Intelligence Squared
Episodes
Why Myanmar Matters, with Thant Myint-U and Ros Urwin
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by Thant Myint-U, the Burmese historian, former adviser to the President of Myanmar, and author of The Hidden History ...
Armando Iannucci, Jess Phillips and Jan Ravens on Satire in an Age of Absurdity
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Has satire lost its power in this new world of fake news and ‘alternative facts’ - when our leaders lie so blatantly and frequently, and still man...
How Humanity Can Survive the Climate Crisis, with Christiana Figueres and Ritula Shah
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by Christiana Figueres, the former UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change who was one of the key negotiators behind...
To Stop Climate Collapse, We Must End Capitalism
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Capitalism is driving us to disaster. Our planet is heading for a terrifying environmental cataclysm – and our economic system is responsible. The d...
More From Less, with Andrew McAfee and Hugo Lindgren
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by Andrew McAfee, the co-director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and author of More From Less: The Surp...
Zombie Economics, with Paul Krugman and Linda Yueh
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist and author of Arguing With Zombies: Economics, Politics and the Fight fo...
Social Mobility and Making It in Modern Britain, with Hashi Mohamed and Razia Iqbal
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is an exploration of social mobility and inequality in contemporary Britain, featuring Hashi Mohamed, author of People Like Us. Hashi...
Trailblazers: Letters to my Younger Self
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For the second installment of our Trailblazers series, Intelligence Squared has partnered with gal-dem to bring together a collection of outstanding w...
The Power of the Scrum, with JJ Sutherland and Hugo Lindgren
04 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are joined by JJ Sutherland, the business expert and author of The Scrum Fieldbook. In conversation with the journalist Hu...
Debate: There’s Not Much Great About Britain
31 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, our panel of top speakers battle it out over whether Brits should be proud or ashamed of their country. Is the phrase 'Great Britain'...
The 'Desk Killers' of History, with Dan Gretton and Ros Urwin
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are joined by Dan Gretton, the author of I You We Them: Journeys Beyond Evil: The Desk Killer in History and Today. In an interv...
BJ Fogg on Redesigning Habits and Human Behaviour
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
BJ Fogg is a pioneering research psychologist and founder of the iconic Behavior Design Lab at Stanford which has taught everyone from the founders ...
The Philosophy of Polar Exploration, with Erling Kagge and Razia Iqbal
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Erling Kagge, author of Philosophy for Polar Explorers, was the first man in history to reach all of the Earth's poles by foot – the North, the S...
There Is No Planet B, with Mike Berners-Lee and Matthew Taylor
17 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by Mike Berners-Lee, the climate change expert and author of There Is No Planet B: A Handbook For The Make Or Break Y...
Former UK Labour Deputy Leader Tom Watson Discusses How He Beat Obesity, and the Long Road Ahead for Labour
14 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader of the UK Labour Party who only recently stood down at last year's general election....
The Wonders of Nanotechnology, with Sonia Contera and Tom Whipple
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by Sonia Contera, Professor of Biological Physics at the University of Oxford and the author of Nano Comes to Life: H...
Fighting Back Against Big Tech, with Rana Foroohar and Ros Urwin
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by Rana Foroohar, FT global business columnist and author of Don't Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech, alongside Ros ...
Old World vs New World: The Great Wine Debate, with Oz Clarke and Jancis Robinson
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
France, Italy, Spain, Germany: these are the ancient Old World wine-growing regions of Europe, where continuity and history reign supreme. California,...
Privacy in an Age of Surveillance, with James Bennet and Jamie Bartlett
31 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by The New York Times' editorial page editor James Bennet, to discuss the The New York Times' fascinating new editorial...
The Education of an Idealist, with Samantha Power and Helen Lewis
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by Samantha Power, the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama from 2013 to 2017 an...
The West Should Make Amends With Putin
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is it high time for a rapprochement with Putin? As the transatlantic alliance flounders and Britain wallows in Brexit psychodrama, Europe can no lon...
HOLIDAY BONUS: The Year in Review
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As 2019 comes to a close, the Intelligence Squared team look back at some of their highlights from the year, both on the Intelligence Squared stage an...
Chris Wylie on Whistleblowing the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode features an interview from How I Found My Voice, another podcast by Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Sam...
