Episodes

  • The History of Transhumanism: New Horizons

    The History of Transhumanism: New Horizons
    Oct 11 2026
    In part two of our series about how transhumanism shaped our world, David talks to Duncan Bell about what happened when sci fi dreams started to become reality. What changed when space travel turned from fantasy to fact? Did supercomputers herald new human possibilities or the prospect of human obsolescence? Why did transhumanism move from the left to the right of the political spectrum? And who believed that freezing their own heads was a good idea? A reminder we have a pair of new educational courses to accompany two of our series – The Great Essays and The Lives of the Philosophers. These courses are free for anyone who wants to use them and offer recall tests, extensive reading guides, discussion topics and essay questions for further reading, writing and exploration around the subjects of our podcasts. For use in schools, colleges or just in your spare time. To explore these courses simply go to https://ppfideas.com/courses You can find out everything else you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus episodes – on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Next time on The History of Transhumanism: Silicon Valley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • The History of Transhumanism: Origins

    The History of Transhumanism: Origins
    Oct 7 2026
    Today it’s the first episode in a new series about the weird and wonderful world of transhumanism: the idea that human beings can be transformed by technology and machines. David talks to historian of ideas Duncan Bell about transhumanism as science and as science fiction, as accurate prophecy and as outright lunacy. How did the idea have its origins in Darwinism? Why did the early transhumanists tend to be socialists? What made H. G. Wells such an influence on supposedly respectable scientists? And how does all this foreshadow the world of Silicon Valley today? A reminder that we have a pair of new educational courses to accompany two of our series – The Great Essays and The Lives of the Philosophers. These courses are free for anyone who wants to use them and offer recall tests, extensive reading guides, discussion topics and essay questions for further reading, writing and exploration around the subjects of our podcasts. For use in schools, colleges or just in your spare time. To explore these courses simply go to https://ppfideas.com/courses You can find out everything else you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus episodes – on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Next time on The History of Transhumanism: Spaceships, Supercomputers and Frozen Heads Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • An Ageing World: Simone de Beauvoir on Old Age

    An Ageing World: Simone de Beauvoir on Old Age
    Oct 4 2026
    For the final episode in our series on living in an ageing world David talks to Lyndsey Stonebridge about one of the most interesting and challenging of all writers on the subject of old age – Simone de Beauvoir. Why did Beauvoir believe that we are all duplicitous about the elderly? How did she experience her own ageing body and the prospect of her own death? What did she learn from watching Sartre age and die? And what makes her a prophet for the world we live in today? Lyndsey Stonebridge’s 'Old Women: A History of Our Future' will be published next year. Out now on PPF+: part two of David’s conversation with Samuel Moyn about the problem of gerontocracy. How can older people be encouraged to stop hoarding wealth and power? Is socialised care the solution? And is that ever going to happen in a place like America? To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening – and to help support everything we do – subscribe to PPF+ no https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus You can find out everything else you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus our free online courses and full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus episodes – on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Next Time: The Curious History of Transhumanism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • An Ageing World: The Problem of Gerontocracy

    An Ageing World: The Problem of Gerontocracy
    Sep 30 2026
    In today’s episode for our series about living in ageing societies, David talks to historian and legal scholar Samuel Moyn about the problem of gerontocracy, aka the rule of the old. Why do older generations now have so much wealth and so much power? Why is this particularly true in the United States? Is the real problem elderly politicians or elderly voters? Do the young stand a chance any more? Out tomorrow on PPF+: part two of this conversation in which David and Sam try to move from diagnosis to cure. How can older people be encouraged to stop hoarding wealth and power? Is socialised care the solution? And is that ever going to happen in a place like America? To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening – and to help support everything we do – subscribe to PPF+ no https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus Gerontocracy in America by Samuel Moyn is out now https://bit.ly/4ymCEss You can find out everything else you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus our free courses and full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus episodes on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Next time in An Ageing World: Simone De Beauvoir on Old Age Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    59 mins
  • An Ageing World: The Meaning of Death

