Announcing our new season! This winter, we’re taking on new issues, including the state of the global financial system, whether we should try to bring extinct creatures back to life, and whether we’re in a techonomic cold war with China. Our debates will feature leading thinkers like Michele Flournoy, Neel Kashkari, Parag Khanna, Stewart Brand, George Church, Jason Furman, Gillian Tett, Ian Bremmer, and more. To get your tickets, visit IQ2US.org/buy-tickets or text “IQ2” to 79-79-79. To join our...
Jan 11, 2019•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast MOTION: Don't Eat Anything with a Face From the Archive: Are humans meant to be carnivores? Revisit our debate featuring “21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart” author Neal Barnard, Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur, nutritional scientist Chris Masterjohn, and farmer and author Joel Salatin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 28, 2018•54 min•Ep 83•Transcript available on Metacast MOTION: Smart Technology is Making us Dumb. Smart technology grants us unprecedented, immediate access to knowledge and to each other -- a ubiquitous and seamless presence in everyday life. But is there a downside to all of this connectivity? It’s been said that smart technology creates dependency on devices, narrows our world to echo chambers, and impairs cognitive skills through shortcuts and distraction. Are these concerns an overstatement of the negative effects of high-tech consumption? Lea...
Dec 14, 2018•54 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Silicon Valley Has Lost Its Soul. Silicon Valley once promised to solve many of the world's problems with a technological revolution. But now, the tech hub is the center of much scrutiny, and for many, that scrutiny is warranted. From privacy violations to flawed business models to a lack of diversity and representation, Silicon Valley has seemingly betrayed its idealism. And though technological progress has notably enriched a few, Silicon Valley has failed to deliver its promise to all...
Nov 30, 2018•53 min•Ep 159•Transcript available on Metacast Last year, our host John Donvan sat down with Ken Stern, the former National Public Radio CEO, to discuss his book "Republican Like Me: How I Left the Liberal Bubble and Learned to Love the Right, " which chronicles this lifelong liberal's journey through conservative communities and ideas. Ken sat in on Steve Bannon’s radio show, rallied with the Tea Party, spent Sundays in evangelical churches, and went boar hunting in Texas. The result? A new respect for the conservatives he once demonized an...
Nov 21, 2018•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Trump is Bad for Comedy From the opening skit on “Saturday Night Live” to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to the pages of The Onion, President Trump has become the face of comedy. Some comedians and writers argue that in the Trump era, satire has become more challenging and jokes have become cheap. Trump, according to his critics, has normalized the absurd and the nature of political satire in a post-truth world. But others disagree; they argue that the president serves up comedy-go...
Nov 09, 2018•53 min•Ep 158•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Progressive Populism Will Save The Democratic Party As Democratic leaders and strategists gear up for the 2018 and 2020 elections, the party stands at a crossroads. For progressive populists, the path forward is clear: Democrats must get back in touch with the party’s working-class roots by championing a specific set of policies, including Medicare for all, free public college tuition, a guaranteed federal jobs program, and housing as a human right. They say this strategy is key to winni...
Oct 19, 2018•53 min•Ep 157•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Retail Alliances – Not Washington – Will Save the U.S. Health Care System Last year, Intelligence Squared U.S. and the Mayo Clinic brought to the stage a bold inquiry about whether health care in the United States is terminally broken. And this year, we’re picking up where that discussion left off, against the backdrop of corporate behemoths announcing mergers that, they say, are sure to shake up health care – from the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase venture, to the CVS-Ae...
Oct 05, 2018•54 min•Ep 156•Transcript available on Metacast The Three Motions: Is NATO No Longer Fit for Purpose? Is the Russia Threat Overblown? Is It Time to Take a Hard Line on Iran? For the United States, tensions are rising with both allies and adversaries. Rogue states are racing to master new technologies and create weapons of mass destruction. And faith in international institutions is seemingly deteriorating. What does this all mean for U.S. national security? Staged in our "unresolved" format, five esteemed foreign policy thought leaders will a...
Sep 28, 2018•54 min•Ep 155•Transcript available on Metacast This Thursday, September 20th, we’re launching our fall series with an evening of debate on the state and future of American national security. Set in our “unresolved” format, five debaters will fly solo on the following resolutions: It’s Time to Take a Hard Line on Iran. NATO Is No Longer Fit for Purpose. The Russia Threat Is Overblown. _____ Tickets available here: http://smarturl.it/NationalSecurityTix Use code FRIENDS30 for 30% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...
