Past Present Future cover image

Past Present Future

Past Present Future

By: David Runciman
Listen for free

Season's Savings | 0.99 €/mo for 3 months

6.99 €/month thereafter - terms apply. Cancel monthly.
Past Present Future is a bi-weekly History of Ideas podcast with David Runciman, host and creator of Talking Politics, exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology. David talks to historians, novelists, scientists and many others about where the most interesting ideas come from, what they mean, and why they matter. Ideas from the past, questions about the present, shaping the future. New episodes every Wednesday and Sunday.767045 Philosophy Politics & Government Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Can Universities Survive? The Thousand-Year Story Part 2

    Can Universities Survive? The Thousand-Year Story Part 2
    21 Oct 2026
    Today’s episode is the second part of David's conversation with historian William Whyte about how universities have survived for nearly a thousand years and whether they can last much longer. How did the industrial revolution change what universities were for? Why did the attempt by French and Russian revolutionaries to abolish universities come to nothing? What made universities symbols of modernisation? And can institutions that have adapted to just about everything adapt to the digital revolution as well? William Whyte’s new book is The University: A History in Stone, Silk, and Blood – available now https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674495180 You can find out everything else you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus our free online courses and full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus episodes – on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Next Time in Can Universities Survive? The Great Expansion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr
  • Can Universities Survive? The Thousand-Year Story

    Can Universities Survive? The Thousand-Year Story
    18 Oct 2026
    We start a new series about the long history and current predicament of universities by going back to the beginning. David talks to historian William Whyte about the origin story of the university nearly one thousand years ago. What made universities different from other places of learning? How did they assert their authority? Who controlled what they did? And how did they survive war, plague, religious turmoil and the arrival of printing? Out now on PPF+: the final part of our series on transhumanism bringing the story bang up to date. How is transhumanism behind the latest warnings about the end of the world? Is Elon Musk a visionary or a fraud? And what’s wrong with transhumanism anyway? To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening – and to help support everything we do – subscribe to PPF+ no https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus our free online courses and full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus episodes – on our website https://www.ppfideas.com Next Time in Can Universities Survive? The Thousand-Year Story Part 2: Enlightenment, Revolution, Modernisation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    1 hr
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet