
PPF+: A Taste Of What You’ve Been Missing (Taster 3)
From Past Present Future by David Runciman
April 22, 2026 · 1h 0m · Season 22 · Episode 283
About this episode
This episode features highlights from PPF+ including discussions on luck, Hiroshima, film, British government, and the Moscow Show Trials.
Today’s episode features some recent highlights from PPF+ where we have just released our 50th bonus episode. In this selection you’ll hear philosopher Paul Sagar talking about his personal experiences of good and back luck; David talking about what changed for Hiroshima and the world in the moments after the bomb fell; historian of film Harrison Whittaker on the link between It’s A Wonderful Life and Sartrean existentialism; Hannah White from the Institute for Government on why British government doesn’t work at the centre; and historian of Russia Edward Acton on how to understand the confessions at the Moscow Show Trials. Bonus #50 on PPF+ is the fourth and final part of Orwell’s War, looking at why George Orwell feared that the end of WW2 would lead to war without end. To get access to our full archive of 50 PPF+ bonus episodes plus two future bonuses every month and ad-free listening, sign up to PPF+ now. It’s £5 per month or £50 for the year and you will be helping this podcast to keep going and growing 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 merch, events and full lists of all…
People in this episode
Host: David Runciman
Guests: Paul Sagar, Harrison Whittaker, Hannah White, Edward Acton
Topics covered
- philosophy
- history
- government
- film
- war
- existentialism
Keywords
- bonus episode
- Hiroshima
- existentialism
- government
- Orwell
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: It’s A Wonderful Life, Orwell’s War
Places: Hiroshima
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- The Great Political Fictions: The Golden Notebook · May 31, 2026 · 1h 1m
- The Great Political Fictions: Brave New World · May 27, 2026 · 1h 6m
- Live Film Special: Good Night, and Good Luck w/Helen Lewis · May 24, 2026 · 1h 2m
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