Intelligence Squared

Humanity's Thousand Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the Middle Ages, agricultural advancements enriched the nobility and the Church, which used the wealth generated to build themselves magnificent ho...

The Elders, with Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu: Part 2

29 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The second part of our conversation from 2012 with The Elders, a coalition of world leaders and figureheads freed from the constraints of office whose...

The Elders, with Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu and Mary Robinson: Part 1

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2012, Intelligence Squared partnered with The Elders, a coalition of world leaders and figureheads freed from the constraints of office whose wealt...

Willem Dafoe on Artistry and Adventure - Part 2

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we're bringing you part two of a live recording from our Intelligent Times event series which took place in collaboration with The New...

Willem Dafoe on Artistry and Adventure - Part 1

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we're bringing you a live recording from our Intelligent Times event series which took place in collaboration with The New York Times...

The Handshake: A Gripping History

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Friends do it, strangers do it and so do chimpanzees - and it's not just deeply embedded in our history and culture, it may even be written in our DNA...

Should the ICC Prosecute Putin?

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the 17th March 2023, just over a year into Russia’s war in Ukraine, the International Criminal Court issued two arrest warrants. One for Vladimir...

Steven Pinker and David Runciman on Optimism, Enlightenment and Progress PART 2

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the second part of our conversation between cognitive psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker and academic and podcaster David Runciman,...

Steven Pinker and David Runciman on Optimism, Enlightenment and Progress PART 1

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this edition, Intelligence Squared revisits a compelling discussion from 2019 with one of the world's foremost cognitive psychologists, Steven Pin...

How To Break The Internet (in 5 Hacks)

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yale Law professor Scott Shapiro takes us on an exhilarating journey through the world of cybercrime and hacking, unraveling the captivating stories b...

How Dickens Changed My Life

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Simon Callow as he shares his infectious enthusiasm and profound knowledge of Charles Dickens in this conversation produced in partnership with S...

Debate: London VS New York

15 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this preview of Intelligence Squared's new podcast, VS, two cities with hundreds of years of history, much of it shared, and also decades of cultu...

Voices of the Founding Fathers: Words that Shaped a Nation

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What do the words of America’s Founding Fathers mean today? In this conversation produced in partnership with Sotheby’s, New Yorker writer Adam G...

Daniel Kahneman on Making Intelligent Decisions in a Chaotic World - Part 2

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part two of our live event with Psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Olivier Sibony, Professor of Strategy and Business Policy at HEC Pari...

Daniel Kahneman on Making Intelligent Decisions in a Chaotic World - Part 1

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Daniel Kahneman shot to fame in 2002 when he won the Nobel prize in economics for his work on the psychology of human judgment and decision-making. In...

Debate: Succession VS The White Lotus

08 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this preview of Intelligence Squared's new podcast, VS, two critically lauded TV shows are under the microscope. Succession and The White Lotus ha...

What Politics Can Learn From Philosophy

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Philosopher Julian Baggini shares the insights of his new book How to Think Like a Philosopher: Essential Principles for Clearer Thinking. In conversa...

Britain’s NHS: 75 Years of Hurt and Healing

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us in Britain entered the world in an NHS hospital; and most of us will die under the NHS's care, too. It is a cornerstone of our society, emb...

After Putin: Russia vs The West (Bonus Episode)

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are Vladimir Putin's days numbered? Or is the Russian leader as strong as ever? New from Intelligence Squared we bring you a subscriber exclusive seri...

Messalina: The most Notorious Woman of the Roman Empire

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Messalina was the third wife of the Emperor Claudius and one of the most notorious women of the Roman world. Historians Tacitus and Suetonius wrote th...

James Comey on Crime, Punishment, and Donald Trump - Part 2

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part two of our live event with James Comey. In June 2023, the former FBI director sat down with satirist Armando Iannucci to discuss ...

James Comey on Crime, Punishment, and Donald Trump - Part 1

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job.” – President Trump, to Russian officials visiting him in the Oval Office in 20...

After Putin: The Beginning Of The End? (Bonus)

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are Vladimir Putin's days numbered? Or is the Russian leader as strong as ever? New from Intelligence Squared we bring you a subscriber exclusive seri...

After Putin: The Reprisal

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are Vladimir Putin's days numbered? Or is the Russian leader as strong as ever? New from Intelligence Squared we bring you a subscriber exclusive seri...

After Putin: The Coup That Wasn’t

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are Vladimir Putin's days numbered? Or is the Russian leader as strong as ever? New from Intelligence Squared we bring you a subscriber exclusive seri...

