The History of Bad Ideas: Deliverism

More from Past Present Future

1. 

   S5 · E312 · 26 Jul 2026 · 58 min

   The History of Bad Ideas: Utilitarianism

   Today’s episode in the history of bad ideas is about one of the central ideas in modern philosophy: utilitarianism, or the view that what matters is the greatest happiness of the greatest number. David talks to philosopher Nikhil Krishnan about how something that sounds so intuitively unobjectionable can produce some extremely objectionable outcomes. What is utility and how do we measure it? Does being a utilitarian actually make you happier? Whose pleasure and pain gets to count? And what happens when killing an innocent person will save many others … should we do it? Out tomorrow on PPF+:…

2. 

   S5 · E311 · 22 Jul 2026 · 59 min

   The History of Bad Ideas: Political Leadership is What Counts

   Today’s bad idea is a pervasive political myth: the notion that what really matters at election time is political leadership. David talks to political scientist Jane Green about why leaders are less important than they – and we – tend to think. What does shape how people choose to vote? Why do we consistently overstate what leaders can do? Did Blair or Johnson or Starmer really ‘win’ their elections? Can Andy Burnham buck the trend? You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus merch, events and full lists of all episodes including PPF+ bonus…

3. 

   S5 · E310 · 19 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 8 min

   The History of Bad Ideas: Celebrity

   David talks to historian and broadcaster Greg Jenner about the surprising history of the idea of celebrity, from Roman generals to 18th-century child stars to contemporary pop culture icons. How is celebrity different from fame or renown? What makes celebrity so seductive, so pervasive and, sometimes, so dangerous? Why are celebrity culture and commercial culture inextricably linked? And what are the lessons from the celebrity of Michael Jackson? You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus merch, events and full lists of all episodes…

4. 

   S5 · E308 · 12 Jul 2026 · 56 min

   The History of Bad Ideas: Narrative History

   Today’s bad idea is a way of doing history: David talks to historian Alec Ryrie about the seductions and pitfalls of narrative history. Why do we need more Herodotus and less Thucydides? What makes so many historians believe that the meaning of a story is determined by its end? How does narrative history distort our understanding of contemporary events? And how can podcasts do it better? Out tomorrow on PPF+ a bonus episode to accompany this series: David talks about what’s wrong with the idea of ‘the news’ and how it corrupts us all. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free…

5. 

   S5 · E307 · 8 Jul 2026 · 59 min

   The History of Bad Ideas: Hysteria

   For the first in a new set of episodes about bad ideas with interesting histories David talks to the writer and broadcaster Helen Lewis about hysteria, an ancient idea that became a very modern diagnosis. Why was hysteria associated with both madness and saintliness? How did Charcot and then Freud use hysteria to rationalise otherwise baffling female behaviour? What happens when group hysteria takes hold? And why do we still find it so hard to do without these kinds of labels? You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus merch, events and…

6. 

   S19 · E306 · 5 Jul 2026 · 58 min

   Where Are We Going? The Future of the Future

   In the second part of their conversation about what has happened to our ideas of the future David and Ivan Krastev explore where the future is going next. Why do our expectations of what comes after us shift as we live longer and our societies age? What changes in the human understanding of the future as humans get displaced by machines? And where might we end up if we continue to fixate on end-of-the-world scenarios? From future utopias to future dystopias and all that lies between. You can find out everything you need to know about this podcast – who we are, what we do, plus merch, events…

7. 

   S25 · E334 · 11 Oct 2026 · 57 minNew

   The History of Transhumanism: New Horizons

   In part two of our series about how transhumanism shaped our world, David talks to Duncan Bell about what happened when sci fi dreams started to become reality. What changed when space travel turned from fantasy to fact? Did supercomputers herald new human possibilities or the prospect of human obsolescence? Why did transhumanism move from the left to the right of the political spectrum? And who believed that freezing their own heads was a good idea? A reminder we have a pair of new educational courses to accompany two of our series – The Great Essays and The Lives of the Philosophers. These…

8. 

   S25 · E333 · 7 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

   The History of Transhumanism: Origins

   Today it’s the first episode in a new series about the weird and wonderful world of transhumanism: the idea that human beings can be transformed by technology and machines. David talks to historian of ideas Duncan Bell about transhumanism as science and as science fiction, as accurate prophecy and as outright lunacy. How did the idea have its origins in Darwinism? Why did the early transhumanists tend to be socialists? What made H. G. Wells such an influence on supposedly respectable scientists? And how does all this foreshadow the world of Silicon Valley today? A reminder that we have a…

9. 

   S24 · E332 · 4 Oct 2026 · 54 min

   An Ageing World: Simone de Beauvoir on Old Age

   For the final episode in our series on living in an ageing world David talks to Lyndsey Stonebridge about one of the most interesting and challenging of all writers on the subject of old age – Simone de Beauvoir. Why did Beauvoir believe that we are all duplicitous about the elderly? How did she experience her own ageing body and the prospect of her own death? What did she learn from watching Sartre age and die? And what makes her a prophet for the world we live in today? Lyndsey Stonebridge’s 'Old Women: A History of Our Future' will be published next year. Out now on PPF+: part two of…

10. 

    S24 · E331 · 30 Sep 2026 · 59 min

    An Ageing World: The Problem of Gerontocracy

    In today’s episode for our series about living in ageing societies, David talks to historian and legal scholar Samuel Moyn about the problem of gerontocracy, aka the rule of the old. Why do older generations now have so much wealth and so much power? Why is this particularly true in the United States? Is the real problem elderly politicians or elderly voters? Do the young stand a chance any more? Out tomorrow on PPF+: part two of this conversation in which David and Sam try to move from diagnosis to cure. How can older people be encouraged to stop hoarding wealth and power? Is socialised…

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