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Episode details

Radio 4,23 Jan 2015,58 mins

SeriesOmnibus

What Makes Us Human?

A History of Ideas

Available for over a year

A new history of ideas presented by Melvyn Bragg but told in many voices. Melvyn is joined by four guests with different backgrounds to discuss a really big question. This week he's asking What makes us human? Helping him answer it are Philosopher Barry Smith, Classicist Catherine Edwards, historian Simon Schaffer and theologian Giles Fraser. For the rest of the week Barry, Catharine, Simon and Giles will take us further into the history of ideas about what makes us human. With programmes of their own they will examine the evolution of language, the Stoic philosopher Seneca, the classification of all living species and the film Bladerunner. This omnibus edition has all five programmes together.

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