The New Optimism, with Matt Ridley, Johan Norberg, David Runciman and Laura Kuenssberg

The New Optimism, with Matt Ridley, Johan Norberg, David Runciman and Laura Kuenssberg

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? And why should it matter? After what for many of us has been an annus horribilis in 2016, pessimists seem to have all the best tunes. Terror attacks, horror headlines from Syria, a tide of hatred and resentment poisoning our politics: the world looks increasingly grim. But what about the actual facts? If you step back and examine the data, it’s clear that life is better today for the majority of people than at any previous time in history. And we’re not just talking about the developing world, where progress has been remarkable. Here in the West, most of us have never had it so good. Just look at the improvements in health and longevity, the breadth of entertainment available, and the opportunities to travel that we blithely take for granted. In this special Intelligence Squared event, we examined two fundamentally opposing worldviews. In the optimists’ corner were Matt Ridley, author of the prize-winning The Rational Optimist, and Johan Norberg, whose latest book is Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future. They argued that the progress that has been made over the past centuries – whether in education, child labour, poverty or violent deaths – is now running at an unprecedented pace and that there is every reason to think that it will continue for decades to come. But is their essentially rationalist approach one that can really explain what appears to be the conflict-ridden world we live in? After all, many of us have never felt so gloomy and perplexed. This tension is not new. It has run through mainstream political thought since the Enlightenment. It set rationalists such as Adam Smith and J. S. Mill against those who sought to interpret the darker side of human nature such as Rousseau and Dostoevsky. They have been joined more recently by behavioural economists such as Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler. For these latter thinkers, rationalism will always fail to give a full account of human behaviour. Exploring this line of thought in our event was the acclaimed political scientist David Runciman. And steering the discussion was be the BBC’s star political editor Laura Kuenssberg. Optimist or pessimist? Some say that pessimism is dangerous, as it’s the emotions of fear and nostalgia that are fertile breeding grounds for populist demagogues. Others argue that too optimistic a view can blind us to the real threats facing our freedoms and democracy. 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

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One Of Them, with Michael Cashman and Razia Iqbal

One Of Them, with Michael Cashman and Razia Iqbal

Michael Cashman has been an actor, a politician and one of the pioneers of the struggle for LGBT equality in the UK. He is the author of a new book titled One Of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square and in this episode of the podcast he was interviewed by Razia Iqbal of the BBC on his fascinating life and career, as well as the stirring history of the British LGBT rights movement. Photo: Nikki Powell 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

10 Maalis 202044min

Difficult Women: The Defining Fights of Feminism, with Helen Lewis and Caroline Criado Perez

Difficult Women: The Defining Fights of Feminism, with Helen Lewis and Caroline Criado Perez

In this episode of the Intelligence Squared podcast we are joined by Helen Lewis, staff writer for the Atlantic, who claims that too many pioneers of women’s rights have been whitewashed or forgotten because society likes its heroines to be cuddly and safe. Lewis believes it’s time to reclaim the history of feminism as a history of difficult women, and on Tuesday February 25 she came to the Intelligence Squared stage to set out the arguments of her new book, Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights. She appeared in conversation with the feminist campaigner Caroline Criado Perez and BBC broadcaster Samira Ahmed.  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

6 Maalis 20201h 3min

Why Myanmar Matters, with Thant Myint-U and Ros Urwin

Why Myanmar Matters, with Thant Myint-U and Ros Urwin

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 horrific intercommunal violence with the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees. Photo credit: Thurein Aung 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

3 Maalis 202051min

Armando Iannucci, Jess Phillips and Jan Ravens on Satire in an Age of Absurdity

Armando Iannucci, Jess Phillips and Jan Ravens on Satire in an Age of Absurdity

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 unpack these questions live on stage at the Union chapel in London. The event was chaired by journalist, writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed. 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

28 Helmi 20201h 4min

How Humanity Can Survive the Climate Crisis, with Christiana Figueres and Ritula Shah

How Humanity Can Survive the Climate Crisis, with Christiana Figueres and Ritula Shah

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 long-term effects of climate change. — 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 podcasts@intelligencesquared.com 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

25 Helmi 202040min

To Stop Climate Collapse, We Must End Capitalism

To Stop Climate Collapse, We Must End Capitalism

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 – inherent in capitalism – are an existential threat to life on our planet. The more we produce and consume, the more energy we need – and renewables can’t keep pace. Unless we abandon capitalism now, we will inevitably continue to drive up the demand for fossil fuels. According to some scientific predictions, human civilisation could completely collapse by 2050 if we don’t take drastic action to stop climate change now. We must end capitalism before it’s too late.  That’s the view of the anti-capitalist eco-warriors. But while it’s undeniable that capitalism has contributed to our current climate crisis, it has also proven to be history’s most effective way of solving our problems. According to capitalism’s defenders, there is almost no challenge capitalism hasn’t met. It has helped defeat disease and has lifted billions out of poverty – and there’s no reason why the dynamism of the marketplace can’t be harnessed to bring our carbon emissions down to zero. For example, until recently solar panels were impossibly expensive; now they are cheap and helping us transition away from fossil fuels. Our system of competitive, open markets gives strong incentives for the world’s brightest minds to find creative solutions to climate change. So don’t listen to the doomsayers who want to rip up our economic system. Capitalism is not the problem; it’s the solution.  This event was recorded in January 2020 at the Royal Geographical Hall in London. CHAIR: Ritula Shah - Journalist and presenter on Classic FM SPEAKERS FOR THE MOTION: George Monbiot - Guardian columnist, environmental campaigner and author of Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet and Farhana Yamin - International environmental lawyer and leading activist in the Extinction Rebellion protests AGAINST THE MOTION: Adair Turner - Chair of the Energy Transitions Commission and Tony Juniper - Sustainability adviser — 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 podcasts@intelligencesquared.com 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

21 Helmi 20201h 8min

More From Less, with Andrew McAfee and Hugo Lindgren

More From Less, with Andrew McAfee and Hugo Lindgren

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 capitalism, it’ll take fewer resources to make things in the future, and cost less to lead a comfortable life. 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

18 Helmi 202039min

Zombie Economics, with Paul Krugman and Linda Yueh

Zombie Economics, with Paul Krugman and Linda Yueh

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/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Helmi 202038min

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