Philosophy of language and mind

Metaphysics and Epistemology: what exists, what is its nature and how can we acquire knowledge of it? 

Moral and Political Philosophy: how should we live? What constitutes a just state? 

Logic and Argument: the joys of symbolic and philosophical logic. 

What is a mind? Can we pin it down? To what do the pronouns "I" and "you" really refer? Is the mind different to its contents? What do we know and what are we struggling still to understand? 

What does consciousness mean? How artists, writers and scientists understood consciousness in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Where does our thinking come from? And what are the generators of our thoughts? An episode that will bring enlightenment to the table and leave you with a greater knowledge of your brain. 

Is our thinking becoming our enemy? How do we control our own thoughts and flow of thinking? And is it true that by limiting our thinking we are limiting our suffering? 

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the mind/body problem in philosophy. At the start of René Descartes' Sixth Meditation he writes: "there is a great difference between mind and body, inasmuch as body is by nature always divisible, and mind is entirely indivisible. For when I consid ... Show More

Is learning languages good for head, heart and soul? 

How does our brain process language? We speak to an expert who is using technology to turn narrative thoughts into text. Also on the show, what is happening in our brains when we switch languages? And what are the positives and perils of technology and translation?Also on the sho ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the problems of consciousness, one of the greatest mysteries facing science and philosophy today. The frustrations, the stubborn facts and the curiosities of today’s thinkers, philosophers, physicists and psychologists, demonstrate the elusiveness, ... Show More

The human eye and the human brain help us process reality. How accurate is our shared perception of reality? Scientific knowledge helps us clear the rubble from the path and see things for what they are. In the last part of Growing Up In The Universe, I take you through virtual r ... Show More