Free Thinking2014 Festival, The Free Thinking EssayEpisodes Episode guide

Back up to: 2014 Festival

1. The Spin Doctors of 19th-Century America

   10/10Joanna Cohen compares 19th-century attitudes to American politicians with those of today.
2. Shakespeare and India

   9/10Preti Taneja explores the politics of language and its impact on Indian literature.
3. A Theatre of Their Own

   8/10Naomi Paxton on the movement for a women's theatre from the 1890s to the start of WWI.
4. Speech Before Words

   7/10Will Abberley explores the evolution of language and what we learn from science fiction.
5. Beastly Politics

   6/10Alasdair Cochrane of Sheffield University argues that animals should have greater rights.
6. Beards and Whiskers

   5/10Alun Withey explains what shaving tells us about medical advances and military strategy.
7. Disraeli the Romantic

   4/10Daisy Hay considers the way Benjamin Disraeli used his private life for political ends.
8. Is Marriage an Identity Crisis?

   3/10Sophie Coulombeau explores the history of women changing their surnames when marrying.
9. Scold the Front Page

   2/10Tom Charlton on what 17th-century ideas about censorship share with the Leveson report.
10. The Human Copying Machine

    1/10Tiffany Watt-Smith explores the interest of Victorian scientists in our urge to imitate.