In praise of … philosophy on the radio

Something extraordinary has happened on Radio 4: at 9 in the morning, a programme was broadcast about philosophy. The presenter wasn't some smouldering TV don, and there was no heart-rending case study or tricksiness. Instead the academic Michael Sandel took an LSE lecture hall through an intellectual puzzle: should poorer students be given preferential treatment for university places? The audience argued it out – Georgia pushed for a system based purely on merit, while Faisal noted how many of his Bangladeshi friends were unable to pursue their studies for lack of cash – and were subtly encouraged or challenged by the Harvard professor. Few producers are brave enough to build broadcasts around the Socratic method, but in Sandel's practised hands the discussion felt accessible and invigorating. If this is the future, it sounds decidedly like the past – and all the better for it. Roll on next week's episode.