Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

Welcome to Beyond the Text, a podcast series dedicated to delving into intellectual history with depth and context. In a world saturated with quick takes, Beyond the Text goes the extra mile. Paying homage to Skinner's insights on the importance of context, this podcast unveils overlooked aspects of historical and intellectual narratives. Co-hosted by Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson, Beyond the Text explores the profound impact of thought and ideas throughout human history—forces that have driven change, shaped societies, and sparked revolutions. Beyond the mere words on the page, this podcast unravels the layers surrounding pivotal concepts and moments. Each episode meticulously examines the connections, influences, and societal currents that contribute to their evolution. Join us on this journey to grasp the true significance of intellectual history. Whether you're an enthusiast, a curious mind, or someone intrigued by the myriad forces shaping ou

Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast is a history podcast hosted by Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson, with 64 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson hosts Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast, a history show with 64 episodes published.

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  Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

  Why did Montaigne make himself his subject?

  Oct 5, 202617 min

  Send us Fan Mail In the first episode of our Montaigne series, Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson ask why Michel de Montaigne made himself the subject of his Essays. We explore his classical education, friendship and public life, his retreat to the tower library, and how writing became a way to examine a mind that keeps changing. Is his apparent candour straightforward honesty, literary performance, or a way of teaching readers to exercise judgement? Beyond the Text brings historical texts into conversation. Explore more: https://beyondthetext.co.uk Follow The Intellectual Historian: @theintellectualhistorian

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  Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

  When does disagreement become faction?

  Oct 2, 202621 min

  Send us Fan Mail When does an argument among citizens become a threat to political peace? In the final conversation of this Hobbes series, Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson turn to De Cive to examine public disagreement, rival claims to authority and the dangers Hobbes associates with faction. The discussion completes the arc from fear, through sovereignty, to the stability of a commonwealth. Read alongside us: Thomas Hobbes, De Cive, chapter 12, especially sections 1, 8 and 11–13: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Philosophicall_Rudiments_Concerning_Government_and_Society/Chapter_XII Beyond the Text: https://beyondthetext.co.uk/

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  Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

  Why should we obey the state?

  Sep 30, 202618 min

  Send us Fan Mail What problem does political authority solve, and what do we give up when we create it? In the second of three conversations, Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson read Hobbes’s account of conflict, covenant and sovereignty in Leviathan. They ask why people might consent to a common power and where the obligation to obey meets the need for self-preservation. Read alongside us: Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, Part I, chapters 13–14; Part II, chapters 17 and 21: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3207-h/3207-h.htm Beyond the Text: https://beyondthetext.co.uk/

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  Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

  Who was Thomas Hobbes and what was he afraid of?

  Sep 28, 202623 min

  Send us Fan Mail The first of three Beyond the Text conversations on Thomas Hobbes. Samuel Woodall and Jack Thomson begin with Hobbes’s life, the political upheaval around him, and the place of fear in his account of human beings. How did those experiences shape the argument for political authority? Read alongside us: John Aubrey, “Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury,” Brief Lives, vol. 1: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/47787/47787-h/47787-h.htm Thomas Hobbes, De Cive, Author’s Preface: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Philosophicall_Rudiments_Concerning_Government_and_Society/Authors_Preface Beyond the Text: https://beyondthetext.co.uk/

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  Beyond the Text: The Intellectual Historian's Podcast

  Symphony for Sovereignty: How Music Toppled an Empire

  Sep 11, 20268 min

  Send us Fan Mail In this solo episode, we examine the political power of song during the Baltic "Singing Revolution" and the historic Baltic Way of August 23, 1989. Discover how Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania transformed traditional folk music, mass choir festivals, and protest songs into non-violent instruments of mobilisation, successfully bypassing state control and dismantling Soviet hegemony from within.

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