Gresham College Lectures

Taking the Constitution into the Classroom - Clive Stafford Smith

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. Constitution had to be formed through debate before it could be ratified. Mirroring this, a British constitution must emerge through debates ...

A New Sky - Chris Lintott

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The JWST is the most expensive and powerful telescope astronomers have ever constructed. Its launch in 2021 started a new phase in our exploration of ...

Blind Spots & Bad Decisions: Why We Fall for Financial Traps - Raghavendra Rau

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do smart people make dumb financial choices? This lecture explores the surprising link between our psychology and money mistakes. We will see how ...

The Moral Case for Stealing Data - Victoria Baines

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/hLBfAVyeMBsThroughout history, authorities have struggled to manage individuals’ urges to speak out...

From Thin Air: Minimalist and process music from Africa to Arvo Pärt - Milton Mermikides

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/3ntebbsM4HwThis lecture delves into musical forms which rely on the most economical of materials and ...

Modern Pagan Witchcraft - Ronald Hutton

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was recorded by Ronald Hutton on 14th May 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.Ronald is the Gresham Professor of Divinity.He is also ...

From Machiavelli to Nietzsche: How Modern Thinkers Saw Ancient Lawgivers - Melissa Lane

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/VOGzTymAYnoFor many modern thinkers, the lawgiver has been important as a founder or re-founder of ci...

The Troubled Brain: Ageing and Dementia - Alain Goriely

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s are devastating neurological conditions that typically occur at old age and lead to systematic dementi...

Divine Law, Human Prophet: Moses in Hebrew and Greek - Melissa Lane

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was recorded by Melissa Lane on 6th March 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.Melissa Lane is Gresham Professor of Rhetoric.Melissa i...

Does Net Zero Mean the End of Livestock Agriculture? - Myles Allen

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was recorded by Myles Allen  on 29th April 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.Myles is the Frank Jackson Foundation Professor of th...

What Rights and Duties are Missing from the U.S. Constitution? - Clive Stafford Smith

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was recorded by Clive Stafford Smith on 10th April 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.Clive is the Gresham Professor of LawHe is the...

The 2025 Annual Lord Mayor's Event - Alastair King

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was recorded by Alderman Alastair King on 14th April 2025 at Guildhall, London.Alastair King is the 696th Lord Mayor of the City of Londo...

How Does Surveillance Work? - Victoria Baines

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/Y9JR7El863kOur alert systems for identifying safety and security threats have evolved over time. As t...

Why Are Cities Going Bankrupt? - Martin Daunton

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/G_SpC_BV4jAIn the late nineteenth century, Joseph Chamberlain transformed Birmingham with municipal e...

Modern Druids - Ronald Hutton

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/qz9a4zXIFz0The ancient Druids have long represented some of the most striking and controversial figur...

How Do Vaccines Work? - Robin May

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/PcNoOjT30VYVaccination has changed the world, saving millions of lives and enabling us to eradicate a...

Asteroid Adventures - Chris Lintott

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/H8nG29pO_y4Asteroids were for years considered 'celestial vermin' - objects which got in th...

The LGBT+ Showstopper: ‘I Am What I Am’ - Dominic Broomfield-McHugh

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/-TsWDdeQK34Composed by Jerry Herman of Hello, Dolly! fame, ‘I Am What I Am’ first appeared in the...

Documentary Photography in Apartheid South Africa - Tamar Garb

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/9tcRtGh7hkMThis lecture looks at debates and dialogues that characterise realist photography in Apart...

Just Ask The Axis: Jimi Hendrix unpicked - Milton Mermikides

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/rKoYL4yrNsgDespite being cited as one of the most creative and influential guitarists of all time, an...

The Case for Basic Income - Guy Standing

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here:  https://youtu.be/cjJSWgvHZKwThis lecture puts forth the ethical and economic case for a basic income, enabling finan...

The Turbulent Brain: Rhythms and Waves - Alain Goriely

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Despite its quiet appearance, the brain is the seat of complicated wave dynamics. Indeed, cognitive processes are carried out through communications b...

Banned Books and Freedom of Expression - Rachel Potter

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The right to free expression is severely threatened in many places in the world, yet it has also never been so passionately defended. This lecture foc...

Trust Issues: When Financial "Experts" Have Other Plans - Raghavendra Rau

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/0jSUfa0LQAoThis lecture examines agency problems in various relationships, including between investor...

Carbon Offsetting: Does It Really Work? - Myles Allen

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/MB73qh4pIYMOffsets, politely called carbon credit markets, are essential to many net-zero strategies,...

