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Human Intelligence

BBC Radio 4

In Human Intelligence, Naomi Alderman dissects the minds of brilliant thinkers from the past; examining the myriad ways in which humans think and realising that great minds don't, in fact, think alike.

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20 episodes
Avg 14 min
English

Episodes 20

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August 10 · 14 min
Conversationalists: Homer
Naomi Alderman explores Homer’s mind and the oral thinking behind his epics.
August 10 · 14 min
Conversationalists: Fatema Mernissi
Inside the mind of the revolutionary feminist thinker, sociologist and intellectual.
August 10 · 14 min
Conversationalists: Isabella D'este
Isabella d’Este’s Renaissance mind of art, power, and strategic cultural influence.
August 10 · 14 min
Conversationalists: Desmond Tutu
Inside the mind of Desmond Tutu and his vision for truth and reconciliation.
August 10 · 14 min
Conversationalists: Voltaire
Voltaire’s sharp mind, letters, and fearless challenge to authority and superstition.
August 10 · 14 min
Provocateurs: Elinor Ostrom
Elinor Ostrom challenged economics and reimagined shared human cooperation.
August 10 · 14 min
Provocateurs: Eugène-Francois Vidocq
The mind that invented modern detective work and transformed criminal investigation.
August 10 · 14 min
Provocateurs: Sigmund Freud
Inside the mind of the man who pioneered the discipline of psychoanalysis.
August 10 · 14 min
Provocateurs: Salvador Dalí
Provocative and surreal, Salvador Dalí blurred art, ego, and illusion to shock minds.
August 10 · 14 min
Provocateurs: Cicero
Inside the mind of the statesman who is credited with advancing Roman genius.
August 10 · 14 min
Recluses: Nikola Tesla
Is the mind of Nikola Tesla worthy of such an extensive legacy?
August 10 · 14 min
Recluses: Li Qingzhao
Inside the mind of China’s greatest female poet: Li Qingzhao.
August 10 · 14 min
Recluses: Michel de Montaigne
What can we learn from the mind of Montaigne who invented the concept of the essay?
August 10 · 14 min
Recluses: Ibn Khaldun
How did philosopher Ibn Khaldun invent a theory to explain the rise and fall of dynasties?
August 10 · 14 min
Recluses: Emily Brontë
How did the writing of accomplished author Emily Brontë benefit from her reclusive nature?
January 5 · 14 min
Perfectionists: Martha Graham
Martha Graham was to modern dance what Picasso was to painting.
January 5 · 14 min
Perfectionists: Leonardo Da Vinci
The quintessential Renaissance man, artist Leonardo da Vinci was curious about everything.
January 5 · 14 min
Perfectionists: Al-Khwarizmi
Al-Khwarizmi laid the groundwork for the modern world in setting down the rules of algebra
January 5 · 14 min
Perfectionists: Simone Weil
Simone Weil was a perfectionist of ethics, calling on us to attend to others’ suffering.
January 5 · 14 min
Perfectionists: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel wanted all his work to be the best, but it came at a cost.

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes