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Past Present Future

Introducing Past Present Future

Past Present Future is a new weekly podcast with David Runciman, host and creator of Talking Politics, exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology. David talks to historians, novelists, scientists and many others about where the most interesting ideas come from, what they mean, and why they matter. 

Ideas from the past, questions about the present, shaping the future. 

Brought to you in partnership with the London Review of Books.

New episodes every Thursday.

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  • 50. The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Existentialism and Psychoanalysis

    51:23
    In the penultimate episode in this series David and Lea discuss two twentieth-century philosophies of freedom and the human psyche. What can existentialism teach us about the nature of free choice under conditions of despair? Is there any escape from bad faith? And what can individuals – or even entire societies – learn about their freedom from being put on the couch?Sign up to PPF+ to get two bonus episodes to accompany this and all future series along with ad-free listening: www.ppfideas.comComing next on the History of Freedom: Liberation Movements
  • 58. The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Anarchism and Nihilism

    50:14
    In our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea have reached anarchism and nihilism. What is the positive vision of human freedom behind the anarchist rejection of the established order? What can nineteenth-century anarchists teach us about freedom in the twenty-first century? And if nihilists are against everything, what are they for?Sign up to PPF+ to get ad-free listening and two bonus episodes a month – just go to ppfideas.comComing up next: David and Lea discuss existentialism and psychoanalysis.
  • 57. The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: What is the Free Market?

    50:29
    In the latest episode of our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea explore what makes the free market free – and where it fails. How does buying and selling stuff advance human freedom? What does the free market free us from? And is it really possible to be free in a world dominated by credit and debt? Sign up now for PPF+ to get bonus episodes and ad-free listening www.ppfideas.comNext on the History of Freedom: Anarchism and Nihilism
  • 55. The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Kant, Enlightenment and Peace

    53:57
    In this episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea explore Immanuel Kant’s vision of rational freedom and perpetual peace. Why was Kant so sure that human reason would produce enlightened progress? Was he right? What are the obstacles likely to derail the advance of peace, then and now? How well do his arguments about free speech and free expression hold up in the age of the internet?Sign up now for PPF+ to get bonus episodes and ad-free listening www.ppfideas.comComing up next on the History of Freedom: How Free is the Free Market?
  • 54. The History of Freedom w/ Lea Ypi: Machiavelli and Political Liberty

    49:45
    History of Freedom w/ Lea Ypi: Machiavelli and Political LibertyFor the third episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea discuss Machiavelli, republicanism and what it means to live in a free state. What are the institutions that can protect people from domination and exploitation? How can political elites be held to account? Where are human beings most likely to find themselves at the mercy of others – and what can be done to help them escape?Sign up now for PPF+ to get bonus episodes and ad-free listening www.ppfideas.comComing up next on the History of Freedom: Kant, Enlightenment and Peace
  • 53. The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: The Ancients - Socrates, Seneca & Jesus

    53:51
    In episode two of our new series David and Lea explore some ancient ideas of freedom and ask what they mean today. What can Socrates teach us about the nature of free inquiry and the pitfalls of democratic freedom? Is Stoicism a guide to emancipation from desire or an exercise in selfishness? And how did Christianity upend the notion of freedom by annexing it to ideas of salvation and love? A conversation about dissent, self-knowledge and faith.Sign up now for PPF+ to get ad-free listening and bonus episodes to accompany this and all future series. Just follow the top link https://linktr.ee/ppfideasComing next on the History of Freedom: Machiavelli, republicanism and what it means to live in a free state, then and now.
  • 52. The History of Freedom w/Lea Ypi: Why Does It Matter?

    55:51
    In the first episode of our new series about the history of freedom, David and Lea discuss what the idea means to them and why it matters so much. What did freedom mean to Lea growing up in communist Albania? Is it possible to know true freedom without also having experienced oppression? And how is being free different from being lucky?Subscribe now to PPF+ to get bonus episodes and ad-free listening for this and all future series. Just go to www.ppfideas.com.Coming up next on the History of Freedom: The Ancients – Socrates, Seneca & Jesus.
  • Introducing PPF+

    01:38
    Sign up now for bonus episodes and ad-free listening – and help support the podcast. www.ppfideas.com
  • 51. American Elections: 2008

    57:13
    For our final episode in this series, David and Gary discuss the election of 2008, which saw Barack Obama’s extraordinary ascent to the presidency. How did he outthink and outmanoeuvre Hilary Clinton? What role did the financial crisis play in his path to the White House? And was it really the vice-presidential candidates in this election who pointed the way to America’s political future?To sign up for our free fortnightly newsletter to accompany this and future series, just click on the top link in our Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/ppfideasComing next: our new series – The History of Freedom with Lea Ypi. Plus news of how you can sign up to PPF Plus to get bonus episodes and ad-free listening.