A History of Ideas

Short animations to explain some big questions around freewill, beauty and good and evil

Freedom vs Security: Freedom at any cost?—Philosopher Angie Hobbs on Positive and Negative Freedom
Is giving up some of your freedoms a fair price to pay to live in a secure society?
The Harm Principle: How to live your life the way you want to—Lawyer Harry Potter on Individual Freedom and the State
John Stuart Mill argues the case for being able to live your life the way you want to.
The Free Will Defence: A Good God vs The Problem of Evil—Theologian Giles Fraser on Religious Freedom
We live in a world festering with evil. How could a good God allow this problem of evil?
The Libet Experiment: Is free will just an illusion?—Neuroscientist Paul Broks on Free Will and the Brain
Are our 'conscious decisions' just reports on what is already happening?
Edmund Burke on the sublime—Barry Smith on the Philosophy of Good Taste
Some things that move us are beautiful, others are sublime. But what is the difference?
The Golden Ratio: Possibly the best rectangle in the world—Vicky Neale on the Mathematics of Beauty
How these perfect proportions are replicated in nature and by artists and architects.
Diotima’s Ladder: From Lust to Morality—Philosopher Angie Hobbs on Beauty and Morality
Is lust just one rung on the ladder to a higher appreciation of beauty?
Feminine Beauty: A social construct?—Historian Simon Schaffer on Beauty and Evolution
Simone de Beauvoir: Resistance to male stereotypes of beauty can mean greater equality.