Shows / Intelligence Squared
Intelligence Squared
Ideas shape the world. Intelligence Squared brings you the conversations that explain them. In every episode, we bring together leading thinkers, writers, scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs, to challenge assumptions, test ideas and debate the questions shaping our future. If you want to think more clearly about the world and where it's heading, you're in the right place. If you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free…
Episodes
- Intelligence Squared
Naomi Klein on Conspiracies, Doppelgangers and Democracy's Demise
Bestselling author and activist Naomi Klein goes down the rabbit hole in pursuit of her doppelganger – another well-known writer with a name similar to hers…
- Intelligence Squared
Mustafa Suleyman on the AI Revolution, Part 2
This the second instalment of our three-part episode. Mustafa Suleyman is the ultimate AI insider. As co-founder of DeepMind and Inflection AI, he is one of…
- Intelligence Squared
Mustafa Suleyman on the AI Revolution, Part 1
Mustafa Suleyman is the ultimate AI insider. As co-founder of DeepMind and Inflection AI, he is one of the pioneers of the artificial intelligence revolution…
- Intelligence Squared
John Gray and David Runciman on Finding Meaning in a Post-Liberal World
John Gray is one of the UK’s most important and influential political thinkers. Sceptical of ideas about progress and the perfectibility of human nature, he is…
- Intelligence Squared
Politics in the Age of Chaos with Rafael Behr
Do you ever turn away from the news in despair? Do you scroll through social media and come away feeling angry, frustrated and fearful? Have you given up on…
- Intelligence Squared
Trash Talk: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away
Award-winning journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis has spent the last number of years investigating the global waste industry. In June 2023 he came to…
- Intelligence Squared
Debate: The Battle for the Countryside, with George Monbiot and Rory Stewart
We tend to think of these uplands as ‘wild’ and ‘natural’. But in fact, as the rewilders point out, they are entirely man-made, the result of clearances by man…
- Intelligence Squared
No Bullsh*t Leadership: Sir Nicholas Hytner
In this straight-talking podcast brought to you by Intelligence Squared, Chris Hirst cuts through the bullsh*t and gets to the heart of modern leadership. For…
- Intelligence Squared
How Extremists are Taking Over
Accelerated by a pandemic, global conflict and rapid technological change, extremist ideas are becoming more widespread: QAnon proponents run for U.S…
- Intelligence Squared
David Baddiel: The Reluctant Atheist, Part 2
This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. David Baddiel would love there to be a God. The comedian and bestselling author has spent a lot of time…
- Intelligence Squared
David Baddiel: The Reluctant Atheist, Part 1
David Baddiel would love there to be a God. The comedian and bestselling author has spent a lot of time fantasising about how much better life would be if…
- Intelligence Squared
How Misinformation Led to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
What are the connections between propaganda about the Russian Empire and the invasion of Ukraine? Mikhail Zygar, a renowned Russian dissident journalist, is…
- Intelligence Squared
Katherine Ryan: How I Found My Voice
Samira Ahmed speaks to comedian Katherine Ryan, as part of the Intelligence Squared series How I Found My Voice. From working at Hooters and her first stand-up…
- Intelligence Squared
Ravinder Bhogal and Kavita Puri on Taste, Tradition and Turmoil
Food has always been more than just fuel. Beyond mere nourishment, food carries deep meaning in our lives. It evokes feelings of comfort and joy and it can…
- Intelligence Squared
Debate: Burgundy vs Bordeaux
Among wine lovers, there is no greater divide than that between Burgundy and Bordeaux. These are the world’s most celebrated wine regions. What separates them…
- Intelligence Squared
Growing Up Between Two Cultures
Television and radio broadcaster Aasmah Mir speaks about her recent memoir A Pebble In The Throat, which looks at the interwoven narratives found between the…
- Intelligence Squared
Adam Buxton: How I Found My Voice
Samira Ahmed speaks to one of Britain's most popular podcasters - Adam Buxton. From experimenting with early video recorders to his David Bowie impressions and…
- Intelligence Squared
Debate: Queen Elizabeth I vs Queen Victoria
Both Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria set their stamp firmly on their era but which was the greater monarch? In this event, recorded in 2017, we welcomed…
- Intelligence Squared
Yotam Ottolenghi: How I Found My Voice
Samira Ahmed speaks to the chef Yotam Ottolenghi, who has arguably done more than any other food writer in recent times to change the way we cook and eat. In…
- Intelligence Squared
Power, Play, Sex And Food: An Alternative History of Rome
The annals of ancient Rome’s first emperors have been recounted countless times. However, in his new book, Palatine: An Alternative History of the Caesars…
- Intelligence Squared
Tayari Jones: How I Found My Voice
Samira Ahmed speaks to the novelist and author of An American Marriage, Tayari Jones. They speak about her life and career from growing up in Atlanta and…
- Intelligence Squared
Debate: Old Testament vs New Testament
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 then there’s…
Intelligence SquaredEnergised: Rethinking the Grid
Expanding our global electricity networks is the key to unlocking a renewable future. In the US alone, the electric grid will need to expand by at least 60% by…
- Intelligence Squared
Cats vs Dogs, with John Gray and Will Self, Part 2
This is the second part of a two-part episode. It’s the issue that’s more polarising than politics. The world is full of animal lovers but we can’t agree on…
- Intelligence Squared
Cats vs Dogs, with John Gray and Will Self, Part 1
It’s the issue that’s more polarising than politics. The world is full of animal lovers but we can’t agree on which pet is more worthy of our love – the loyal…
- Intelligence Squared
Food for Thought: How Nutrition Affects Our Minds
Distinguished psychologist Kimberley Wilson's recent book is Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat Is Fuelling Our Mental Health Crisis. In it, she explores the…
- Intelligence Squared
Dickens vs Tolstoy: The Battle Of The Great 19th-century Novelists PART 2
This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. Dickens. Tolstoy. Their names and reputations shake the ground – and so do their books, if you drop one…