Is the First Amendment the greatest right of all? - Clive Stafford Smith

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/W5EKhMWdjP4In this lecture we will discuss a hierarchy of rights. Is the American First Amendment the...

The Biggest Cosmic Map - Chris Lintott

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/TRCkgDWKTdYMapping the stars is, perhaps, the oldest of astronomical pursuits, but it has been perfec...

Data: A Love Story for the Ages - Victoria Baines

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/7mW52bW23goIt has become something of a cliché to say that data is the new oil. That isn’t the ful...

The Return of the Horned God - Ronald Hutton

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/IAilwM_WdbIUntil the nineteenth century, the favourite ancient pagan gods in Western culture were tho...

Green Immunity – How Do Plants Fight Infection? - Robin May

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/Et8_myknHq8Most of us rarely think about plant immunity. But, like us, plants can distinguish between...

Unwritten Laws? Legacies from Antigone and Lycurgus - Melissa Lane

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/gQdabAQT3JwSophocles’ Antigone refers to “unwritten laws,” as does Thucydides’ Pericles. From...

The Value of Public Space - Liza Fior

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As we navigate towns and cities, public spaces are all around us. These offer a respite from our often-busy routines. Public spaces are more than just...

The UK’s Generational Wealth Gap - Mike Brewer

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The UK's income inequality has remained stable since the 1990s, but household wealth has nearly doubled, mainly driven by soaring house prices. T...

Why Does Britain Have a Water and Sewage Crisis? - Martin Daunton

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The discharge of raw sewage into rivers, and the financial problems of major water companies, have become serious political and social concerns for th...

The Hidden Risks of "I Know Something You Don't" - Raghavendra Rau

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/7pvF4FdbYWUThis lecture explores how information asymmetry leads to adverse selection and moral hazar...

Is Your Money Safe? Unveiling Hidden Conflicts in Finance - Raghavendra Rau

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/gWJmpSO4WZIFinance involves a group of people attempting to make rational decisions on valuation, but...

The Connected Brain: Network and Communication - Alain Goriely

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/bKMV8i9Mq40The brain is mostly organised in small modular regions connected to each other. Typically,...

Breaking the Fourth Wall of Sound: The Paradox of Screen Music - Milton Mermikides

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sound and music hold a strange and powerful role in film, TV and video games, aiding narrative and emotional impact. They can even exist in the world ...

‘Is it in Pevsner?’: A Short History of the ‘Buildings of …' Series - Charles O'Brien

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/LUyFLOUi-D4This lecture traces the history of this famous series by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, starting fr...

Writing Laws: Hammurabi to Solon - Melissa Lane

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/t6kkq6dI6hcWhen and why do written laws emerge in ancient societies? This lecture will consider these...

Touching the Sun - Chris Lintott

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/pXoU-nZmhn8Despite its familiarity, the Sun is a very different presence from the friendly yellow cir...

Science-based Targets, Greenwashing and Brownscraping: Net Zero in the Private Sector - Myles Allen

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/lQBdqGrfWKUOver half the world’s largest companies have a net zero strategy. But what stops “Scie...

Writing a British Constitution - Clive Stafford Smith

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, the UK has got into a muddle over how to approach Scottish independence and Brexit. What can we learn from the U.S. which took much of its s...

The Modern Goddess - Ronald Hutton

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/0ZK1Y1QnFDgThis looks at how and why a particular form of the non-Christian divine feminine came to t...

Who’s Afraid of Robots? - Victoria Baines

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/d6Ao4KmGXBcArtificial Intelligence is a very recent invention…or is it? Humans have been fascinated...

Women at the Piano: A History Through Images - Marina Frolova-Walker

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here:  https://youtu.be/f6Z9L2dnxSAThis lecture explores the emergence of the "femme au piano" genre in 19th-cent...

The US Constitution: A Catalogue of Complaints about Britain - Clive Stafford Smith

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/wpF0oB9Mz-0The US Constitution, both in its structural element and the Bill of Rights, reflect a cata...

How Does Our Immune System Protect Us? - Robin May

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/JCTgxcPu78IThe human immune system rivals the brain in its complexity. Billions of cells coordinate t...

Who's Minding the Store? Corporate Rules to Align Interests - Raghavendra Rau

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture will explore corporate governance mechanisms designed to address agency problems, including executive compensation, boards of directors, ...

Unwrapping Irving Berlin’s "White Christmas" - Dominic Broomfield-McHugh

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/LW0DLhTxfCEThis festive lecture explores the unusual roots of the song ‘White Christmas’ and its ...

