Please Expand
14 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingPlease Expand is a podcast where I discuss non-fiction books with their authors. But Please Expand is not just about summaries; it's about conversations. I go into every episode having read each book in great detail and having reflected on the fundamental assumptions, foundations and questions with which the book grapples.
If you, like me, have finished a book with burning questions that only the author could answer, then Please Expand is the podcast for you.
Pick up one of the books I'm discussing and settle in for what I hope will be an illuminating conversation.
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Episodes
How Religion Evolved with Robin Dunbar
March 02, 2024 19:50 - 2 hours - 120 MBIn this episode we look at Robin Dunbar's particular thesis that religion is not just an unexpected outcome of evolution but is, in fact, a mode of engaging with the world that confers substantial benefits on its adherents. We look at the importance of group bonding and the important role that religion plays in this. We talk about why religion is the most effective mode of bonding people in large groups, paying special attention to the role that endorphin release plays in this. Indeed, the e...
The Knowledge Machine with Michael Strevens
December 05, 2023 12:55 - 1 hour - 91.6 MBI talk with Michael Strevens about the scientific enterprise. Does science get at objective truth or is it limited by subjective world-views? We begin by discussing the roles of Kuhn and Popper in the "Great Method Debate", before going on to discuss developments in the sociology of science, by figures such as Bruno Latour, who showed that there is actually quite a bit of subjectivity in everyday scientific activities. We then go on to discuss Michael's contribution to this debate and we exa...
The Aristocracy of Talent with Adrian Wooldridge
November 13, 2023 17:18 - 1 hour - 101 MBIn this episode we talk about meritocracy and whether it is still a viable system for social organisation. We begin by dissecting the concept of merit by analysing the role that talent or IQ play in assessing whether someone deserves something or not. We discuss the historical relationship between the fight for equality and the growth of the meritocratic ideal. We talk about the importance of education in the construction of a meritocracy; we wonder whether tests are sufficiently fine-grai...
The Decline of Magic with Michael Hunter
April 17, 2023 21:18 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBIn this episode, Giulia Luvisotto and I interview Michael Hunter on The Decline of Magic. Taking its cue from Keith Thomas's Religion and the Decline of Magic, Hunter goes into the details of why magic declined in the late 17th century. Hunter introduces us to the world of the orthodox thinkers and the free-thinkers (or the Wits!) and the intellectual battlefield on which they exchanged withering treatises about the existence of supernatural phenomena and natural causation. We talk about the...
Princes of the Renaissance with Mary Hollingsworth
March 06, 2023 18:50 - 1 hour - 73.5 MBIn this episode, I interview Mary Hollingsworth on her new book, Princes of the Renaissance. We begin by talking about just what exactly the Renaissance was and how it developed differently across the Italian peninsula. Then, we discuss the ideal character of an Italian Prince, of their engagement in war but, more importantly, their role as patron of the arts and how they were the focal point for the development of the Renaissance within their particular city-state. We go from talking about...
Conquistadores: A New History with Fernando Cervantes
December 05, 2022 19:35 - 56 minutes - 42.8 MBIn this episode I interview Fernando Cervantes, author of "Conquistadores", where we discuss his new interpretation of the conquest of the Americas. By placing figures like Columbus and Cortes in their proper historical context, Fernando paints a picture of the conquest of the Americas that is no less violent than traditional narratives, but much less wicked. We talk about the Christian, medieval, crusading spirit that is fundamental to understanding the motivations and actions of the conqu...
America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present with John Ghazvinian
November 07, 2022 20:09 - 59 minutes - 43.9 MBIn this episode I interview John Ghazvinian, author of "American and Iran", where we talk about the surprising history of American-Iranian relations by beginning in 1720, and continue all the way through the circuitous and, sometimes tortuous, path that is the history of these two remarkable nations. We look at the foundations for American interest in Iran; the growth of Iranian fascination with American democracy; the fascinating dual character of Iran as both the inheritor of Ancient Pers...
Time's Witness with Rosemary Hill
October 03, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 79.3 MBIn this episodes we talk about an obscure group of professionals called "Antiquaries" ,whose intellectual activities became increasingly relevant in the period from 1789 -1851. We discuss the changing self-image of the English; the antiquaries made the Gothic central to English identity; and it is to the antiquaries that we owe the canonisation of Shakespeare. We grapple with questions concerning historical authenticity, the role of creativity in historical narratives, and ultimately wonder ...
The History of the Bible with John Barton
February 21, 2022 19:00 - 55 minutes - 39.2 MBI interview John Barton on “The History of the Bible: The Book and its Faiths”, with my guest J. A. Velasco. We grapple with some challenging issues surround the Bible. We discuss problems surrounding the authorship of the various books of the bible; we talk about the role that divine inspiration can play in our comprehension of the Bible; and we try to unpack the kinds of moral truths that one can reasonably take away from the Bible.
The Life and Death of Ancient Cities with Greg Woolf
January 24, 2022 09:56 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBI interview Greg Woolf on "The Life and Death of Ancient Cities", with my guest J. A. Velasco. We talk about three main themes of Greg's book. First, we discuss the innovative evolutionary framework through which Greg has chosen to discuss the phenomenon of urbanisation. Second, we talk about the claim that inequality between people grew as urban centres expanded. We investigate whether there was less inequality in rural settings or whether the appearance of no inequality is simply due to th...
The Invention of Science with David Wootton
December 20, 2021 09:07 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBI interview David Wootton on "The Invention of Science". We talk about what science is and how science came about in the 16th century. We look at the rise of perspective painting; Columbus's discovery of America; and the invention of the printing press. We discuss the significance of Galileo's discovery of the phases of Venus and David's notion of "killer facts"; and we discuss the impact of David's arguments for contemporary academic history of science as well as the Kuhnian legacy. Afte...
The Light Ages with Seb Falk
November 22, 2021 09:23 - 56 minutes - 49.9 MBI interview Seb Falk on "The Light Ages", with my guest J. A. Velasco. We get right to the core of Seb's book and discuss whether people in the middle ages were doing science; we talk about whether people in the middle ages saw themselves as collaborating and competing with each other; and, finally, we look at some fascinating individuals and how they thought about the world, from Robert Grosseteste, Roger Bacon, Petrus Alphonsi, and Ibn al-Haytham. After the interview I spend some time wit...
The Boundless Sea with David Abulafia
October 24, 2021 20:47 - 1 hour - 39.3 MBI interview David Abulafia on "The Boundless Sea: A Human History of the Ocean", winner of the Wolfson History Prize. We discuss topics such as why some island nations are better than navigating than others; how important trade was to motivating maritime travel; how seriously we should take the intentions of Christian missionaries in the New World; the concept of discovery and its role in the history of the oceans; and just how much our relation to the Oceans has changed in recent years. Af...
Introduction to Please Expand
October 17, 2021 22:59 - 3 minutes - 5.02 MBWelcome to Please Expand! In this introductory episode I talk about what Please Expand is, how you can get involved with it, and how you can support it.