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 SquaredMichael Rosen on Hope, Happiness and Finding Joy in the Small Things (Part One)
Michael Rosen has known – and given – great joy in his life. And he has suffered immense sorrow. Rosen is an author, poet and former children’s laureate…
Intelligence SquaredWomen’s Prize-winner Rachel Clarke in conversation with Rob Delaney (Part Two)
Dr Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor and author, who became widely known for her writing on the challenges facing the NHS from the frontline of the…
Intelligence SquaredWomen’s Prize-winner Rachel Clarke in conversation with Rob Delaney (Part One)
Dr Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor and author, who became widely known for her writing on the challenges facing the NHS from the frontline of the…
Intelligence SquaredThe Specialist | The Anonymous Altarpiece: Decoding a Renaissance Enigma, with Alex Bell
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the…
Intelligence SquaredHave We Finally Solved The Mystery of Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring? With Andrew Graham-Dixon
Johannes Vermeer is one of the greatest painters in history, yet the man himself remains an enigma. But have we finally solved the mystery of one of his most…
Intelligence SquaredEverything Starts With Water
In today’s episode, in partnership with WaterAid, journalist and author Coco Khan speaks to Amaka Godfrey, WaterAid’s Executive Director of International…
Intelligence SquaredPutin, The Soviet Union and The Rise of Russian Imperialism, with Mikhail Zygar (Part Two)
Mikhail Zygar is a renowned Russian dissident journalist living in exile in the USA. He was the founding editor-in-chief of independent news channel TV Rain in…
Intelligence SquaredPutin, The Soviet Union and The Rise of Russian Imperialism, with Mikhail Zygar (Part One)
Mikhail Zygar is a renowned Russian dissident journalist living in exile in the USA. He was the founding editor-in-chief of independent news channel TV Rain in…
Intelligence SquaredThe Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook with Jeremy Hunt
We’ve heard enough from the pessimists. Yes, these are hard times, but what investors, business owners and all of us need right now is not more despair about…
Intelligence SquaredRory Stewart on Trump, Nationalism and The Value of Rural Life (Part Two)
Over the course of a decade in politics Rory Stewart saw how power really works and what forces drive our communities apart. He was a backbench MP, held…
Intelligence SquaredRory Stewart on Trump, Nationalism and The Value of Rural Life (Part One)
Over the course of a decade in politics Rory Stewart saw how power really works and what forces drive our communities apart. He was a backbench MP, held…
Intelligence SquaredIs Alex Karp the Philosopher of Silicon Valley? With Michael Steinberger
Who does our data belong to? In this episode, Carl Miller speaks to NYT magazine journalist and author Michael Steinberger about Alex Karp, Palantir and the…
Intelligence SquaredThe Courage to Lead, with Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland (Part Two)
Sanna Marin is a trailblazer in modern politics. When she became Prime Minister of Finland in 2019, she made history: at 34 she was the youngest ever leader of…
Intelligence SquaredThe Courage to Lead, with Sanna Marin, Former Prime Minister of Finland (Part One)
Sanna Marin is a trailblazer in modern politics. When she became Prime Minister of Finland in 2019, she made history: at 34 she was the youngest ever leader of…
Intelligence SquaredTrump, Markets and The Greatest Crash in U.S. History, with Andrew Ross Sorkin (Part Two)
In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would…
Intelligence SquaredTrump, Markets and The Greatest Crash in U.S. History, with Andrew Ross Sorkin (Part One)
In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would…
Intelligence SquaredThe Specialist | Virgil Abloh’s Reimagining of the Iconic Nike Air Force 1 for Louis Vuitton, with Brahm Wachter
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the…
Intelligence SquaredWhy Do Authoritarians Want To Control The News? With Martin Moore
