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 SquaredThe End of Antibiotics?
This panel discussion took place at the New York Academy of Sciences in September 2016 and was produced by Intelligence Squared, in partnership with the World…
Intelligence SquaredYuval Noah Harari on the Myths we Need to Survive
Myths. We tend to think they’re a thing of the past, fabrications that early humans needed to believe in because their understanding of the world was so…
Intelligence SquaredDavid Eagleman on the Science of De- (and Re-) Humanisation (and Why it Matters)
Which side were you on? The Jets or the Sharks? The Capulets or the Montagues? The Greeks or the Trojans? Antony or Caesar? William or Harold? And so the list…
Intelligence SquaredYuval Noah Harari on the Rise of Homo Deus
“Studying history aims to loosen the grip of the past… It will not tell us what to choose, but at least it gives us more options.” – Yuval Noah Harari Yuval…
Intelligence SquaredMuseums are Bad at Telling us Why Art Matters
Museums are our new churches, as is commonly agreed. Millions of people flock to them to be uplifted, inspired, or distracted from everyday cares for an hour…
Intelligence SquaredP J O'Rourke: The Funniest Man in America
P.J. O'Rourke is America's premier political satirist and has more citations in 'The Penguin Dictionary of Humorous Quotations' than any other living writer…
Intelligence SquaredBrexit Britain – Our Divided Nation
This panel session was part of Brexit Britain, an afternoon of debate and discussion produced by BBC Newsnight in partnership with Intelligence Squared at the…
Intelligence SquaredBrexit Britain - Political Fallout
This panel session was part of Brexit Britain, an afternoon of debate and discussion produced by BBC Newsnight in partnership with Intelligence Squared at the…
Intelligence SquaredCarlo Rovelli and Christophe Galfard on the Architecture of the Universe
Does time exist? Was our universe born from a Big Bang, or from a Big Bounce triggered by a former universe imploding? Is this the only universe, or are there…
Intelligence SquaredRichard Dawkins: The Rational Revolutionary
In the 1960s and 70s, a revolution took place in the way we understand human nature. Out went Marx and Freud, and in came a rational, scientific approach to…
Intelligence SquaredAncient Worlds: A Meeting of East and West
There’s a new school of history that’s revolutionising the way we look at the past. For centuries, our history has been taught in separate chunks, with the…
Intelligence SquaredBrexit: What Next?
The UK has made the momentous decision to leave the EU. Intelligence Squared staged an emergency event to discuss the ramifications. A panel including Douglas…
Intelligence SquaredYes, he Can! No, he couldn't. Obama Is A Failed President
Eight years ago the banners said ‘Behold the new Kennedy!’ Tears flowed and expectations were sky-high as Obama spoke on election night surrounded by his young…
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 SquaredThe Return of History and the Death of Democracy, with Peter Frankopan and Kwasi Kwarteng
25 years ago, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the future looked rosy. Liberal democracy, freedom and individual rights were on the march, triumphing over…
Intelligence SquaredThe Benefits System Perpetuates Misery
Beveridge would be turning in his grave. The benefits system that his 1942 report introduced has become a travesty. Right now there are some 4.5m people in the…
Intelligence SquaredLet the bad guys be: foreign intervention does more harm than good
In February 2012 Intelligence Squared Asia presented leading voices and influential figures in a debate about foreign intervention. This discussion raised…
Intelligence SquaredThe Great Intelligence Squared Brexit Debate
