HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONBy Leon Trotsky
Read by Jonathan Booth
53 hours 06 minutes
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was one of the most cataclysmic events in world history, profoundly shaping politics, international relations, social patterns, economics and science in the century that followed. It created long-lasting aftershocks which travelled far beyond its geographical borders. How did it happen? Continue Reading →
THE REVOLUTION BETRAYEDBy Leon Trotsky
Read by Jonathan Booth
tbc minutes
It is June 1936. Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) has finally been granted a visa for asylum in Norway, having been banned first from living in Paris, and then the whole of France. With him comes the draft of The Revolution Betrayed: What is the Soviet Union and where is it going?, which is completed and sent to the publishers on the 4th of August. Continue Reading →
THE HISTORIESBy POLYBIUS
Read by Jonathan Booth
37 hours 38 minutes
How did the city state of Rome rise inexorably to become the dominant power in the Mediterranean and much of the Western world? In short, first of all it overcame the established Carthaginian Empire despite the remarkable exploits of Hannibal. And, largely at the same time, it gradually subjugated the many and varied city states of Greece, despite various allied opposition. Continue Reading →
EMILE or ON EDUCATIONBy Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Read by Jonathan Booth
22 hours 42 minutes
The Social Contract and Discourse on Inequality may be the two principal philosophical works for which Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) is remembered today, but his educational treatise-novel, Emile or On Education can claim to be an equally important and, for its time, radical work. Published in 1762, it had a profound impact on the approach to the education and upbringing of a child, through infancy, childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. Continue Reading →
EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHYThe Pre-Socratics
By John Burnet
Read by Jonathan Booth
9 hours 50 minutes
In his Introduction to Early Greek Philosophy, John Burnet points out the particular focus of the Pre-Socratics on the ‘cosmological’ character of their enquiries. They determined, he explains, to look into the natural world around them. The period can be said to mark the rise of scientific enquiry epitomised by the Atomists, and the mathematicians of the Pythagorean School. It was this focus on natural phenomena that set the pattern for the activity that became known as philosophy. Continue Reading →
PHILOSOPHICAL INVESTIGATIONSBy Ludwig Wittgenstein
Read by Jonathan Booth
9 hours 34 minutes
Philosophical Investigations – a landmark in 20th century philosophy – was published in 1953, two years after the death of its author. In the Preface written in Cambridge in 1945 where he was professor of philosophy he states: ‘Four years ago I had occasion to re-read my first book (the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus) and to explain its ideas to someone. Continue Reading →
EPICURUS OF SAMOS: HIS PHILSOPHY AND LIFEAll the Principal Source Texts Compiled and Introduced by Hiram Crespo
Read by James Gillies and Jonathan Booth
6 hours 21 minutes
Epicurus of Samos (341-270 BCE) was the founder of the philosophical system to which he gave his name: Epicureanism. It is a label that is often misused and misunderstood today, with ‘a life of pleasure’ as the key aim misinterpreted as a life of indulgence. In fact, the philosophy of Epicurus demonstrated also by his life, was anything but! Continue Reading →
Jonathan Booth has been a narrator and voiceover for over 30 years, working for a huge variety of broadcasters and brands across all media, from hundreds of BBC and National Geographic documentaries to thousands of corporate films to the voice of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In his spare time he enjoys philosophy and cricket.
By Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Read by Jonathan Booth
14 hours 11 minutes
Elements of The Philosophy of Right, a key work in the output of Georg Wilhelm Hegel (1770-1831), appeared in 1820 – and was arguably his last major publication. His intention was to state his views on the philosophy of law, political and social theory, and ethics. Continue Reading →