Sep 18, 2018•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast MOTION: Globalization Has Undermined America's Working Class Globalization ushered in an era of free trade, fluid borders, and unparalleled corporate profits. For its proponents, the global integration of states and their economies was a political and economic win that created a wealth of opportunities for workers and consumers around the world. But in the United States, jobs are disappearing. From construction zones to clerical offices to coal mines, the American working class is losing ground....
Aug 03, 2018•54 min•Ep 154•Transcript available on Metacast MOTION: Social Media Is Good for Democracy By connecting people across the world for free, platforms like Twitter and Facebook set the stage for a promising digital revolution, providing tools that helped foster global friendships, break down long-standing barriers that kept people and ideas from being heard, and served as the ultimate democratizing force for information. Now, lawmakers in the U.S. and beyond are reeling with questions of how to prevent the spread of digital political propaganda...
Jul 20, 2018•54 min•Ep 153•Transcript available on Metacast Debate: Trigger Warning: Safe Spaces are Dangerous Long hailed as bastions of intellectual development and ground zero for the free and spirited exchange of ideas, today's universities have come under attack by those who argue that a new generation of students and administrators are trading in academia's most cherished values for political correctness and inclusion. At the heart of this debate is the question of safe spaces, how we define them, and whether they aid or hinder intellectual inquiry...
Jul 06, 2018•54 min•Ep 152•Transcript available on Metacast MOTION: Automation Will Crash Democracy Around the world, technology is disrupting the workforce, with automation poised to displace humans in the fields of medicine, agriculture, and beyond. Will the rise of robots fuel a new wave of “us versus them” populism capable of undermining democracy? For some, the answer is yes. They argue that as people lose jobs to robots, the gap between the rich and poor widens, distrust in government and democratic institutions grows, and populist ideas become mor...
May 25, 2018•56 min•Ep 151•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Negotiations Can Denuclearize North Korea Will all of the recent goodwill gestures between North and South Korea lead to the one thing Washington wants most? Can a deal be struck that denuclearizes North Korea? And what will they want in exchange for giving up that leverage? Presented in partnership with Georgetown University, LIVE at the first Georgetown University Women’s Forum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
May 11, 2018•54 min•Ep 150•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Bitcoin is More Than a Bubble and Here to Stay. Is Bitcoin here to stay, or is it a bubble waiting to pop? Less than a decade old, Bitcoin is worth billions. The cryptocurrency promises to revolutionize global finance by placing control of currency in the hands of users, not nations, and make financial exchanges more transparent, efficient, and democratic. And it seems to be taking hold: Earlier this year both the Cboe and CME debuted Bitcoin futures. But is Bitcoin really a safe bet? Pr...
May 04, 2018•55 min•Ep 149•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Preserve Net Neutrality: All Data is Created Equal. What if a single policy could impact American democracy, culture, and competitiveness? What if that policy might either empower citizens and consumers, or burden them? And what if the decision on that policy sparked a frenzy of legislative proposals, judicial challenges, and citizen outrage, all across the country? The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to end net neutrality regulations has fueled a national debate about the f...
Apr 27, 2018•54 min•Ep 148•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: The More We Evolve The Less We Need God. Does God have a place in 21st century human affairs? Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine, and cognitive neuroscientist Heather Berlin team up to argue for the motion, "The More We Evolve, The Less We Need God." On the other side is integrative medicine advocate Dr. Deepak Chopra and ER physician Dr. Anoop Kumar. To buy tickets to our live show in Chicago on April 17th, visit IQ2US.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi...
Apr 06, 2018•54 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Humanitarian Intervention Does More Harm than Good. The international community currently faces a global refugee crisis and mass atrocities in Iraq, Myanmar, Syria, Yemen, and beyond. How should the West respond? Proponents of humanitarian intervention – the use of force to halt human rights abuses – argue that the world’s most powerful militaries have a responsibility to protect innocent civilians around the world. Beyond saving lives, they argue, intervention deters would-be abusers an...
Mar 23, 2018•54 min•Ep 146•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Swipe Left: Dating Apps Have Killed Romance Every day millions of people turn to dating apps to find love. To date, more than 49 million Americans have given digital dating a try and the companies facilitating these matches are raking in billions. But are dating apps really designed to promote long-lasting romance? Apps like Tinder and Bumble make finding a date as easy as swiping right, while digital platforms like Match.com and OkCupid use specialized algorithms to help users find the ...
