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
The World Needs Religion Even if it Doesn't Need God
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 would argue…
- Intelligence Squared
Margaret MacMillan on How War Has Shaped Humanity
War - Do we care enough? In this episode, distinguished historian Margaret MacMillan explains why we should care about war and how it’s profoundly impacted our…
Intelligence SquaredIraq: 20 Years On | Tony Blair on Trial
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 prime…
Intelligence SquaredIraq: 20 Years On | ISIS, Terror and Extremism
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 Zarqāwī and…
Intelligence SquaredIraq: 20 Years On | Loss of a Nation
Over the last twenty years, award-winning Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, has watched his nation disappear time and time again. Sectarian division, ethnic…
Intelligence SquaredIraq: 20 Years On | Invasion, Occupation and Failures
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 in what…
Intelligence SquaredIraq: 20 Years On | The Road to War
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 start of…
- Intelligence Squared
Greece vs Rome, with Boris Johnson and Mary Beard
In 2015, Intelligence Squared staged the ultimate clash of civilisations: Greece vs Rome. Boris Johnson, at that time Mayor of London and ardent classicist…
- Intelligence Squared
Checking Out: The Industry That Takes Care Of The Dead
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: An…
- Intelligence Squared
What Exactly Is Western Civilisation?
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 is…
- Intelligence Squared
How Our Hobbies Set Us Free
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 hobbies, are we…
Intelligence SquaredIntroducing...Intelligence Squared: Arts & Culture
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 into the…
- Intelligence Squared
Who Defines Feminism?
International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. Feminism is not a monolith; often in the western world to help understand the history of feminism we refer…
- Intelligence Squared
Margaret Atwood, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Elif Shafak & More On Finding Their Voice
International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. On this episode we’re hearing a compilation from our award-winning podcast series How I Found My Voice…
- Intelligence Squared
Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls
International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. There are seven necessary sins for women and girls, that's according to Egyptian writer and activist Mona…
- Intelligence Squared
The Afghan Women Who Won't be Silenced
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 dreams we…
- Intelligence Squared
The Betrayal of Female Bodies in Professional Sport
International Women's Week on Intelligence Squared. Equality is no longer enough, women need equity - that's the message of former US 5000m champion, Lauren…
- Intelligence Squared
Difficult Feminism: History’s Complicated Changemakers
International Women’s Week on Intelligence Squared. Change is never easy, it requires putting up a fight, going against the status quo, and if you’re a woman -…
- Intelligence Squared
Me Too: The Women Who Helped Ignite a Movement
International Women’s Week on Intelligence Squared. On this episode we hear from some of the women who helped sparked the 2017 MeToo movement. Jodi Kantor and…
- Intelligence Squared
Old World vs New World: The Great Wine Debate
For the Sunday Debate this week, a dip back into the archive to 2019 when we partnered with Waitrose to invite three of the UK’s top wine experts to settle a…
- Intelligence Squared
Mary Beard on Women and Power in Western Culture
How has Western culture depicted powerful women down the ages? To what extent have they been packaged into a male template? And how much have they been able to…
- Intelligence Squared
Bernie Sanders on Money and Power
Senator Bernie Sanders is seen by many as the leader of the progressive movement in the United States. On this episode of the podcast, recorded in central…
Intelligence SquaredIntroducing...Intelligence Squared: Arts & Culture
We have some really exciting news for you, we're launching a brand new podcast – Intelligence Squared Arts & Culture. Join us every week as we delve into the…
- Intelligence Squared
Remembering The Cultural Revolution In Modern China
Journalist Tania Branigan has spent years covering China and is Foreign Leader writer for the Guardian. Her new book, Red Memory: Living, Remembering and…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: Should the West Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine?
As the war in Ukraine reaches its one year anniversary, there is still no clear end in sight. And while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy anticipates…
Intelligence SquaredRussia and Ukraine: One Year On
On this episode of the podcast we look back on one year of Russia’s war in Ukraine by revisiting 10 Intelligence Squared conversations over the past 12 months…
- Intelligence Squared
How Nigeria Is Making Peace With The Legacy Of Its Civil War
Emmanuel Iduma is a Nigerian author and critic whose new book, I Am Still With You, explores the legacy of the Nigerian Civil War, which began in 1967 and…
- Intelligence Squared
How Improvisation Created Language and Changed the World
Language is perhaps humanity's most astonishing accomplishment but one that remains poorly understood. On this episode of the podcast we were joined by Nick…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: Atheism is the New Fundamentalism
Does God exist? In this archive debate from 2009, we invited a panel of expert speakers to discuss whether atheism had replaced religion as the new faith of…
- Intelligence Squared
American Nightmare: Chinatown's People Smuggling Empire
Investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe joins us on the podcast to tell the story of an unlikely criminal mastermind, Sister Ping - a middle-aged…
- Intelligence Squared
Titanic: 25th anniversary special with Kate Winslet
It’s been 25 years since the release of James Cameron’s cult classic, Titanic. The epic movie, which early fans will remember came out on VHS in two parts…
- Intelligence Squared
Faces of Britain – Missing Portraits and the Gaps in British History
Intelligence Squared and Harewood House partner for this live podcast exploring the power of portraiture in representing Britain’s complex history. The expert…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: Pornography is Good For Us
It’s an issue that only gets more contentious with time - is porn good for us? To debate this issue in 2013, host Viv Groskop was joined by Germaine Greer, Dr…
- Intelligence Squared
Bret Easton Ellis on Teenage Nihilism and Nostalgia
Los Angeles, 1981. A group of beautiful, rich, high school students are playing adult in their absentee parents' empty mansions, fueled by lust and…
- Intelligence Squared
Food for Thought: A Hungry Economist Explains the World
When world-renowned economist Ha-Joon Chang first arrived in Britain in the 1980s he recoiled in horror at how dull and dreary British food was at that time…
- Intelligence Squared
Up in the Air: The Future of BBC World Service and Britain's Soft Power
On 27 January 2023, broadcaster Mahmoud Al-Mossallami hosted BBC Arabic radio’s final transmission after 85 years on air. It's the latest strategy shift for…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: Were pre-Brexit predictions correct?