How the Ocean Shapes Our World

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To understand the world you need to understand the ocean. That’s the argument of physicist Helen Czerski who has long studied the complex ecosystems...

Debate: It’s Time To Ditch the Canon of Great White Men, Part 1

24 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In recent years movements to change school curricula have argued that all students at schools and universities should be able to see themselves reflec...

The Demonisation of The Middle-Aged Woman

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Why are middle-aged women these days subject to so much rage and hatred? In her new book, "Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women," author Victor...

Is This Reality? VR, AI, and the Mystery of Consciousness - Part 2

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In part two of this partnership with the Swedish publishing house and ideas forum Fri Tanke we hear from Anders Ynnerman, Professor of Scientific Visu...

Is This Reality? VR, AI, and the Mystery of Consciousness - Part 1

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Throughout the year, AI development has taken significant strides. We are living in a society that is becoming increasingly reliant on digital technol...

VS from Intelligence Squared: Cars VS Bicycles

17 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

VS is the new podcast from Intelligence Squared exploring those little debates that are always a big deal to someone. For the first episode, two exper...

The Reoccurring Tragedy of Geopolitics with Robert Kaplan and John Gray

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The great dilemmas of geopolitics are not battles of good against evil, where the choices are clear. They are contests of good against good, where the...

When is the Next Great Financial Crash Coming?

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since the Wall Street Crash in 1929, financial meltdowns have repeatedly sent shockwaves through our world. From the currency crises of the 1980s and ...

Can We Live Well Without Economic Growth? - Part 2

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part two of our live event on economic growth. In May 2023, journalist Kamal Ahmed, was joined by three influential economists, Kate R...

Can We Live Well Without Economic Growth? - Part 1

11 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As the UK and other countries around the world grapple with a bleak economic forecast and the creeping effects of climate change, the debate over econ...

Welcome to VS

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

VS is a light-hearted podcast about the little debates that are always a big deal to someone. Arsenal VS Spurs. McDonald’s VS KFC. Peep Show VS The ...

How Should the British Empire be Remembered?

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today, we bring you a thought-provoking discussion with renowned journalist and best-selling author, Sathnam Sanghera. Here he delves into patriotism,...

Brainwashed: A New History of Thought Control

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we explore the history of brainwashing - the process of pressuring someone into adopting radically different beliefs by using systemat...

Bach vs Beethoven - Part 2

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part two of our live Bach vs Beethoven. The BBC’s Reeta Chakrabarti was joined by world-renowned cellist Steven Isserlis and acclaim...

Bach vs Beethoven - Part 1

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven are without doubt two of the most sublime musical geniuses who ever lived. But which of the two was the...

Strutting with Pride: The Influence and Impact of LGBTQ Ballroom Culture

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With roots in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, ballroom culture evolved into a vibrant movement that has since been a haven of self-expression, cr...

The Joys and Struggles of Disabled Parenting

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When writer and musician Eliza Hull was pregnant with her first child, like most parents-to-be she felt a mix of nerves and excitement. But as a disab...

Can Neurotechnology Already Read Our Minds?

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we bring you our event ‘The Battle for Your Brain’, recorded on the 2nd of May 2023. Imagine a world where people who suffer from ...

Skiing in Afghanistan: Is Tourism in Repressive Regimes Justifiable?

27 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Whether it's skiing in Afghanistan, eating lobster in Cuba, or a package tour in North Korea - here are some things to consider for when you plan your...

How Did The Conservative Party Come To Rule?

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we bringing you the recording of our event ‘Tory Nation: How One Party Took Over’, recorded on the 10th of May 2023. The Conservat...

Martin Amis on Love, Loss and Death

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

To mark the passing of one of Britain's most celebrated writers, we’re replaying an event recorded with us in November 2020. Martin Amis was often c...

The War in Ukraine: How Does it End? - Part 2

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part two of our live event on the end of the war in Ukraine. In March 2023, the BBC’s Clive Myrie, was joined by four leading histor...

The War in Ukraine: How Does it End? - Part 1

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With the Russian army struggling to make gains in Eastern Ukraine and the devastating impact of the war taking its toll, many are wondering if Vladimi...

Letters To A Writer Of Colour, with Deepa Anappara And Taymour Soomro

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Human beings have been telling stories for thousands of years, but what actually makes for a good story? Authors have been trying to settle on the gre...

Is the West Getting China Wrong? with Keyu Jin and Gideon Rachman

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we're joined by renowned economist and China expert Keyu Jin to ask whether the West really understands it's biggest geopolitical and ...

