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 SquaredJohn Gray and Adam Phillips in conversation on humankind's search for immortality
Political philosopher John Gray and psychotherapist and essayist Adam Phillips came to the Intelligence Squared stage in 2011 to discuss themes of science and…
Intelligence SquaredDigital Summit Highlights: 'London's Star Tech Enterprise' and 'Who we are on the Web'
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast features two sessions from our recent Digital Summit with Vanity Fair. In the first session, 'Who are…
Intelligence SquaredChurchill was more a liability than an asset to the free world
Does the fact that Winston Churchill is routinely cited as Britain’s greatest hero say more about us than it does about him? Yes, he warned us of the need to…
Intelligence SquaredDigital Summit Highlights: 'The Hopes of the Pioneers' and 'Artificial Intelligence'
This week's episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast features two sessions from our recent Digital Summit with Vanity Fair. In the first session, 'This is…
Intelligence SquaredAngela Merkel is destroying Europe
The stakes couldn’t be higher, as Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras seeks a new agreement on a bailout and German chancellor Angela Merkel refuses any talks…
Intelligence SquaredThe West should get out of bed with the House Of Saud
Have we no morals? We know that the Saudis created the monster that is Islamic terrorism, allegedly spending some $100 billion on exporting fanatical Wahhabism…
Intelligence SquaredThe internet is a failed utopia
This week's podcast comes from the closing session of our recent Digital Summit with Vanity Fair. See intelligencesquared.com for more information about the…
Intelligence SquaredFaramerz Dabhoiwala on the Origins of Sex
Rising star historian Faramerz Dabhoiwala came to the Intelligence Squared stage in February 2012 to describe how the permissive society arrived in Western…
Intelligence SquaredDavid Brooks on the Road to Character
On May 26th 2015, New York Times columnist David Brooks came to the Intelligence Squared stage to share the insights of his latest book, 'The Road to…
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…
Intelligence SquaredSpotlight On Piketty
In this rare appearance in London, French economist Thomas Piketty appeared centre stage for Intelligence Squared, along with a panel of experts, to debate his…
Intelligence SquaredPost-Election Dissection
On May 12th, before the dust had settled on the General Election, Intelligence Squared hosted a post-election dissection with pundits and politicians of all…
Intelligence SquaredSimon Sebag Montefiore on Jerusalem
Jerusalem. How did this small, remote town became the Holy City, the desire of every empire, and the key to Middle East peace? In this dazzling talk from…
Intelligence SquaredThe World Needs Religion Even if it Doesn't Need God
God is dead and man has no need of the myths and false consolation that religion offers. That’s the battle-cry of Richard Dawkins and other tough-minded…
Intelligence SquaredThe Future of Parliamentary Democracy
In the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal (May-June 2009), we brought a panel of politicians and journalists to the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the…
Intelligence SquaredCan art be taught to the Facebook generation?
We were joined at the Saatchi Gallery in July 2009 by Turner Prize-winning artists Grayson Perry and Antony Gormley; author, philosopher and television…
Intelligence SquaredDebate: Burgundy vs Bordeaux
Among wine lovers, there is no greater divide than that between Burgundy and Bordeaux. These are the world’s most celebrated wine regions. What separates them…
Intelligence SquaredThe Extreme Present: An Evening of Self-Help for Planet Earth
Shumon Basar, writer, thinker and cultural critic, Douglas Coupland, the renowned author of 'Generation X', and Hans Ulrich Obrist, one of the world’s…
Intelligence SquaredThe 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 SquaredMuhammad Yunus on a new kind of capitalism
‘Making money is a happiness. And that’s a great incentive. Making other people happy is a super-happiness.’ These are the words of Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel…
Intelligence SquaredBe afraid, be very afraid: the robots are coming and they will destroy our livelihoods
They are coming to an office near you: job-gobbling robots that can do your work better and more cheaply than you can. One in three jobs could be taken over by…
Intelligence SquaredRembrandt Vs Vermeer: The Titans of Dutch Painting
Rembrandt van Rijn is the best known of all the Dutch masters. His range was vast, from landscapes to portraits to Biblical scenes; he revolutionised every…
Intelligence SquaredMoney can grow on trees: what's good for nature is good for business
Capitalists don’t care about the environment. Industry, agriculture and commerce have long exploited nature’s resources. The pursuit of profit pays scant…
Intelligence SquaredKeep 'em off the streets and behind bars: tough prison sentences mean a safer society
Lock them up. That’s the way we’ve always dealt with offenders. Criminals deserve to be put away for their crimes. Prison works because it keeps those…
Intelligence SquaredMagna Carta: Myth and Meaning
June 2015 will see the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, the ‘Great Charter’ which was signed at Runnymede by King John to resolve a political crisis he faced…
Intelligence SquaredArt must be beautiful
In May 2011, Intelligence Squared Asia presented four leading voices in the arts to argue the motion "Art must be beautiful". Can aesthetic standards of the…
Intelligence SquaredAn evening with Britain's best poets
Love. Sorrow. Anger. Death. Laughter. God. Sex. Hell. Home. Only one profession can get to the heart of that lot – the poets. And not any old poets but amongst…
Intelligence SquaredThe High Street is dead, long live the High Street
