Episodes

  • Tom Chatfield is a tech philosopher whose new book looks at how humans have lived side by side with technology for millennia and offers ideas for how humanity will fare in the imminent AI-powered future. Chatfield's work often focuses on the cross-section of society and tech. He is a creator of textbooks and courses training in critical thinking and his previous non-fiction books include How To Thrive in the Digital Age. Not only that but he's also a novelist, having published a thriller – This is Gomorrah – in 2019. Joining Chatfield in conversation is Stephanie Hare. She is a researcher, broadcaster and author focusing on issues such as technology, politics and history and is the author of Technology Is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics.
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  • This is Part Two of a three-part discussion. Why are middle-aged women these days subject to so much rage and hatred – frequently from people who see themselves as kind and ‘on the right side of history’? What explains the popularity of the Karen meme, which references a stereotypically privileged white woman whom everyone feels entitled to loathe? Why does this age-old misogyny feel so very now? As writer Victoria Smith approached middle age she made her peace with her sagging neckline and having to cope with ageing parents. But the disdain and vitriol she experienced as a woman in mid-life came as a shock. In her acclaimed book Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women she traces the prejudice that has been directed towards older women down the ages and explores the prevalence of witch hunts in recent years. Smith joined us on stage at The Tabernacle in London in March 2024, where she was joined by fellow writers Hadley Freeman and Sonia Sodha. Together they explored why women who have the temerity to exist beyond the age at which they are conventionally deemed desirable to men are seen as superfluous to society; and they looked for solutions which can benefit all women – whether they are hags or hags-in-waiting.
    This is the second of a three-part discussion. Intelligence Squared Members can listen to all three instalments, including the Members-only Part Three, immediately.
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  • This is Part One of a three-part discussion. Why are middle-aged women these days subject to so much rage and hatred – frequently from people who see themselves as kind and ‘on the right side of history’? What explains the popularity of the Karen meme, which references a stereotypically privileged white woman whom everyone feels entitled to loathe? Why does this age-old misogyny feel so very now? As writer Victoria Smith approached middle age she made her peace with her sagging neckline and having to cope with ageing parents. But the disdain and vitriol she experienced as a woman in mid-life came as a shock. In her acclaimed book Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women she traces the prejudice that has been directed towards older women down the ages and explores the prevalence of witch hunts in recent years. Smith joined us on stage at The Tabernacle in London in March 2024, where she was joined by fellow writers Hadley Freeman and Sonia Sodha. Together they explored why women who have the temerity to exist beyond the age at which they are conventionally deemed desirable to men are seen as superfluous to society; and they looked for solutions which can benefit all women – whether they are hags or hags-in-waiting.
    This is the first of a three-part discussion. Intelligence Squared Members can listen to all three instalments, including the Members-only Part Three, immediately.
    If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all of our longer form interviews and Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.
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  • As a writer who focuses on technology and as AI Editor for The Financial Times, Madhumita Murgia has been unable to ignore the increasing reach of AI into the infrastructure that helps run our societies. It's the subject of her new book, Code Dependent, a study of how technology and AI often designed with idealistic intent is beginning to have a significant effect on real people's lives and not always for the better. Joining Murgia in conversation for this episode is Carl Miller, co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at the think tank Demos and author of The Death of the Gods: The New Global Power Grab.
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  • The Labour MP Liam Byrne is Chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Select Committee. He also served on the front bench for both prime ministers Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. So he is well-positioned to be thinking about some of society's more pressing economic questions and these are the focus of his recent book, The Inequality of Wealth: Why it Matters and How to Fix it. Joining Byrne in conversation for this episode by the economist and writer Tej Parikh, Economics Leader Writer for The Financial Times.
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  • Roland Allen is a publisher and author whose new book is a history of that everyday essential, the humble notebook. His book – The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper – explores how the notebook's invention ushered in a communications revolution, transforming the ways that ideas were transmitted across the globe and even helping facilitate artistic movements within its pocket-sized pages. Joining Allen in conversation for this episode is fellow writer and former Managing Director of Condé Nast, Albert Read, author of his own book on the power of ideas, The Imagination Muscle.
