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 SquaredLearning to Speak Machine, with John Maeda and Ros Urwin
John Maeda is one of the world's preeminent interdisciplinary thinkers on technology and design, and the author of How to Speak Machine. In this episode of the…
Intelligence SquaredConquerors and Liberators: War Leaders Who Shaped Our World
Managing a successful Premier League football team or a major company takes extraordinary fortitude and foresight. But try leading a nation of millions – and…
Intelligence SquaredKen Clarke: The Big Beast of British Politics
After 49 years as a Conservative MP, Ken Clarke will be stepping down at the UK general election on December 12. In this episode of the Intelligence Squared…
Intelligence SquaredYanis Varoufakis and Brian Eno on Money, Power and a Call for Radical Change
The liberal order is under threat. Increasing inequality, the rise of far-right nationalism and the climate emergency pose unprecedented challenges. It’s time…
Intelligence SquaredRichard Branson: How I Found My Voice
This is an episode from the second series of How I Found My Voice, a podcast from Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira Ahmed…
Intelligence SquaredP.J. O’Rourke and Lionel Shriver on the Battle for the White House
This episode was from one of our live Intelligence Squared events, featuring satirist P. J. O’Rourke and bestselling author Lionel Shriver. They joined us for…
Intelligence SquaredNaomi Klein on Climate Change, Extinction Rebellion & the case for a Green New Deal
This is an episode from the second series of How I Found My Voice, a podcast from Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira Ahmed…
Intelligence SquaredIntelligent Times: Dean Baquet and Simon Schama on Trump, Politics and The Future of News
Earlier this week we were joined by executive editor of The New York Times Dean Baquet and historian Sir Simon Schama for an examination of the role of the…
Intelligence SquaredThe Survival of Democracy in Eastern Europe, with Ivan Krastev, Timothy Garton Ash and Brian Klaas
In November 1989, 30 years ago this month, the collapse of the Berlin Wall ushered in a new era of democracy in Eastern Europe. But today, with populist…
Intelligence SquaredThe Poetry Pharmacy Returns with William Sieghart and Sarah Dunant
William Sieghart’s The Poetry Pharmacy: Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul was one of the publishing sensations of the past few years…
Intelligence SquaredHow I Found My Voice: Michael Palin
This is an episode from the second series of How I Found My Voice, a podcast from Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira Ahmed…
Intelligence SquaredIntelligent Times: Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey on Breaking the Harvey Weinstein Story
Intelligent Times is a live event series collaboration between The New York Times and Intelligence Squared, bringing together leading New York Times…
Intelligence SquaredThe Gendered Brain Myth, with Daphna Joel and Rosamund Urwin
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the Israeli neuroscientist Daphna Joel, author of Gender Mosaic: Beyond the Myth of the…
Intelligence SquaredJohn Humphrys: The Terrier of Today, in conversation with Justin Webb
Earlier this month, as John Humphrys stepped down after 32 years at Today and published a long-awaited memoir, A Day Like Today, he came to the Intelligence…
Intelligence SquaredThe Battle Over Gender, Race and Identity with Douglas Murray and Anne McElvoy
In this episode we were joined by the conservative thinker Douglas Murray, whose new book The Madness of Crowds examines this century's most divisive issues…
Intelligence SquaredTrailblazers: Women Leading the Way
Women of colour have to navigate a world of work where they are often discriminated against because of their race as well as their gender. Prejudice in…
Intelligence SquaredThe Underworld of the High Seas, with Ian Urbina and Razia Iqbal
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the renowned investigative journalist Ian Urbina, who has a new book titled The Outlaw…
Intelligence SquaredSpeeches and Letters That Changed The World, With Simon Sebag Montefiore and Kate Mosse
At the 2019 Cliveden Literary Festival, Intelligence Squared brought together historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and novelist Kate Mosse to discuss some of the…
Intelligence SquaredThe Social Media Addiction-Machine, with Richard Seymour and Jamie Bartlett