Learning to Speak Machine, with John Maeda and Ros Urwin
10 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
John Maeda is one of the world's preeminent interdisciplinary thinkers on technology and design, and the author of How to Speak Machine. In this episo...
Conquerors and Liberators: War Leaders Who Shaped Our World
06 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Managing a successful Premier League football team or a major company takes extraordinary fortitude and foresight. But try leading a nation of million...
Ken Clarke: The Big Beast of British Politics
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After 49 years as a Conservative MP, Ken Clarke will be stepping down at the UK general election on December 12. In this episode of the Intelligence S...
Yanis Varoufakis and Brian Eno on Money, Power and a Call for Radical Change
29 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The liberal order is under threat. Increasing inequality, the rise of far-right nationalism and the climate emergency pose unprecedented challenges. I...
Richard Branson: How I Found My Voice
26 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from the second series of How I Found My Voice, a podcast from Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Sa...
P.J. O’Rourke and Lionel Shriver on the Battle for the White House
22 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was from one of our live Intelligence Squared events, featuring satirist P. J. O’Rourke and bestselling author Lionel Shriver. They joi...
Naomi Klein on Climate Change, Extinction Rebellion & the case for a Green New Deal
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from the second series of How I Found My Voice, a podcast from Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Sam...
Intelligent Times: Dean Baquet and Simon Schama on Trump, Politics and The Future of News
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this week we were joined by executive editor of The New York Times Dean Baquet and historian Sir Simon Schama for an examination of the role o...
The Survival of Democracy in Eastern Europe, with Ivan Krastev, Timothy Garton Ash and Brian Klaas
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In November 1989, 30 years ago this month, the collapse of the Berlin Wall ushered in a new era of democracy in Eastern Europe. But today, with populi...
The Poetry Pharmacy Returns with William Sieghart and Sarah Dunant
08 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
William Sieghart’s The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul was one of the publishing sensations of the past...
How I Found My Voice: Michael Palin
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from the second series of How I Found My Voice, a podcast from Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Sam...
Intelligent Times: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey on Breaking the Harvey Weinstein Story
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Intelligent Times is a live event series collaboration between The New York Times and Intelligence Squared, bringing together leading New York Times j...
The Gendered Brain Myth, with Daphna Joel and Rosamund Urwin
29 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the Israeli neuroscientist Daphna Joel, author of Gender Mosaic: Beyond the ...
John Humphrys: The Terrier of Today, in conversation with Justin Webb
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this month, as John Humphrys stepped down after 32 years at Today and published a long-awaited memoir, A Day Like Today, he came to the Intel...
The Battle Over Gender, Race and Identity with Douglas Murray and Anne McElvoy
22 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by the conservative thinker Douglas Murray, whose new book The Madness of Crowds examines this century's most divi...
Trailblazers: Women Leading the Way
18 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Women of colour have to navigate a world of work where they are often discriminated against because of their race as well as their gender. Prejudice i...
The Underworld of the High Seas, with Ian Urbina and Razia Iqbal
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the renowned investigative journalist Ian Urbina, who has a new book titled T...
Speeches and Letters That Changed The World, With Simon Sebag Montefiore and Kate Mosse
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
At the 2019 Cliveden Literary Festival, Intelligence Squared brought together historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and novelist Kate Mosse to discus...
The Social Media Addiction-Machine, with Richard Seymour and Jamie Bartlett
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we were joined by Richard Seymour, the Marxist intellectual and author of The Twittering Machine, a book which uses psychoana...
The West Should Pay Reparations For Slavery
04 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
They are the crimes for which no one has ever made amends. The transatlantic slave trade enslaved between 10 and 12 million Africans. Historians estim...
Satire, Boris and Brexit with Ian McEwan and Razia Iqbal
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the acclaimed novelist Ian McEwan. He was interviewed by the BBC’s R...
Parliament’s War of Words: Women in Power, with Mary Beard, Rachel Reeves and Sandip Verma
27 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
With tensions running high this week in the U.K. Houses of Parliament over Brexit and allegations about PM Boris Johnson's use of inflammatory languag...
How I Found My Voice: Benjamin Zephaniah
24 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journali...
The Mindfulness Myth, with Ronald Purser and Helen Lewis
20 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mindfulness – the psychological practice of bringing one's attention to the present moment through meditation – has gone mainstream. It has been e...