How do we decide? The in-out referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union on June 23 is a once-in-a-generation vote. For some of us it’s a matter of…
Intelligence SquaredIs the Party Over for Economic Growth? When economic stagnation becomes the new normal
It was a blast. Since the Industrial Revolution, we enjoyed unprecedented economic growth, propelled by a seemingly unstoppable wave of technological…
Intelligence SquaredAssisted suicide should be legalised
The law allows me to kill myself, but what if I have a progressive illness and reach a stage when I long to end my life but cannot do so unaided. Isn't it…
Intelligence SquaredMichael Sandel on the Moral Limits of Markets
Michael Sandel is one of the world's most acclaimed and popular political philosophers. He has given the Reith lectures, been called "the most influential…
Intelligence SquaredTony Blair on Trial
When Tony Blair became prime minister in May 1997, he had a landslide majority, an approval rating of 93 per cent, and he went on to become Labour’s…
Intelligence SquaredThe Future of Health: When Death Becomes Optional
What if doctors no longer played God and you became CEO of your own health? What if medicine were tailor-made for your own DNA? What will the world be like…
Intelligence SquaredArt Today Has Sold Out To The Market
Today’s global art market is reminiscent of a roller coaster - even as it rotates and retrenches - the ride continues to propel, excite and surprise. With a…
Intelligence SquaredDemocracy is India's Achilles' heel
We assume that democracy is what every country should have. But what has democracy done for India? Easy. It has stimulated corruption on a massive scale, and…
Intelligence SquaredGeorge Steiner on the Poetry of Thought
Renowned polyglot and polymath, George Steiner has long been recognised as one of the most original minds and brilliant lecturers of our generation. In this…
Intelligence SquaredThe United Nations is terminally paralysed: the democratic world needs a forum of its own
In January 2009, a panel of experts came to the Intelligence Squared stage to debate the motion "The United Nations is terminally paralysed: the democratic…
Intelligence SquaredObama's foreign policy is a gift to America's enemies
Barack Obama’s foreign policy came under expert scrutiny in this Intelligence Squared debate from 2010, as influential hawks and doves debated whether the…
Intelligence SquaredBoth Britain and the EU would be happier if they got divorced
Some people just can’t bring themselves to acknowledge that a relationship is over. Finished. Unsalvageable. David Cameron, for instance. His long awaited…
Intelligence SquaredThe Trouble with This Country Is the Daily Mail
"Immigrant-bashing, woman-hating, Muslim-smearing, NHS-undermining, gay-baiting”. That’s how one critic has described the Daily Mail. It depicts a world where…
Intelligence SquaredUmberto Eco in conversation with Paul Holdengräber
RIP Umberto Eco, bestselling Italian author and semiotician perhaps best-known for his novel 'The Name of the Rose', who sadly died aged 84 earlier this week…
Intelligence SquaredDefeating Isis means Western Boots on the Ground
Enough is enough. Paris, Sharm El-Sheikh, Istanbul, Jakarta. Isis is the global crucible of terrorism and must be stopped using all means available. After the…
Intelligence SquaredThe Catholic Church is Beyond Redemption: Pope Francis Cannot Save it
Mired in allegations of sexual abuse, corruption in the Vatican and the first papal resignation in six centuries, the Catholic Church is in crisis. Two…
Intelligence SquaredGreece versus Rome, with Boris Johnson and Mary Beard
On November 19th Intelligence Squared hosted the ultimate clash of civilisations: Greece vs Rome. It was also the ultimate clash of intellectual titans. Boris…
Intelligence SquaredWhat Next For Feminism?