In this episode academic and author Martin Moore speaks to host Carl Miller about the global battle to control the news. Drawing from his new book 'Dictating…
Intelligence SquaredWhat Does Test Cricket Reveal About the Legacy of Empire? With Tim Wigmore
What does the history of Test cricket show us about identity? In this episode, Joey D’Urso speaks to award-winning author Tim Wigmore about how the players and…
Intelligence SquaredDoes modern medicine need to drop the distinction between mental and physical health? With Professor Edward Bullmore
For centuries, mental and physical health have been divided - disorders of the mind and body have been treated as if they were poles apart. This deep-rooted…
Intelligence SquaredIs Vivaldi Still the Soundtrack of the Seasons? With Dr Hannah French
Can music help us notice nature more deeply? In this episode, Dr Leah Broad speaks to broadcaster and author Dr Hannah French about the enduring influence and…
Intelligence SquaredWhat Stories Are Written in The Rock Beneath Us? With Dr Anjana Khatwa
How does the Earth remember its own history? In this episode, Professor Caroline Dodds Pennock speaks to award-winning Earth Scientist Dr Anjana Khatwa about…
Intelligence SquaredDebate: Sanctions Don’t Work as a Tool of Foreign Policy
In partnership with GlobalSanctions.com, the world’s leading online resource for up to the minute information on sanctions and export controls worldwide…
Intelligence SquaredHow does a nation’s language shape its identity? Hannah Kent on her year in Iceland
When Australian writer Hannah Kent first travelled to Iceland at the age of 17, she had never seen snow before, and didn’t speak a word of Icelandic. Living in…
Intelligence SquaredHow To Lose Your Country, with Ece Temelkuran (Part Two)
Temelkuran is a brilliant writer, finding humour, hope and humanity in the darkest corners of our current malaise.’ – BRIAN ENO Ece Temelkuran is the award…
Intelligence SquaredHow To Lose Your Country, with Ece Temelkuran (Part One)
Temelkuran is a brilliant writer, finding humour, hope and humanity in the darkest corners of our current malaise.’ – BRIAN ENO Ece Temelkuran is the award…
Intelligence SquaredWhy Are We So Addicted to Everything? With Nicklas Brendborg
Are we living in a world designed to hijack our brains? In this episode, Dr Emma Yhnell speaks to international best-selling author Nicklas Brendborg about how…
Intelligence SquaredSotheby’s Talks | The Leonard A. Lauder Collection: Klimt and the Art of Connoisseurship
On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the remarkable collection of Leonard A. Lauder, one of the greatest collectors and…
Intelligence SquaredIs This the Twilight of American Supremacy? Simon Jenkins on Why the World Needs the USA
The United States of America is younger than the British Museum and Guinness - in 2026 it celebrates its 250th birthday. How did this vast melting pot of…
Intelligence SquaredOlivia Laing on Passion and Heartbreak in the Golden Age of New Italian Cinema
Olivia Laing is an internationally acclaimed writer and critic. They are the author of eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody and the Sunday Times…
Intelligence SquaredSalman Rushdie on Mortality, Memory and The Eleventh Hour
Salman Rushdie is one of the world’s most acclaimed, award-winning contemporary authors. Translated into over forty languages, his sixteen works of fiction…
Intelligence SquaredWhat was the Iranian Revolution really about? With Scott Anderson
Scott Anderson is a veteran foreign reporter and war correspondent, and a contributing writer for The New York Times. Over his career he has reported from…
Intelligence SquaredThe Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook with Jeremy Hunt (Part Two)
We’ve heard enough from the pessimists. Yes, these are hard times, but what investors, business owners and all of us need right now is not more despair about…
Intelligence SquaredThe Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook with Jeremy Hunt (Part One)
We’ve heard enough from the pessimists. Yes, these are hard times, but what investors, business owners and all of us need right now is not more despair about…
Intelligence SquaredWhat Are The Essentials for Reimagining Work with AI Agents?
