Truth Hurts: From Conflict to Connection, with Dr Julia Ebner

Language is perhaps humanity's most astonishing accomplishment but one that remains poorly understood. On this episode of the podcast we were joined by Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, and Morten H. Christiansen, Professor of Psychology at Cornell University. Together in their latest book "The Language Game," they upend our traditional understanding of language, arguing that it's not based on a set of fixed rules, but on a constantly evolving series of flexible conventions. Our host for this episode was journalist Christine Ro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

20 Feb 202338min

Does God exist? In this archive debate from 2009, we invited a panel of expert speakers to discuss whether atheism had replaced religion as the new faith of the secular age. Are atheists as blinkered and dogmatic as they claim religious believers to be? Arguing for the motion were former Bishop of Oxford Richard Harries and former Editor of the Daily Telegraph Charles Moore. Arguing against the motion were evolutionary biologist and science author Richard Dawkins and philosopher AC Grayling. The debate was chaired by historian, author and commentator Anthony Seldon. ... 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 for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

19 Feb 20231h 4min

Investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe joins us on the podcast to tell the story of an unlikely criminal mastermind, Sister Ping - a middle-aged, hardworking woman who is highly respected among her community. Originally from Fujian province, China, for years she runs an incredibly lucrative people smuggling business from New York's Chinatown until she comes into trouble with violent gangsters and then later the FBI. In conversation with our host Poppy Damon, they discuss immigration, the dark underbelly of the American Dream, and the questions of who gets to stay. They also speak about Patrick's involvement in the Oscar-nominated documentary starring Nan Goldin and directed by Laura Poitras, All The Beauty And The Bloodshed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

17 Feb 202345min

It’s been 25 years since the release of James Cameron’s cult classic, Titanic. The epic movie, which early fans will remember came out on VHS in two parts because it was so long, is now being rereleased in cinemas. But more importantly, James Cameron has finally admitted that Jack might have survived had he been allowed on the now infamous door, and if he were to make this film again today the raft would be a lot smaller. On this episode we hear an interview from our series How I Found My Voice with Kate Winslet. In conversation with journalist and broadcaster Samira Ahmed, they discuss the great raft debate and the Academy Award winning actress' even greater career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 Feb 202353min

Intelligence Squared and Harewood House partner for this live podcast exploring the power of portraiture in representing Britain’s complex history. The expert panel includes artist Thomas J Price, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, Nicholas Cullinan, and Contributing Editor at Novara Media, Moya Lothian-McLean. Joining our speakers are the Earl of Harewood David Lascelles and our host, writer and presenter Yassmin Abdel-Magied. The event coincides with the recent launch of Missing Portraits, a new series commissioned by David and Diane Lascelles to be part of the permanent collection at Harewood House, that depicts people of Afro-Caribbean heritage with a connection to Harewood – the inaugural portrait being of Arthur France, founder of the Leeds West Indian Carnival. The series is part of an effort to better reflect the history of Harewood, which was built on the vast fortune made by Henry Lascelles through the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Harewood acknowledges the troubled roots of its wealth and seeks to address the historic lack of diversity within its vast art collection. This situation is not unique to Harewood, which since 1986 has been an educational charity. Whether it’s in the school curriculum or the collections of museums and galleries, the diversity and complexity of Britain’s colonial history is not fully reflected in our understanding of the past. Find out more at https://harewood.org/ ... 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 for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Feb 20231h 2min

It’s an issue that only gets more contentious with time - is porn good for us? To debate this issue in 2013, host Viv Groskop was joined by Germaine Greer, Dr Robert Lefever, Anna Arrowsmith, and Dr Clarissa Smith. But how has our cultural outlook swayed and shifted over the past decade? Have conversations about sexual liberation or concerns over children’s access and early exposure to pornographic content moved us beyond the panellists arguments in 2013? Or are we still just as confused as a society. Listen now to find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Feb 20231h 3min

Los Angeles, 1981. A group of beautiful, rich, high school students are playing adult in their absentee parents' empty mansions, fueled by lust and prescription drugs, and filled with fear and disaffection. This is the world of The Shards, Bret Easton Ellis’ first novel in 13 years, part auto-fiction, part horror. The provocative and polarising author joins Alex Preston, award-winning author and journalist, to speak about the emptiness of adolescence, the lawlessness of the 80s, and how it feels to look back at it all aged 56 in 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Feb 202337min

When world-renowned economist Ha-Joon Chang first arrived in Britain in the 1980s he recoiled in horror at how dull and dreary British food was at that time. But it was not just the food that caused him to despair: it was mainstream economic thinking too. Neoclassical liberalism was, and still is, the only item he found on Britain’s menu of economic ideas. Rethinking that menu is the theme of his new book, Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World. Through a series of culinary anecdotes Chang explains that just as a rich and varied diet nourishes the body, moving beyond the narrow confines of neoclassical economics can help to build a better and fairer world. Speaking with Chang for this episode is Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment at Interactive Investor. ... 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 for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Feb 202335min