A screen, an image, a click. Proceed to checkout. Sign for it the next day. We are the first generation to enjoy the thrill and convenience of online shopping…
Intelligence SquaredThe War on Terror was the right response to 9/11
Have the West’s efforts to eradicate Al-Qaeda around the world simply been fuelling the flames of hatred and violence? Or would we have suffered even more…
Intelligence SquaredBernard-Henri Lévy on the Libyan intervention and universal values
Bernard-Henri Lévy is France’s best-known public intellectual, passionately committed to the causes he believes to be just. A writer, journalist, and…
Intelligence SquaredBeware of the dragon: Africa should not look to China
We all know that the Chinese are the neo-colonialists of Africa. They've plundered the continent of its natural resources, tossing aside any concern for human…
Intelligence SquaredUmberto Eco In Conversation With Paul Holdengräber
The persistence of conspiracies. Grasping the infinity of lists. Writing fiction about the real. The future of books. These are some of the topics Umberto Eco…
Intelligence SquaredBrian Cox & 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 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. In…
Intelligence SquaredI'd rather Be a Roundhead than a Cavalier
In the 1640s England was devastated by a civil war that divided the nation into two tribes – Roundheads and Cavaliers. Counties, towns, even families and…
Intelligence SquaredDavid Grossman in conversation with Linda Grant
One of Israel’s most acclaimed writers, David Grossman is the author of numerous pieces of fiction, nonfiction and children's literature. His work has dealt…
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 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 SquaredStop Bashing Christians! Britain has become an anti-Christian country
Are Christians victims of a hateful animus, or are they demanding special treatment in a secular state which in fact applies the law equally to all? Peter…
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 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 SquaredNapoleon The Great?
How should we remember Napoleon, the man of obscure Corsican birth who rose to become emperor of the French and briefly master of Europe? As the 200th…
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 SquaredFrancis Fukuyama in Conversation with David Runciman
Professor Francis Fukuyama came to the Intelligence Squared stage in September, to square up with one of Britain’s most brilliant political thinkers, David…
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 SquaredHistory Shows Us That Scotland and England Would Be Better Off as Separate Kingdoms
This event was recorded at the Chalke Valley History Festival in July 2014. The future of the Union will be voted for in a referendum soon, and this debate…
Intelligence SquaredLondon Should Love Its Bankers
Do the British have a death wish? You’d be forgiven for thinking so the way so many of them seem to want to cripple the most dynamic part of their own economy…
Intelligence SquaredHas Martin Luther King's Dream Been Realized?
This event was on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. On 28 August 1963, civil rights campaigners marched on Washington to…
Intelligence SquaredMoney Can't Buy Happiness
Leading voices from the fields of science, philosophy came to the Intelligence Squared Asia stage for this thought-provoking debate about the pursuit of wealth…
Intelligence SquaredUniversity is an unwise investment
For many Western teenagers university has long been considered a passport to the good life: a rite of passage consisting of mind-expanding reading and writing…
Intelligence SquaredIt's Time to End The War on Drugs
To liberalise or prohibit, that is the question. Prohibitionists argue that legalising anything increases its consumption. The world has enough of a problem…
Intelligence Squared"Contemporary Art Excludes the 99%"
What is the role of contemporary art museums today? Are biennales and art fairs platforms for experiment and exchange, or little more than social attractions…
Intelligence SquaredAmerica's Drone Campaign Is Both Moral And Effective
Bug splats. That’s what the American operators of drones, sitting in safety thousands of miles away, call the casualties of a drone attack in Pakistan or…
Intelligence SquaredSex, bugs & video tapes: the private lives of public figures deserve more protection from the press
Would you like the details of your sex life, private conversations, and hidden passions splashed across the pages of a British tabloid or published online?…
Intelligence SquaredArt Schools Are Bad At Producing Good Artists
What makes a good artist? Can creativity can be taught? What kind of education ups the ante for success in today’s global culture? These are some of the…
Intelligence SquaredJesus Would Have Voted Democrat
Remember the rich man and the eye of the needle? Blessed are the meek? The last shall be first? Jesus didn’t hold much truck for wealth or power, nor was he…
Intelligence SquaredShakespeare vs Milton: The Kings of English Literature Debate
Nearly four centuries after his death, no writer has come close to matching Shakespeare’s understanding of the world – or his gift for dramatic poetry. It’s…
Intelligence SquaredA Journey Into Outer Space, With Brian Cox
Are they out there? Intelligent beings from another world. Will we ever make contact with them? Is it even sensible to make guesses about whether life exists…
Intelligence SquaredVS Naipaul in Conversation With Geordie Greig
Nobel laureate and giant of Western letters, Trinidad-born V. S. Naipaul has excelled in both fiction and non-fiction. His latest book The Masque of Africa…
Intelligence SquaredStop Poking the Bear: The West Needs to Engage with Putin Not Castigate Him
You don’t have to like Vladimir Putin, or doubt that he’s a nasty piece of work, to recognise that the Russian president’s reaction to the crisis in Ukraine is…