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 SquaredStephen Fry and Friends on the Life, Loves and Hates of Christopher Hitchens
In this historic event, Stephen Fry and other friends of Christopher Hitchens came together to celebrate the life and work of this great writer, iconoclast and…
Intelligence SquaredWords 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 SquaredBrave New World vs Ninety Eighty-Four
Dystopian books and films are in the zeitgeist. Reflecting the often dark mood of our times, Intelligence Squared are staging a contest between two of the…
Intelligence SquaredMichael Lewis On How Behavioural Economics Changed The World
Michael Lewis is one of the most successful non-fiction authors alive. He has been acclaimed as a genius by Malcolm Gladwell and as the best current writer in…
Intelligence SquaredJaron Lanier on the Future of Our Digital Lives
Jaron Lanier is one of the foremost digital visionaries of our times. One of Silicon Valley’s key early innovators, this dreadlocked digital prophet has been…
Intelligence SquaredNeville Chamberlain did the right thing: Appeasement of Hitler was the best policy for the British government in the 1930s
If ever a politician got a bum rap it’s Neville Chamberlain. He has gone down in history as the British prime minster whose policy of appeasement in the 1930s…
- Intelligence Squared
Me, My Selfie and I: Self-Expression in the Digital Age
We are living in the age of selfie mania. Everyone from the Pope to Obama has appeared in one. In the past, only a handful of people were able to propagate…
Intelligence SquaredWarfare: The New Rules - The Cyber Threat to States, Businesses and All of Us
We are at war: cyberwar. Cyber attacks are becoming the weapon of choice for states, terrorists and criminal organisations. Through the fragile, interconnected…
Intelligence SquaredOslo: Can We Bring Peace Between Enemies?
On October 17th Intelligence Squared staged a pre-theatre discussion, ‘Can We Bring Peace Between Enemies?’ before a performance of the award-winning play…
Intelligence SquaredRandall Munroe with Marcus du Sautoy on Making the Complicated Simple
On 2nd October, Intelligence Squared brought together two of the world’s best-loved masters of explaining and popularising science, who lifted the lid on the…
Intelligence SquaredMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella on hitting refresh and seizing the opportunity of the digital revolution
Satya Nadella is one of the world’s most inspirational business leaders, as much a humanist as a technologist and executive. On September 28th, he comes to the…
Intelligence SquaredNapoleon the Great? A debate with Andrew Roberts, Adam Zamoyski and Jeremy Paxman
How should we remember Napoleon, the man of obscure Corsican birth who rose to become emperor of the French and briefly master of Europe? In 2014, as the 200th…
Intelligence SquaredThe Great Realignment: Britain's Political Identity Crisis
Is Britain facing an identity crisis? The traditional dividing lines of left and right seem to be dissolving into new political tribes – metropolitan liberals…
Intelligence SquaredSam Harris on the Science of Good and Evil
Where do our ideas about morality and meaning come from? Most people - from religious extremists to secular scientists - would agree on one point: that science…
Intelligence SquaredIs London too rich to be interesting?
