The current crisis shows that uncertainty is now an ineradicable fact of life. CEO and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan has closely studied the organisations that adapt most successfully to change, and has found that, in complex environments, an over-reliance on ‘efficiency’ is a hazard, not a help. We should be focusing less on technology, she argues, and investing more in people. It’s by cultivating and harnessing human skills – creativity, empathy, curiosity – that we’re best prepared to meet unexpected challenges, and build a more robust, resilient future.

This conversation was broadcast online on the 23rd April 2020. Discover more at: www.thersa.org/events/bridges-to-the-future

Nicholas Christakis is a physician, sociologist and network scientist at Yale University, who studies human nature and the organisation of societies. In conversation with Matthew Taylor, he discusses how to co-ordinate an efficient public health response to Covid-19; and how to treat those affected with dignity and compassion. The key to an effective response, he argues, is to be found in our innate social natures - our impulses towards cooperation, learning and goodness.

This conversation was broadcast online on the 16th April 2020. Discover more at: www.thersa.org/events/bridges-to-the-future

Eric Klinenberg, professor of social science at New York University, argues that policies that promote social solidarity and invest in social infrastructure are critical to effective crisis response, and to building a better world beyond immediate emergency.

This conversation was broadcast online on the 14th April 2020. Discover more at: https://www.thersa.org/events/bridges-to-the-future

Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford, joins us to reflect on how the current state of globalisation has left us vulnerable to systemic risks such as pandemics, and how these could be mitigated through international cooperation.

This conversation was recorded online on the 1st April 2020. Discover more at: www.thersa.org

Writer Helen Lewis offers a fresh perspective on the battle for equality, by reclaiming the history of feminism as a history of difficult women.

This conversation was recorded online on the 18th March 2020. Discover more at: https://www.thersa.org/events/2020/03/how-to-change-the-world

Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, recounts her experience of being part of the team that launched, rescued and repaired the Hubble Telescope.

This event was recorded live at the RSA on Tuesday 3rd March 2020. Discover more about this event: https://www.thersa.org/events/2020/03/an-astronauts-story-of-invention

Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, two of the leading UN figures behind the landmark Paris Agreement, urge us to confront the climate crisis head on, with determination and optimism.

This event was recorded live at the RSA on Monday 2nd March 2020. Discover more about this event: https://www.thersa.org/events/2020/03/the-future-we-choose

What we can learn from those who thrive beyond retirement? Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin offers the latest scientific insights into the power of the evolving human brain.

This event was recorded live at the RSA on Monday 24th February 2020. Discover more about this event: https://www.thersa.org/events/2020/02/how-to-live-better-and-age-well

How do people come to be radicalised online? Counter-extremism expert Julia Ebner exposes the inner workings of some of the most dangerous groups on the internet.

This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 20th February 2020. Discover more about this event: https://www.thersa.org/events/2020/02/how-extremism-spreads

Can we redesign the working week to improve worker productivity and wellbeing? With author and futurist Alex Soojung-Kim Pang.

This event was recorded live at the RSA on Thursday 13th February 2020. Discover more about this event here:https://www.thersa.org/events/2020/02/work-less-and-get-things-done