- Intelligence Squared
Dickens vs Tolstoy: The Battle Of The Great 19th-century Novelists PART 1
Dickens. Tolstoy. Their names and reputations shake the ground – and so do their books, if you drop one. But whose legacy is more enduring? Whose vision truer…
- Intelligence Squared
Rome’s Golden Age with Tom Holland
What was Rome like during its zenith? In July 2023 acclaimed historian and co-host of The Rest Is History podcast Tom Holland came to Intelligence Squared to…
- Intelligence Squared
How to Flex Your Imagination Muscle
What is it to imagine exactly? How do we go about it, and why is it so important that we imagine for ourselves? In July 2023 author and Condé Nast Britain…
- Intelligence Squared
Mariana Mazzucato and Stella Creasy on the Global Economy, PART 2
This is the second part of a two-part interview. Recorded in 2018, economist and author Mariana Mazzucato discusses her book, The Value of Everything, with UK…
- Intelligence Squared
Mariana Mazzucato and Stella Creasy on the Global Economy, PART 1
In this two-part episode recorded in 2018, economist and author Mariana Mazzucato discusses her book, The Value of Everything, with UK Labour MP Stella Creasy…
- Intelligence Squared
Eighty Is The New Thirty: A Guide To Getting Older, PART 2
This is the second part of a three-part interview. Join us for more in the following episode. We tend to associate old age with deterioration, especially of…
- Intelligence Squared
Eighty Is The New Thirty: A Guide To Getting Older, PART 1
We tend to associate old age with deterioration, especially of our mental powers and memory. But today we are seeing a new cohort of the so-called young-old…
- Intelligence Squared
Gloria Estefan on the Latin American Dream
Gloria Estefan is one of the most successful female singers ever. With more than 120 million records sold worldwide, three Grammy Awards, and a career spanning…
- Intelligence Squared
The Networks of History, with Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson is the preeminent historian of the ideas that define our time. He has challenged how we think about money, power, civilisation and empires. Now…
Intelligence SquaredThe Futureverse: The Risk-Takers, with Simon Reeve and Christina Lamb
Not many of us can claim to have hunted with the Bushmen of the Kalahari; been detained for spying by the KGB; or smuggled ourselves over a border into an…
- Intelligence Squared
Humanity's Thousand Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity
In the Middle Ages, agricultural advancements enriched the nobility and the Church, which used the wealth generated to build themselves magnificent houses and…
- Intelligence Squared
The Elders, with Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu: Part 2
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 wealth…
- Intelligence Squared
The Elders, with Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu and Mary Robinson: Part 1
In 2012, Intelligence Squared partnered with The Elders, a coalition of world leaders and figureheads freed from the constraints of office whose wealth of…
- Intelligence Squared
Willem Dafoe on Artistry and Adventure - Part 2
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 York…
- Intelligence Squared
Willem Dafoe on Artistry and Adventure - Part 1
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. Recorded…
- Intelligence Squared
The Handshake: A Gripping History
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. The…
- Intelligence Squared
Should the ICC Prosecute Putin?
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 Putin and…
- Intelligence Squared
Steven Pinker and David Runciman on Optimism, Enlightenment and Progress PART 2
For the second part of our conversation between cognitive psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker and academic and podcaster David Runciman, who…
- Intelligence Squared
Steven Pinker and David Runciman on Optimism, Enlightenment and Progress PART 1
For this edition, Intelligence Squared revisits a compelling discussion from 2019 with one of the world's foremost cognitive psychologists, Steven Pinker…
- Intelligence Squared
How To Break The Internet (in 5 Hacks)
Yale Law professor Scott Shapiro takes us on an exhilarating journey through the world of cybercrime and hacking, unraveling the captivating stories behind…
- Intelligence Squared
How Dickens Changed My Life
Join Simon Callow as he shares his infectious enthusiasm and profound knowledge of Charles Dickens in this conversation produced in partnership with Sotheby’s…
- Intelligence Squared
Debate: London VS New York
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 cultural…
- Intelligence Squared
Voices of the Founding Fathers: Words that Shaped a Nation
What do the words of America’s Founding Fathers mean today? In this conversation produced in partnership with Sotheby’s, New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik, scholar…
- Intelligence Squared
Daniel Kahneman on Making Intelligent Decisions in a Chaotic World - Part 2
This episode is part two of our live event with Psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Olivier Sibony, Professor of Strategy and Business Policy at HEC Paris. In…
- Intelligence Squared
Daniel Kahneman on Making Intelligent Decisions in a Chaotic World - Part 1
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 2022 he…
- Intelligence Squared
Debate: Succession VS The White Lotus
For this preview of Intelligence Squared's new podcast, VS, two critically lauded TV shows are under the microscope. Succession and The White Lotus have both…
- Intelligence Squared
What Politics Can Learn From Philosophy
Philosopher Julian Baggini shares the insights of his new book How to Think Like a Philosopher: Essential Principles for Clearer Thinking. In conversation with…
- Intelligence Squared
Britain’s NHS: 75 Years of Hurt and Healing
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, embodying…
Intelligence SquaredAfter Putin: Russia vs The West (Bonus Episode)
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 series 'After…
- Intelligence Squared
Messalina: The most Notorious Woman of the Roman Empire
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 that the…
- Intelligence Squared
James Comey on Crime, Punishment, and Donald Trump - Part 2
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 crime…
- Intelligence Squared
James Comey on Crime, Punishment, and Donald Trump - Part 1
“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 2017. James Comey…
Intelligence SquaredAfter Putin: The Beginning Of The End? (Bonus)
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 series 'After…