Human Intelligence
Human Intelligence
Podcast Description
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.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into themes such as the evolution of thought, the impact of individual ideas on society, and the cultural context of intellectual endeavors, with episodes highlighting figures like Charles Darwin's scientific observations, Sei Shōnagon's literary innovations, and Mary Wollstonecraft's arguments for women's rights.
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.
Aristotle was a philosopher, teacher, collector and all-round polymath. He was also, importantly, a traveller, who allowed new places, especially the rich biodiversity he encountered on the island of Lesbos, to shape his thinking profoundly.
Aristotle’s observations about the natural world were remarkably accurate. Many were proved correct by modern science thousands of years later. He dissected animals, not as his contemporaries did, to understand the will of the gods, but to understand animals for their own sakes. He believed – and encouraged us to consider – that everyone has an innate curiosity about the world, that everyone can try to understand its wonder.
Special thanks to Sophia Connell, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.
Produced by BBC Studios Audio in partnership with The Open University.
Presenter: Naomi Alderman
Executive editor: Philip Sellars
Series producer: Sarah Goodman
Script editor: Sara Joyner
Researchers: Harry Burton and Miriam O’Byrne
Production coordinator: Amelia Paul
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