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Episode details

Radio 4,03 May 2024,57 mins

Winning and Losing, Plato scroll, the decline of Nightlife

Free Thinking

Available for over a year

Matthew Sweet talks about the philosophy of winning and losing with Professor Lea Ypi a political scientist at the London School of Economics and the journalist and author Peter Hitchens. They'll be joined by the lawyer Michael Mansfield KC who has headed some of the biggest legal cases in recent history including the Birmingham Six, the Bloody Sunday massacre and the Hillsborough disaster and also by Cath Bishop, a triple Olympian, former British diplomat, leadership and culture coach. Cath is the author of 'The Long Win' which examines how we define success in sport, business, education and life. Professor Graziano Ranocchia, of the University of Pisa will talk about the discovery of an ancient scroll which contains a previously unknown narrative detailing how the Greek philosopher Plato spent his last evening, describing how he listened to music played on a flute by a Thracian slave girl. The team discuss how our understanding of history is altered as new artefacts or evidence emerge. And they consider the cultural role of nightlife against a backdrop of record closures of music venues, nightclubs and pubs. Presenter: Matthew Sweet Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Tim Heffer

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