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  • Debut novelist Flora Carr's new book, The Tower, looks at the life Scotland's 16th-century monarch Mary, Queen of Scots. In this tale of desire and friendship, Carr weaves in figures that have been long forgotten by the historical record and reimagines the Queen during the period she was imprisoned at Lochleven Castle in Scotland in order to create a new work of literary feminist fiction. Joining Carr to discuss the book for this episode is historian Francesca Peacock, whose own recent book – Pure Wit – reimagined the life of another often misunderstood historical figure, Margaret Cavendish.
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  • 2024 is set to be a seismic year. A win by Donald Trump in the US presidential election could upend the world economy, ongoing military conflicts could continue to escalate and the race to develop AI will accelerate as China and the US battle it out for technological supremacy. Who better to make sense of these unsettling and fast-changing times than Martin Wolf? He is Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times and widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential writers on the global economy.
    A multi-award-winning financial journalist, Wolf has been chronicling and analysing geopolitical and economic upheaval for nearly 40 years. He has written five bestselling books. His latest, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, maps out the implications of globalisation, technological development and the impact of democratic decline on the global economy. The host for this event is BBC News Presenter Jonny Dymond.
    This recording is part of The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook series of events made in partnership with Guinness Global Investors, an independent British fund manager that helps both individuals and institutions harness the future drivers of growth to achieve their investment goals.
    To find out more visit: https://www.guinnessgi.com/
    If you would like to attend The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook's next event focusing on China with economist Keyu Jin, visit www.IntelligenceSquared.com/attend
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  • It’s often said that you can’t put a price on a life but in the name of business many organisations do it everyday. Drawing from the themes of her latest book, The Price of Life, journalist and broadcaster Jenny Kleeman shows us how the monetary value of human life is often coldly calculated in industries ranging from insurance to the welfare sector. She also digs into the disturbing and murky underworld of organised crime, where sourcing a hitman or a female trafficking victim could cost as little as a few thousand pounds. In conversation with author and researcher Carl Miller, Kleeman makes the case that we can’t afford to dodge the question of how much we are willing to spend to prevent the loss of life while making hollow statements about life’s supposed pricelessness.
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  • Peter Pomerantsev is the journalist, author and academic who specialises in disinformation and the more covert mass communication techniques of our geopolitical age. His latest book is How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler, which looks at the Second World War and the career of journalist Sefton Delmer, whose work for the British government contributed to the vital information war waged against Germany and the Nazis. Joining Pomerantsev in conversation for this episode is Mark Galeotti, expert on Russia and an honorary professor at University College London. Galeotti's latest book is The Weaponisation of Everything.
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  • This is the second instalment of our live debate with an expert panel deciding whether the UK's private schools should continue to enjoy their tax advantages. The UK has an education system that perpetuates inequality. Seven per cent of its children go to private schools and yet these institutions receive around three times the funding per student as the average state school. Privately educated people then go on to dominate our elite institutions. They are seven times as likely to win a place at Oxford and Cambridge universities as their state-educated peers, and they make up 65 per cent of senior judges and 29 per cent of members of parliament. Who could possibly object to a tax that would benefit the majority of Britain’s schoolchildren?
    Those who believe in aspiration, that’s who, argue the champions of private schools. People like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s parents, who, as he has explained, were not wealthy or privileged but who worked hard so that they could send their son to one of this country’s top independent schools. Removing the tax breaks on private schools would amount to class war and punish parents who are prepared to make sacrifices to give their children the best start in life. Because, let’s be honest, it won’t be the one per cent who will be affected by this change, but the children of the ‘squeezed middle’ and the less well off who rely on bursaries and scholarships to access private education – many of whom these schools may no longer be able to support under Labour’s proposals.
    Should private schools continue to enjoy their tax advantages or not?
    On stage to discuss it for this event was our panel; Fraser Nelson, Editor of The Spectator, Helen Pike, Master of Magdalen College School, Oxford, the journalist, broadcaster and Contributing Editor at Novara Media, Ash Sarkar, and Melissa Benn, writer and campaigner for a high-quality comprehensive school system.
