5
Well worth it: deeply knowledgeable, enthusiastic guests discussing the solar wind, the telescope, and several probes launched or due to launch.
@lifeisstillgood +4 more
Podcast
In Our Time
A world-class seminar, every week. In Our Time explores the ideas, people and discoveries that have shaped our world, spanning history, philosophy, religion, science, literature, art and culture. On Thursdays, hear brand-new episodes hosted by Misha Glenny and leading academics. On Mondays, discover Misha's Archive Picks: classic conversations from the In Our Time archive, originally presented by Melvyn Bragg. Recent episodes have featured topics as wide-ranging as the Roman Arena, Handel's Messiah, John Keats, On Liberty and the Mariana Trench, bringing expert insight to pivotal events, influential thinkers and remarkable discoveries. Throughout the archive, you can hear discussions on historical figures such as Marie Antoinette, Nefertiti, Mary Wollstonecraft, Karl Marx and Albert Einstein; explore great works of literature such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the poetry of John Donne; uncover the stories behind cultural masterpieces including Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel; or journey from Jupiter and the death of stars, to the theories of Plato and Aristotle. In Our Time celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and the enduring power of ideas.
88 Hacker News mentions · 42 episodes
Episodes recommended on Hacker News
4
The BBC's In Our Time did an episode on Doggerland some years back, with a direct link to it.
@gorm +3 more
Doggerland
3
A 45-minute episode on The Epic of Gilgamesh with three academic experts; it moves fast and covers a lot of ground.
@gimboland +2 more
Epic of Gilgamesh
with Nick Lane
2
I recommend the recent "The Evolution of Crocodiles" episode of In Our Time.
@vosper +1 more
The Evolution of Crocodiles
2
BBC's In our Time has just done a reasonable dive into the theme of Cave Art.
@TheGallopedHigh +1 more
Cave Art
1
Recently listened to the Antikythera Mechanism episode and found it quite fun.
@pncnmnp
The Antikythera Mechanism
1
In Our Time's recent panpsychism episode thoroughly dismantles the idea, and it's hilarious.
@yzydserd
Panpsychism
1
An excellent In Our Time episode on Owen, with Melvin Bragg's gentle yet chilling reading of the poem's climax and great historical context.
@kjellsbells
Wilfred Owen
1
I highly recommend BBC's In Our Time podcast on Plato's Atlantis, which argues Plato invented the story as a critique of Athenian democracy.
@sireat
Plato's Atlantis
1
Listened to a BBC program, In Our Time, a couple of nights ago that covered this same topic; the commenter is going to try to find the episode.
@maxbaines
The Death of Stars
1
This episode of In Our Time is very interesting, as are all the others on the Romantic era.
@vo2maxer
Tang Era Poetry
1
A very nice episode on early Christianity and martyrdom, which may have been what most impressed the Romans and served as a powerful ad for the religion.
@fiforpg
Early Christian Martyrdom
1
Excellent introduction to Kropotkin in BBC's In Our Time, a good way to spend an hour.
@kjellsbells
Peter Kropotkin
1
An interesting In Our Time episode on the temperance movement, which makes it sound like an early self-help movement.
@PaulDavisThe1st
The Temperance Movement
1
The In Our Time episode on the Manhattan Project is worth hearing, with recommended reading linked on the BBC site.
@GJim
The Manhattan Project
1
BBC's In Our Time is pretty good and also did an episode on The Great Gatsby.
@mercer
The Great Gatsby
1
An excellent BBC In Our Time episode on intentional political anxiety, a Cultural Revolution tactic, that resonates with current US institutional rhetoric.
@aksss
The Cultural Revolution
1
There's a good BBC In Our Time podcast about Pessoa.
@frereubu
Fernando Pessoa
1
As usual, In Our Time did an excellent episode about Albrecht Dürer.
@Moosdijk
Albrecht Dürer
1
A very good In Our Time episode about Paul Dirac, recently listened to.
@edibleEnergy
Paul Dirac
1
For some history of teeth (not just human teeth), try the BBC In Our Time episode The Evolution of Teeth, which includes a reading list.
@andrewl
The Evolution of Teeth
1
Balances academic and accessible; episodes like the Thirty Years War and poor laws show its breadth.
@mdh
The Thirty Years War
1
There's an episode of BBC In Our Time about Automata, linked directly for listeners.
@jsenn
Automata
1
In Our Time has an episode on Persepolis. Great episode of a great podcast.
@gherkinnn
Persepolis
1
The BBC In Our Time episode on Guernica was very interesting.
@walthamstow
Picasso's Guernica
1
There's an excellent episode of In Our Time from the BBC about bird migrations, absolutely fascinating stuff.
@omosubi
Bird Migration
1
A cracking episode of In Our Time that covers the 1217 Battle of Lincoln.
@teh_klev
The Battle of Lincoln 1217
1
I highly recommend this series. The main attraction is the calibre of his guests who tend to be excellent.
@tmpfs
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum
1
BBC's In our time podcast has a fascinating show on the Gin Crazy, paneled by 3 experts
@TheGallopedHigh
The Gin Craze
1
Suggested for more on Orwell's Spanish Civil War experience and how it shaped his writing.
@evanb
Animal Farm
1
There's a nice In Our Time episode on this, "1816, the year without a summer".
@xenocratus
1816, the Year Without a Summer
1
A quite good BBC Radio 4 In Our Time episode about Robert Hooke, which the commenter says is typically good.
@teh_klev
Robert Hooke
1
BBC Radio 4's fantastic In Our Time had an episode on Bruegel; search the archive for Bruegel to find it.
@glhaynes
Bruegel's The Fight Between Carnival and Lent
1
Really enjoyed the wonderful In Our Time episode about the Mamluks.
