Intelligence Squared

In this episode we are joined by Thant Myint-U, the Burmese historian, former adviser to the President of Myanmar, and author of The Hidden History of Burma: Race, Capitalism, and the Crisis of Democracy in the 21st Century. In this podcast, Thant explores the fascinating history of Myanmar, and how after a promising period of hope following the end of military rule, the country spiralled into hor...

Has satire lost its power in this new world of fake news and ‘alternative facts’ - when our leaders lie so blatantly and frequently, and still manage to get away with it? Or is humour a more important tool than ever to hold those in power to account? We were joined by celebrated comedy writer and producer Armando Iannucci, Labour MP Jess Phillips, and satirist and impressionist Jan Ravens to unpac...

In this episode we are joined by Christiana Figueres, the former UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change who was one of the key negotiators behind the Paris Climate Agreement and is the co-author of a new book The Future We Choose. In this in-depth conversation with the BBC's Ritula Shah, Figueres gives us serious, practical and empowering advice for how we can stave off the worst and manage the...

Capitalism is driving us to disaster. Our planet is heading for a terrifying environmental cataclysm – and our economic system is responsible. The defining characteristic of capitalism is perpetual economic growth. And while it has brought us wonderful benefits, including improved health, wealth and opportunities to travel and experience the world, ever-increasing production and consumption – inhe...

In this episode we are joined by Andrew McAfee, the co-director of the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy and author of More From Less: The Surprising Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources. In an interview with journalist Hugo Lindgren, McAfee explores his counterintuitive theory of how we’re past the point of 'peak stuff'– because of the collaboration between technology and...

In this episode we are joined by Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist and author of Arguing With Zombies: Economics, Politics and the Fight for a Better Future. In a conversation with economist and broadcaster Linda Yueh, Krugman debunks what he calls ‘zombie economics’ – the great economic misconceptions of our time that just won’t die.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelli...

This episode is an exploration of social mobility and inequality in contemporary Britain, featuring Hashi Mohamed, author of People Like Us. Hashi came to the UK aged nine, a refugee from the Somali civil war. He attended some of the country's worst schools and was raised exclusively on state benefits. Yet today he is a successful barrister with an Oxford degree. In conversation with the BBC's Raz...

For the second installment of our Trailblazers series, Intelligence Squared has partnered with gal-dem to bring together a collection of outstanding women – and their letters – to our stage. If you could offer insight and advice to your younger self, what would you say? Oprah Winfrey, when she was 58, wrote these words to her 19-year-old self: ‘Dear beautiful brown-skinned girl… The truth is, he’s...

In this episode, we are joined by JJ Sutherland, the business expert and author of The Scrum Fieldbook. In conversation with the journalist Hugo Lindgren, he explores his ideas for how the world of business can be transformed through a set of practices known as Scrum, which focuses on rapid innovation and quick-fire decision-making, and has immediate relevance for every organisation on Earth. Supp...

In this episode, our panel of top speakers battle it out over whether Brits should be proud or ashamed of their country. Is the phrase 'Great Britain' an oxymoron, or is Britain one of the world's most free, open and tolerant societies, therefore making it the best place to live in the world? Listen to this debate, hear the arguments and make up your mind. Arguing in favour of the motion There's N...

In this episode we are joined by Dan Gretton, the author of I You We Them: Journeys Beyond Evil: The Desk Killer in History and Today. In an interview with Ros Urwin of The Sunday Times, he explores the psychology behind some of the least visible perpetrators of crimes against humanity in history — the banal and bureaucratic ‘desk killers’ who ordered and directed some of the worst atrocities of t...

BJ Fogg is a pioneering research psychologist and founder of the iconic Behavior Design Lab at Stanford which has taught everyone from the founders of Instagram to the leading technology ethicist Tristan Harris. In this episode Fogg speaks to Carl Miller about his new book Tiny Habits, how he cracked the code of habit formation and the potential dangers of unleashing behaviour design on the world....

