The Art of the Essay
As we wrap up our History of Ideas series David discusses what makes a great essay and whether the best contemporary writing is as good as what went before. The answer is yes, as shown by Jiayang Fan’...
14 Dec 202353min
Something’s Got to Give
This week David talks to the economists Dieter Helm and Diane Coyle about the challenges of building sustainability into the way we live now. Why is GDP such a poor guide to long-term economic well-be...
7 Dec 202358min
Democracy Q&A w/ Lea Ypi
This week David and Lea answer your questions about democracy. When does democratic freedom shade over into anarchy? What’s the connection between democracy and human rights? Do the voters choose the ...
30 Nov 202359min
History of Ideas: Ta-Nehisi Coates
In the penultimate episode in our series on the great essays, David talks about Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘The Case for Reparations’, published in the Atlantic in 2014. Black American life has been marked by...
23 Nov 202355min
Democracy vs Nationalism w/ Lea Ypi
In the latest instalment of David’s ongoing conversation with Lea Ypi about the past, present and future of democracy they discuss whether democratic politics can ever break free from the stranglehold...
16 Nov 202354min
Jill Lepore on Trump, Guns and the Red Mirage
This week David talks to the historian and essayist Jill Lepore about where the chaotic last decade of American politics fits into the longer history of the nation. When and how did gun rights become ...
9 Nov 202355min
The Leviacene: Defining Our Times
This week David explores a different way of thinking about the current epoch: what if this isn’t the Anthropocene but the Leviacene? Who or what is really driving planetary destruction? Can human natu...
2 Nov 202355min
History of Ideas: Umberto Eco
This week’s episode in our series on the great essays and great essayists explores Umberto Eco’s ‘Thoughts on Wikileaks’ (2010). Eco writes about what makes a true scandal, what are real secrets, and ...
26 Okt 202350min