Can Anyone Actually Own A Culture?

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In an age where the line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation seems ever more blurred, can anyone actually own a culture? In this ...

Is Progress At Odds with Feminism?

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Louise Perry has been described as the most influential young feminist in Britain. She claims in her book The Case Against the Sexual Revolution that ...

Is Russia Doomed By Its History? with Mikhail Shishkin

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Mikhail Shishkin is one of the most celebrated living Russian novelists and the only author to have won all three major Russian literary prizes. All h...

Mehdi Hasan On How To Win Every Argument - Part 2

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we bring you part two of our live event, 'How To Win Every Argument,' with renowned interviewer and debater Mehdi Hasan. Hosted by col...

Mehdi Hasan On How To Win Every Argument - Part 1

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we bring you part one of our live event, 'How To Win Every Argument,' with renowned interviewer and debater Mehdi Hasan. Hosted by col...

Martin Wolf and Yanis Varoufakis on the Future of Capitalism - Part 2

06 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The episode is part two of our live event, System Error: Should We Fix Capitalism or Abandon It? Here Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Tim...

Martin Wolf and Yanis Varoufakis on the Future of Capitalism - Part 1

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode brings you part one of our live event, System Error: Should We Fix Capitalism or Abandon It? Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial...

Is Thin Back In? | IQ2 Opinion

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're bringing you some content from our premium monthly newsletter The Monthly Read, which is usually reserved for our subscribers. The Monthly...

Inside China’s Quest for Social Control

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

China’s quest for social control is now playing out in ways that should worry us all. In this episode of the podcast, award-winning journalist Josh ...

The Sunday Debate: Charles III should be the last British monarch

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of the Sunday Debate we’re going to explore an issue that is timely, yet draws on debates at the heart of British politics and ident...

Hadley Freeman and Bari Weiss on Anorexia

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shortly after her fourteenth birthday, Hadley Freeman stopped eating. From the age of fourteen to seventeen, she lived in various psychiatric wards wi...

No Peace: The Story of the Rohingya in Myanmar

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Rohingya people of Myanmar have been persecuted for decades. The worst period of violence flared up in August 2017, when almost 700,000 Rohingya w...

The Week Mandela Averted Civil War and Forged a New Nation

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On Easter weekend 1993 Nelson Mandela was engaged in slow-moving power-sharing talks with President F.W. de Klerk when a white supremacist shot Mandel...

Debate: Who Will Win the Next General Election?

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is the UK’s 2024 general election a foregone conclusion, with the Labour Party some 20 points ahead in the opinion polls? Can Rishi Sunak turn aroun...

The Gendered Politics of Climate Change

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Earth Day approaches, we revisit a compelling conversation from 2021 asking which factors are really responsible for the climate emergency and who ...

Healthy or Wealthy?: The Commodification of Healthcare

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The American healthcare system is one of the most expensive and complex systems in the world, yet it remains plagued by significant inequalities. Desp...

Brave New Birth: The Ethics of Artificial Womb Technology

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As technology continues to advance, the once distant concept of growing a human fetus outside the womb is inching closer to reality. But with these ad...

Contemporary Art Excludes the 99%

16 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What is the role of contemporary art museums today? Are biennales and art fairs platforms for experiment and exchange, or little more than social attr...

Russell Kane on Class and Comedy

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Samira Ahmed speaks to award-winning comedian Russell Kane. They speak about his life and career, growing up in Essex, his break into comedy at the pr...

Gods and Mortals: What Ancient Greek Myths Can Teach Us About Today

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hercules, Prometheus, Pandora. The compelling characters of Greek mythology continue to fascinate readers thousands of years after their stories were ...

Henry Dimbleby and Alice Thomson On How The Global Food System Is Killing Us

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Food Campaigner Henry Dimbleby is co-founder of LEON and recently quit his role as the government’s food tsar over its inaction over obesity. His re...

History vs Herstory

09 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this archive episode from 2021, we hear from a panel of historians, authors and broadcasters – Hallie Rubenhold, Natalie Livingstone, Dan Jones a...

Growing Up with David Schwimmer and Nick Mohammed

08 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Samira Ahmed is joined by Friends star David Schwimmer and comedy writer Nick Mohammed. David Schwimmer is one of the most recognisable faces on telev...

Iraq: 20 Years On | Is American Power in Decline? with General Petraeus

08 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

General David Petraeus rose to prominence for his role in the Iraq War. He was credited with implementing a counterinsurgency strategy that helped to ...