Anne-Marie Slaughter is the Washington power player who upset the feminist applecart. At the peak of her career — as first female Director of Policy Planning…
Intelligence SquaredFrom The Library: The Art World Is A Boys' Club
Botticelli's Venus. Warhol's Marilyn. Chen Yifei’s Beauties. Historically, the creation of art has been largely the preserve of men. And not a lot has changed…
Intelligence SquaredAnthony Sattin on Cairo
Cairo. The facts say one thing: the biggest city in Africa and the Middle East and now so chaotic and polluted that most visitors to Egypt prefer to avoid it…
Intelligence SquaredFrom the Library - Daniel Goleman On Focus: The Secret to High Performance and Fulfilment
Psychologist Daniel Goleman shot to fame with his groundbreaking bestseller 'Emotional Intelligence'. The premise of the book, now widely accepted, is that raw…
Intelligence SquaredFrom the Library: 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 SquaredTerry Eagleton in conversation with Roger Scruton
What really divides the left and the right? To answer this question, Intelligence Squared brought together two giants of British intellectual culture for an…
Intelligence SquaredThe Right To Bear Arms Is A Freedom Too Far
Filmed at the Sadler's Wells Lilian Baylis Studio on 27th March 2013. Arguing in favour of the motion was journalist, novelist and broadcaster Will Self…
Intelligence SquaredEffective Altruism: A Better Way to Lead an Ethical Life
Almost all of us want to make a difference in our lives. So we give to charity, recycle, volunteer, or cut down our carbon emissions. But are we getting it…
Intelligence SquaredThe Great European Refugees And Migrants Debate
Europe is gripped by the biggest migrant crisis since the Second World War. The parallels with that earlier crisis are hard to avoid. When in 1938 tens of…
Intelligence SquaredFight Your Own Battles: Foreign powers shouldn't intervene in the Middle East
Filmed at Sadler's Wells on 17th July 2013. Speaking for the motion were Palestinian-American writer, human rights campaigner and political commentator Susan…
Intelligence SquaredThe Nuclear Deal With Iran Won't Make the World a Safer Place
What’s not to like? The deal reached between Iran and six world powers in July is a major diplomatic breakthrough. In exchange for Tehran halting its nuclear…
Intelligence SquaredKarl Ove Knausgaard: The Alchemist of the Ordinary
Novelists worship him. Critics fall over themselves to explain his genius. His celebrity fans say his books are like drugs. ‘I just read 200 pages and I need…
Intelligence SquaredThe Art of Political Power, with Robert Caro and William Hague
Every industry has its guru. And when it comes to the dark arts of political statecraft, the American biographer Robert Caro is the mentor politicians turn to…
Intelligence SquaredChina picks better leaders than the West
As Chinese President Xi Jinping visits the UK for a four-day state visit and David Cameron hails a "golden era" in the relationship between the two countries…
Intelligence SquaredNiall Ferguson: Henry Kissinger Reappraised, with Andrew Roberts
No American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. To the late Christopher Hitchens he was a war criminal who should be prosecuted…
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 SquaredLet's end the tyranny of the test. Relentless school testing demeans education
British children are the most tested in the industrialised world. Is regular testing worthwhile training for success in later life, or have our schools become…
Intelligence SquaredYuval Noah Harari on the myths we need to survive
Myths. We tend to think they’re a thing of the past, fabrications that early humans needed to believe in because their understanding of the world was so…
Intelligence SquaredWestern Liberal Democracy Would Be Wrong for China
People everywhere are better off living in liberal democracy: that has been the reigning assumption of the western world. But could it be we’ve got it wrong?…
Intelligence SquaredTen Years After 9/11: The World Remade
Fourteen years on from 9/11, we revisit our event "Ten Years after 9/11: The World Remade" from 2011. In this special Intelligence Squared event, former…
Intelligence SquaredJimmy Carter in Conversation with Jon Snow
President Jimmy Carter is a Nobel Prize winner, author, humanitarian, professor, farmer, naval officer and carpenter. In this special Intelligence Squared…
Intelligence SquaredEurope is failing its Muslims
The debate "Europe is failing its Muslims" took place on February 23rd at Cadogan Hall in London, in association with BBC World News and the British Council…
Intelligence SquaredRobert Macfarlane on Landscape and the Human Heart
For several years and more than a thousand miles, celebrated travel writer Robert Macfarlane has been following the vast network of old paths and routes that…
Intelligence SquaredNorman Stone on Istanbul
In this talk from October 2011 the historian Norman Stone, who has lived in Turkey since 1997, took us on a journey through the country's turbulent history…
Intelligence SquaredIsrael Is Destroying Itself With Its Settlement Policy
Patriacide. Nationcide. Whatever you want to call it, that is what Israel is doing with its settlement policy: it is killing itself. If ever greater numbers of…
Intelligence SquaredRoberto Saviano on the War Against Organised Crime
Roberto Saviano made a rare appearance in the UK in July 2015 when he came to the Intelligence Squared stage. In conversation with Intelligence Squared's very…