Reddit mentions of Connections

It seems I may have invented the 'BBC Radio' portion in my mind... it's actually an audiobook. Covers a lot of the same territory as the series, but is still incredible. Found it here Connections Audiobook on cassette! There are mp3s out there.

saved, thank you. That was probably the most keen observation of how ideas survive I've ever read.

Construct something that seems so obvious at face value that it puts the responsibility on anyone who disagrees with it to build an opposing case. Philosophy starts with finding areas of common agreement to build a case, and then applying a contextual arche to it. So if someone disagrees, they probably use a majority of the pre agreed upon points to build an alternative arche, or interpretation. In the end, the Philosophers like to test their ideas from various situations/vantage points, or even point of views abstractly.

I'm very keen myself on the history of ideas, and popularity and convincing seem to be the mix, which by the way I seriously have to recommend Connections, it was required reading for my univeristy, and it is what got me interested into Philosophy, some early statement in the book got me turned onto Aristotle, and I was like, that's it. Who is this guy Aristotle?

I'm assuming you're looking for things geared toward a layman audience, and not textbooks. Here's a few of my personal favorites:

Sagan

Cosmos: You probably know what this is. If not, it is at once a history of science, an overview of the major paradigms of scientific investigation (with some considerable detail), and a discussion of the role of science in the development of human society and the role of humanity in the larger cosmos.

Pale Blue Dot: Similar themes, but with a more specifically astronomical focus.


Dawkins

The Greatest Show on Earth: Dawkins steers (mostly) clear of religious talk here, and sticks to what he really does best: lays out the ideas behind evolution in a manner that is easily digestible, but also highly detailed with a plethora of real-world evidence, and convincing to anyone with even a modicum of willingness to listen.


Hofstadter

Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid: It seems like I find myself recommending this book at least once a month, but it really does deserve it. It not only lays out an excruciatingly complex argument (Godel's Incompleteness Theorem) in as accessible a way as can be imagined, and explores its consequences in mathematics, computer science, and neuroscience, but is also probably the most entertainingly and clearly written work of non-fiction I've ever encountered.


Feynman

The Feynman Lectures on Physics: It's everything. Probably the most detailed discussion of physics concepts that you'll find on this list.

Burke

Connections: Not exactly what you were asking for, but I love it, so you might too. James Burke traces the history of a dozen or so modern inventions, from ancient times all the way up to the present. Focuses on the unpredictability of technological advancement, and how new developments in one area often unlock advancements in a seemingly separate discipline. There is also a documentary series that goes along with it, which I'd probably recommend over the book. James Burke is a tremendously charismatic narrator and it's one of the best few documentary series I've ever watched. It's available semi-officially on Youtube.

You can also find the occasional work of non-science-fiction that combines a broad interest in all the manifold aspects of day-to-day-life with a deep detail about how the structure of our life is affected by all the inventions we take for granted, and as you and I would expect, it is awesome.

These are a little obvious, but if you haven't read them, you're definitely missing out:

Connections by James Burke

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Not really original, but great fun, great stories and exactly what you seem to be looking for.

Rats, Lice and History - Hans Zinsser

The Discovers - Daniel Boorstein

Connections - James Burke

The Richness of Life: The Essential Stephen Jay Gould

Control of Nature - John McPhee