    The discussion is in two halves. If you’re an Intelligence Squared Member you can get the whole thing right now – no waiting around. Head to intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.
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  • In this live debate, our expert panel decides whether the UK's private schools should continue to enjoy their tax advantages. The UK has an education system that perpetuates inequality. Seven per cent of its children go to private schools and yet these institutions receive around three times the funding per student as the average state school. Privately educated people then go on to dominate our elite institutions. They are seven times as likely to win a place at Oxford and Cambridge universities as their state-educated peers, and they make up 65 per cent of senior judges and 29 per cent of members of parliament. Who could possibly object to a tax that would benefit the majority of Britain’s schoolchildren?
    Those who believe in aspiration, that’s who, argue the champions of private schools. People like Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s parents, who, as he has explained, were not wealthy or privileged but who worked hard so that they could send their son to one of this country’s top independent schools. Removing the tax breaks on private schools would amount to class war and punish parents who are prepared to make sacrifices to give their children the best start in life. Because, let’s be honest, it won’t be the one per cent who will be affected by this change, but the children of the ‘squeezed middle’ and the less well off who rely on bursaries and scholarships to access private education – many of whom these schools may no longer be able to support under Labour’s proposals.
    Should private schools continue to enjoy their tax advantages or not?
    On stage to discuss it for this event was our panel; Fraser Nelson, Editor of The Spectator, Helen Pike, Master of Magdalen College School, Oxford, the journalist, broadcaster and Contributing Editor at Novara Media, Ash Sarkar, and Melissa Benn, writer and campaigner for a high-quality comprehensive school system.
    The discussion is in two halves. If you’re an Intelligence Squared Member you can get the whole thing right now – no waiting around. Head to intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.
    For £4.99 per month you'll also receive:
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  • In a world of chaos and disaster where many of us already feel powerless, it can be humbling to consider the idea of chance and fate having a big hand in all of our destinies, all of the time. But is it all just random? Someone who knows more about chaos and disaster than most is Dr Brian Klaas, political scientist at UCL and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. His latest book is Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters. In it he explores how events of historic significance have been shaped from the smaller seemingly chance occurrences found within our highly interconnected society. Klaas's previous books have investigated despots and rigged elections with his research often focusing on democracy, authoritarianism, Trumpism, the nature of power, political violence and US foreign policy. He is also host of the award-winning podcast, Power Corrupts. Joining Klaas in conversation for this episode is Poppy Damon, the journalist and podcast producer based in New York City, whose most recent project – Agatha Christie and the Dandelion Poisoner – is available now on Audible.
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  • This is the second instalment of our two-part discussion. Tim Marshall is one of the world’s most successful authors on foreign affairs. He’s the writer who put the ‘geo’ into geopolitics with his multi-million selling books Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography. Marshall’s principal argument is that without geography we cannot understand the world. His latest book is The Future of Geography: How Power and Politics in Space will Change our World. In February 2024 Tim joined journalist and presenter Ritula Shah for an Intelligence Squared live event, How Geography Explains Our World, at London’s Conway Hall. It was a packed house. And Tim answered questions on topics ranging from the lay of the land on planet Earth to how mapping out outer space will be the next big geographical frontier. He also reflected on the crisis in Israel and Gaza – a location he spent years reporting from.
    The discussion is in two halves. If you’re an Intelligence Squared Member you can get the whole thing right now – no waiting around. Head to intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.
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  • Tim Marshall is one of the world’s most successful authors on foreign affairs. He’s the writer who put the ‘geo’ into geopolitics with his multi-million selling books Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography. Marshall’s principal argument is that without geography we cannot understand the world. His latest book is The Future of Geography: How Power and Politics in Space will Change our World. In February 2024 Tim joined journalist and presenter Ritula Shah for an Intelligence Squared live event, How Geography Explains Our World, at London’s Conway Hall. It was a packed house. And Tim answered questions on topics ranging from the lay of the land on planet Earth to how mapping out outer space will be the next big geographical frontier. He also reflected on the crisis in Israel and Gaza – a location he spent years reporting from.