Magical Mystery Tour: The Invention of The Beatles - Milton Mermikides

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/VeJxEXZfT2YThis lecture analyses the ‘psychedelic era’ of the Beatles, from Sgt. Peppers Lonely H...

Much Ado About Numbers: Shakespeare’s Mathematical Life and Times - Rob Eastaway

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shakespeare lived in a period of exciting mathematical innovations, from arithmetic to astronomy, and from probability to music. Remarkably, many of t...

Messaging and Signals - Victoria Baines

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/pP3FzqYcMOAWe communicate when we have information to share. The development of signals from signs vi...

Houston, we have a problem: how the fossil fuel industry is risking our future - Myles Allen

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here:  https://youtu.be/6hEOINeTYTUAs the leaders of the oil and gas industry flew into Houston for CERAWeek, 2024, oil was...

Black Holes and Bangs - Chris Lintott

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/dvvOi_nUCRMSpace itself is wobbly. We exist on a choppy sea, its surface roiled by disturbances cause...

How Inequality Affects Mental Health - Lade Smith

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/UzxyNc8vuNsTraditional risk factors for mental illness include genetics, perinatal factors, substance...

Saints & Liars: The Stories of Americans Who Saved Endangered People from the Nazis - Debórah Dwork

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/Tt_xU005mikThis Lecture unveils the hidden history of Americans who risked their lives to save others...

Why believe in Conspiracy Theories? - Peter Knight

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/EyU7TCE1QJQWith Brexit, the US presidential election and the Covid pandemic, conspiracy theories now ...

The Ancient History of Computers and Code - Victoria Baines

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What links an ancient shipwreck to the textile mills of Northern England? Both contained forerunners of the computing we use today. Computer language ...

The Convoluted Brain: Wrinkles and Folds - Alain Goriely

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/_Q_30OIPzXwThe human brain has a very distinct and complex appearance with valleys and ridges folding...

The Health Gap: Achieving Social Justice in Public Health - Michael Marmot

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here:  https://youtu.be/leCxdECjyDMReducing health inequalities is a matter of social justice. Strategies must address the ...

Why Writing Women Back into History Matters - Janina Ramirez

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/IJT3B9WZntcRediscovering remarkable historical figures such as the Birka Warrior Woman, Hildegard of ...

The Origins of Modern Paganism - Ronald Hutton

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/sYqJomnunFgThe deeper exploration of Paganism begins with its roots in the Victorian and Edwardian er...

Does the UK have a Water Crisis? - Carolyn Roberts

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The management of water supplies, flooding and water pollution in the UK is currently the subject of great controversy, and public interest has never ...

Is Trump the same Nixon in 1968? - Luke A. Nichter

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/D3Lz-M1P9VkThe 1968 Presidential Election remains the most divisive in modern U.S. history, with Demo...

What is a Puzzle Canon? The Divine Trickery of J.S. Bach - Milton Mermikides

03 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Behind the sublime precision and expressive power of Bach’s music lies a mischievous spirit. From puzzle canons (where the performer must solve a ri...

Why Does Britain Have a Housing Crisis? - Martin Daunton

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture was recorded by Martin Daunton  on 22nd October 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.Martin is Visiting Professor of Economic History...

The Sondheim Showstopper: ‘Send in the Clowns - Dominic Broomfield McHugh

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/gtCsGQ14nU0This lecture examines ‘Send in the Clowns’, probably the most commercially successful ...

How do we secure Europe? - Catherine Ashton

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here:  https://youtu.be/YltPv0VUFgQWith the ongoing war in Ukraine, long-term planning for security in Europe is essential....

Is the Public Lecture Dead? - Martin Elliott

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here:  https://youtu.be/wiAFxEnq8t4Gresham College has been delivering public lectures since 1597 through times of great so...

Do Microbes have Immune Systems? - Robin May

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDRNuI4VwmkWe often think of immunity as being a human, or at least mammalian, phenome...

How to raise the Net Zero conversation - Myles Allen

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKaTcobzidkIn a year of elections, climate change is emerging as a divisive political ...

Were Laws created by Greek Legends? - Melissa Lane

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While Lycurgus of Sparta and Solon of Athens are now the best-known lawgivers of Greek antiquity, there were many others, from king Minos in Crete to ...

Human Rights Law: Bringing Power to the Powerless - Clive Stafford Smith

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This first lecture looks at the power that is given to advocates in a country that has a constitutional structure like the US. I have brought  The Am...

What is Modern Paganism? - Ronald Hutton

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is modern Paganism, and how does it relate to witchcraft, Druidry and other phenomena? This lecture is designed to answer that question, and in d...

