Intelligence Squared

Stacey Abrams is widely considered one of the most prominent political power broker in the United States. She was the first African-American woman to become the House Minority leader in her home state of Georgia and the first African-American woman to be nominated by a major party for State Governor. Her fight against voter suppression helped win Georgia for the Democrats and helped Joe Biden secure the presidency. As Biden himself has said, ‘Nobody, nobody in America has done more for the right to vote than Stacey’. And as if that weren’t enough for this remarkable 47-year-old woman, she has also written two political books and eight romantic novels. In June 2021 she came to Intelligence Squared to mark the publication of her new thriller 'While Justice Sleeps', a page-turner set in the corridors of political and judicial power, which has already been a No 1 New York Times bestseller. Abrams will be in conversation with the internationally bestselling novelist Tayari Jones, whose book, 'An American Marriage', about the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple, won the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019, dominated the top ten fiction list on both sides of the Atlantic for many months and has been praised by Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey. To find out more and order the book click here: https://bit.ly/3qeNO03 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's podcast Nani Jansen Reventlow goes up against Rowena Luk to debate whether bringing big tech closer into our lives during the pandemic has been a welcome innovation or a dangerous power grab. The debate was staged by Intelligence Squared Germany in partnership with the European Council on Foreign Relations. The host was Ulrike Franke. To find out more about ECFR click here: https://ecfr.eu/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join the debate and discuss this episode with fellow listeners on our Multytude conversation here: https://multytudelink.page.link/2u9nK2SP7SH7DCyU7 -- Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their status at birth. For much of history this was a revolutionary thought, but by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? In this week's episode Adrian Wooldridge speaks to Mark Mardell about his new book 'The Aristocracy of Talent' and why we should reform but not abandon the meritocratic idea. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To explain the power of anthropology to help us better understand the modern world, Financial Times journalist and bestselling author Gillian Tett joined us in this week's episode. Tett has a PhD in anthropology from Cambridge University and outlining the ideas in her acclaimed new book Anthro-Vision, she showed how we can identify what she calls the ‘webs of meaning’ that underlie consumers’ behaviour in very different cultures across the world. The episode was hosted by former editorial director of the BBC Kamal Ahmed. To get the Intelligence Squared discount on the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/anthro-vision-how-anthropology-can-explain-business-and-life-gillian-tett/ Subscribe to Intelligence Squared Business here: https://apple.co/3pHTKhT Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An industrialist looks at a rain forest and sees trees to cut down and sell, while an environmentalist sees the ‘lungs of the planet’. To one person, complying with a mandate to wear a face mask in public during a pandemic is an act of communal responsibility. To another, it’s a denial of personal freedom. Same data, but opposite conclusions. The reason for this, believe internationally acclaimed authors Kenneth Cukier and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, is that we all look at the world through different ‘frames’. By recognising the frames that we are using, they say, we can all learn to rethink them and make better decisions. We can see the world in entirely new ways. In May 2021 Cukier and Mayer-Schönberger came to Intelligence Squared to share their insights. In conversation with science writer Timandra Harkness they explained how our ability to adjust our vantage point on the world is the essential skill humanity needs for the 21st century and will help us address the looming challenges we face, from pandemics to populism, AI to cyberattacks, wealth inequality to climate change. As examples, they pointed to the way Spotify beat Apple by framing music as experience, how the #MeToo Twitter hashtag reframed the perception of sexual assault, and how, as they argued, the UK’s decision to frame Covid-19 as seasonal flu led to disaster, while New Zealand’s framing it as SARS led to only 26 deaths. The event was hosted by Timandra Harkness. To buy the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/framers-kenneth-cukier-viktor-mayer-schoenberger-francis-de-vericourt-bookomi/ ---------- This week’s episode is sponsored by Transport for London. Visit madeby.tfl.gov.uk/i-stand-with to find out more about how TfL are standing up against hate crime on the public transport network. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is the pandemic a wake-up call to build a better world? Ed Miliband, politician and host of the award-winning Reasons to Be Cheerful podcast, thinks so. And in June 2021 he came to Intelligence Squared to discuss the ideas in his new book Go Big. Think of any problem, he will argue, and there is already a brilliant solution to it. We don’t need massive innovation. We just need to know where to look – and then have the courage to think big and scale up. People all over the world are already successfully putting into action bold ways to tackle everything from inequality and the climate crisis to the challenges of housing, technology and democratic renewal. Whether it’s implementing the Green New Deal, lowering the voting age to 16, or replacing GDP with well-being measurements, we already have the tools we need to transform the way we live and work. To buy the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/go-big-how-to-fix-our-world-ed-miliband/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Salman Rushdie, internationally bestselling author and ‘Best of the Booker’ winner, is a storyteller of the highest order, illuminating truths about our society and culture through his dazzling prose. Best known as a novelist, he is also a compelling essayist and last month he came to Intelligence Squared to talk about the ideas in his latest collection of nonfiction, Languages of Truth. In conversation with cultural critic Shahidha Bari, Rushdie shared with us his personal encounters, on the page and in person, with storytellers from Shakespeare and Cervantes to Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. We heard his thoughts on Christopher Hitchens and the American Right, Osama Bin Laden and Pakistan, and on the role of artists, intellectuals and ordinary citizens in fighting for freedom of speech and thought. To buy the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/languages-of-truth-essays-2003-2020-salman-rushdie/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carlo Rovelli is the internationally bestselling theoretical physicist whose many fans include Benedict Cumberbatch, Antony Gormley, Neil Gaiman and Lily Cole. In May 2021 he came to Intelligence Squared to talk about the themes of his new book Helgoland, in which he takes us back to the birth of a revolutionary idea that has reshaped the whole of science and our very conception of the world. Rovelli told the story of the brilliant young Werner Heisenberg who, suffering from hay fever, retreated to the treeless island of Helgoland in the North Sea where he began to glimpse a world in which nothing exists until it interacts with something else, upending our all-too-solid conception of reality. This is the world of quantum theory. Now a century on from Heisenberg’s extraordinary insight, Rovelli has done what he dared not do before – to connect quantum theory with a panoply of philosophical ideas, including Buddhist thought, the problem of consciousness and even the discussions between Lenin and Bogdanov at the time of the Russian revolution. He explained that the way we interpret this insight has profound implications for our culture and philosophy. As he says, ‘Our ‘I’ is made of relations, as is our society, our cultural, spiritual and political life… It is time to take this theory fully on board, for its nature to be discussed beyond the restricted circles of theoretical physicists and philosophers, to deposit its distilled honey, so sweet and a little intoxicating, into the whole of contemporary culture.’ Rovelli was in conversation with Philip Pullman, author of the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, and named by The Times as one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. These two master storytellers discussed how it is only through our imaginations that we can truly understand the world we live in. To buy the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/helgoland-carlo-rovelli/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode acclaimed singer/songwriter David Gray speaks to Rosamund Urwin about how music and the arts have fared throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. David had originally planned to spend 2020 embarking on a huge string of 'White Ladder' anniversary shows to mark 20 years since the release of his breakthrough multi-million selling album. When these arena dates - like so many other live shows - were rescheduled due to the pandemic, David chose instead to finish a record he had recorded prior to lockdown at Edwyn Collins’ Helmsdale studio on the Sutherland coast. Entitled ’Skellig’, The title comes from the story of Skellig - a formation of precipitous rocky islands off the coast of Co. Kerry, the most westerly point in Ireland. Ravaged by the Atlantic, the seemingly un-inhabitable location of Skellig Michael became an unlikely site of pilgrimage in 600AD for a group of monks, who believed that leading such a merciful existence, they would leave the distraction of the human realm to be ultimately closer to God. You can stream 'Skellig' in full from here: http://bit.ly/DavidGraySkellig Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004, the goal was simple: to offer civilian space travel by the end of the decade. Seventeen years, a dozen delays and one catastrophic rocket crash later, we are on the verge of space tourism becoming a reality. New Yorker writer Nicholas Schmidle has witnessed the fall and rise of Virgin Galactic first-hand. Over the last five years, he has spent thousands of hours at Virgin’s ‘spaceport’ in the Mojave desert, befriending the pilots who are risking their lives to make space tourism a reality. The episode was hosted by Helen Czerski. To buy the book with the Intelligence Squared discount click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/test-gods-tragedy-and-triumph-in-the-new-space-race-nicholas-schmidle/ — We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared.. