Intelligence Squared

Many liberals believe that in recent years we have seen an erosion of the right to air unpopular opinions without the risk of being cancelled. We are in an ever-intensifying shutting down of conversation, they maintain, with constituencies on both the left and the right demanding that opinions they don’t like be declared out of bounds, socially, morally or legally. But some argue otherwise: that t...

Academic, author, broadcaster and ordained deacon Diarmaid MacCulloch is Emeritus Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University, and Fellow of St Cross College and of Campion Hall. His latest book is Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity, which explores how Christianity or historically Christian societies have witnessed one of the most extraordinary about-turns in...

This discussion is a dip back into the extensive Intelligence Squared archive, first aired in early 2022. 'Sprakkar' is an ancient Icelandic word meaning extraordinary or outstanding women. It forms the basis of a book by Eliza Reid, author, co-founder of the Iceland Writers Retreat, and at the time of recording was also the nation's First Lady. Rosamund Urwin from the Sunday Times joins Eliza to...

Paul Johnson is the economist who has set the terms of so much political debate over the past few decades in Britain. Having served as Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies since 2011, his expertise on matters of public spending and global economic trends have provided invaluable insight to the public and policymakers alike. Johnson’s column for the Times, as well as his acclaimed Austerity...

Paul Johnson is the economist who has set the terms of so much political debate over the past few decades in Britain. Having served as Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies since 2011, his expertise on matters of public spending and global economic trends have provided invaluable insight to the public and policymakers alike. Johnson’s column for the Times, as well as his acclaimed Austerity...

This is the second instalment of a three-part discussion. Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier have defined the genre of historical fiction for decades. Both renowned for bringing to life women’s stories from the past and making them relevant to today’s reader, between them they’ve produced a multitude of global bestsellers including The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring. In Septembe...

This is the first instalment of a three-part discussion. Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier have defined the genre of historical fiction for decades. Both renowned for bringing to life women’s stories from the past and making them relevant to today’s reader, between them they’ve produced a multitude of global bestsellers including The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring. In September...

For this episode we're joined by Eliza Filby, an academic, writer and public speaker specialising in contemporary values and most recently generational wealth. Her new book is Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad. It explores how wealth passed down from parents to their children is now quietly underpinning some major pillars of the economy and how society works, from hous...

This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. How many women artists do you know? Despite the work of activist groups and scholars alike, women are still troublingly absent from the history of art. Historian and broadcaster Katy Hessel wants to change that. In September 2024 she came to the Intelligence Squared stage in conversation with the journalist, author and podcaster Pandora Sykes...

This is the first instalment of a three-part episode. How many women artists do you know? Despite the work of activist groups and scholars alike, women are still troublingly absent from the history of art. Historian and broadcaster Katy Hessel wants to change that. In September 2024 she came to the Intelligence Squared stage in conversation with the journalist, author and podcaster Pandora Sykes t...

Hanno Sauer is a philosopher not shying away from the big questions. His recent book is The Invention of Good and Evil: A World History of Morality, which charts the evolution of moralistic thinking from our earliest ancestors through to the present day. But morality is not always about only right and wrong. When it’s wielded by the powerful, it can be restrictive, coercive and the source of many...

This episode was first aired in March, 2022. Cal Flyn’s Islands of Abandonment was one of the UK’s bestselling books of 2021. It was the Sunday Times Science and Environment book of the year and won her the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. In this episode she talks with broadcaster and science communicator Helen Czerski about the extraordinary places where humans no longer live – or su...

This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, knows what’s coming. And in September 2024 he returned to the Intelligence Squared stage in conversation with Amol Rajan, host of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, University Challenge and Amol Rajan Interviews, to share his fresh perspective into what AI can and cannot achieve in the next waves of disru...

This is the first instalment of a three-part episode. Mustafa Suleyman, the CEO of Microsoft AI, knows what’s coming. And in September 2024 he returned to the Intelligence Squared stage in conversation with Amol Rajan, host of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, University Challenge and Amol Rajan Interviews, to share his fresh perspective into what AI can and cannot achieve in the next waves of disrup...

Divorcées, dark humour and the underbelly of 1920s New York form the basis of author and screenwriter Ursula Parrott's forgotten classic novel, Ex-Wife. It became a bestseller on its original release nearly a century ago in 1929 and was also made into an Oscar-winning film. Now reissued by Faber, it follows Patricia, a divorcée embarking on single life in the city while partying and holding down h...

This is an archive discussion first aired in early 2022. Morten Christiansen is Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and Nick Chater is Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School. Together, they've written The Language Game, a new book which explores the science and psychology of language and some of its mysteries too. Hosting the discussion is journalist Christine Ro, wh...

This is the second instalment of a two-part episode. Arsenal Football Club is special. Its multicultural fandom reflects a changing city and a unique relationship with Black British popular culture – thanks to its decades of fielding iconic Black players on the pitch and the storied and diverse histories of its terraces. Clive Chijioke Nwonka and Matthew Harle are the co-editors of a book celebrat...

This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. Arsenal Football Club is special. Its multicultural fandom reflects a changing city and a unique relationship with Black British popular culture – thanks to its decades of fielding iconic Black players on the pitch and the storied and diverse histories of its terraces. Clive Chijioke Nwonka and Matthew Harle are the co-editors of a book celebrati...

Leading social philosopher Roman Krznaric discusses his latest book, History for Tomorrow, which looks at what lessons we can learn from the past thousand years while also exploring how these learnings can help us better tackle some of the major challenges we face today. Krznaric is a senior research fellow at Oxford University’s Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing. Eudaimonia is a Greek w...

The podcast welcomes back Oliver Burkeman for this episode. The writer whose popular column for The Guardian ‘This Column Will Change Your Life’ made him into one of the most astute interrogators of the wellness and self-help fields, returns with a new book, Meditations for Mortals. As well as being a guide through some smart ideas on how to make life feel more manageable, the book also proposes a...

This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. In the 20th century most autocrats were brutal dictators whose main goal was to control a domestic population. But in the 21st century autocracy has become much more sophisticated and ambitious in its scope. States like Russia have developed sophisticated cross-border networks of kleptocratic financial structures, innovative security services...

This is the first instalment of a three-part episode. In the 20th century most autocrats were brutal dictators whose main goal was to control a domestic population. But in the 21st century autocracy has become much more sophisticated and ambitious in its scope. States like Russia have developed sophisticated cross-border networks of kleptocratic financial structures, innovative security services a...

What kinds of sound are our oceans making, and what do they mean? In this episode, award-winning science writer Amorina Kingdon discusses her book, Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water, which is the culmination of her work exploring how marine animals use sound to survive and the ways humans are impacting critical underwater soundscapes. These explorations range from investigations of...

This is the second instalment of a two-part episode. Jordan Stephens’ life during his teenage years and his twenties was a whirlwind. As one half of the hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, his days were full of success, fame and adulation as Rizzle Kicks’ debut sold over 1 million singles and 600,000 albums in 2012. But for Jordan, success brought pain in its wake: a hidden pattern of self-harm, hedonism, d...

This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. Jordan Stephens’ life during his teenage years and his twenties was a whirlwind. As one half of the hip hop duo Rizzle Kicks, his days were full of success, fame and adulation as Rizzle Kicks’ debut sold over 1 million singles and 600,000 albums in 2012. But for Jordan, success brought pain in its wake: a hidden pattern of self-harm, hedonism, de...