The EI Podcast

Engelsberg Ideas
  • 4.9 (18)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The EI Podcast brings you weekly conversations and audio essays from leading writers, thinkers and historians. Hosted by Alastair Benn and Paul Lay. Find the EI Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search The EI Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

  1. Hamlet unravelled

    5D AGO

    Hamlet unravelled

    Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University, explores Hamlet and its rich critical history with EI’s Alastair Benn and Paul Lay. Image: Laurence Olivier plays Hamlet in 1948. Credit: Masheter Movie Archive

    51 min
  2. The making of Xi Jinping's worldview

    FEB 5

    The making of Xi Jinping's worldview

    Rana Mitter explores Xi Jinping’s personal and ideological mindset in conversation with EI’s Jack Dickens. Image: Then Vice President Xi Jinping makes an address in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. Credit: Imago

    1h 13m
  3. Nietzsche’s manifesto for reading

    JAN 29

    Nietzsche’s manifesto for reading

    Ioannes Chountis de Fabbri on reading as an antidote to the restless spirit of the industrial age. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: Edvard Munch's painting of Friedrich Nietzsche. Credit: Darling Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

    12 min
  4. Inside the world of medieval espionage

    JAN 22

    Inside the world of medieval espionage

    Jonathan Sumption surveys the last generation of spies before the creation of Europe's professional intelligence services. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: King Charles VI of France prepares for war. Credit: Science History Images / Alamy Stock Photo

    16 min
  5. The Monroe Doctrine: The United States’ hemispheric strategy explained

    JAN 15

    The Monroe Doctrine: The United States’ hemispheric strategy explained

    EI's Jack Dickens is joined by Charlie Laderman, associate professor at the University of Florida’s Hamilton Center, to discuss how the United States’ hemispheric ambitions emerged from great-power competition – and why the Monroe Doctrine still matters. Image: A satirical cartoon lampooning the expansion of the Monroe Doctrine. Credit: Photo 12

    58 min
  6. The strange case of Robert Louis Stevenson

    JAN 8

    The strange case of Robert Louis Stevenson

    Alastair Benn is joined by Leo Damrosch, author of Storyteller: The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson, to explore the life and legacy of the celebrated Scottish writer, including one of his most enduring literary achievements, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.Image: 'Robert Louis Stevenson' by John Singer Sargent, 1885. Credit: IanDagnall Computing

    47 min
  7. The instability of a multipolar era

    12/29/2025

    The instability of a multipolar era

    EI's Paul Lay is joined by Helen Thompson to discuss US–China rivalry, the growing importance of the Western Hemisphere in geopolitics, and the inherent instability of a multipolar world.Image: Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Victory Parade marking the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Credit: Associated Press

    1h 1m
  8. Why the brain is the ultimate weapon of war

    12/18/2025

    Why the brain is the ultimate weapon of war

    EI's Paul Lay is joined by neuroscientist Nicholas Wright to discuss how the brain shapes war, and how war shapes the brain.Image: The brain as a weapon of war. Credit: fStop Images GmbH

    1h 1m
See All (356)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

The EI Podcast brings you weekly conversations and audio essays from leading writers, thinkers and historians. Hosted by Alastair Benn and Paul Lay. Find the EI Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search The EI Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Information

  • Creator
    Engelsberg Ideas
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    356
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020. Engelsberg Ideas - All Rights Reserved.
  • Show Website
    The EI Podcast

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