We’re only at the very beginning of the AI transformation. The next big leap isn’t just smarter chatbots, it’s AI agents: tools that don’t just answer…
Intelligence SquaredThe Age of the Strongman: Understanding Trump, with Anne Applebaum (Part Two)
The morning after Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in the U.S. presidential election, The New York Times front page declared: ‘America Hires a…
Intelligence SquaredThe Age of the Strongman: Understanding Trump, with Anne Applebaum (Part One)
This event is part of our Age of the Strongman series. Click here to see the other events in the series. The morning after Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala…
Intelligence SquaredLyse Doucet on Reporting from the Frontlines (Part Two)
As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported…
Intelligence SquaredLyse Doucet on Reporting from the Frontlines (Part One)
As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported…
Intelligence SquaredAn Evening with Dan Jones on War, Plague and Lion Hearts (Part Two)
‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.’ ― Simon Sebag Montefiore The…
Intelligence SquaredAn Evening with Dan Jones on War, Plague and Lion Hearts (Part One)
‘Unforgettable characters, written with irrepressible verve and historical accuracy [...] thrums with swordswinging energy.’ ― Simon Sebag Montefiore The…
Intelligence SquaredWhy Does It Feel Like Everything is Getting Worse? With Cory Doctorow
How can we reverse the enshittification of digital platforms? With Cory Doctorow Why does every online platform seem to start out great - then slowly turn to…
Intelligence SquaredCan the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part Two)
‘There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.’ – Winston Churchill In a world where geopolitical alliances are…
Intelligence SquaredCan the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part One)
‘There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.’ – Winston Churchill In a world where geopolitical alliances are…
Intelligence SquaredHow Will the US Fight China? With Franz-Stefan Gady
The threat of war between the US and China seems to be a constant background hum in the news cycle. Commentators often tackle when and why this conflict might…
Intelligence SquaredThe Specialist | The Most Valuable Car in the World, with Gord Duff And Marcus Breitschwerdt
This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the…
Intelligence SquaredWhat Can Criminal Psychology Teach Us About Climate Change? With Julia Shaw
Can criminal psychology offer us a new way to think about and combat climate change? In this episode, criminal psychologist Julia Shaw sits down with physicist…
Intelligence SquaredAnthony Scaramucci on Trump and the Threat to American Democracy (Part Two)
Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director turned outspoken Trump critic, comes to Intelligence Squared in September for a straight-talking…
Intelligence SquaredAnthony Scaramucci on Trump and the Threat to American Democracy (Part One)
Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director turned outspoken Trump critic, comes to Intelligence Squared in September for a straight-talking…
Intelligence SquaredThe Thick of It: 20 Years On, with Armando Iannucci, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Rebecca Front (Part Two)
Malcolm Tucker. Pet ASBOs. A law requiring everyone in Britain to carry around a plastic bag. It’s been twenty years since Armando Iannucci‘s The Thick of It…
Intelligence SquaredThe Thick of It: 20 Years On, with Armando Iannucci, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Rebecca Front (Part One)
Malcolm Tucker. Pet ASBOs. A law requiring everyone in Britain to carry around a plastic bag. It’s been twenty years since Armando Iannucci‘s The Thick of It…
Intelligence SquaredIs AI About to Automate War? With Anthony King
Are supercomputers and killer robots going to take over? In this episode, Adam McCauley speaks to professor and author Anthony King in order to debunk the…
Intelligence SquaredSir Tim Berners-Lee on the Internet, AI and the Future of Humanity (Part Two)
Watch the full video of this event for free here: https://mailchi.mp/intelligencesquared/lw6gixq1t9 The transcript of this event is available here…
Intelligence SquaredSir Tim Berners-Lee on the Internet, AI and the Future of Humanity (Part One)
Watch the full video of this event for free here: https://mailchi.mp/intelligencesquared/lw6gixq1t9 The transcript of this event is available here…
Intelligence SquaredHotels with History | Raffles Hotel, Singapore, with Richard E. Grant and Jules Perowne
This is an episode of Hotels with History, produced by Intelligence Squared on behalf of Perowne International. On todays episode, Richard journeys to…
Intelligence SquaredWhat Did Twenty Years of Western Intervention in Afghanistan Achieve? With Jon Lee Anderson
For more than 40 years, world-renowned foreign correspondent Jon Lee Anderson has been reporting on wars, crises and revolutions, from Latin America to the…
Intelligence SquaredWho are the Trailblazing Women Hidden From Our History? With Women's Prize Founder Kate Mosse
Did you know that Mary Shelley was a teenager when she started writing Frankenstein in 1814? Or that England’s most prolific goal scorer - man or woman - was…
Intelligence SquaredIs the Data on Climate Change More Optimistic than We Thought? With Hannah Ritchie
What if the real story of climate change is far more hopeful than we’ve been led to believe? With so much doomsday reporting and general misinformation on…
Intelligence SquaredIan McEwan on Speculative Fiction, Lost Poems and What We Can Know
Ian McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of nineteen novels and two short story collections. His novels include Atonement, Enduring Love, The Children Act…
Intelligence SquaredSotheby’s Talks | Custodians of Taste: Pauline Karpidas and the Women who Shape the Art World
On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the remarkable collecting journey of Pauline Karpidas, one of the most influential art…