Intelligence Squared

By Intelligence SquaredSociety & Culture News Arts News Commentary

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Intelligence Squared episodes

May 03, 2019 Steven Pinker and David Runciman on Optimism, Enlightenment and Progress
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Steven Pinker, cognitive psychologist and author of Enlightenment Now, in conversation with Cambridge University's David Runciman. They discussed the advances made in our societies over the last several hundred years, and whether optimism makes sense in today's turbulent times.
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52 min
April 26, 2019 Adam Higginbotham and Evan Ratliff on the Untold Story of Chernobyl
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, released on the 33rd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, journalist and author Evan Ratliff was joined by Adam Higginbotham, author of Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster. Higginbotham and Ratliff, talking at Acast's studio in New York, explore the political and social environment that allowed such an unprecedented human and environmental catastrophe, examining the disaster through the eyes of the men and women who lived through it. And Higginbotham explains how the disaster and its aftermath – along with the Soviet government's wholly inadequate response – might ultimately have hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union. Adam Higginbotham picture: Peter Eavis.

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1 hr
April 19, 2019 Julia Shaw and Rosamund Urwin on the Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Julia Shaw the psychologist and author of Making Evil, alongside Rosamund Urwin of the Sunday Times, in a wide-ranging exploration of evil — why do humans do and think bad things?

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58 min
April 12, 2019 Thomas Friedman On The World In 2019
Earlier this month we were joined by Thomas Friedman as he brought his wisdom and insight to the world’s current predicaments: How should the West respond to an emboldened China? How do we rebuild the global economy so that it creates prosperity for everyone, not just the few? And how, above all, should we handle the tectonic shifts – technological, demographic and political – that are reshaping our world today?

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1 hr 4 min
April 05, 2019 Viral Sensation Rutger Bregman On How Utopian Ideas Can Become Reality
This week's episode features Rutger Bregman, historian and author of Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There. In conversation with Helen Lewis, associate editor of the New Statesman, he discusses subjects ranging from Universal Basic Income, the benefits of the four-day working week, climate change, and his solutions for saving capitalism - plus his recent speech at Davos calling for higher taxes for the rich, a video of which went viral.

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49 min
March 29, 2019 How I Found My Voice: Rose McGowan
This week's episode is something a little different: an episode of Intelligence Squared's new podcast How I Found My Voice. How I Found My Voice is the podcast that explores how some of the world's greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling - and unique - communicators. Hosted by Samira Ahmed, guests include Rose McGowan, Adam Buxton, Philip Pullman, Katherine Ryan and Benjamin Zephaniah.
In this week's episode, Samira Ahmed speaks to Hollywood actor and activist Rose McGowan who was one of the first to speak out against Harvey Weinstein. From growing up in a religious cult in Italy to becoming a TV and film star and speaking out against one of the most powerful men in Hollywood - they discuss what moments shaped and inspired Rose to find her voice.
If you liked this episode, you can subscribe to How I Found My Voice now on Acast, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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41 min
March 22, 2019 Nationalism is a Delusion: Our Futures Depend on Ever Closer Union
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast is a special episode produced by Intelligence Squared Germany in collaboration with the ECFR.
Arguing for the motion "Nationalism is a Delusion: Our Futures Depend on Ever Closer Union" were Polish politician and journalist Radek Sikorski and Swiss political activist Flavia Kleiner.
Against the motion were journalist and author Douglas Murray and German-Polish political scientist Aleksandra Rybińska.
The debate was chaired by Josef Janning of the ECFR.

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1 hr 5 min
March 15, 2019 Letters That Changed The World
Following on from Intelligence Squared’s acclaimed events on great speeches and poetry, when Carey Mulligan, Simon Russell Beale, Helena Bonham Carter and other stars took to our stage, we now present Letters That Changed The World, based on award-winning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore’s new book Written in History: Letters that Changed the World. Joining him on stage were No 1 bestselling novelist Kate Mosse. Together they discussed letters by Michelangelo, Catherine the Great, Sarah Bernhardt, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Virginia Woolf, Alan Turing and Leonard Cohen. Some are inspiring, some unsettling, others express foreboding and despair. Many celebrate love and sex. A cast of performers, including Young Vic director Kwame Kwei-Armah, rising star Jade Anouka, Dunkirk actor Jack Lowden, and West End star Tamsin Greig, brought the letters to life on stage. Listen and discover the bravery, beauty and visceral immediacy in these letters.
This event was recorded in London on the 28th of February 2019. It was originally produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye
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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us at @intelligence2.
At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today

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1 hr 29 min
March 08, 2019 On The Brink Of A No-Deal Brexit: The Town Hall Debate
Britain is now facing one of the biggest constitutional crises in its history. As Brexit looms, Intelligence Squared staged a special town hall meeting with some of the country’s most prominent political leaders.
We were joined on stage by former Conservative MP and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell; Conservative MP Kenneth Clarke; Director of UK in a Changing Europe Anand Menon; MP for North Antrim for the DUP Ian Paisley Jr; and Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley Jess Phillips.
The debate was chaired by the Guardian's Jonathan Freedland.

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1 hr 25 min
March 01, 2019 China: Friend or Foe?
Is China, with its unfair trade policies and shameless theft of intellectual property, an enemy that needs to be reined in? Or is it in the West’s best interests to view China as a strategic partner and aim for mutual respect and cooperation?
We were joined by Beijing-born Professor of Economics at the LSE Keyu Jin; politician and former cabinet minister Sir Malcolm Rifkind; and Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the FT. The event was chaired by Carrie Gracie, BBC News Presenter and the BBC’s first China Editor.

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1 hr 26 min