Past Present Future

• The History of Bad Ideas: Monopoly

  For today’s episode in the history of bad ideas David talks to economic historian Marc Palen about monopoly, an idea that has always had its defenders as well as its fierce critics. Why do monopolies arise even in supposedly competitive economies? How did the anti-monopoly movement of Henry George in the late-19th century argue that the monopolists could be taken down? How are those struggles echoed in the fight against Silicon Valley monopolists today? And what has all this got to do with Monopoly the board game? Coming on Saturday on PPF+: A bonus episode with historian of religion Alec Ryrie exploring ‘The Age of Hitler’. Why did not being like Hitler rather than trying to be like Jesus become the benchmark of moral conduct? And why is that period now coming to an end? To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up now to PPF+ https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus Next time on The History of Bad Ideas: Value-free Tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• The History of Bad Ideas: Meritocracy

  Today’s bad idea is one that started out as satire and ended as a political slogan. David talks to historian of ideas Ben Jackson about meritocracy and its origins in Michael Young’s book The Rise of the Meritocracy published in 1958. Young foresaw a populist revolt against the meritocratic elite in the year 2034. Was his vision prophetic? Why did politicians like Tony Blair embrace a concept that Young thought was antithetical to a fair and just society? And who are the winners and losers from meritocracy today? Next time on The History of Bad Ideas: Monopoly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• The History of Bad Ideas: Charisma

  For today’s episode in the history of bad ideas David talks to cultural historian Tom Wright about charisma, a term that often feels essential for understanding modern politics but which ends up obscuring far more than it explains. How did an old idea from Christian theology get used to explain the hold that political leaders have over crowds? Why is it so important not to confuse charm with charisma? What has made a word from early twentieth-century social science ubiquitous on twenty-first-century dating sites? And if Trump hasn’t got charisma, then what has he got? Out now on PPF+: A bonus bad ideas episode in which David and Dan Snow talk about all sorts of ‘decisive battles’ that weren’t what they seem: Yarmuk, Hastings, Agincourt, Trafalgar, Warsaw 1920, Stalingrad, and more. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up now to PPF+ https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus Next time on The History of Bad Ideas: Meritocracy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• The History of Bad Ideas: The Decisive Battle

  In today’s episode about the power of bad ideas, David talks to historian and podcaster Dan Snow about the myth that wars are settled on the battlefield. Why are we so drawn to the idea of the decisive military showdown? Is Napoleon to blame? What are the forces that actually settle military conflicts? Plus: were Abba really so wrong that Waterloo won the war? Out tomorrow: A bonus episode in which David and Dan explore a range of battles to see what got settled and what didn’t: Yarmuk, Hastings, Agincourt, Trafalgar, Warsaw 1920, Stalingrad. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up now to PPF+ https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus Next time on The History of Bad Ideas: Charisma Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• The History of Bad Ideas: Genius

  Today’s bad idea is ‘genius’, the label that has enabled all sorts of terrible behaviour through the ages. Writer and broadcaster Helen Lewis explains how and why the idea of genius gets misapplied to people and things that just aren’t. Why are geniuses meant to be tortured? Why are individual geniuses prized over the collaborations that lie behind most innovations? Why do we think that people who are brilliant at one thing will be good at everything else? Plus, David makes the case for Dickens as a bona fide genius. The Genius Myth by Helen Lewis is out from today wherever you get your books https://bit.ly/3FSAKda David’s new 20-part series Postwar – about the 1945 general election and the making of modern Britain – is available now on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002d8v1 Next time on The History of Bad Ideas: The Decisive Battle w/Dan Snow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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