This week marked the three year anniversary of Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. On this episode of The Sunday Debate we’re…
- Intelligence Squared
Ian Hislop on Satire and Becoming the Most Sued Man in England
Samira Ahmed speaks to journalist, satirist, and editor of the magazine Private Eye, Ian Hislop. They speak about his life and career, from an upbringing in…
- Intelligence Squared
Muppets in Moscow: The Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia
Between 1993 and 1997 Natasha Lance Rogoff, award-winning television producer and filmmaker, was the executive producer of Ulitsa Sezam, the Russian adaptation…
- Intelligence Squared
How Putin’s Wars Shaped Modern Russia
Mark Galeotti is one of the world’s leading experts on modern Russia. His new book, Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, details how Vladimir Putin and his…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: The West Should Pay Reparations For Slavery
For this archive debate from 2019, we invited a panel of top speakers to discuss the motion: The West Should Pay Reparations For Slavery. Should there be a…
- Intelligence Squared
How the Egyptian Pound Hit an All-Time Low
Are eggs now a luxury item? For the past year an economic crisis has been brewing in Egypt, only to be dramatically exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine. And…
- Intelligence Squared
How to Manage Your Money In the Cost of Living Crisis
In the current cost of living crisis it has never been more important to understand the financial world and take control of your money. For over 40 years, Paul…
- Intelligence Squared
Debunking the False Promises of the Wellness Industry
Juicing, biohacking, mindfulness apps, collagen supplements: the wellness industry has exploded into a $4.4 trillion movement. Wellness industry journalist…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: What is the legacy of Pope Benedict XVI?
As the world ushered in a new year on the 31st of December 2022, it also said goodbye to possibly its most well-known religious leader, Pope Benedict XVI. As a…
- Intelligence Squared
The Future of Ukraine and How Middle Powers are Reshaping the World
Observed from afar, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might appear to be a replay of the Cold War stand-off between Russia and the West. But according to political…
- Intelligence Squared
Resetting the Conversation on Race, with Coleman Hughes and Kenan Malik
Does the conversation on race need a reset? That is the question that Coleman Hughes and Kenan Malik explored when they came to Intelligence Squared in January…
- Intelligence Squared
Do We Have More than Five Senses?
Why does the world appear different when we’re in love? How can one colour make us feel anger and another calm? Why do sounds like chewing and yawning cause…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: Revere or Remove? The Battle Over Statues, Heritage and History
Statues and memorials to famous figures of the past adorn our towns and cities but what should be done when some of these figures have come to be seen by many…
- Intelligence Squared
The Futureverse – Redefining Legacy: How to Be a Great Ancestor, with Rory Stewart
In today's episode of Intelligence Squared, we hear from our podcast dedicated to exploring the possibilities of what lies ahead: The Futureverse. What if the…
- Intelligence Squared
The Heir and the Spare: Prince Harry Takes Aim at the Royal Family
In his new memoir, Spare, Prince Harry has opened a Pandora's box of revelations on the carefully managed public image of the world’s most famous yet guarded…
- Intelligence Squared
The Economy in 2023: Where Do We Go From Here?
Russia's war on Ukraine, Liz Truss's mini budget and soaring inflation have all hammered the UK in recent months. But as the country begins a new year with a…
- Intelligence Squared
The Sunday Debate: How much wealth should parents pass down?
Some of the richest people in the world have decided against bequeathing their fortunes to their children; from Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, to Daniel Craig…
- Intelligence Squared
The Powerful Women Who Made History
Powerful women have too often been overlooked by history. Of course we know about Boudica, Cleopatra, Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great. But there are many…
- Intelligence Squared
The Bewildering Magic of the Narwhal, the Greenland Shark, and the Golden Mole
Are narwhals the closest creature to unicorns that we can ever know? How does the Greenland shark fill its 500 years on our planet? Is the iridescent golden…
- Intelligence Squared
Cultural Favourites from the Archives – Words that Changed The World, with Jeremy Irons and Carey Mulligan
To celebrate some of the most influential and impactful speeches ever made, we invited Barack Obama’s director of speechwriting, Cody Keenan and Tony Blair’s…
- Intelligence Squared
Cultural Favourites from the Archives – Letters That Changed The World
Letters grant us a glimpse into fascinating lives, whether through the eyes of a genius, a monster or of an ordinary person. For this archive event, we matched…
- Intelligence Squared
Cultural Favourites from the Archives – The Power of Poetry, with Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Isaacs
Continuing our series of cultural highlights from the Intelligence Squared archive, we revisit the event The Power of Poetry, which saw actors Helena Bonham…
- Intelligence Squared
Cultural Favourites from the Archives – James Rhodes and Armando Iannucci on the Transformative Power of Music
Intelligence Squared has been producing agenda-setting events for over a decade. During the holiday season we're looking back over that extensive archive to…
- Intelligence Squared
The Magic of A Christmas Carol, with Simon Callow and John Mullan
What is it about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that has enchanted the public since its publication in 1843? Few people are as well placed to answer that…