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spending a mere two hours a week outside is scientifically proven to lower blood pressure, enhance the immune system and reduce anxiety. Yet, for many communities, nature and the countryside are inaccessible with many city-dwellers struggling to find greenery in their local areas. This week's episode is taken from an event we staged in partnership with Selfridges for their Project Earth series. — We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many of us felt it before but 2020 was the year it became undeniable: the status quo is not working. Political discontent is widespread – and for good reason. So what can we do now to change course? In this week's episode award-winning political commentator Ece Temelkuran spoke to Matthew Taylor about her new political manifesto for the post-pandemic world. Drawing from her new book Together: 10 Choices for a Better Now, she explained why we must choose fear over comfort and political activism over social media outrage. And she will encourage us to embrace the radical idea that humanity can come together to solve its collective problems. To find out more about the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/together-10-choices-for-a-better-now-ece-temelkuran/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trees have memories. They have wisdom. They cooperate in communities of immense complexity, communicating underground through a huge web of fungi, at the centre of which lie the Mother Trees: the mysterious, powerful entities that nurture their kin and sustain the forest. That may sound initially like New Age mumbo-jumbo. But these are the core findings of a scientific revolution that has been taking place in our understanding of trees. In this week's episode world renowned scientist Suzanne Simard speaks to Tony Juniper about uncovering startling truths about trees. To find out more and buy the book click here: https://bit.ly/3hrSPA2 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why was the response of the UK and US to the coronavirus pandemic so bungled? How can we be better prepared when the next disaster strikes? These are the questions that historian Niall Ferguson discussed with Rana Mitter in this week's episode. Drawing from his new book 'Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe' he explains that while blaming populists like Boris Johnson and Donald Trump for their poor leadership is trendy, the story of Covid-19 as a political failure is to miss the more profound pathologies that were at work – pathologies already visible in our responses to earlier disasters. To find out more about the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/doom-the-politics-of-catastrophe-niall-ferguson/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we pass Joe Biden's first one hundred days in office as President of the United States, we're joined by The New Yorker's Evan Osnos author of the biography Joe Biden: American Dreamer to discuss who the real Biden is and how he will confront issues from China to climate change. He speaks to Mark Mardell to answer audience questions and more. To buy Evan's book with our special Intelligence Squared discount click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/joe-biden-american-dreamer-evan-osnos-subscribers/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Be angry, ambitious, profane, violent, attention-seeking, lustful, and powerful. These are the “seven necessary sins” that Egyptian writer and activist Mona Eltahawy says women and girls are not supposed to commit – but absolutely should. Eltahawy advocates a muscular, out-loud approach to teaching women and girls to harness their power. Eltahawy came to Intelligence Squared to tell the stories of activists and ordinary women around the world from countries including South Africa, China, Nigeria, India, Bosnia and Egypt who are fighting back against these taboos and tapping into their inner fury. Rather than teaching women and girls to survive the patriarchal system, they have found themselves in, Eltahawy uses these stories to show them how to dismantle it. Buy the book with a special Intelligence Squared discount here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/the-seven-necessary-sins-for-women-and-girls-mona-eltahawy/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode Kate Raworth, Oxford University economist discusses what she calls Doughnut Economics, an idea she came up with to help humanity deal with the challenges we face today: financial crises, extreme wealth inequality and relentless pressure on the environment. The doughnut posits a world where we zero in on a sweet spot: all our material and political needs are met without exhausting the planet. Drawn on paper, the space where everyone can thrive looks like a doughnut. To buy the book click here: https://amzn.to/2RbrTJS Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode Tristan Harris, star of Netflix hit documentary 'The Social Dilemma' speak to Helen Lewis about the the enormous power technology has in steering human attention and behaviour. They discuss how the business model of Big Tech impacts us on an individual level and collective level - and how we can rebalance this power to create a more ethical and enjoyable future. The interview was in partnership with iConnections the leading platform for connecting the alternative investment community. To find out more about their upcoming events click here: https://iconnections.io/events/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helen Lewis argues that feminism's success is down to complicated, contradictory, imperfect women, who fought each other as well as fighting for equal rights. Too many of these pioneers have been whitewashed or forgotten in our modern search for feel-good, inspirational heroines. It's time to reclaim the history of feminism as a history of difficult women. To find out more about the book click here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/difficult-women/helen-lewis/9781784709730 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's episode features a debate from Intelligence Squared Germany in partnership with the ECFR. Kerry Brown goes up against Anastasia Lin on the question of how the West should engage a more assertive and powerful China. The debate was moderated by Andrew Small and to find out more about the ECFR's work click here: https://ecfr.eu/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode comedian and writer David Baddiel discusses his new book, Jews Don’t Count. He argues that the progressive movement which often prides itself on principles of equality, justice and protecting minorities overlooks these things when it comes to the Jews. He spoke to screenwriter and director Armando Iannucci about how and why Jews don't count. To find out more about the book click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/jews-dont-count-david-baddiel/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Walter Isaacson is the bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein and Steve Jobs. His new book is The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race, a gripping account of how Nobel Prize-winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a scientific revolution that gives humanity the power to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and give birth to healthier babies. Doudna has invented a technology that has the potential to change human history: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR, it has opened up a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions. The past half-century has been a digital age, based on the microchip, the computer and the internet. Now we are entering a life-science revolution. Children who study digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code. Doudna’s work raises huge questions: Should we use our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses? Should we allow parents, if they can afford it, to enhance the height or strength or IQ of their children? To answer these questions and more Walter spoke to presenter and paediatrician Dr Guddi Singh. To buy the book click here: https://bit.ly/3wXSsCF Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Geoffrey Robertson QC is one of Britain’s leading human rights champions. Twenty years ago he helped fuel the global justice movement with his groundbreaking book Crimes Against Humanity. In April 2021, alongside fellow human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and campaigner Bill Browder, he took part in a special Intelligence Squared online event in partnership with Doughty Street Chambers to set out what he calls his ‘plan B for human rights’. This would involve countries introducing and enforcing fresh laws to name, blame and shame human rights abusers, stripping them of their right to enter democratic nations, of the ill-gotten funds they seek to deposit in global banks, and barring them and their families from schools and hospitals in these countries. Expanding on the themes of his new book Bad People And How To Be Rid Of Them, Robertson makes the case for a group of laws known as Magnitsky legislation after Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in a Russian jail after exposing state corruption. To find out more and to buy the book click here: https://bit.ly/3dXhvNn Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special bonus episode, brought to you in partnership with online trading platform IG, Joshua Mahoney, Senior Markets analyst at IG, speaks to Linda Yueh about how the pandemic has impacted trading and investing. From Netflix to Deliveroo, there have been winners and losers in the pandemic, but what will happen once we've all been vaccinated? To find out more about IG and the world of investing visit: https://www.ig.com/uk Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is made in partnership with international heritage charity World Monuments Fund Britain. Together we explore the fascinating world of on-screen historic homes with insightful conversations with industry experts who have brought these magnificent buildings to life on the big and small screens. We were joined by Nell Hudson, actress in popular TV dramas like 'Victoria' and 'Outlander'; Julie Anne Robinson, director of the hit series 'Bridgerton'; and Sally Ambrose, Head of Marketing and Visitor Experience at Chatsworth House. Hosted by John Darlington, Executive Director of World Monuments Fund Britain, our guests delve into the importance of these houses as cultural landmarks, their personal experiences working in them, and the creative challenges of bringing these iconic structures to life on screen. This event was recorded on the 20th of March 2021 in partnership with World Monuments Fund Britain. It was produced by Producer Feyi Adegbite — We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected]. At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Friends do it, strangers do it and so do chimpanzees - and it's not just deeply embedded in our history and culture, it may even be written in our DNA. The humble handshake, it turns out, has a rich and surprising history. In this week's episode palaeoanthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to science broadcaster Helen Czerski about a funny and fascinating voyage of discovery - from the handshake's origins (at least seven million years ago) all the way to its sudden disappearance in March 2020. We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The West is rich because the rest is poor. Capitalism is racism. So argues Kehinde Andrews, academic and self-described Black radical, who came to Intelligence Squared on March 29 to set out the ideas in his latest book, The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World. Wrong, says historian Jeremy Black. All that is a complete misrepresentation of the historical and present-day facts, Black counter argues. Who's right and who's wrong? Listen to the debate chaired by Anne McElvoy senior editor at The Economist and make up your own mind. To buy Kehinde's new book click here: https://bit.ly/3sHl7sZ To buy Jeremy Black's latest book click here: https://amzn.to/3cEWUhy Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Even if we don't believe that Jesus was the son of God, we tend to think he was a great moral teacher. But was he? And how closely do idealised values such as our love of the family, helping the needy, and the importance of kindness, match Jesus's original tenets? In this week's episode Julian Baggini challenges our assumptions on Christian values with some surprising insights on who Jesus really was. The episode was hosted by former BBC Broadcaster and journalist Mark Mardell. To buy Julian's book The Godless Gospel click here: https://amzn.to/31zejC2 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should Scotland be independent? In this week's podcast Alex Massie and Lesley Riddoch go head to head on the question of whether the time has come to break up Britain and for Scotland to go it alone. The debate was chaired by Manveen Rana. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Each year hundreds of thousands of Americans die as a result of drug abuse, alcoholism or suicide – and the numbers are rising. This has contributed to a fall in life expectancy in the past three years, reversing a trend towards increased life expectancy that began in 1918. In this week's episode we discuss, Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton new book which has identified a culprit for these ‘deaths of despair’: capitalism – or at least some aspects of it. The debate was chaired by Francine Lacqua television anchor and editor-at-large for Bloomberg Television. To buy the book click here: https://bit.ly/3lIWlGg Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode we discuss the explosive rise of NFT's as well as the long terms trends in blockchain that will change how we do business and live our lives. The interview is taken from our new podcast Intelligence Squared Business and our guest is Sheila Warren, member of the Executive Committee and Head of Blockchain and Data Policy at The World Economic Forum. To subscribe to Intelligence Squared Business click here: https://apple.co/2OEn5fe To listen to more podcasts from the World Economic Forum click here: https://www.weforum.org/focus/podcasts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robin Dunbar is the world-renowned psychologist and author who famously discovered Dunbar’s number: how our capacity for friendship is limited to around 150 people. In this week's episode he explains why friends matter to us – more than we think. The single most surprising fact to emerge out of the medical literature over the last decade or so has been that the number and quality of the friendships we have has a bigger influence on our happiness, health and even mortality risk than anything else except giving up smoking. To find out more about his new book Friends click here: https://amzn.to/3rPrcTQ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2016, almost anyone you asked, or any poll you consulted, pointed you to a Hillary Clinton landslide. The Accidental President is a balanced feature documentary that is seeking to answer one question - How the hell did Donald Trump win? In this week's episode we were joined by the director James Fletcher who spoke to Mark Mardell about making the documentary and the future of Trump's style of politics. THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT is available to rent and buy on Apple TV+, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and YouTube now Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have a special bonus episode for you today - we wanted to introduce you to a podcast we think you'll really enjoy, called Climate Solutions, from our partners, the European Investment Bank. What would you give up to solve the climate crisis? Flights to exotic holiday destinations? Red meat? Your car? Climate Solutions surveyed 30 000 people in every EU country, in China, the US and the UK to find out what they’re ready to do to fight climate change. And whether, facing the threat posed by COVID 19, they’re even worried about climate change at all. The team at Climate Solutions then spoke to experts about what it all means for the future of our planet. In this brand new episode of season 2 of Climate Solutions, host Matt Rees and guests ask, has COVID-19 changed our behaviour in ways that might be good for climate change? Teleworking, instead of commuting to an office, means fewer carbon emissions and is therefore good for the climate. And what about the economic recovery? Are people just so desperate for an end to the COVID-19 recession that they want investment at any cost? Or do they want a green recovery? To find out more about Climate Solutions, and to subscribe, go to eib.org/podcasts or search Climate Solutions in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For International Women's Day we bring to you a special bonus episode of our award-winning podcast, How I Found My Voice presented by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed. This episode features clips from some of our favourite female interviewees including novelists Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo and Elif Shafak, actors Kate Winslet, Rose McGowan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, singer Paloma Faith, Labour politician and Member of Parliament Jess Phillips, businesswoman Gina Miller, and comedian Katharine Ryan. SUBSCRIBE TO HOW I FOUND MY VOICE ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/how-i-found-my-voice/id1455089930 SUBSCRIBE TO HOW I FOUND MY VOICE ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3tFAb0IODQLDaVksmi2YHi?si=XGkuGCnmTxej2lHKSeYHuA How I Found My Voice is an Intelligence Squared podcast that explores how some of the world's greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. The Executive Producer is Farah Jassat. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode BBC North America Editor Jon Sopel takes us behind the scenes of perhaps the most extraordinary election campaign ever in American politics – when a global pandemic threw the country into turmoil and threatened not just the presidency but the very institutions of American democracy itself. Sopel revealed the inside story of how the presidential race became a battle for the very soul of the nation – and what lies ahead with the new administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The podcast was hosted by Manveen Rana senior investigative journalist at the Times and Sunday Times. To find out more about the book click here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/unpresidented/jon-sopel/9781785944406 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have a special bonus episode for you today – we wanted to introduce you to a podcast we think you'll really enjoy, called Change Makers. Change Makers presents fresh ideas and inspirational life stories from people with a passion – the campaigners, creators, connectors and contrarians – all making a difference. In this episode economist, author, economist and former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis spoke to Michael Hayman, co-founder of the campaigns firm Seven Hills. They discussed Yanis's blueprint for ‘another now’, why – as an avowed critic of the establishment – he entered political life, and his belief that Star Trek presents the ultimate model of Marxist ideals. Click here to find out more about Change Makers, and to subscribe, or search Change Makers in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zero day: a software bug that allows a hacker to break into your devices and move around undetected. One of the most coveted tools in a spy's arsenal, a zero day has the power to silently spy on your iPhone, dismantle the safety controls at a chemical plant, alter an election, and shut down the electric grid (just ask the Ukraine). For decades, under cover of classification levels and non-disclosure agreements, the United States government became the world's dominant hoarder of zero days. U.S. government agents paid top dollar-first thousands, and later millions of dollars- to hackers willing to sell their lock-picking code and their silence. Then the United States lost control of its hoard and the market. In this week's episode Nicole Perlroth of The New York Times speaks with Josh Glancy about her new book on the dangers and risks of the new world of cyber weapons and the potential catastrophic consequences. To find out more about the book click here: https://amzn.to/3rbatKu Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This bonus podcast features an episode from another Intelligence Squared podcast called How I Found My Voice. In this episode Hollywood star Kate Winslet speaks to the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed. They speak about her life and career, from discovering her love of acting in childhood and becoming a Hollywood sensation in Titanic to never-before-told stories of her and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as her reflections on how the film industry deals with recording intimate scenes and her latest movie Ammonite, which looks at the Victorian fossil hunter Mary Anning. SUBSCRIBE TO HOW I FOUND MY VOICE ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/how-i-found-my-voice/id1455089930 SUBSCRIBE TO HOW I FOUND MY VOICE ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3tFAb0IODQLDaVksmi2YHi?si=XGkuGCnmTxej2lHKSeYHuA How I Found My Voice is an Intelligence Squared podcast that explores how some of the world's greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. Guests include Michael Palin, Rose McGowan, Philip Pullman, Richard Branson and Naomi Klein. The Executive Producer is Farah Jassat. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode Marietje Schaake International Director of Policy at Stanford University's Cyber Policy Centre speaks to Carl Miller about Facebook's recent legal battle with Australia, Trump's deplatforming from Twitter and how we can preserve democracy and civil liberties in the age of Big Tech. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode renowned climate scientist Michael Mann speaks to Clover Hogan about the thirty-year war to deflect blame and delay action on climate change. They discuss the new tactics and psychological battle to confront the causes of climate change and offer a roadmap winning the war to save the planet. To find out more about the book click here: https://amzn.to/2NQzjR8 To find out more about Forces of Nature click here: https://www.forceofnature.xyz/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shortly after a pro Trump mob stormed the Capitol on January 6th - Big Tech unplugged the President. For years he’d used social media to communicate directly with his supporters. Even on the day, as lawmakers in the Capitol scurried to find places of safety during the siege, Trump posted: ‘STOP THE STEAL’, and proclaimed ‘You will never take back our country with weakness.’ Then, came the crack down. Reddit removed the “DonaldTrump subreddit”. YouTube tightened its policy on posting videos, that called the outcome of the election into doubt. TikTok took down posts with hashtags like #stormthecapitol. Facebook suspended Trump’s account indefinitely, and Twitter, the former President’s favoured form of communication, took his account away permanently. So did Big Tech make the right decision? And was this censorship or accountability? Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, James Bosworth, Nadine Strossen and Freddie Sayers debate. The event was chaired by Manveen Rana host the of Stories of Our Times podcast which you can listen to here: https://play.acast.com/s/storiesofourtimes You can order Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu's new book here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/this-is-why-i-resist-dont-define-my-black-identity-dr-shola-mos-shogbamimu/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2010, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger released a photo-sharing app called Instagram, with one simple but irresistible feature: it would make anything you captured look more beautiful. The cofounders cultivated a community of photographers and artisans around the app, and it quickly went mainstream. In less than two years, it caught Facebook's attention: Mark Zuckerberg bought the company for a historic $1 billion when Instagram had only thirteen employees. In this week's episode Sarah Frier author of the new book 'No Filter' speaks to Linda Yueh about the inside story of the company, how it's shaping our culture and the future of the company under the ownership of Facebook. The episode was hosted by economist and broadcaster Linda Yueh. Subscribe to Intelligence Squared Business here: https://apple.co/37ihtNI Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode Philip Stephens the Financial Times chief political commentator speaks to Mark Mardell about why Britain is a nation struggling to reconcile its waning power with past glory. Drawing on his new book 'Britain Alone' Stephens argues Britain is a proud nation struggling to admit it is no longer a great power. It is an indispensable guide to how we arrived at the state we are in. To buy the book click here: https://amzn.to/3b2tl7l Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are few remaining frontiers on our planet. But perhaps the wildest, and least understood, are the world's oceans: too big to police, and under no clear international authority, these immense regions of treacherous water play host to rampant criminality and exploitation. In this week's episode Ian Urbina speaks to Helen Czerski about the piracy, smuggling, beauty and danger of our Oceans. To donate to the Outlaw Ocean Project click here: https://bit.ly/3cX7OzS To listen to The Outlaw Ocean Music Project click here: https://bit.ly/2YXKSZ3 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode Eliot Higgins, founder of Bellingcat, tells the dramatic story of how he went from college dropout to pioneering a new category of reporting that has cracked some of the biggest cases in the world. Drawing from his new book We Are Bellingcat, Higgins reveals the tools his investigators use, from software that helps pinpoint the location of an image, to an app that can nail down the time a photo was taken. He discussed Bellingcat’s investigations into the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons, and the recent poisoning of Russian politician Alexei Navalny. The event will be hosted by Manveen Rana, senior investigative journalist at The Times and Sunday Times. To buy Eliot and Bellingcat's new book click here: https://bit.ly/39NIVEP To sign up for our live online event with KATE WINSLET on February 10 click here: https://bit.ly/3rrDscz Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode Nigel Inkster argues that growing tension between the USA and China could result in the two superpowers decoupling their technology—with significant consequences for humanity’s future. The episode was hosted by economist and broadcaster Linda Yueh. To find out more and buy the book click here: https://bit.ly/3pIoVsC Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why does physics matter? What can the study of energy and force, of matter and its motion and behaviour through space and time teach us about the universe and the nature of reality itself? According to Jim Al-Khalili, the renowned physics professor and host of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific, we all need to understand the three pillars of modern physics — quantum theory, relativity and thermodynamics — if we are ever to have a full grasp of reality and our place in this universe. In this week's episode he spoke to presenter Helen Czerski about his new book 'The World According to Physics' and if you'd like to buy it click here: https://www.primrosehillbooks.com/product/the-world-according-to-physics-jim-al-khalili/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Climate change, feeding the world, biodiversity, plastics – the list of environmental concerns seems endless. But which of these is the most pressing and, given the global nature of the challenges we face, what can any of us do as individuals to make a difference? Do we all need to become vegan? Is local food best? How should we spend and invest our money? In January 2021 leading carbon expert Mike Berners-Lee, author of the bestselling book There Is No Planet B, came to Intelligence Squared to answer these and other questions. Having crunched the numbers, he argued that there is a course of action we can all follow which doesn’t require donning a hair shirt. And reflecting on the turbulent last 12 months, he tackled the thorny issues of protests, pandemics, wildfires and more. The event was hosted by Jenny Kleeman,journalist and author of Sex Robots and Vegan Meat. To buy Mike's book click here: https://bit.ly/2Yh55Zy To buy Jenny's book click here: https://bit.ly/2M6qBNZ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode ethics expert Susan Liautaud speaks to journalist and writer about how we can make sense of ethical dilemmas and be more attuned to the ethical dimension of our actions. Drawing on her new book 'The Power of Ethics' which documents over two decades as an ethics advisor guiding corporations, academic institutions and students in her Stanford University ethics courses, Susan Liautaud provides clarity to blurry ethical questions, walking you through a straightforward, four-step process for ethical decision-making you can use every day. To buy the book click here: https://bit.ly/2Y4MC28 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices