A History of Ideas

Simon Schaffer on humans, apes and Carl Linnaeus


Listen Later

Simon Schaffer is interested in the human species in general and one member of it in particular. Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist and zoologist who set out the basic structure of how we name and understand life on earth. In doing so he broached the thorny question of where humans should sit among the species of the earth. A hundred years before Darwin he correctly placed us among the apes. Simon examines that relationship to see the things that mark our similarities and our differences. Simon comes face to face with 'Jock', an adult Gorilla at Bristol Zoo and talks to Prof. Robert Foley about human evolution. He also sees how Linnaeus' ideas were used to support racial science. After all if humans were more like apes perhaps some humans were more like apes than others.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

A History of IdeasBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

32 ratings


More shows like A History of Ideas

View all
The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,788 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,727 Listeners

Economist Podcasts by The Economist

Economist Podcasts

4,172 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

4,044 Listeners

The Gray Area with Sean Illing by Vox

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

10,712 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,068 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,478 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,816 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,238 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,883 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,781 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,041 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,077 Listeners

The Science Show by ABC

The Science Show

121 Listeners

Ideas by CBC

Ideas

376 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,482 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

7,222 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,226 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

15,609 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,055 Listeners

Cyber Hack by BBC World Service

Cyber Hack

1,605 Listeners

Short History Of... by NOISER

Short History Of...

2,855 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,043 Listeners

Empire: World History by Goalhanger

Empire: World History

2,460 Listeners