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Think modern democracy is stagnant, stifled by bureaucracy and undone by a fickle populace? Plato saw it coming from some two-and-a-half millennia away. This short animation from BBC Radio 4 explains why Plato had little love for democracy, and believed that it was the true elite – trained philosophers, of course – who should steer the ship of state.

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History of technology
The long-awaited arrival of TV to Shetland sparks debate in this vintage clip
9 minutes

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Art
Tracing Goya’s ‘dark’ journey from Spanish court painter to macabre visionary
51 minutes

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History of science
How an ancient polymath first calculated Earth’s size, as told by Carl Sagan
7 minutes

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Rituals and celebrations
Beware the Nalujuit! A rare glimpse into a chilling Labrador Inuit tradition
13 minutes

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Future of technology
Artificial ‘creativity’ is unstoppable. Grappling with its ethics is up to us
23 minutes

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Design and fashion
Refined towards imperfection – a ceramic artist recreates a rare Korean treasure
15 minutes

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Politics and government
‘Without a poster, you don’t exist!’ – on the curious political banners of Mumbai
20 minutes

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Global history
The famed medieval map that stretched beyond Earth to heaven, history and myth
5 minutes

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Design and fashion
Household items are reborn in a ‘visual symphony of everyday objects’
11 minutes