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David Runciman

The History of Ideas Podcast
with David Runciman

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A bi-weekly podcast exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, science to fiction.

Latest episode

The Lives of the Philosophers: Simone Weil

23 August 2026

00:00 / 01:04

The second life we explore in our series about the twentieth-century philosophers could not be more different from the first: David talks to philosopher Alex Carter about Simone Weil, who died aged just thirty-four and lived through much political and personal hardship, some of it self-inflicted. How did her asceticism inform her philosophical outlook? Why did she believe she needed to work in a factory and fight in the Spanish civil war to be true to her beliefs? When and how does her philosophy morph into theology? Was she a saint?

 

You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus upcoming events and full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus episodes on our website https://www.ppfideas.com

 

Next time in The Lives of the Philosophers: Albert Camus

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More episodes

The Lives of the Philosophers: A. J. Ayer

19 August 2026

00:00 / 01:04

Forensics on Trial

16 August 2026

00:00 / 01:04

The History of Bad Ideas: Overdiagnosis

12 August 2026

00:00 / 01:04

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