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 SquaredGermany Is Endangering European Stability
This week's podcast comes from an event hosted by Intelligence Squared Germany, in collaboration with ECFR Berlin. Our panel of speakers, including…
Intelligence SquaredBruce Daisley and Jamie Bartlett on Re-Envisioning the World of Work
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Twitter's European VP and author of The Joy of Work Bruce Daisley and tech journalist…
Intelligence SquaredRachel Botsman and Helen Lewis on Technology and Trust
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Rachel Botsman, world renowned trust expert, Oxford academic and author of Who Can You…
Intelligence SquaredSiva Vaidhyanathan and Helen Lewis on How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by the cultural historian, media scholar and author of Antisocial Media Siva Vaidhyanathan…
Intelligence SquaredBruno Maçães and Linda Yueh on the Chinese World Order
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Bruno Maçães, the former Europe minister of Portugal, in conversation with Oxford…
Intelligence SquaredMishal Husain and Martha Lane Fox on Careers, Life and Leadership
Equal pay. Gender bias. Sexual harassment. A year on from the start of the #MeToo movement, conversations around these topics have exploded – and progress on…
Intelligence SquaredLinkedIn Founder Reid Hoffman on Building a Billion-Dollar Business at Lightning Speed
Some of the world’s most successful and powerful companies began as tiny startups and became global giants within only a few years. The list is long and…
Intelligence SquaredThe Battle Over Free Speech: Are Trigger Warnings, Safe Spaces and No-Platforming Harming Young Minds?
Many would argue that these are the fundamental goals of a good education. So why has Cambridge University taken to warning its students that the sexual…
Intelligence SquaredBonus Episode - The Brexit Deal: Decision Time
It’s a defining moment for British democracy. This December, Parliament will vote on whether to approve or reject Theresa May’s draft Brexit withdrawal…
Intelligence SquaredJeanne Marie Laskas and Bonnie Greer on Love, Hate, Anger, and Hope in the Obama Years
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we had Jeanne Marie Laskas, the American professor, journalist and author of To Obama, looking back at the…
Intelligence SquaredParenting Doesn't Matter (Or Not As Much As You Think)
The multibillion-pound parenting industry tells us we can all shape our children to be joyful, resilient and successful. But what if it’s all bunk?…
Intelligence SquaredSpecial episode with Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Director of Communications
In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House Director of Communications for a whopping 11…
Intelligence SquaredKamal Ahmed and Razia Iqbal on Identity, Race and Prejudice
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast was a wide-ranging conversation about race and identity in Britain. In the studio we had Kamal Ahmed…
Intelligence SquaredBonus Episode: The Impeachment Election? Trump, Mueller and the Fight for America
Is this the last stand for American democracy? That’s what many of Donald Trump’s opponents believe. The upcoming US midterm election is the last chance to…
Intelligence SquaredJames Barr and Catherine Philp on the Secret British-American Rivalry in the Middle East
In this week’s episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, the historian and author of Lords of the Desert James Barr sat down with Times journalist Catherine…
Intelligence SquaredKate Raworth and Matthew Taylor on Rethinking Economics For The 21st Century
In this week’s episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, Oxford economist and author of Doughnut Economics Kate Raworth sat down with Matthew Taylor, chief…
Intelligence SquaredMistaken Identities: The Conflict Over Culture, Class, Gender and Nation with Kwame Anthony Appiah and John Gray
Race, religion and identity are being talked about as never before. While minority groups raise their voices for recognition and inclusion, others feel that…
Intelligence SquaredDickens 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 SquaredPeter Biskind and Helen Lewis on Vampires, Zombies, X-Men and Political Extremism
