How do we understand the world and our place in it? Do our lives consist of a small number of dramatic turning points, or is there nothing but a series of gradual changes from infancy to old age? Are political elections genuinely transformational, or merely arbitrary points along a shifting cultural timeline? And in physics, how can the continuities of general relativity coexist with the discontinuities of quantum theory?
In Waves and Stones, Graham Harman shows that this paradoxical interaction – the question of whether reality is made up of sudden jumps, or is laid out along a gentle gradient with no clear divisions between the various things in the world – permeates every area of human life. What’s more, this paradox is as old as human thought itself. In exploring how the continuous and discrete relate to each other, he takes us on a kaleidoscopic journey from the philosophers of ancient Greece, through the writings of the great Arab historian Ibn Khaldun, through architectural and evolutionary theory, the compatibility of religion with science, and the wave-particle duality of matter.
To explore the relationship between the continuous and the discrete, Harman shows, is to consider the very fabric of reality. With this dazzling new book, he proposes a new way of thinking about this ancient problem, with profound implications for our understanding of ourselves and the bewilderingly complex world in which we live.
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1:30:24
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1:30:24
Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall – Why We Eat What We Eat
Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall reveal the insights you need to better understand what's on your dinner plate, how it got there, and why you eat it.
Award-winning health journalist Julia Belluz and internationally renowned nutrition and metabolism scientist Dr Kevin Hall will unpack the science behind our diets, metabolism, and the food systems that shape them. Together, they will explore how our food environment is the key influence on our eating behaviours, challenge popular myths about diet, and reveal why rising rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes are not failures of willpower, but symptoms of a system working exactly as designed.
In a world where misinformation thrives and our food system is stacked against us, Julia and Kevin will provide much-needed clarity to help us all make more informed choices about what we eat.
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1:06:12
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1:06:12
Sir Tony Robinson Meets Janina Ramirez - The Real Women Behind the Medieval Myths
Though well-known across Europe by name, the real lives of women such as Joan of Arc and Jadwiga of Poland have been buried under banners of nationalistic agendas that have twisted their stories through the ages. Oxford historian Janina Ramirez joins Sir Tony Robinson to illuminate the truth of these incredible women, and disentangle their real stories from the myths imposed on them through time. From Lady Godiva's real name, Godgifu, and how her eroticised image has overshadowed her real survival as a landowning woman in tumultuous times, to Joan of Arc's journey to becoming a warrior in a war-torn and plague-ravaged land, to Catherine of Siena's vivid visions and Jadwiga's reign as monarch of Poland, Professor Ramirez sheds light on truths long enshrouded by myths.
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1:17:08
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1:17:08
Nicola Sturgeon Meets Darren McGarvey - Trauma Industrial Complex
Today, trauma permeates media, from music and television to films and books. While the increasing openness is welcome, Darren has observed that the webs of digital networks surrounding us and which commodify our most vulnerable experiences often harm us more than help us heal. How did we get here? What role does social media play in commodifying our experiences? And are the stories we’re telling ourselves liberating us or keeping us trapped?
In conversation with Nicola Sturgeon, Darren explores the intersections of trauma, identity, social media, and society, revealing how we can fight back against the larger corporations that are turning our real and vulnerable stories into digital commodities, and truly advocate for marginalised voices.
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1:11:41
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1:11:41
Ian Mortimer - The Time Traveller's Guide to England
In his four Time Travellers Guides to England, historian Ian Mortimer has taken us from the Medieval period all the way to the Regency, revelling not in the business of courts and princes but the minutae of daily life for ordinary men and women. In this podcast, he shares his insights into how the English people have changed over time - and how they have stayed the same. Touching upon liberty and leadership, xenophobia and violence, this whistlestop tour of a thousand years of English life is an unmissable treat for history lovers of all stripes. Who was the worst monarch? Why should you preserve your urine? And do the French really deserve all the credit for inventing champagne? Discover the answers to all of these questions and many more with one of our most beloved national historians.
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How To Academy is London's home of big thinking. From Nobel laureates to Pulitzer Prize winners, we invite the world’s most influential voices to share new ideas for changing ourselves, our communities, and the world. Our biweekly podcast is your chance to hear in-depth from the most exciting thinkers in global culture.
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