It used to be so easy. You left university, came to London and got yourself a flatshare in one of the cheaper areas: Notting Hill, Maida Vale or Highgate…
Intelligence SquaredAtheism is the new Fundamentalism, with Richard Dawkins and Richard Harries
Does God exist? Has atheism replaced religion as the new faith of the secular age? Are today's atheists as blinkered and dogmatic as they claim religious…
Intelligence SquaredThe Allied bombing of German cities in World War II was unjustifiable
No one doubts the bravery of the thousands of men who flew and died in Bomber Command. The death rate was an appalling 44%. And yet until the opening of a…
Intelligence SquaredBritain Should Not Have Fought in the First World War
The First World War is not called the Great War for nothing. It was the single most decisive event in modern history, as well as one of the bloodiest: by the…
Intelligence SquaredMarina Abramović on art, performance, time and nothingness
Marina Abramović is one of the most celebrated performance artists in the world. Over a career spanning four decades she has pioneered performance as an art…
Intelligence SquaredThe EU is Failing Europe's Citizens
In the eyes of pro-Europeans, the founding of the EU after WWII secured peace across the continent for decades. But one needn’t look further than Brexit to see…
Intelligence SquaredFrancis Fukuyama with David Runciman - Democracy: Even the Best Ideas Can Fail
In September 2014, Professor Francis Fukuyama came to the Intelligence Squared stage to square up with one of Britain’s most brilliant political thinkers…
Intelligence SquaredNaomi Klein on Donald Trump and the new shock politics
Earlier this week we recorded a special episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast at the Acast studio in east London. We were joined by author and activist…
Intelligence SquaredSheryl Sandberg, Malala Yousafzai and Adam Grant on Facing Adversity, Building Resilience And Finding Joy
‘I learned about the depths of sadness and the brutality of loss. But I also learned that when life sucks you under, you can kick against the bottom, break the…
Intelligence SquaredDaniel Dennett on Tools To Transform Our Thinking
Daniel Dennett is one of the world's most original and provocative thinkers. A philosopher and cognitive scientist, he is known as one of the 'Four Horseman of…
Intelligence SquaredIt's time to bring Russia in from the cold: Rapprochement is in the West's best interests
Is it in the West’s interests to bring Russia in from the cold? Or should we be on our guard against an ascendant, belligerent country on Europe’s borders? For…
Intelligence SquaredEurope on the Edge
What’s happening to Europe? The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was seen as a triumph for liberal democracy. True, the ‘end of history’ narrative didn’t play…
Intelligence SquaredCan innovation transform London into a carbon neutral city?
Could London be the first carbon neutral city? Listen to this exciting debate hosted by Intelligence Squared. Gadget guru Jason Bradbury is the chair, plus…
Intelligence SquaredFake News: The Facts
There are lies, damn lies, and then there’s fake news. Manipulating the facts for political gain is as old as politics itself, but due to the rise of social…
Intelligence SquaredHow to Think Like a Freak: Learn How to Make Smarter Decisions with the authors of "Freakonomics"
The books 'Freakonomics' and 'SuperFreakonomics' have been worldwide sensations, selling tens of millions of copies. They have come to stand for challenging…
Intelligence SquaredBetween You and I The English Language Is Going To The Dogs
Speaking and writing correct English are the hallmarks of an intelligent person. No one who cares about language wants to be caught splitting an infinitive or…
Intelligence SquaredAn Evening with Slavoj Žižek
Radical philosopher, polymath, film star, cult icon, and author of over 30 books, Slavoj Žižek is one of the most controversial and leading contemporary public…
Intelligence SquaredTrump is Making America Great Again
As Donald Trump approaches the first 100 days of his presidency, things couldn’t be worse. His administration has been more gaffe-prone, incompetent and…
Intelligence SquaredAnne-Marie Slaughter on Our Hyper-Networked World
Anne-Marie Slaughter is one of the world’s top foreign policy thinkers, admired by influential global leaders such as Joe Biden, Condoleeza Rice and Eric…
Intelligence SquaredHas the Political Establishment Failed America?
Has the political establishment failed America? Whether they voted for Trump or Sanders or none of the above, millions of Americans say the answer is yes – and…
Intelligence SquaredWhose Prosperity? How Can We Build Inclusive and Sustainable Economies?
