The Big Idea

A big idea that shapes how we understand our place in the world - from the idea’s creator.

World Service,44 episodes

Episodes

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Big ideas: The way we think
Five ideas challenging how we think about the world
10 Jan 2021,49 mins
Fighting pandemics
The 2020 pandemic has transformed our world, but it won’t be the last to do so
19 Dec 2020,9 mins
Big ideas: The city
Five big ideas that could change the way we think about cities
13 Dec 2020,49 mins
The science of addiction
Why drug addicts want drugs – even when they don’t
12 Dec 2020,9 mins
The new normal
How Donald Trump is reshaping our ideas of normal behaviour
05 Dec 2020,9 mins
Do cities need rules?
How does the way a city is run change its inhabitants' lives?
28 Nov 2020,9 mins
The science of sleep
What does sleep do for us, and what can go wrong if we don't get enough?
21 Nov 2020,9 mins
The importance of fairness
Why it pays to be fair, and why people are less selfish than you think
14 Nov 2020,9 mins
How do we spot rogue cops?
Within every police force there are bad cops, but could there be a trick to spotting them
07 Nov 2020,9 mins
Big ideas: The body
David Edmonds discovers fascinating research on the human body
01 Nov 2020,49 mins
Understanding emotions: Should we follow our hearts?
How noticing things in our bodies can help us read our feelings
31 Oct 2020,9 mins
Ubernomics
Does behaviour tracking help tech companies become better at saying sorry?
24 Oct 2020,9 mins
Why living in the city could make you happier
What makes some cities more successful than others?
17 Oct 2020,9 mins
Why do we find things disgusting?
Meet a ‘disgustologist’ who has been uncovering answers to our uneasy feelings
10 Oct 2020,9 mins
The fragility of choice
Where do our opinions come from and how easy is it for people to change them?
03 Oct 2020,9 mins
The truth about marriage
And how your relationship may be less stable than you think.
26 Sep 2020,9 mins
How to topple a dictator
Is violent or non-violent protest more effective?
19 Sep 2020,9 mins
Why do we laugh?
And why a cognitive neuroscientist says laughter deserves more research.
12 Sep 2020,9 mins
The afterlife
Suppose you knew that after your natural death the human race would die out…
22 Sep 2018,9 mins
Why are some nations rich?
Why are some nations richer than others?
15 Sep 2018,9 mins
How does language work?
How do we process language? We speak to a neuroscientist who specialises in language
08 Sep 2018,9 mins
A future without doctors?
AI will be of assistance, but surely we’ll always need surgeons, doctors, and nurses?
01 Sep 2018,9 mins
The intelligent tree
Are trees intelligent?
25 Aug 2018,9 mins
Consciousness: A strange theory
Humans are conscious, but is consciousness also in tables and chairs?
18 Aug 2018,9 mins
The teenage brain
Why can’t teenagers get out of bed in the morning?
11 Aug 2018,9 mins
How to stop murder
How can we reduce murder rates?
04 Aug 2018,9 mins
Democracy and famine
What is the cause of famine? It’s not the obvious answer
28 Jul 2018,9 mins
Dimensions of discrimination
Do black women face more prejudice than black men or white women?
21 Jul 2018,9 mins
Inequality makes us anxious
Inequality makes people anxious. How?
14 Jul 2018,9 mins
Are we all racist?
Are we all racist? Mahzarin Banaji puts this to the test with Implicit Association Test
07 Jul 2018,9 mins