about science and politics robustly challenged the accepted ideas of the day. He strongly resisted the prevailing empiricist consensus that scientists' theories could be proved true. He believed that even when a scientific principle had been successfully and repeatedly tested, it was not necessarily true. Instead it had simply not proved false, yet! This became known as the theory of falsification. He called for a clear demarcation between good science, in which theories are constantly challenged, and what he called ?pseudo sciences? which couldn't be tested. His debunking of such ideologies led some to describe him as the ?murderer of Freud and Marx?. So how did Karl Popper change our approach to the philosophy of science? How have scientists and philosophers made use of his ideas? And how are his theories viewed today? Are we any closer to proving scientific principles are ?true?? Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:48:34 -0400 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/inourtime_20070208-0900_40_pc.mp3 488911