    An Ageing World: The Meaning of Death
    Sep 27 2026
    In today’s episode of our series about the significance of longer human lives David talks to the doctor and writer Richard Coker about the meaning of the event that comes for all of us in the end: death. Are we finding it harder to talk about and face up to mortality? How do doctors think about death, having seen so much of it? Is the line between life and death getting harder to draw? What is the price we pay for putting off death as long as we can? Richard Coker’s Timor Mortis: How We Live With Death is available wherever you get your books https://bit.ly/4yTUeE4 Available now: a pair of new educational courses to accompany two of our series – The Great Essays and The Lives of the Philosophers. These courses are free for anyone who wants to use them and offer recall tests, extensive reading guides, discussion topics and essay questions for further reading, writing and exploration around the subjects of our podcasts. For use in schools, colleges or just in your spare time. To explore these courses simply go to https://ppfideas.com/courses You can find out everything else 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 on An Ageing World: The Problem of Gerontocracy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins
  • An Ageing World: Lifespan vs Healthspan

    An Ageing World: Lifespan vs Healthspan
    Sep 23 2026
    To start our new series about what it means to live in a world of ageing populations, David talks to geneticist Adam Rutherford about the benefits and pitfalls of increasing longevity. Are GLP-1s – drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro – miracle cures that will extend human lifespans? What happens if longer lives do not coincide with better health? How far can life extension be pushed? And who wants to live forever anyway? Available now: a pair of new educational courses to accompany two of our series – The Great Essays and The Lives of the Philosophers. These courses are free for anyone who wants to use them and offer recall tests, extensive reading guides, discussion topics and essay questions for further reading, writing and exploration around the subjects of our podcasts. For use in schools, colleges or just in your spare time. To explore these courses simply go to https://ppfideas.com/courses Out now on PPF+: ‘Podcast University’, a bonus episode to accompany the launch of our new educational courses in which David lays out the thinking behind them and his own ideas about the relationship between what he used to do as a university teacher and what we do now on PPF. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening – and to help support and keep freely available our educational work – subscribe to PPF+ now https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus You can find out everything else 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 An Ageing World: The Meaning of Death They can't harm you, if they can't find you! Use code ppf at the link below and get 60% off annual plans: https://incogni.com/ppf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    56 mins
  • The Lives of the Philosophers: Iris Murdoch

    The Lives of the Philosophers: Iris Murdoch
    Sep 20 2026
    Today is the final episode in our series about the relationship between twentieth-century biography and philosophy. David talks to Nikhil Krishnan about the life and thought of Iris Murdoch, a deeply philosophical novelist and a fully committed philosopher. How was Murdoch influenced by the ideas of Plato? Why did she believe that metaphysics could serve as a guide to morals? What lessons did her novels try to teach about the nature of love and the sovereignty of the good? Was hers a good life? **Available now: a pair of new educational courses to accompany two of our series – The Great Essays and The Lives of the Philosophers. These courses are free for anyone who wants to use them and offer recall tests, extensive reading guides, discussion topics and essay questions for further reading, writing and study around the subjects of our podcasts. For use in schools, colleges or just in your spare time. To explore these courses simply go to https://ppfideas.com/courses Out tomorrow on PPF+: ‘Podcast University’, a bonus episode to accompany the launch of our new educational courses in which David lays out the thinking behind them and his own ideas about the relationship between what he used to do as a university teacher and what we do now on PPF. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening – and to help support and keep freely available our educational work – subscribe to PPF+ now https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus. You can find out everything else you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus upcoming events and full lists of all episodes including all PPF+ bonus episodes on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Next time the start of a new series – An Ageing World: Increasing Longevity and its Consequences Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • The Lives of the Philosophers: Hannah Arendt

    The Lives of the Philosophers: Hannah Arendt
    Sep 16 2026
    In today’s episode about the intersection between twentieth century philosophy and biography David talks to the historian and literary critic Lyndsey Stonebridge about the life and thought of Hannah Arendt. How did Arendt, who was Jewish, make sense of her passionate relationship with Martin Heidegger, who was a Nazi? How did she experience her double exile, first to France and then to the United States? What made sense of her own identity? What explained the terrible turbulence and traumas of the twentieth century? And what did it all mean for the human condition? Lyndsey Stonebridge’s We Are Free to Change the World: Hannah Arendt’s Lessons in Love and Disobedience is available wherever you get your books https://bit.ly/4hgyGLH 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: Iris Murdoch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins