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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

Live Special: Jimmy Wales on the Lessons of Wikipedia

21 June 2026

00:00 / 01:04

Today’s episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Cheltenham Science Festival: David talks to Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales about what we can learn from the astonishing success of an encyclopaedia built by its users. When and how did people realise they could trust Wikipedia? What makes Wikipedia different from Uber, Airbnb and other online businesses that depend on public trust? Are there wider lessons for how we might do democracy differently? And what will happen to Wikipedia in the age of AI?

Jimmy Wales’s book The Seven Rules of Trust is available now https://bit.ly/3Q4KuWT

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

Next Time: Now & Then with Robert Saunders – The Brexit Referendum 10 Years On

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More episodes

The Great Political Fictions: HHhH

17 June 2026

00:00 / 01:04

The Great Political Fictions: The Years

14 June 2026

00:00 / 01:04

The Great Political Fictions: The Human Factor

10 June 2026

00:00 / 01:04

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