In this Intelligence Squared podcast we were joined by Peter Biskind, cultural critic and author of The Sky Is Falling, alongside the New Statesman's Helen…
Intelligence SquaredTristan Harris and Helen Lewis on how tech has hijacked our brains
In this episode of Intelligence Squared we were joined by Tristan Harris, former design ethicist at Google in conversation with the New Statesman's Helen…
Intelligence SquaredMariana Mazzucato and Stella Creasy on Making and Taking in 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 SquaredJeremy Corbyn Is Unfit To Be Prime Minister
When Jeremy Corbyn won the Labour leadership he was shrugged off as an unelectable oddball in a scruffy suit who would doom Labour to certain defeat. But last…
Intelligence SquaredLinda Yueh and Jesse Norman on the Economists That Shaped History
Linda Yueh, renowned economist, broadcaster and author of The Great Economists, in conversation with Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire and…
Intelligence SquaredTom Baldwin and Nina Schick on How the Information Age Crashed Our Democracy
Tom Baldwin, former Director of Communications for the UK Labour Party under Ed Miliband and author of Ctrl Alt Delete, has spent the best part of three…
Intelligence SquaredTim Marshall in conversation with Catherine Philp on Why We're Living in an Age of Walls
Tim Marshall, renowned journalist and author of Divided, in conversation with the Times diplomatic correspondent Catherine Philp, examine the fault lines that…
Intelligence SquaredJamie Susskind in conversation with Helen Lewis On How Tech Is Transforming Our Politics
Jamie Susskind, author of Future Politics, in conversation with the New Statesman's Helen Lewis, discuss how digital technology will radically transform how we…
Intelligence SquaredJames Bloodworth in conversation with Matthew Taylor on the Gig Economy and the Reality of Low-Wage Work
Journalist James Bloodworth spent six months working undercover across Britain, taking on some of the country's most gruelling and menial jobs for his recent…
Intelligence SquaredTom Whipple in Conversation With Rosamund Urwin on Why Gender Still Matters
Referencing the latest research on the science of sexuality, Tom Whipple talks about dating apps, Love Island, the relative testicle size of bonobos and…
Intelligence SquaredBlockchain: Quantum leap forward or digital snake oil?
Blockchain, the technology on which Bitcoin is based, has gone mainstream. Evangelists describe it as a thrilling and versatile foundation that will…
Intelligence SquaredThe Rise of the Smart City: Urban Wonderland or Fool’s Paradise?
More humans than ever before live in cities. Technology is now being rolled out across the world’s urban areas, making day-to-day city living more pleasant…
Intelligence SquaredThe Battle for the Countryside: Britain Should Rewild its Uplands
This event was recorded on the 10th of July 2018 in London SPEAKERS FOR THE MOTION: Mark Cocker - Author and naturalist and George Monbiot - Guardian…
Intelligence SquaredMary Beard on Women and Power, with Miriam González and Laurie Penny
Mary Beard is Britain’s best known classicist. Widely admired for her scholarship and popular television programmes about the ancient world, she is also one of…
Intelligence SquaredJames Comey in Conversation with Emily Maitlis on Speaking Truth To Power
When President Trump sacked James Comey as FBI Director in May last year, he ignited a political firestorm with huge implications for American democracy…
Intelligence SquaredThe World Should Recognise Jerusalem As Israel’s Capital
Many of Israel's supporters, including Donald Trump, claim Jerusalem should be recognised as the country's capital city. After all, it has been the Jewish…
Intelligence SquaredAnshel Pfeffer in conversation with Catherine Philp on Netanyahu and The Future of Israel
This week's Intelligence Squared podcast features Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz journalist and author of Bibi - The Turbulent Life And Times Of Benjamin Netanyahu in…
Intelligence SquaredThe Threat From Russia: Can Putin Be Stopped?
Is Vladimir Putin the most powerful – and dangerous – man in the world? With Putin in the Kremlin, we have returned to an era where former Russian spies are…
Intelligence SquaredThe Disunited States: Is the Trump presidency causing irreparable damage to America?