How I Found My Voice: Elif Shafak
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journali...
An Evening With Salman Rushdie
13 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Salman Rushdie is one of the world’s greatest storytellers. He came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss his career, his life and his new n...
How I Found My Voice: Lyse Doucet
10 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journali...
The Politics of Video Games, with Pete Etchells and Ros Urwin
06 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are video games harmful to society? Recently the World Health Organisation classified 'gaming disorder' as a clinical mental health disorder and a dan...
How I Found My Voice: Philip Pullman
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journali...
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, with Shoshana Zuboff and Rosamund Urwin
30 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We live in an age of "surveillance capitalism" - where technologies that were meant to liberate us have deepened inequality and stoked divisions. Big ...
How I Found My Voice: Mark Millar
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journali...
Ibram X. Kendi and Razia Iqbal on How To Be An Antiracist
23 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What's the difference between being merely non-racist and being an antiracist? And what will it take to completely uproot racism from our societies, ...
Michael Pollan and Xand Van Tulleken on the New Science of Psychedelics
16 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the acclaimed food writer Michael Pollan, whose most recent book How To Change ...
Nessa Carey and Xand Van Tulleken on How Gene Editing Will Rewrite Our Futures
09 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Nessa Carey, the molecular biologist and author of Hacking The Code Of L...
Chris Hirst and Helen Lewis on No Bullsh*t Leadership
02 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Chris Hirst, Global CEO for the advertising company Havas Creative Netwo...
Mark Galeotti and Edward Lucas on what the West gets wrong about Putin
26 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Mark Galeotti, Russia expert and author of We Need to Talk About Putin. He was ...
Paul Mason and Jesse Norman on a Revolutionary Defence of Humanity
19 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, the left-wing economics journalist Paul Mason was interviewed by the Conservative MP J...
Debate: Old Testament vs New Testament
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Moses and the Ten Commandments, the parting of the Red Sea. These are a few of the stories from the Old Testament. And the...
Jeffrey Sachs on the End of American Supremacy
05 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Last month we were joined onstage by the University of Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Sachs, as he laid out his radical new vision for U.S. for...
Mark Zuckerberg on Trial: Facebook is Damaging Society
28 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
According to his critics, Mark Zuckerberg presides over a company which is undermining our basic freedoms. But should we give him the benefit of the d...
Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism
21 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a country in the world that attracts so much criticism as Israel? Studies consistently show Israel to be one of the most disliked nations in ...
The Revolt Against The Rich, with Anand Giridharadas and Anne McElvoy
14 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Thought-leaders, change agents, the new philanthropists. These are some of the terms used to describe rich and powerful figures who talk publicly and ...
The Daily: The Rise of Nationalism Across the Globe
07 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast, we hosted a live conversation from "The Daily", The New York Times' flagship podcast. In an event in partnership with The New ...
Identity Politics Is Tearing Society Apart
31 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is identity politics, with its emphasis on gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation, sowing division? Or is it a call for social justice for everyone?...
The Victorians Who Made Britain: Jacob Rees-Mogg vs Tristram Hunt
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For Jacob Rees-Mogg the 19th century was a golden era. It was a time of moral certainty, of a global vision for Great Britain, and a confidence in t...
Jennifer Eberhardt and Razia Iqbal on the Psychology of Racial Bias
17 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Jennifer Eberhardt, Social Psychologist at Stanford University and aut...
Eric Kaufmann and Razia Iqbal on the End of White Majorities
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's podcast we were joined by Eric Kaufmann, Birkbeck politics professor and author of Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration and the Future o...
Adam Higginbotham and Evan Ratliff on the Untold Story of Chernobyl
26 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, released on the 33rd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, journalist and author Evan Ratliff ...
Julia Shaw and Rosamund Urwin on the Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side
19 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Julia Shaw the psychologist and author of Making Evil, alongside Rosamund Urwin ...
Thomas Friedman On The World In 2019
12 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Viral Sensation Rutger Bregman On How Utopian Ideas Can Become Reality
05 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
How I Found My Voice: Rose McGowan
29 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Nationalism is a Delusion: Our Futures Depend on Ever Closer Union
22 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast is a special episode produced by Intelligence Squared Germany in collaboration with the ECFR. ...