Erling Kagge, author of Philosophy for Polar Explorers, was the first man in history to reach all of the Earth's poles by foot – the North, the South, and the summit of Everest. In this interview with the BBC’s Razia Iqbal, he brings together the wisdom and expertise he has gained from the expeditions that have taken him to the limits of the earth and to the limits of human endurance.  Support thi...

In this episode we were joined by Mike Berners-Lee, the climate change expert and author of There Is No Planet B: A Handbook For The Make Or Break Years. He was interviewed by Matthew Taylor of the RSA in a discussion on the real, concrete steps that we can all take to reduce our contributions to climate change and the destruction of the planet. This episode was recored on the 17th of January 2020...

In this episode we were joined by Tom Watson, the Deputy Leader of the UK Labour Party who only recently stood down at last year's general election. He is now the author of a new book Downsizing: How I Lost 8 Stone, Reversed My Diabetes and Regained My Health, and in this wide-ranging interview with Ros Urwin he talks about his successful battle against obesity and diabetes, what this might mean f...

In this episode we were joined by Sonia Contera, Professor of Biological Physics at the University of Oxford and the author of Nano Comes to Life: How Nanotechnology Is Transforming Medicine and the Future of Biology. In a wide-ranging conversation with Tom Whipple, the science editor at The Times, she explored the rapidly evolving nanotechnologies that are allowing us to manipulate the very build...

In this episode we were joined by Rana Foroohar, FT global business columnist and author of Don't Be Evil: The Case Against Big Tech, alongside Ros Urwin of the Sunday Times. According to Foroohar, Silicon Valley has lost its soul, and the tech behemoths like Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon are monetising both our data and our attention without us seeing a penny of those exorbitant profits. Th...

France, Italy, Spain, Germany: these are the ancient Old World wine-growing regions of Europe, where continuity and history reign supreme. California, Australia, South Africa and Chile: these are some of the New World areas, where technology and science trump tradition. Old World wines tend to be light-bodied, with herbal, mineral and floral components. New World wines, thanks to warmer climates,...

In this episode we were joined by The New York Times' editorial page editor James Bennet, to discuss the The New York Times' fascinating new editorial project, The Privacy Project. James was interviewed on the project by tech journalist Jamie Bartlett. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your...

In this episode we were joined by Samantha Power, the former United States Ambassador to the United Nations under President Obama from 2013 to 2017 and author of a new book The Education of an Idealist. She was interviewed on her fascinating career in American diplomacy by Helen Lewis. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out i...

Is it high time for a rapprochement with Putin? As the transatlantic alliance flounders and Britain wallows in Brexit psychodrama, Europe can no longer afford to keep Russian relations strained. In fact, a detente is now a geopolitical necessity. Containment policies may have made sense under Obama, but with an erratic Trump in the White House, rapidly ceding influence to Putin in the Middle East,...

As 2019 comes to a close, the Intelligence Squared team look back at some of their highlights from the year, both on the Intelligence Squared stage and on the podcast. They feature clips from big in conversation events with the likes of Thomas Friedman and Salman Rushdie to debating whether the West should cut ties with Saudi Arabia, to cultural events exploring letters that changed the world. Joi...

This episode features an interview from How I Found My Voice, another podcast by Intelligence Squared. Presented by the prominent BBC journalist Samira Ahmed, the podcast explores how some of the world's greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. In this episode Samira speaks to the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, Chris Wylie, about data micro-targeting,...

John Maeda is one of the world's preeminent interdisciplinary thinkers on technology and design, and the author of How to Speak Machine. In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast, in conversation with Ros Urwin he explores a set of simple laws and guidelines that govern not only the computers of today, but the unimaginable machines of the future. Support this show http://supporter.acast....

Managing a successful Premier League football team or a major company takes extraordinary fortitude and foresight. But try leading a nation of millions – and then persuading them to follow you into war, with all the pain and sacrifice that entails. That’s real leadership. So what makes for a wartime leader? This question has fascinated historian Andrew Roberts for decades and prompted him to write...