America has never seen anything like this. Time and again, Donald Trump has attacked the very fabric of US democracy. He has called the press ‘the enemy of the…
Intelligence SquaredJordan Peterson on Gender, Patriarchy and the Slide Towards Tyranny
In May 2018, we recorded a special episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast in London. Jordan Peterson, author of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos…
Intelligence SquaredRevere 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 SquaredThe nuclear deal with Iran won't make the world a safer place
For this week's episode we're revisiting our debate from November 2015, "The nuclear deal with Iran won't make the world a safer place". Alan Dershowitz, one…
Intelligence SquaredSend Them Back: The Parthenon Marbles Should be Returned to Athens
What’s all this nonsense about sending the Parthenon Marbles back to Greece? If Lord Elgin hadn’t rescued them from the Parthenon in Athens and presented them…
Intelligence SquaredJamie Bartlett in conversation with Helen Lewis on how the internet is threatening our freedoms
This week's Intelligence Squared podcast features Jamie Bartlett, tech journalist and author of The People vs Tech in conversation with the New Statesman's…
Intelligence SquaredRembrandt Vs Vermeer: The Titans of Dutch Painting
(For a list of all paintings referenced by Simon Schama and Tracy Chevalier in this debate please go to…
Intelligence SquaredPsychiatrists & the pharma industry are to blame for the current ‘epidemic’ of mental disorders
Drug pushers. We tend to associate them with the bleak underworld of criminality. But some would argue that there’s another class of drug pushers, just as…
Intelligence SquaredHilton Als and Afua Hirsch on Race, Gender and Identity
In March 2018, we recorded a special episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast at the Acast studio in east London. Pulitzer prize winning writer and chief…
Intelligence SquaredStop Brexit
It’s time we came to to our senses. Brexit is a disaster and must be stopped. Leave campaigners promised our exit from the European Union would herald a…
Intelligence SquaredIf You Believe You Are a Citizen of the World, You Are A Citizen of Nowhere
When Theresa May uttered these words at the Tory party conference in 2016, there was uproar. May was targeting the liberal establishment, who flit business…
Intelligence SquaredDisruption Ahead: Will Future Transport Systems Benefit Society Or Drive It Apart?
A transport revolution in our cities is under way. Ride-sharing schemes, driverless cars and electric vehicles look set to bring us all kinds of benefits, such…
Intelligence SquaredThe Power of Poetry, with William Sieghart, Jeanette Winterson and Helena Bonham Carter
Poetry is the perfect medication against some of life’s challenges, so William Sieghart has found. In this accessible and warming exchange, from tea towel…
Intelligence SquaredWestern Parents Don't Know How to Bring Up Their Children
Why are there so many Chinese maths and music prodigies? Because Chinese mothers believe schoolwork and music practice come first, that an A-minus is a bad…
Intelligence SquaredThe Left has right on its side
Letís be honest. Itís the political Left that has societyís best interests at heart, that works for the good of all. It has always been the Left that has…
Intelligence SquaredJames Rhodes And Armando Iannucci on the Transformative Power of Music
Armando Iannucci and James Rhodes met on the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the transcendent power of music, using the concert grand at Cadogan Hall to…
Intelligence SquaredTen Years On: The Financial Crisis and the State of Modern Capitalism
It’s been ten years since we saw suddenly unemployed Lehman Brothers bankers carrying their possessions out of their offices in boxes; since whole…
Intelligence SquaredKaren Armstrong on Religion and the History of Violence
Karen Armstrong has written over 16 books on faith and the major religions, studying what Islam, Judaism and Christianity have in common, and how our faiths…
Intelligence SquaredBrian Cox and Alice Roberts on the Incredible Unlikeliness of Human Existence
Who are we? Why are we here? Are we alone in the universe? How did we become the creatures that we are? How might we further evolve? These are some of the big…
Intelligence SquaredBreak Up The Tech Giants
It is time to call the tech companies to account. In the space of just ten years, Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft have become the biggest…
Intelligence SquaredCaitlyn Jenner on Identity and Self-Realisation
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast was recorded in a studio in London's Soho. We were joined by Caitlyn Jenner, the world's most famous…
Intelligence SquaredDavid Brooks on the Road to Character
In May 2015, New York Times columnist David Brooks came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share the insights of his latest book, 'The Road to Character'…
Intelligence SquaredInside The Head Of Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam is one of the most multifaceted, visionary talents alive. He first found fame as a member of Monty Python, the surreal comedy troupe that has had…
Intelligence SquaredJoseph Stiglitz on the Great Divide
Inequality is an increasing problem in the Western world, leaving everyone – the rich as well as the poor – worse off. The dream of a socially mobile society…