Letters That Changed The World
15 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Following on from Intelligence Squared’s acclaimed events on great speeches and poetry, when Carey Mulligan, Simon Russell Beale, Helena Bonham Cart...
On The Brink Of A No-Deal Brexit: The Town Hall Debate
08 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Britain is now facing one of the biggest constitutional crises in its history. As Brexit looms, Intelligence Squared staged a special town hall meetin...
China: Friend or Foe?
01 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
Blame Liberals For the Rise of Populism
22 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have the left’s policies of high immigration and multiculturalism caused the disaffection which has given rise to populism? Or is it the right, with...
David Wootton and Giles Fraser on the Philosophy of Profit, Power and Pleasure
15 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast features David Wootton, historian and author of Power, Pleasure, and Profit, in a wide-rangi...
The West Should Cut Ties With Saudi Arabia
08 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should the West end its alliance with the Saudi regime? Or should we give its Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman a chance? In this Intelligence Squared ...
Leonard Mlodinow and Rosamund Urwin on the Power of Elastic Thinking
01 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we were joined by Leonard Mlodinow, the theoretical physicist, Star Trek screenwriter and author of Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a...
Germany Is Endangering European Stability
25 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week's podcast comes from an event hosted by Intelligence Squared Germany, in collaboration with ECFR Berlin. Our panel of speakers, including re...
Bruce Daisley and Jamie Bartlett on Re-Envisioning the World of Work
18 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Twitter's European VP and author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley and tech jou...
Rachel Botsman and Helen Lewis on Technology and Trust
11 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Rachel Botsman, world renowned trust expert, Oxford academic and author of Wh...
Siva Vaidhyanathan and Helen Lewis on How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy
04 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the cultural historian, media scholar and author of Antisocial Media Siva Vai...
Bruno Maçães and Linda Yueh on the Chinese World Order
28 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Bruno Maçães, the former Europe minister of Portugal, in conversation with O...
Mishal Husain and Martha Lane Fox on Careers, Life and Leadership
21 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Equal pay. Gender bias. Sexual harassment. A year on from the start of the #MeToo movement, conversations around these topics have exploded – and pr...
LinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman on Building a Billion-Dollar Business at Lightning Speed
14 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the world’s most successful and powerful companies began as tiny startups and became global giants within only a few years. The list is long...
The Battle Over Free Speech: Are Trigger Warnings, Safe Spaces and No-Platforming Harming Young Minds?
07 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Many would argue that these are the fundamental goals of a good education. So why has Cambridge University taken to warning its students that the sexu...
Bonus Episode - The Brexit Deal: Decision Time
04 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a defining moment for British democracy. This December, Parliament will vote on whether to approve or reject Theresa May’s draft Brexit wit...
Jeanne Marie Laskas and Bonnie Greer on Love, Hate, Anger, and Hope in the Obama Years
30 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we had Jeanne Marie Laskas, the American professor, journalist and author of To Obama, looking ba...
Parenting Doesn't Matter (Or Not As Much As You Think)
23 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The multibillion-pound parenting industry tells us we can all shape our children to be joyful, resilient and successful. But what if it’s all bunk? ...
Special episode with Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Director of Communications
16 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House Director of Communications for a wh...
Kamal Ahmed and Razia Iqbal on Identity, Race and Prejudice
09 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast was a wide-ranging conversation about race and identity in Britain. In the studio we had Kamal...
Bonus Episode: The Impeachment Election? Trump, Mueller and the Fight for America
06 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Is this the last stand for American democracy? That’s what many of Donald Trump’s opponents believe. The upcoming US midterm election is the last ...
James Barr and Catherine Philp on the Secret British-American Rivalry in the Middle East
02 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, the historian and author of Lords of the Desert James Barr sat down with Times journ...
Kate Raworth and Matthew Taylor on Rethinking Economics For The 21st Century
26 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this week’s episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, Oxford economist and author of Doughnut Economics Kate Raworth sat down with Matthew ...
Mistaken Identities: The Conflict Over Culture, Class, Gender and Nation with Kwame Anthony Appiah and John Gray
19 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Race, religion and identity are being talked about as never before. While minority groups raise their voices for recognition and inclusion, others fee...