Human Intelligence Podcast
In Human Intelligence, Naomi Alderman dissects the minds of brilliant thinkers from the past; examining the myriad ways in which humans think and realising that great minds don't, in fact, think alike.
Episodes to download
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Fatema Mernissi—Conversationalists
Thu 27 Aug 2026
Inside the mind of the revolutionary feminist thinker, sociologist and intellectual.
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Homer—Conversationalists
Monday
Naomi Alderman explores Homer’s mind and the oral thinking behind his epics.
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Isabella D'este—Conversationalists
Monday
Isabella d’Este’s Renaissance mind of art, power, and strategic cultural influence.
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Desmond Tutu—Conversationalists
Monday
Inside the mind of Desmond Tutu and his vision for truth and reconciliation.
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Voltaire—Conversationalists
Monday
Voltaire’s sharp mind, letters, and fearless challenge to authority and superstition.
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Elinor Ostrom—Provocateurs
Monday
Elinor Ostrom challenged economics and reimagined shared human cooperation.
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Eugène-Francois Vidocq—Provocateurs
Monday
The mind that invented modern detective work and transformed criminal investigation.
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Sigmund Freud—Provocateurs
Monday
Inside the mind of the man who pioneered the discipline of psychoanalysis.
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Salvador Dalí—Provocateurs
Monday
Provocative and surreal, Salvador Dalí blurred art, ego, and illusion to shock minds.
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Cicero—Provocateurs
Monday
Inside the mind of the statesman who is credited with advancing Roman genius.
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Nikola Tesla—Recluses
Fri 23 Jan 2026
Is the mind of Nikola Tesla worthy of such an extensive legacy?
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Michel de Montaigne—Recluses
Wed 21 Jan 2026
What can we learn from the mind of Montaigne who invented the concept of the essay?
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Ibn Khaldun—Recluses
Tue 20 Jan 2026
How did philosopher Ibn Khaldun invent a theory to explain the rise and fall of dynasties?
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Emily Brontë—Recluses
Mon 19 Jan 2026
How did the writing of accomplished author Emily Brontë benefit from her reclusive nature?
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Martha Graham—Perfectionists
Fri 16 Jan 2026
Martha Graham was to modern dance what Picasso was to painting.
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Leonardo Da Vinci—Perfectionists
Thu 15 Jan 2026
The quintessential Renaissance man, artist Leonardo da Vinci was curious about everything.
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Al-Khwarizmi—Perfectionists
Wed 14 Jan 2026
Al-Khwarizmi laid the groundwork for the modern world in setting down the rules of algebra
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Simone Weil—Perfectionists
Tue 13 Jan 2026
Simone Weil was a perfectionist of ethics, calling on us to attend to others’ suffering.
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Isambard Kingdom Brunel—Perfectionists
Mon 12 Jan 2026
Isambard Kingdom Brunel wanted all his work to be the best, but it came at a cost.
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Ovid—Exiles
Fri 9 Jan 2026
Ovid was Rome’s funniest, wittiest poet. How was his mind shaped by exile?
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Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz—Exiles
Thu 8 Jan 2026
How did exile enable a self-taught intellectual and proto-feminist to do her best work?
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Marie Curie—Exiles
Wed 7 Jan 2026
Marie Curie had to go into exile to do her work, but she never forgot where she came from.
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Ishi—Exiles
Tue 6 Jan 2026
The mind of Ishi: how one man worked to preserve the knowledge of an entire community.
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Karl Marx—Exiles
Mon 5 Jan 2026
Exploring the mind of Karl Marx, a revolutionary political thinker and philosopher.
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Live from Hay Literary Festival 2025
Mon 29 Dec 2025
Naomi Alderman and guests celebrate Human Intelligence at the Hay Literary Festival.
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Aristotle—Travellers
Fri 28 Mar 2025
The very first scientist, who thought every part of the world could be a place of learning
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Ida Pfeiffer—Travellers
Thu 27 Mar 2025
A 19th century solo female traveller who opened up the idea of travel for everyone.
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Sir Patrick Manson—Travellers
Wed 26 Mar 2025
'Mosquito Manson' found a travelling parasite and unravelled a medical mystery.
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Jean Rhys—Travellers
Tue 25 Mar 2025
A novelist whose sequel to Jane Eyre turned storytelling on its head.
