The Great Philosophers: Full TV Schedule and Live Stream
A history of western philosophy in 15 parts.
Review scores
Available for Streaming
1. Plato
Myles Burnyeat looks at Plato, the first western philosopher whose written works have survived.
2. Aristotle
Martha Nussbaum looks at Aristotle, Plato's star pupil and tutor to the young Alexander the Great, whose philosophy dominated western thought for many hundreds of years.
3. Medieval Philosophy
Bryan Magee and guest Anthony Kenny discuss the work of the medieval philosophers and the contribution of figures such as St Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.
4. Descartes
Bryan Magee and Bernard Williams discuss the work of French philosopher René Descartes.
5. Spinoza and Leibniz
Bryan Magee discusses the work of Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, the German philosopher, with his guest, Anthony Quinton.
6. Locke and Berkley
Bryan Magee discusses the work of English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) and Irish philosopher George Berkeley (1685-1753) with his guest, Dr Michael Ayres.
7. Hume
Bryan Magee discusses the work of the Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) with professor John Passmore.
8. Kant
Bryan Magee and his guest, Sir Geoffrey Warnock, discuss the work of German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).
9. Hegel and Marx
Bryan Magee and Peter Singer discuss the work of German philosophers Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) and Karl Marx (1818-1883). He is joined by Peter Singer.
10. Schopenhauer
Bryan Magee looks at the work of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) with Prof Frederick Copleston.
11. Nietzsche
Bryan Magee and his guest, Professor JP Stern, discuss the work of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900).
12. Husserl, Heidegger and Modern Existentialism
Bryan Magee and Hubert Dreyfus discuss the work of Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger and other modern existentialist philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
13. The American Pragmatists
Bryan Magee and Sidney Morgenbesser discuss the work of the American pragmatists CS Peirce, John Dewey and William James.
14. Frege, Russell and Modern Logic
Bryan Magee discusses the work of German philosopher Gottlob Frege (1848-1925) and English philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) with Prof Sir Alfred J Ayer.
15. Wittgenstein
Bryan Magee discusses the work of British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) with Professor John Searle.
The Great Philosophers FAQs
When is The Great Philosophers next on?
The Great Philosophers is not currently scheduled for broadcast. Check back soon for fresh listings.
Which channel is The Great Philosophers next on?
We'll highlight the channel here as soon as a new slot for The Great Philosophers is confirmed. For now, keep an eye on the tables above.
When will The Great Philosophers be available on iPlayer?
Episodes land on BBC iPlayer just after the show finishes airing. Use the streaming section above to jump in as soon as it drops.