For today's episode we're revisiting our debate from January 2020, "There's Not Much Great About Britain". Our panel of top speakers battle it out over whether Brits should be proud or ashamed of their country. Is the phrase 'Great Britain' an oxymoron, or is Britain one of the world's most free, open and tolerant societies, therefore making it the best place to live in the world? Listen to this debate, hear the arguments and make up your mind. Speaking for the motion we had journalist and broad...
Feb 02, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 3153
In this episode, Markus Zusak, the international bestselling author of The Book Thief discusses his new book Three Wild Dogs (and the truth) – a memoir over a decade in the making and a love letter to the animals who bring hilarity and beauty into our lives. Join him in conversation with researcher and writer Adam McCauley to discuss his most personal work yet. This episode was produced by Layla Ishmail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 31, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 3152
Polls show that over 50% of us don’t believe racism exists. In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Keon West, a social psychologist at the University of London, specialising in identity, prejudice and representation. Drawing on his new book, The Science of Racism, West cuts through the divisive anecdotes and rhetoric with decades’ worth of clear, factual, rigorous science. In conversation with author and educator Jeffrey Boakye, West exposes what we know about racism, exactly how we know it,...
Jan 29, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 3151
We are only just beginning to appreciate the healing power of music. In recent years, a wave of scientific research has upended everything we once knew about its effects on our brains: not only in reducing stress, but also in enhancing cognitive function, slowing the spread of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s and even strengthening our immune systems. On January 21, Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist and musician, returned to Intelligence Squared to discuss this bold new p...
Jan 27, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 3150
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Jan 26, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3149
In this episode Samuel Moyn, Chancellor Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, explores what he sees as the profound crisis facing liberalism and why many in the West have become disillusioned with it. Drawing from his latest book 'Liberalism against Itself: Cold War Intellectuals and the Making of Our Times', Moyn traces the roots of this crisis to the Cold War. The liberalism of the Cold War, he argues, betrayed the radical and emancipatory hopes of the Enlightenment and paved t...
Jan 24, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 3148
Max Richter is an acclaimed composer and pianist, whose work spans film, dance, opera, television and more. Here, in conversation with critic and broadcaster Shahidha Bari, he discusses his life and work, what inspires him, his new studio in rural Oxfordshire, and his latest album In A Landscape. ---------- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. Fo...
Jan 22, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 3147
In recent years, the kickboxer turned reality TV star, Andrew Tate, has become a figurehead for a burgeoning sphere of toxic masculinity online. Drawn in by his shock-tactics and displays of wealth, his viral video content has helped to radicalise a whole generation of young men. But who is Andrew Tate? And how did he come to face alleged criminal accusations ranging from human trafficking to money laundering? Documentary makers Jamie Tahsin and Matt Shea have had unprecedented access to Tate’s ...
Jan 20, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 3146
How has modern architecture transformed our cities — and is it for the better? In this episode, bestselling historian Simon Jenkins and co-host of the Rest is Politics Rory Stewart explore the rise of modernist planning and its impact on Britain’s architectural heritage. Jenkins walks us through Britain’s rich architectural history, from Stonehenge to the Shard, while offering a critique of the changes brought by 20th-century urban development. Drawing on Jenkins’ new book A Short History of Bri...
Jan 19, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 3145
Duncan Mavin is a seasoned international financial journalist, editor at Bloomberg and critically acclaimed author. In his new book, Meltdown: Scandal, Sleaze and the Collapse of Credit Suisse, Mavin unravels how risky deals, rogue executives, and systemic hubris unraveled a 166-year-old banking giant. Joining him to discuss the book is Carl Miller, the journalist, co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos, and host of crime podcast Kill List. ------------ If you'd like ...
Jan 17, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 3144
AI is changing the face of war. Autonomous weapons, facial recognition technologies and industrial-scale disinformation systems are already being deployed in the Middle East and Ukraine. As countries race to harness AI’s military potential, we are faced with profound moral dilemmas and tough regulatory questions about the place of AI in modern conflict. Recorded live at Web Summit in Lisbon, host Adam McCauley is joined by Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, and Kenneth ...