Does having a big brain make your smarter? - Alain Goriely

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Watch the Q&A session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFCDvsq6N5gFor centuries scientists have tried to identify what is special about the h...

A Mirror in the Sky - Chris Lintott

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The first lecture in the series considers the most famous telescope of all, the Hubble space telescope. A project more than forty years in the making,...

The Stories We Make Up & The Stories That Make Us - Bernardine Evaristo OBE

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many decades ago, as a young graduate from drama school, I was presented with a stark choice – either to shape my story myself, through writing, or ...

Does the UK Constitution need reform? - Charles Falconer PC, KC

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Gray's Inn Reading 2024Does the UK’s constitution provide too much freedom for those that wish to abuse it? Specific examples of this migh...

Plato's Cave: Thinking about Climate Change - Melissa Lane

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In The Republic, Plato explores the predicament of the Cave: a passive citizen body, a conniving and self-interested set of sophistic opinion-formers ...

The Bloomsbury Group: A Queer History - Nino Strachey

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture will explore the world of the second Bloomsbury generation, delving into the intricacies of being young and queer in the 1920s, and how t...

Are Financial Markets Efficient? - Raghavendra Rau

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the crucial ideas in finance is that markets are efficient – that they fully reflect all available information. If so, what about market bubb...

Witch-Hunting in European and World History - Ronald Hutton

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture confronts the worldwide phenomenon of the persecution of suspected witches, now a serious, contemporary problem condemned by the UN in 20...

A Mathematician's View of Proof - Sarah Hart

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of proof is fundamental to mathematics. We could argue that science consists of testable theories, and therefore that it is about what can be...

Experts in politics: Lessons from Socrates and Aristotle - Melissa Lane

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Socrates sought to test the expertise of everyone around him: the bombastic know-it-alls, the bashful youths, the confident generals, those (including...

First light: Revealing the Early Universe - Chris Lintott

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The final lecture in the series returns to the theme of how insight is derived from observations, considering the cosmic microwave background.This old...

Race, Disability & Education: Law's Uphill Battle - Leslie Thomas KC

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture traces the history of race and disability law in the English education system. It examines the impact of discriminatory policies on Black...

Logarithms: Mobile Phones, Modelling & Statistics?

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Logarithms were perhaps once thought of as just an old-fashioned way to do sums on slide rules. But they underpin much of modern life, from modelling ...

A Just and Inclusive Net Zero: Who should get there first? - Myles Allen

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Eventually, net zero needs to include everyone: for emissions to continue in half the world while the other half mops them up is both unsustainable an...

Asymmetric Information in Finance Explained - Raghavendra Rau

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In every financial transaction, one side has more information than the other. For example, when someone buys a used car, the seller will know better t...

Is Music Infinite? - Milton Mermikides

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture explores the very limits of music: investigating historical efforts to catalogue musical materials including the melacarta of Carnatic mu...

Twentieth-Century Divas: Julie Andrews - Dominic Broomfield-McHugh

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Starring in My Fair Lady (1956), The Sound of Music (1965) and Cinderella (1957) gave Dame Julie Andrews unparalleled profile.These were among the mos...

Health after Extreme Cold, Heat, Storms and Floods - Professor Sir Chris Whitty

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Weather and climate-related events can cause significant mortality and disability.Sudden cold, heat, storms and floods all present risks to health, es...

How to Prove 1=0, And Other Maths Illusions - Sarah Hart

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this lecture I will show you some mathematical illusions: “proofs” that 1=0, that fractions don’t exist, and more. There are curious and impo...

Evolution Tomorrow and Beyond - Robin May

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Evolution has led from amoebae to blue whales and from algae to giant redwoods. So what might it do in the future? What species might evolve in the n...

The Next Fifty Years of Tech - Dr Victoria Baines

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Come take a ride in the Tech Time Machine and explore how IT may change our lives in the next fifty years. By employing techniques used by science fic...

Musical Consonance and Dissonance: The Good, Bad and Beautifully Ugly - Milton Mermikides

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a piece of music challenging, bland, intriguing, beautiful or ugly?This lecture explores the concept of ‘musical flavour’ formed by int...

Is it Aliens? The Most Unusual Star In The Galaxy - Chris Lintott

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Boyajian's star, a faint and unprepossessing presence in the constellation of Cygnus, attracted astronomers' attention when it began to flic...

The Western Magical Tradition - Ronald Hutton

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This lecture makes a survey of learned ceremonial magic in Europe throughout history and demonstrates that both of the customary claims made for it by...

Locating Queer History - Matt Cook

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Queer urban life has changed dramatically in England over the last seventy years. Shifts in the economy, culture, attitudes, and technology have all p...