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Artwork for Unholy Histories: The Humanist Heritage Podcast from Humanists UK

Unholy Histories: The Humanist Heritage Podcast from Humanists UK

Humanise Live
Humanism
Atheism Before the Enlightenment
Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
Ancient Greece
Humanists UK
History
Education
Civil Rights Movement
Philosophy
Science
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Early Modern England
LGBT Rights
Oaths Act 1888
Humanism In Parliament
Atheism In the Ancient World
Thomas Aikenhead
British Humanism
Charles Bradlaugh
Emma Martin

Join Andrew Copson and Madeleine Goodall—alongside a host of expert guests—as they uncover the hidden histories and untold stories of the people, places, movements, ideas, and events that helped shape British humanism, secularism and freethought.From radical reformers to forgotten dissenters, Unholy Histories explores how reason, skepticism, science, and activism helped build modern Britain—and ho... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes13Founded6 months ago
Categories
HistoryDocumentarySociety & Culture

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Artwork for Unholy Histories: The Humanist Heritage Podcast from Humanists UK

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For all references to people, places, and events in this episode and the full series, visit heritage.humanists.uk/podcast

When we think of the progressive reforms of the 1960s, we often picture youth in revolt, the sexual revolutio... more

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In 1942, at the height of the Second World War, the economist William Beveridge published his report identifying five giant evils facing British society: want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness. From that report grew the Nati... more

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In her 1818 novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley asked what it meant to make a person – and what we owed to the beings we create. Two centuries later, the questions she opened are still being asked, in the time machines and starships an... more

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In 1789, the British philosopher Jeremy Bentham asked a deceptively simple question: not whether animals can reason or talk, but whether they can suffer. That question opened a long argument about how a secular, humanist ethics shou... more

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Recent Guests

Nicholas Buccola
Dr. Jules L. Whitehill Professor of Humanism and Ethics at Claremont McKenna College, author
Claremont McKenna College
Episode: Radical Empathy: Civil Rights and The Humanist Ideas That Changed Two Nations
Angelina Osborne
British historian, researcher, heritage consultant, author
Independent/Author
Episode: Radical Empathy: Civil Rights and The Humanist Ideas That Changed Two Nations
Edith Hall
Professor of Classics and Ancient History, Durham University
Durham University / British Academy
Episode: The First Atheists: How Ancient Greece Questioned the Gods and Influenced Modern Thought
Tim Whitmarsh
Regius Professor of Greek, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Episode: The First Atheists: How Ancient Greece Questioned the Gods and Influenced Modern Thought
David Nash
Historian and author of The Humanist Movement in Modern Britain
Independent/Academic
Episode: Britain's Most Secular Parliament and the Battle That Built It
Lizzi Collinge
MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group
UK Parliament
Episode: Britain's Most Secular Parliament and the Battle That Built It
Bill Cooke
Historian, senior editor of Free Inquiry, author
Free Inquiry; HG Wells-related scholarship
Episode: Who Really Wrote Human Rights? The Humanist Roots of the UDHR
Francesca Klug
Human rights scholar and writer
LSE Centre for the Study of Human Rights
Episode: Who Really Wrote Human Rights? The Humanist Roots of the UDHR
Lesley Hall
Historian and archivist specializing in sexuality and gender in Britain
Independent scholar
Episode: Born of Mary: LGBT+ Rights & Humanism Shared Fight for Freedoms

Hosts

Andrew Copson
Host of the series; Chief Executive of Humanists UK; guides discussions on humanist history, ethics, and public life.
Madeleine Goodall
Co-host; Head of the Humanist Heritage Project; focuses on humanist history and integration of archival research with public storytelling.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 25 ratings
  • Informative and enjoyable

    Excellent and highly informative and entertaining series. Strongly recommended!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Michael S 1770
    United Kingdom3 months ago
  • Informative and enjoyable

    Excellent start to what sounds like a highly informative and entertaining series

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Michael S 1770
    United Kingdom6 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Engaging mix of scholarship and accessible storytelling.
Well-produced with thoughtful guests and solid research.
Informative and engaging for a history-focused audience.
A promising series that lays a strong foundation for future episodes.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Can they suffer? Humanism beyond humans and the British animal rights tradition
Q: What is Salt's influence on modern debates about animal rights and welfare?
Salt's emphasis on universal kinship, rights for non-human beings, and a gradualist yet inclusive path influenced later movements, including anti-vivisection, anti-fur campaigns, and later thinkers who argue for speciesism critique.
Can they suffer? Humanism beyond humans and the British animal rights tradition
Q: Can you explain how you both approach the history of humanism and animal ethics in this episode?
The hosts and guests discuss a long arc from Bentham's concern with suffering to Salt's inclusive rights framework, highlighting how evidence from history, philosophy, and science shapes current understandings of animal protection.
Who Really Wrote Human Rights? The Humanist Roots of the UDHR
Q: Francesca, do you have a website that people can look for? Are you also being Googled on bookshops?
There is a website; if you go into my name at LSE, you'll find my latest book and information in libraries and bookshops.
Who Really Wrote Human Rights? The Humanist Roots of the UDHR
Q: Exactly. And I'll completely fairly ask you to do it in 30 seconds to preserve time. So without further ado, do you have a favorite humanist or atheist from history that you could briefly share with us?
Mine is The Humanist Trinity—HG Wells, Bertrand Russell, and Joseph McCabe—though I also admire Gloria Steinem as a modern humanist influence; all three represent different angles of humanist thought and activism.

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This series explores Britain's humanist history through rigorous conversations with historians, philosophers, and activists. Episodes cover how secularism, freethought, and rational inquiry shaped law, education, civil rights, and public life, from pre-Enlightenment atheism to contemporary debates on rights, religion in Parliament, and LGBT equality. Noteworthy is the sustained emphasis on archival work, cross-Atlantic exchanges, and the way ideas about humanism have informed reform movements and everyday citizenship.

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this podcast launched 6 months ago and published 13 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Nicholas Buccola
2. Angelina Osborne
3. Edith Hall
4. Tim Whitmarsh
5. David Nash
6. Lizzi Collinge
7. Bill Cooke
8. Francesca Klug

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