Today

The History of Bad Ideas: Celebrity

David talks to historian and broadcaster Greg Jenner about the surprising history of the idea of celebrity, from Roman generals to 18th-century child stars to contemporary pop culture icons. How is celebrity different from fame or renown? What makes celebrity so seductive, so per ... Show More

1h 8m

Jul 15

The History of Bad Ideas: Deliverism

Today’s episode is about a bad idea with a very recent history: David talks to political historian David Klemperer about the dangers of deliverism. When did the view that delivering for the voters is a good idea become so controversial? What does it get right and what does it get ... Show More

56m 57s

Jul 8

The History of Bad Ideas: Hysteria

For the first in a new set of episodes about bad ideas with interesting histories David talks to the writer and broadcaster Helen Lewis about hysteria, an ancient idea that became a very modern diagnosis. Why was hysteria associated with both madness and saintliness? How did Char ... Show More

58m 44s

Apr 2020

Talking Politics: HISTORY OF IDEAS

A short trailer to introduce a new series of talks by David Runciman. In a series of twelve podcasts, he explores some of the most important thinkers and prominent ideas lying behind modern politics – from Hobbes to Gandhi, from democracy to patriarchy, from revolution to lock do ... Show More

2m 12s

Jun 2023

THINGS HIDDEN 132: New Rights and Old Wrongs

David Gornoski, Shannon Braswell, and Shane Kennedy talk about the concept of historical sins as it relates to social justice; how North Korea would handle California; the latest revelations on the Biden family; the post-libertarian Right; Machiavelli's political philosophy; forc ... Show More

1h 23m

Jun 2019

#160 — The Revenge of History

<p>Sam Harris speaks with Michael Weiss and Yascha Mounk about the state of global politics. They discuss the rise of right-wing populism in Europe, the prospect that democracy could fail in the US, Trump's political instincts, the political liability of "wokeness," the Left's fa ... Show More

58m 7s

Nov 2025

Truth in an age of doublethink

We use “Orwellian” to describe everything from campus dust-ups to authoritarian crackdowns. But what did George Orwell actually stand for, what did he get wrong, and what can we learn from him about our age of surveillance capitalism and distraction? Sean’s guest is Laura Beers, ... Show More

52m 16s

May 2021

History of Ideas Q and A

A special episode in which David answers some of the audience's questions about the second series of History of Ideas. From how he chooses which writers and works to talk about, to whether Boris Johnson is the ultimate Benthamite and whether the idea of a pleasure machine isn't - ... Show More

39m 48s

Sep 2025

#433 — How Did We Get Here?

Sam Harris speaks with Dan Carlin about the decades-long buildup to our current political moment. They discuss the growing powers of the presidency, executive orders, different factions within the Republican Party, the fragmentation of our society, Libertarianism, the growing pro ... Show More

22m 6s

Apr 2023

New Podcast: Past Present Future

Past Present Future is a new weekly podcast with David Runciman, host 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 co ... Show More

2m 18s

Jul 2022

Gods of Deception, Part II: Art, History, Fiction and War

As Ben and Noel continue their conversation with novelist and art historian David Adams Cleveland, the group finds themselves going far beyond the world of Alger Hiss. In the second part of this two-part series, the guys learn more about David's award-winning work as an art histo ... Show More

30m 8s

The History of Bad Ideas: Narrative Hist...