Feb 14, 2018•53 min•Ep 145•Transcript available on Metacast The Three Motions: Is deregulation driving the booming economy? Can the Republican tax bill spur economic growth? And is the stock market too high? By most accounts, the American economy is booming — manufacturing is at a 13-year high, unemployment is at a 16-year low, and both the stock market and consumer confidence are soaring. But just what is driving this upturn? And can Americans trust that current economic conditions will hold up in the months ahead? In our season premiere, five esteemed ...
Jan 24, 2018•53 min•Ep 144•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Liberals hold the moral high ground. Do conservative or liberal philosophies lead to more just outcomes? Opposing moral philosophies have long fueled debate about America’s policy goals and national identity. For conservatives, morality is grounded in ideals such as patriotism, including a respect for order and authority; fairness and liberty in the sense that an individual’s actions yield just rewards, or consequences; and reverence for the sanctity of religious and moral tradition. Lib...
Dec 13, 2017•53 min•Ep 143•Transcript available on Metacast John Donvan sits down with Ken Stern, the former CEO of NPR, to discuss America's partisan politics and how to talk across the aisle -- and your Thanksgiving table. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 22, 2017•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Pay College Athletes College sports is a big-money business, with football and basketball programs generating millions of dollars in revenue every year. While coaches and athletic directors in Division I programs routinely score seven-figure contracts, student-athletes are currently prohibited from sharing in the profits. Is it time to rewrite the rules in college sports and allow athletes their fair share of the profits? Or would providing monetary incentives -- above and beyond existin...
Nov 01, 2017•53 min•Ep 142•Transcript available on Metacast Motion: Western Democracy is Threatening Suicide Do populist and nationalist uprisings signal Western democracy’s certain decline? Or can recent events be seen as part of a healthy and regenerative antidote to policies that have challenged liberal institutions and marginalized the middle class? Some predict that a resilient liberal world order will rally to triumph over fear, xenophobia and fractured political parties – others say that support for autocratic alternatives is on the rise. Four lea...
Oct 11, 2017•53 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast MOTION: The U.S. Healthcare System is Terminally Broken Criticized by patients, providers, and politicians alike, the United States healthcare system is hardly a crowd-pleaser. Is the most expensive health care system in the world beyond repair? FOR Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO of the Permanente Medical Group Shannon Brownless, author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer AGAINST Dr. Ezekiel Amanuel, a bioethicist and an architect of the Affordable Care Act Dr. Dav...
Oct 04, 2017•53 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast Special: "Unresolved" Debate Format Against the backdrop of North Korea's nuclear advances and escalating regional tensions, we ask: How should the U.S. respond to its most urgent national security threats? In a wide-ranging evening of debate, General David Petraeus joins military historian Max Boot for a keynote conversation and broad look into the most pressing global challenges of the Trump era. Then, four of the world's most prominent foreign policy voices zero in on the most important strat...
Sep 20, 2017•53 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast Think about your most strongly held political belief. How did you arrive at your position? What experiences, information, or opinions influenced you? In the final installment of our summer podcast series on the state of political discourse today, we dive into an increasingly important skill: the ability to debate yourself. Our host John Donvan sits down with Yale Law professor Peter Schuck to discuss his new book, One Nation Undecided: Clear Thinking About Five Hard Issues That Divide Us, which ...
Aug 30, 2017•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here at Intelligence Squared U.S., we love a good argument – almost as much as we love an audience willing to change its mind. So when the New York Times’ David Leonhardt challenged Americans to do just that this summer, we took notice. In an op-ed entitled, “A Summer Project to Nourish Your Political Soul,” David asked readers to, "pick an issue that you find complicated, and grapple with it." But he didn’t stop there: David then advised readers to, “consider changing your mind, at least partia...
Aug 09, 2017•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mickey Edwards, former member of Congress for 16 years, and vice president and program director at the Aspen Institute, recalls a more civil time in American politics, when both Democrats and Republicans were more likely to engage in debate on Capitol Hill. In this episode, he speaks with Intelligence Squared U.S. host John Donvan about the ways in which Congressional deliberation has changed over the past 40 years, and paths to restoring open discourse in Washington. To support the show, visit ...
Jun 27, 2017•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