In this week's episode we were joined by Richard Seymour, the Marxist intellectual and author of The Twittering Machine, a book which uses psychoanalytic…
Intelligence SquaredThe West Should Pay Reparations For Slavery
They are the crimes for which no one has ever made amends. The transatlantic slave trade enslaved between 10 and 12 million Africans. Historians estimate that…
Intelligence SquaredSatire, Boris and Brexit with Ian McEwan and Razia Iqbal
In this week’s episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the acclaimed novelist Ian McEwan. He was interviewed by the BBC’s Razia Iqbal to…
Intelligence SquaredParliament’s War of Words: Women in Power, with Mary Beard, Rachel Reeves and Sandip Verma
With tensions running high this week in the U.K. Houses of Parliament over Brexit and allegations about PM Boris Johnson's use of inflammatory language…
Intelligence SquaredHow I Found My Voice: Benjamin Zephaniah
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira…
Intelligence SquaredThe Mindfulness Myth, with Ronald Purser and Helen Lewis
Mindfulness – the psychological practice of bringing one's attention to the present moment through meditation – has gone mainstream. It has been…
Intelligence SquaredHow I Found My Voice: Elif Shafak
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira…
Intelligence SquaredAn Evening With Salman Rushdie
Salman Rushdie is one of the world’s greatest storytellers. He came to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss his career, his life and his new novel…
Intelligence SquaredHow I Found My Voice: Lyse Doucet
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira…
Intelligence SquaredThe Politics of Video Games, with Pete Etchells and Ros Urwin
Are video games harmful to society? Recently the World Health Organisation classified 'gaming disorder' as a clinical mental health disorder and a danger to…
Intelligence SquaredHow I Found My Voice: Philip Pullman
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira…
Intelligence SquaredThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism, with Shoshana Zuboff and Rosamund Urwin
We live in an age of "surveillance capitalism" - where technologies that were meant to liberate us have deepened inequality and stoked divisions. Big tech…
Intelligence SquaredHow I Found My Voice: Mark Millar
This is an episode from a new podcast strand launched by Intelligence Squared called How I Found My Voice. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira…
Intelligence SquaredIbram X. Kendi and Razia Iqbal on How To Be An Antiracist
What's the difference between being merely non-racist and being an antiracist? And what will it take to completely uproot racism from our societies…
Intelligence SquaredMichael Pollan and Xand Van Tulleken on the New Science of Psychedelics
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the acclaimed food writer Michael Pollan, whose most recent book How To Change Your Mind…
Intelligence SquaredNessa Carey and Xand Van Tulleken on How Gene Editing Will Rewrite Our Futures
In this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Nessa Carey, the molecular biologist and author of Hacking The Code Of Life. She…
Intelligence SquaredChris Hirst and Helen Lewis on No Bullsh*t Leadership
In this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Chris Hirst, Global CEO for the advertising company Havas Creative Network and…
Intelligence SquaredMark Galeotti and Edward Lucas on what the West gets wrong about Putin
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Mark Galeotti, Russia expert and author of We Need to Talk About Putin. He was…
Intelligence SquaredPaul Mason and Jesse Norman on a Revolutionary Defence of Humanity
In this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, the left-wing economics journalist Paul Mason was interviewed by the Conservative MP Jesse Norman…
Intelligence SquaredDebate: 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 SquaredJeffrey Sachs on the End of American Supremacy
Last month we were joined onstage by the University of Columbia economics professor Jeffrey Sachs, as he laid out his radical new vision for U.S. foreign…
Intelligence SquaredMark Zuckerberg on Trial: Facebook is Damaging Society
According to his critics, Mark Zuckerberg presides over a company which is undermining our basic freedoms. But should we give him the benefit of the doubt as…
Intelligence SquaredAnti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism
Is there a country in the world that attracts so much criticism as Israel? Studies consistently show Israel to be one of the most disliked nations in the world…