@esharte
The Mamluks
1
The newest BBC In Our Time episode on absolute zero traces how basic science research led to refrigeration, superconductivity, superfluids, and MRI scanners.
@lifeisstillgood
Absolute Zero
1
Searching now I found this BBC radio show that fits the timeline. Its a good introduction.
@totetsu
Simone Weil
1
1
A good episode on the history and beliefs of Zoroastrianism in ancient Persia.
@virgulino
Islamic Law and its Origins
1
An hour-long In Our Time episode on William Blake's poems, linked from the BBC programme page.
@KodiakLabs
William James's 'The Varieties of Religious Experience'
1
Many episodes of BBC Radio 4's In Our Time will be of interest to HN readers, including the Epicureanism and Stoicism episodes.
@DanBC
The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 4
1
40-minute discussions with leading academics on historical, scientific and cultural topics; Logical Positivism was illuminating.
@petercooper
Logical Positivism
1
the episode on Lysenkoism by the legendary Melvyn Bragg on In Our Time.
@Duanemclemore
Lysenkoism
Why Hacker News recommends it
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A great series whose format of experts discussing a subject with casual prompts works well, like the BBC's In Our Time.
HN thread · petercooper · 0 points ↗ -
"In Our Time" is especially good, and the BBC archive of content is worth exploring.
HN thread · DanBC · 0 points ↗ -
"In Our Time" podcast. Works every time.
HN thread · chrismealy · 0 points ↗ -
Also recommends the In Our Time podcast, linking to its BBC programme page.
HN thread · dmoo · 0 points ↗ -
In Our Time programmes are excellent, covering the whole spectrum of human knowledge, and listening to them made the commenter more broadly educated.
HN thread · bainsfather · 0 points ↗ -
If you're interested in the subject this episode of In Our Time on 'The History of the Peloponnesian War' is good.
HN thread · tomgp · 0 points ↗ -
Each episode tends to discuss historical, political, and economic conditions in addition to the primary topic.
HN thread · edge17 · 0 points ↗ -
Recommends BBC In Our Time for 45 minutes a day: high-brow academic talks on science, history, and philosophy, with a huge back catalogue.
HN thread · ideonode · 0 points ↗ -
A very interesting In Our Time podcast on how our knowledge of bird migration evolved.
HN thread · mccalljt · 0 points ↗ -
I'll always look forward to the next episode of In Our Time, and the commenter is excited to try the other listed shows.
HN thread · alamortsubite · 0 points ↗ -
Almost every single episode of In Our Time is pure gold, over 800 episodes since 2004.
HN thread · flother · 0 points ↗ -
I listen to an episode of In Our Time every day. It's fantastic.
HN thread · petepete · 0 points ↗ -
In Our Time was recommended for the quality of its guests, the variety of subjects, and its near 900 episodes.
HN thread · manu3000 · 0 points ↗ -
In Our Time with Melvin Bragg: panels of UK experts discuss a topic, event, or famous figure in each episode.
HN thread · chrisin2d · 0 points ↗ -
Highly recommended: the host brings three experts to discuss a wide range of subjects, from history to science to art.
HN thread · TheGallopedHigh · 0 points ↗ -
A well balanced summary of Irish history from experts, delivered in under an hour, that cuts through the bad takes in the thread.
HN thread · youngNed · 0 points ↗ -
A fabulous library of high quality discourse, highly recommended.
HN thread · simonh · 0 points ↗ -
A more approachable overview of Gödel on the In Our Time BBC podcast.
HN thread · jimmySixDOF · 0 points ↗ -
It's actually better than the radio-broadcast version because it includes 10-15 minutes of extra time with the guests.
HN thread · pm215 · 0 points ↗ -
In Our Time podcast had a great episode on this really recently. Great stuff!
HN thread · xenocratus · 0 points ↗ -
There's a great "In Our Time" episode about this area and the archeology going on around it if you're interested in a listen.
HN thread · dpeck · 0 points ↗ -
In Our Time is a wonderful podcast, always interesting content!
HN thread · nadagast · 0 points ↗ -
An excellent In Our Time episode on this epic and the Sumerian language, one of the most interesting they've made.
HN thread · mwaitjmp · 0 points ↗ -
Strongly recommends the recent In Our Time episode on this subject as a hidden gem, and urges readers to subscribe.
HN thread · radicalbyte · 0 points ↗ -
For some background and discussion the In Our Time podcast did an episode on her
HN thread · dmoo · 0 points ↗ -
A wonderful episode about how coffeehouses became popular in Britain.
HN thread · DyslexicAtheist · 0 points ↗ -
In Our Time (the BBC podcast) has a decent episode on the subject
HN thread · rpastuszak · 0 points ↗ -
There is an episode of 'In our time' more or less discussing this.
HN thread · rosetremiere · 0 points ↗ -
Picks a random In Our Time episode and listens until falling asleep.
HN thread · Veen · 0 points ↗ -
Worth a listen if you're interested and want an insightful overview of the Templars.
HN thread · pbhjpbhj · 0 points ↗ -
The subject of a great episode of In Our Time just a few weeks ago.
HN thread · walthamstow · 0 points ↗ -
See the BBC In Our Time episode on the subject of Doggerland, the submerged prehistoric landmass.
HN thread · shantara · 0 points ↗ -
A very enjoyable In Our Time episode on the history of coffee.
HN thread · aksss · 0 points ↗ -
I enjoy the In Our Time podcast and listen every week; it is often illuminating.
HN thread · tocs3 · 0 points ↗ -
Every episode of In Our Time is interesting, and the new host is doing a really good job.
HN thread · cguess · 0 points ↗