    The discussion is in two halves. If you’re an Intelligence Squared Member you can get the whole thing right now – no waiting around. Head to intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.
    If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all of our longer form interviews and 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
    - Our member-only newsletter The Monthly Read, sent straight to your inbox
    ...
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  • In this episode, Helen Newman, Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe is joined by Paul Signac’s great granddaughter Charlotte Hellman, artist Erik Madigan Heck, and the National Gallery’s Christopher Riopelle for a conversation about the revolutionary impact made by the Impressionists.
    This podcast was originally recorded at Sotheby’s in London in February 2024 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Impressionism. To see the works discussed in this episode and to step further into the world of Sotheby’s, you can visit any of their galleries around the world, which are open to the public.
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  • In this archive listen from 2022, Professor Jim Al-Khalili is the physicist who makes science look easy. He’s the author of several books including The Joy of Science, which offers eight core scientific principles that can be applied to everyday life. As a broadcaster Jim is perhaps best known as the voice of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific and he holds the position of Distinguished Chair in physics and University Chair in public engagement at the University of Surrey. Our host for this discussion is Media Editor for The Sunday Times, Rosamund Urwin.
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  • Corey Keyes is a sociologist and a professor at Emory University in Georgia who studies positive wellbeing: how humans thrive and flourish. He coined the term “languishing” to describe the opposite of flourishing. When you’re languishing you may not be mentally unwell, but you’re probably feeling low, directionless or undervalued, you might feel disconnected from others and like your life lacks meaning and purpose. He has recently published a book, Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down, outlining his life’s research into the components of a life well-lived and offering tips for how all of us can nudge ourselves closer to flourishing. Joining Keyes in conversation for this episode is Sophie McBain, who is a contributing editor at New Statesman magazine and writes about books and ideas for The Guardian and The Sunday Times.
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  • In Part Two of our double episode discussion, we're once again joined by head of TED, Chris Anderson. He has had a ringside view of the world’s most influential thinkers in action – TED’s annual conference in Vancouver sees thousands of delegates flock from across the world to hear presentations from pre-eminent scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, political leaders and CEOs on the biggest issues of the day. Speakers have included Elon Musk on artificial intelligence, Bill Gates on how to prevent future pandemics and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on how to create a better future for women and girls. Anderson has a new book, Infectious Generosity, which draws from some of those learnings, in order to spread a bit more of an idea in short supply in recent years – optimism. In it, he offers real world case studies showing how a more generous outlook can make small changes that lead to bigger ones. This conversation is a recording of our Intelligence Squared event at London’s Union Chapel. Joining Anderson onstage to discuss the book and his work was Jon Ronson, the writer and podcaster behind books that have set the agenda in exploring the post-internet age including The Psychopath Test, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and So You've Been Publicly Shamed. Most recently, you might know him from the hit podcast Things Fell Apart, which explores the stories and history of the culture wars.
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  • As head of TED, Chris Anderson has had a ringside view of the world’s most influential thinkers in action. TED’s annual conference in Vancouver sees thousands of delegates flock from across the world to hear presentations from pre-eminent scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, political leaders and CEOs on the biggest issues of the day. Speakers have included Elon Musk on artificial intelligence, Bill Gates on how to prevent future pandemics and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on how to create a better future for women and girls. Anderson has a new book, Infectious Generosity, which draws from some of those learnings, in order to spread a bit more of an idea in short supply in recent years – optimism. In it, he offers real world case studies showing how a more generous outlook can make small changes that lead to bigger ones. This conversation is a recording of our Intelligence Squared event at London’s Union Chapel. Joining Anderson onstage to discuss the book and his work was Jon Ronson, the writer and podcaster behind books that have set the agenda in exploring the post-internet age including The Psychopath Test, The Men Who Stare at Goats, and So You've Been Publicly Shamed. Most recently, you might know him from the hit podcast Things Fell Apart, which explores the stories and history of the culture wars.
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