Intelligence SquaredThe Revolt Against The Rich, with Anand Giridharadas and Anne McElvoy
Thought-leaders, change agents, the new philanthropists. These are some of the terms used to describe rich and powerful figures who talk publicly and…
Intelligence SquaredThe Daily: The Rise of Nationalism Across the Globe
In this week's podcast, we hosted a live conversation from "The Daily", The New York Times' flagship podcast. In an event in partnership with The New York…
Intelligence SquaredIdentity Politics Is Tearing Society Apart
Is identity politics, with its emphasis on gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation, sowing division? Or is it a call for social justice for everyone? On 22nd…
Intelligence SquaredThe Victorians Who Made Britain: Jacob Rees-Mogg vs Tristram Hunt
For Jacob Rees-Mogg the 19th century was a golden era. It was a time of moral certainty, of a global vision for Great Britain, and a confidence in the…
Intelligence SquaredJennifer Eberhardt and Razia Iqbal on the Psychology of Racial Bias
For this week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Jennifer Eberhardt, Social Psychologist at Stanford University and author of…
Intelligence SquaredEric Kaufmann and Razia Iqbal on the End of White Majorities
In this week's podcast we were joined by Eric Kaufmann, Birkbeck politics professor and author of Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration and the Future of White…
Intelligence SquaredAdam Higginbotham and Evan Ratliff on the Untold Story of Chernobyl
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, released on the 33rd anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, journalist and author Evan Ratliff was joined…
Intelligence SquaredJulia Shaw and Rosamund Urwin on the Science Behind Humanity's Dark Side
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Julia Shaw the psychologist and author of Making Evil, alongside Rosamund Urwin of the…
Intelligence SquaredThomas Friedman On The World In 2019
Earlier this month we were joined by Thomas Friedman as he brought his wisdom and insight to the world’s current predicaments: How should the West respond to…
Intelligence SquaredViral Sensation Rutger Bregman On How Utopian Ideas Can Become Reality
This week's episode features Rutger Bregman, historian and author of Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There. In conversation with Helen Lewis, associate…
Intelligence SquaredHow I Found My Voice: Rose McGowan
This week's episode is something a little different: an episode of Intelligence Squared's new podcast How I Found My Voice. How I Found My Voice is the podcast…
Intelligence SquaredNationalism is a Delusion: Our Futures Depend on Ever Closer Union
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast is a special episode produced by Intelligence Squared Germany in collaboration with the ECFR. Arguing…
Intelligence SquaredLetters That Changed The World
Following on from Intelligence Squared’s acclaimed events on great speeches and poetry, when Carey Mulligan, Simon Russell Beale, Helena Bonham Carter and…
Intelligence SquaredOn The Brink Of A No-Deal Brexit: The Town Hall Debate
Britain is now facing one of the biggest constitutional crises in its history. As Brexit looms, Intelligence Squared staged a special town hall meeting with…
Intelligence SquaredChina: Friend or Foe?
Is China, with its unfair trade policies and shameless theft of intellectual property, an enemy that needs to be reined in? Or is it in the West’s best…
Intelligence SquaredBlame Liberals For the Rise of Populism
Have the left’s policies of high immigration and multiculturalism caused the disaffection which has given rise to populism? Or is it the right, with its…
Intelligence SquaredDavid Wootton and Giles Fraser on the Philosophy of Profit, Power and Pleasure
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast features David Wootton, historian and author of Power, Pleasure, and Profit, in a wide-ranging…
Intelligence SquaredThe West Should Cut Ties With Saudi Arabia
Should the West end its alliance with the Saudi regime? Or should we give its Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman a chance? In this Intelligence Squared podcast…
Intelligence SquaredLeonard Mlodinow and Rosamund Urwin on the Power of Elastic Thinking
In this episode we were joined by Leonard Mlodinow, the theoretical physicist, Star Trek screenwriter and author of Elastic: Flexible Thinking in a Time of…