Welcome back to the home of the oxymoron. Evil genius. He asked the newspaper to print his obituary early so he'd enjoy it. That's like hiding at your own funeral. Yeah, it's a big, great gig. I'm Russell Kane. Join me to weigh in on whether the biggest players in history are more evil or genius. Becoming that rich, I'd say that at some level of genius. It also helps that it's a long time ago, right?

It's like the podcast version of telling your kids

the ice cream van plays music when it's out of ice cream.

Listen to evil genius on BBC Sounds.

This is a special download from the BBC Free Thinking Festival.

For more information and our terms of use, go to

BBC.co.uk.com.com. Radio 3's annual Festival of Ideas. I sighed as a lover. I obeyed as a son.

So said Edward Gibbon, author of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire,

as his father expressed his disapproval of his choice of wife.

In the 18th century, Gibbon knew who was in control of the family

and beyond the family that there were political and cultural institutions

which were rightly in control, guardians of our values and our convictions.

Over the last 200 years, political changes have meant deference and trust in those in control

has frayed and the speed of that fraying has accelerated.

Just look at the current furority over the police. Over the same period, social bonds have

lessened, which has meant that more and more of us have to take control over more and more of

our lives, sometimes joyously so,

sometimes not. This is true not only in Britain, but in many parts of the world, in such a world

of flocks, who's in control, the title of this year's Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival.

Now when I was growing up in a northern working class family, the mantra of everyone I knew was,

as long as I've got my health.

All of us then knew, and we now know, whether we're born in Britain or in India that to lose our health threatens

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