Arts & Ideas

Anne McElvoy and guests discuss the concentration, distribution and morality of wealth now and look back at An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, published by the Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith in 1776, which gives an early account of what builds nations' wealth and introduced concepts such as free markets, the division of labour, and productivity.Our guests for this episode of BBC Radio 4's Friday night ideas discussion programme are:Vicky Pryce, economist and business consultant and co-author of Mismanaged Decline What Politicians Won’t Tell You About the EconomyMaha Rafi Atal, Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in Political Economy at the University of Glasgow. The University is holding a series of events to mark the 250th anniversary of the publication of The Wealth of Nations.Dafydd Daniel, Lecturer in Divinity at the University of St AndrewsAllister Heath, business journalistHettie O'Brien, Guardian writer and author of The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned Capitalism Against ItselfProducer: Eliane GlaserYou can hear another discussion about searching for economic solutions in the most recent episode of Start the Week, Radio 4's Monday morning discussion programme where Tom Sutcliffe was joined by Mariana Mazzucato, Jeremy Hunt and Patrick Foulis.

The links between food and philosophy, ideas about experimentation, taste and how food and traditions become part of our identity are explored by Matthew Sweet in Radio 4's round-table discussion programme. His guests are:Author John Lanchester, who writes restaurant reviews and whose latest novel is called Look What You Made Me DoFood writer Felicity Cloake, who writes a Cook the Perfect column for The Guardian newspaper and has published books called Red Sauce, Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Odyssey, Peach Street to Lobster Lane: Coast to Coast in Search of Real American Cuisine and now her debut novel The Underdog.Professor Barry Smith, director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London's School of Advanced StudyPhilosopher Suki Finn, whose book What's in a Donut Hole? uses food to explore classic philosophical puzzlesAuthor Samantha Ellis, whose book Chopping Onions on My Heart is a memoir about Iraqi Jewish food, language and cultureProducer: Eliane Glaser

From undercover field operatives to online anonymity, via lives led in the closet and large scale infidelity, Matthew Sweet discusses the what can prompt people to lead double lives. With: Ashleigh Percival-Borleigh, Radio 4 New Generation Thinker, former soldier and historian, researching the lives of under-cover agents during WW2 Lawrence Scott, literary critic and commentator on social media and the double lives people lead online Peter Parker, historian of gay life in Britain before homosexuality was decriminalized, has documented decades of lives lived in the closet Clare Carlisle, philosopher and biographer of Soren Kierkegaard, who thought there’s always a difference between our inner selves and the face we present to the world Plus the actress Ruth Wilson, whose 2018 drama Mrs Wilson unraveled the story of her own grandfather's multiple livesProducer: Luke Mulhall

Are we addicted to novelty? What are the cultural settings that allow innovation to flourish? And are novelty and innovation things we've always valued? Matthew Sweet is joined by writer and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan, Professor of Innovation Tim Minshall, and historians Agnes Arnold-Forster, and Christina Faraday.Tim Minshall is the author of Your Life is Manufactured. Margaret Heffernan's most recent book is Embracing Uncertainty Agnes Arnold-Foster has written Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion Christina Faraday is the author of The Story of Tudor Art Nick Hilton, presenter of The Ned Ludd Radio Hour podcastProducer: Luke Mulhall

Is idleness ever a virtue? In a world that seems to privilege utility and productivity above all else, Matthew Sweet considers whether we can rethink the importance of doing nothing. His guests for Radio 4's late night ideas discussion programme are:Tom Hodgkinson, editor of The Idler and author of books including Idle Thoughts: Letters on Good Living, How to Live Like a Stoic: A Handbook for Happiness Polly Dickson, a literary scholar at the University of Durham, who’s researching the art of doodling Katrien Devolder, Professor of Applied Ethics at the University of Oxford Gavin Francis, doctor and author of many books including The Bridge Between Worlds and coming in Feb 2026 The Unfragile Mind, Making Sense of Mental Health Steve Connor, cultural historian, Director of Research of the Digital Futures Institute, King’s College, London.Producer: Luke Mulhall

Why marry? Jane Austen began her novel Pride and Prejudice with the observation "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics show less than half the adult UK population are married or in a legal partnership and predictions are that by 2050, only 3 in 10 people in the UK will marry.Shahidha Bari hosts Radio 4's round-table discussion programme Free Thinking, which brings together philosophical and historical insights in a conversation about issues resonating in the present day. Her guests this week are: columnist Zoe Strimpel, who has been considering the history and current state of the family in a 5 part series running on Radio 4 this week Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch, biographer of Thomas Cromwell and author of Lower than Angels: A history of Sex and Christianity Dr Reetika Subramanian from the University of East Anglia, who hosts a podcast called Climate Brides. Reetika is one of Radio 4's current researchers in residence on the New Generation Thinkers scheme run in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Psychoanalyst and literary scholar Josh Cohen Philosopher and film scholar Catherine WheatleyProducer: Luke Mulhall