Person
Every book Philip Ball recommended on podcasts
Philip Ball is a versatile science writer and author whose appearance on Conversations with Tyler showcases a profound interest in the complex intersections of science, human society, history, and mythology. Throughout the discussion, Ball explores how ancient philosophical ideas and classic literature continue to shape modern ethical debates and scientific anxieties. He references Plato's Republic to examine the ancient myth of Gyges and the moral implications of invisibility, subsequently connecting those themes to H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man to illustrate the corrupting nature of absolute concealment. Ball also discusses Aldous Huxley's Brave New World when addressing the historical and ethical origins of modern societal anxieties surrounding artificial wombs and in vitro gestation. Furthermore, he touches upon a wide range of influential modern myths and character archetypes examined in his own writing, including Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories.
Books recommended by Philip Ball
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Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a dystopian classic that envisions a futuristic society controlled by technological distraction, pharmacological hedonism, and engineered social conditioning.
Discussed“Brave New World which essentially talks about this sort of invetro gestation of of whole populations”
Where to get it
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Dracula
Dracula by Bram Stoker is a classic 1897 epistolary horror novel that established the modern literary vampire and the archetype of Count Dracula.
Discussed“so they were things like Frankenstein Dracula Jael and Hyde Sherlock Holmes”
Where to get it
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Frankenstein
Frankenstein by Mary W.
Discussed“so they were things like Frankenstein Dracula Jael and Hyde Sherlock Holmes”
Where to get it
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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [12 stories]
Discussed“so they were things like Frankenstein Dracula Jael and Hyde Sherlock Holmes”
Where to get it
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The Invisible Man
Discussed“and the the the message that Plato wanted us to to get from that story and that HG worlds wanted us to get when he rewrote it as the Invisible Man is invisibility corrupts the”
Where to get it
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The Republic
The Republic by Plato is a foundational philosophical text exploring justice, the ideal political state, the nature of reality through the allegory of the cave, and the evolution of various political regimes including democracy.
Discussed“um a myth of the of of a chap called GES who is a Shepherd who finds a ring of invisibility”
Where to get it
Books Philip Ball wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philip Ball on the Interplay of Science, Society, and the Quest for Understanding | Conversations with Tyler | 2024-09-04 | 6 |
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“ah well there's um the way I presented it in in in my book I've my book Universe of stone and the idea behind that title was that in some sense the gothic Cathedrals and chhatra is it's certainly my favorite”