Jan 15, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 3144
If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subsc...
Jan 13, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 3142
The genius of Countdown’s dictionary corner Susie Dent is the master of the English language. Lexicographer and etymologist by training, she has spent 30 years on our screens explaining the history and origin of words on one of the world’s longest-running game shows, Channel 4’s Countdown. In November 2024 Dent came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss her life-long love affair with the English language and how it has culminated in her debut crime novel Guilt by Definition — a glorious c...
Jan 12, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 3141
The genius of Countdown’s dictionary corner Susie Dent is the master of the English language. Lexicographer and etymologist by training, she has spent 30 years on our screens explaining the history and origin of words on one of the world’s longest-running game shows, Channel 4’s Countdown. In November 2024 Dent came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss her life-long love affair with the English language and how it has culminated in her debut crime novel Guilt by Definition — a glorious c...
Jan 10, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 3140
Adolescence is the most dramatic and formative period of our lives. Once puberty kicks in and we move to secondary school, our peers take centre stage, and we begin to experience peer pressure and risk-taking. In these pivotal years, adolescents experience sex, love, bullying, friendship, social media and more. According to psychologist Lucy Foulkes, adolescence profoundly shapes who we become as adults, and yet as a period of life, it’s so often dismissed or misunderstood. And even though adult...
Jan 08, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 3139
Adolescence is the most dramatic and formative period of our lives. Once puberty kicks in and we move to secondary school, our peers take centre stage, and we begin to experience peer pressure and risk-taking. In these pivotal years, adolescents experience sex, love, bullying, friendship, social media and more. According to psychologist Lucy Foulkes, adolescence profoundly shapes who we become as adults, and yet as a period of life, it’s so often dismissed or misunderstood. And even though adult...
Jan 07, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 3138
Our guest today is Baroness Lola Young. Lola Young is a member of the House of Lords, as well as an actress, an academic, an activist and campaigner for social justice. In her new memoir, Eight Weeks, Lola tells her remarkable life story from a childhood in foster care, to becoming one of the first Black women in the House of Lords. Through her care records, fragments of memory, and her imagination where parts of her story are missing, she assembles the pieces of her past into a portrait of a ch...
Jan 06, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 3137
Where should you move first in Connect 4? Which property is best in Monopoly? How can pi help you win Rock Paper Scissors? In October 2024 award-winning mathematician Marcus du Sautoy came to the Intelligence Squared stage to explore the maths and strategy behind the games we love and the tactics needed to master them all. Du Sautoy also described the history of games and the crucial role they play in society. This is the second instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member ...
Jan 03, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 3136
Where should you move first in Connect 4? Which property is best in Monopoly? How can pi help you win Rock Paper Scissors? In October 2024 award-winning mathematician Marcus du Sautoy came to the Intelligence Squared stage to explore the maths and strategy behind the games we love and the tactics needed to master them all. Du Sautoy also described the history of games and the crucial role they play in society. This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member a...
Jan 01, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 3135
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. In recent ye...
Dec 30, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 3134
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. David Baddie...
Dec 29, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 3133
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. The writing ...
Dec 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 3132
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. Organisation...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 3131
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. Exploring th...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 3130
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. Too often hi...
Dec 22, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 3129
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. The deep con...
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 3128
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. Jordan Steph...
Dec 18, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 3127
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. In the 20th ...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 3126
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. Bestselling ...
Dec 15, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 3125
To celebrate 2024, we’re taking a look backwards, and diving into the standout thinkers who have taken to the Intelligence Squared stage in the past 12 months. You might still be on the hunt for that perfect gift for the avid reader in your life, or perhaps you’re after some food for thought over the festive period. Either way, this 12 episode mini series will highlight the books that shaped 2024. We hope you’ll join us in 2025 for more events that intrigue, fascinate and entertain. Platinum-cer...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Season 1Ep. 3124