Chasing the Urge – Addiction Throughout History

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carl Erik Fisher is a psychiatrist, bioethicist and recovering alcoholic who has spent years tracing the history of addiction. His new book is The Urg...

Philip Pullman on Childhood and Fantasy

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over lunch in his house in Oxford, bestselling author Philip Pullman speaks to broadcaster Samira Ahmed about the moments of his childhood and youth t...

Kate Mosse on Recognising Women's Success

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Samira Ahmed speaks to best-selling author Kate Mosse. Together they discuss her life and career, the success of her historical fiction novels - inclu...

Britain Should Not Have Fought in the First World War

02 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For this week's Sunday Debate, we're dipping back into the archive to 2014, when we gathered a panel of expert historians to debate whether Britain wa...

Emily Ratajkowski on Feminism, Capitalism, and Exploitation

01 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Samira Ahmed speaks to model and actress Emily Ratajkowski. Together they discuss her rise to fame after appearing in the music video for the controve...

Anaximander: the Ancient World’s Most Radical Scientific Thinker

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carlo Rovelli is one of the world’s best-known scientists. A theoretical physicist, his books have sold over two million copies around the world. He...

Is Gene Editing The Next Great Health Revolution? Part II

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since the discovery of DNA scientists have been on a quest to understand the secrets of the human genome. This quest has not only involved analys...

Is Gene Editing The Next Great Health Revolution? Part I

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since the discovery of DNA scientists have been on a quest to understand the secrets of the human genome. This quest has not only involved analys...

Jude Law: On Typecasts, Character Acting, and London Theatre

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Samira Ahmed speaks to Academy Award-nominated actor Jude Law. They speak about his life and career, skipping school to go to the cinema in London as ...

The World Needs Religion Even if it Doesn't Need God

26 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is not a debate of religion vs. secularism. This is a debate about where and how the values in life are found, produced, and experienced. Some wo...

Margaret MacMillan on How War Has Shaped Humanity

25 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

War - Do we care enough? In this episode, distinguished historian Margaret MacMillan explains why we should care about war and how it’s profoundly i...

Iraq: 20 Years On | Tony Blair on Trial

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Blair is the man who reinvented Labour, won a landslide majority in 1997 and went on to win three elections, becoming Labour’s longest-serving ...

Iraq: 20 Years On | ISIS, Terror and Extremism

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How did the Iraq war fuel terror and extremism around the world? What is the connection between Al-Qaeda and ISIS? How did figures like Abū Muṣʻab...

Iraq: 20 Years On | Loss of a Nation

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last twenty years, award-winning Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, has watched his nation disappear time and time again. Sectarian division...

Iraq: 20 Years On | Invasion, Occupation and Failures

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What happened in Iraq once the Americans and the British arrived? Why was the transfer of power a far from smooth operation? And what else went wrong ...

Iraq: 20 Years On | The Road to War

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Exactly twenty years ago today on the 20th March 2003, the US along with its allies launched a shock and awe bombing campaign on Iraq. It marked the s...

Greece vs Rome, with Boris Johnson and Mary Beard

19 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2015, Intelligence Squared staged the ultimate clash of civilisations: Greece vs Rome. Boris Johnson, at that time Mayor of London and ardent class...

Checking Out: The Industry That Takes Care Of The Dead

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ever since she was a young child, journalist Hayley Campbell has been fascinated by death. It's the theme of her new book, All the Living and the Dead...

What Exactly Is Western Civilisation?

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We tend to imagine Western Civilisation as a golden thread connecting ancient Greece to modern Europe, from Plato to NATO. But what if the idea itself...

How Our Hobbies Set Us Free

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The literal translation of amateur is ‘lover of’ so why is it a word so often steeped in derogatory overtones? Why, when we’re asked for our hob...

Introducing...Intelligence Squared: Arts & Culture

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We have some really exciting news for you, we've launched a brand new podcast – Intelligence Squared Arts & Culture. Join us every week as we delve...

Who Defines Feminism?

12 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. Feminism is not a monolith; often in the western world to help understand the history of feminism ...

Margaret Atwood, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Elif Shafak & More On Finding Their Voice

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. On this episode we’re hearing a compilation from our award-winning podcast series How I Found M...

Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. There are seven necessary sins for women and girls, that's according to Egyptian writer and activi...

The Afghan Women Who Won't be Silenced

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. "My pen is the wing of a bird; it will tell you those thoughts we are not allowed to think, those ...

The Betrayal of Female Bodies in Professional Sport

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. Equality is no longer enough, women need equity - that's the message of former US 5000m champion, ...