A debate on the eve of the Second PAGE Ministerial Conference (http://bit.ly/2jhYyaX). Filmed at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation…
Intelligence SquaredSocial Media is Killing Art
Social media is like fast food – rapidly consumed for instant gratification. No wonder social media demeans art. Artworks that instantly seduce online become…
Intelligence SquaredNiall Ferguson On The Six Killer Apps Of Western Civilisation
Niall Ferguson is the most brilliant British historian of his generation. In this talk from February 2011, based on his book 'Civilisation: The West and the…
Intelligence SquaredDon’t give them what they want: Terrorists should be starved of the oxygen of publicity
Why do they do it? Again and again, after every attack, our media react by giving the terrorists exactly what they want – maximum publicity. Of course, the…
Intelligence SquaredFeminism Is For Everyone
A year ago, you could have been forgiven for thinking that gender equality was on an unstoppable trajectory. America stood poised to elect its first female…
Intelligence SquaredJeffrey Sachs on America and a New World Order
'America first!' Donald Trump hammered out this message over and again in his inauguration speech a week ago today. He promised tariffs, a crackdown on…
Intelligence SquaredDaniel Dennett on the Evolution of the Mind, Consciousness and AI
How come there are conscious minds? How do language and culture evolve? Should we still teach children things which computers can do better? Will our smart…
Intelligence SquaredThe Bittersweet Truth About What We Eat
What should we be eating to live a long and healthy life? How is it that some people can eat absolutely anything and stay slim, while others on a ‘healthy’…
Intelligence SquaredSteven Pinker on Good Writing, with Ian McEwan
Steven Pinker is one of the world’s leading authorities on language, mind and human nature. A professor of psychology at Harvard, he is the bestselling author…
Intelligence SquaredThomas Friedman on Thriving in the Age of Acceleration
He has been called ‘the most influential columnist in America’, and is read by everyone from small-business owners to President Obama. As a star columnist of…
Intelligence SquaredThe New Optimism, with Matt Ridley, Johan Norberg, David Runciman and Laura Kuenssberg
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? And why should it matter? After what for many of us has been an annus horribilis in 2016, pessimists seem to have all the…
Intelligence SquaredSteven Pinker on The Better Angels of Our Nature
In 2011, we welcomed world renowned American cognitive scientist Steven Pinker to the Intelligence Squared stage. He argued that, contrary to popular belief…
Intelligence SquaredThe Hand that Rocks the Cradle Cannot Rock the Boardroom
Is it a myth that women can have it all, all of the time? Or do the rising numbers of female executives in Hong Kong and around the world suggest otherwise?…
Intelligence SquaredWilliam Gibson on 'Zero History', with Cory Doctorow
On 5th October 2010, Intelligence Squared paired author William Gibson with popular blogger and science fiction writer Cory Doctorow in a wide-ranging…
Intelligence SquaredDan Pink on the Science of Buoyancy
It happens to all of us every day. You get rejected. Your customer doesn’t buy. Your boss doesn’t agree. Your crush doesn’t say yes. In this provocative and…
Intelligence SquaredTim Harford on the Importance of Being Messy
Have the forces of tidiness marched too far? Would we all benefit from being a bit messy? That’s the big question that the FT’s star economist Tim Harford will…
Intelligence SquaredTrump: An American Tragedy?
It’s one month since we woke up to the shock news that the next president of the United States will be Donald Trump, and the whole world is trying to read the…
Intelligence SquaredThe Rise of Populism and the Backlash Against the Elites, with Jonathan Haidt and Nick Clegg
What is going on in the Western democracies? From Britain’s vote for Brexit, to Donald Trump’s election victory in America and the growth of populist movements…
Intelligence SquaredNo Backsliding On Brexit: Britain Should Prioritise Controlling Its Borders Over Staying In The European Single Market
Intelligence Squared brought out the big guns for our debate on what a post-referendum deal between Britain and the EU should look like. Douglas Carswell…
Intelligence SquaredOne size doesn’t fit all: Democracy is not always the best form of government
Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. So said Winston Churchill and who would disagree? One man, one vote, the…
Intelligence SquaredLet Them Eat Meat: There is Nothing Wrong With Rearing and Killing Animals for Human Consumption
This event took place on the 31st of October at the Royal Institution in London. CHAIR: Afua Hirsch - Writer and broadcaster SPEAKERS FOR THE MOTION: AA Gill -…
Intelligence SquaredAn Anatomy Of Truth: Conversations on Truth-Telling
Not everyone tells the truth. ‘Read my lips: no new taxes.’ ‘This isn’t going to hurt.’ ‘I see no ships, my lord.’ ‘Of course I love you.’ When can we know…
Intelligence SquaredPornography is Good For Us: Without it We Would Be a Far More Repressed Society
Hooray for porn! What would we be without it? Bored, repressed, frustrated. Porn allows the timid to indulge fantasies they’d never live out in real life and…
Intelligence SquaredPJ O'Rourke on the US Presidential Clash
As Donald Trump faces Hillary Clinton in what has been one of the most vitriolic and unpredictable races in recent US election history, we were joined by…
Intelligence SquaredThe Gene: Unlocking the Human Code, with Siddhartha Mukherjee
Genetics has revolutionised not just how we think of biology but how we think of ourselves. We are, in the words of one geneticist, the first organism that has…
Intelligence SquaredKarl Marx Was Right
We can’t say Karl Marx didn’t warn us: capitalism contains the seeds of its own destruction. In their chase for ever higher profits, the capitalists shed…