Intelligence Squared

Latest Episodes:

Cultural Favourites from the Archives – The Power of Poetry, with Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Isaacs Dec 30, 2022

Show notes

Continuing our series of cultural highlights from the Intelligence Squared archive, we revisit the event The Power of Poetry, which saw actors Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Isaacs bringing the words of the great poets alive onstage. The event also featured William Sieghart telling the extraordinary story of his bestselling book, The Poetry Pharmacy, award-winning author Jeanette Winterson and presenter, comedian and writer Sue Perkins.

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Cultural Favourites from the Archives – James Rhodes and Armando Iannucci on the Transformative Power of Music Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

Intelligence Squared has been producing agenda-setting events for over a decade. During the holiday season we're looking back over that extensive archive to pick out some of our favourite and most enlightening listens. For this episode we revisit 2018 and our event with James Rhodes and Armando Iannucci reflecting on the Transformative Power of Music. The chair was broadcaster, author and leading voice on all things musical, Clemency Burton-Hill.

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The Magic of A Christmas Carol, with Simon Callow and John Mullan Dec 26, 2022

Show notes

What is it about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that has enchanted the public since its publication in 1843? Few people are as well placed to answer that question than John Mullan and Simon Callow. Mullan is a professor of English literature, whose recent book, The Artful Dickens, reveals the tricks and ploys of this most eccentric of literary geniuses. Callow, renowned actor, director and author, has written two books on Dickens, portrayed him on film and television, and has been thrilling audiences since 2011 with his sold-out one-man performances of A Christmas Carol.

Mullan and Callow join us on the podcast to celebrate this most beloved of Dickens’ stories and discuss how a work which Dickens originally intended to be a political tract about the misery of the Victorian poor became one of the most enduring Christmas classics.

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The 12 Books of Christmas, Part 4 – Jonathan Freedland, Will MacAskill and Katherine Rundell Dec 25, 2022

Show notes

For our final look at some of the best books to have hit shelves in 2022, we dive back into standout discussions from the past 12 months including Jonathan Freedland, whose book, The Escape Artist, tells the story of Auschwitz escapees Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler. We also revisit our discussion with philosopher Will MacAskill, whose book, What We Owe The Future, claims that society needs to take a far longer-sighted view of how altruism can be effective. The book has also come under scrutiny in the latter half of 2022 due to its influence on the behaviour of billionaire philanthropists. We finish the 12 Books of Christmas with a sneak preview from our upcoming episode with author Katherine Rundell. Her latest book, The Golden Mole, celebrates the irreplaceable diversity found within the animal kingdom.

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The 12 Books of Christmas, Part 3 – Dipo Faloyin, Lea Ypi and Melissa Thompson Dec 23, 2022

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For the third in our 12 Books of Christmas episodes, we revisit a thought-provoking discussion with Dipo Faloyin, whose book Africa Is Not A Country challenges the stereotypical thinking that can misrepresent African nations. Another highlight book of 2022 was Lea Ypi's Free, and the writer joined us to discuss her memoir that tells the story of her upbringing in Albania amid the shifting geopolitics of nations affected by the break up of the Soviet Union. We also listen back to our conversation with food writer Melissa Thompson, whose book Motherland celebrates the traditions and influence of Jamaican cuisine.

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The 12 Books of Christmas, Part 2 – Oded Galor, Andrea Elliott and Orhan Pamuk Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

For the second instalment of our 12 Books of Christmas series, we hear from three more authors who have set the agenda for original thinking and progressive literature in 2022. Brown University economist Oded Galor discusses his book that takes an expansive view of global history, The Journey of Humanity. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Andrea Elliott speaks with fellow author Alex Preston about her account of the homelessness crisis in New York as told in her book, Invisible Child, and Orhan Pamuk, one of the world’s best-loved novelists discusses his latest work, Nights of Plague.

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The 12 Books of Christmas, Part 1 – Reni Eddo-Lodge, Orlando Figes and Elizabeth Williamson Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

Intelligence Squared has enjoyed hundreds of great conversations on the podcast, across our online talks and onstage at our live events across 2022. For the festive season, we’re highlighting 12 voices whose books and work have both encapsulated the big themes of the year and enriched our listening over the past 12 months. For the first instalment, we listen back to conversations with writer Reni Eddo-Lodge discussing the new edition of her bestseller, Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Plus, historian Orlando Figes on his book, The Story of Russia, and The New York Times' Elizabeth Williamson talks through her book, Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy, with fellow author and filmmaker Jon Ronson.

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Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new 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 hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. The usual price is £14.99 a month, but we want to give our podcast listeners a special offer to try it out. For 10 days only, we’re offering a subscription for only £10 a month. Offer ends at midnight GMT on Tuesday 20th December. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com and use the discount code MONTH10 or ANNUAL10 to start watching today.

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The Sunday Debate: Will protests rock China? Dec 18, 2022

Show notes

Given the disruptive events unfolding in China in recent weeks, what does the future holds for Xi Jinping and the country? Some say that this is a pivotal moment for Xi’s strongman rule, especially given that the Chinese economy is also suffering. And what do China’s political and economic challenges mean for the rest of the world? To answer these questions we’re joined by Yasheng Huang professor at MIT and author of Capitalism with Chinese characteristics and Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute at Kings College London and author of Xi: A study in power. Our host for this episode is Carl Miller.

Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go.

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Slime: A Gooey Natural History Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

Why are women known as the slimier sex? How did the US Navy replicate hagfish slime for ballistics protection? In this episode we’re joined by science journalist Susanne Wedlich to look at the weird and wonderful, cultural and biological, history of slime. And for those of you who don’t love slime, we encourage you to listen for some great facts about the powers and potential of this substance and learn why we shouldn't be so repulsed by slime. Our host for this episode is journalist Amelia Tait.

Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go.

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ChatGPT: The Death and Rebirth of Writing Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

ChatGPT is the Internet's new favourite toy. This is some of AI’s most impressive technology yet, but could the creation of an all-knowing human-like chatbot - a tool which can create answers, emails, poems, stories, and essays instantly - mean that writing as we know it could cease to exist? Or could it be a renaissance for the ways in which we view and approach writing? To explore these questions we’re joined by novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator - Stephen Marche; and academic, critic and broadcaster - Shahidha Bari.

Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We’ve just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go.

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