Intelligence Squared

Professor Jim Al-Khalili is the physicist who makes science look easy. He’s the author of several books, the latest of which is The Joy of Science, which offers eight core scientific principles that can be applied to everyday life. As a broadcaster Jim is perhaps best known as the voice of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific and he holds the position of Distinguished Chair in physics and University Chair in public engagement at the University of Surrey. Our host for this discussion is Media Editor for The Sunday Times, Rosamund Urwin.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Jun 202241min

Writer and academic Kerry Brown's latest book is Xi: A Study in Power, which profiles the policies and personality behind China's leader for the last decade, Xi Jinping. He’s one of the most powerful people in global geopolitics yet in the West seemingly little is known about him. What are his ambitions for China and the rest of the world? Kerry Brown is Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at Kings College London. He is joined in conversation on the podcast by our host, the historian, author and broadcaster, Rana Mitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1 Jun 202253min

How do you put a ghost on trial? In Linda Kinstler's deeply personal new book, Come to This Court and Cry, she uncovers the atrocities of her Latvian grandfather's involvement in the Holocaust. In conversation with author, broadcaster and academic, Peter Pomerantsev, she asks how do we account for the brutality of historical events and our personal links to them, as the passage of time means they slip further beyond living memory? Linda and Peter also discuss whether the history of conflict is repeating itself through Russia's current War on Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Mai 202241min

Between 2007 and 2020, China invested $23 billion into infrastructure for nations across Africa, $8 billion more than the other top eight lenders combined. But in its pursuit of energy security and raw materials the Chinese government and Chinese companies have locked resource-rich African states into loans and contracts which could start to squeeze them hard in ten or so years’ time. Is Chinese investment good for Africa? Joining us to debate the question is Dr Nkosana Moyo, former Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the African Development Bank and former Minister of Industry and International Trade for Zimbabwe. We also are joined by Stephen Chan OBE, Professor of World Politics at SOAS University of London. Hosting the discussion is the historian, author and broadcaster, Rana Mitter.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

29 Mai 20221h 2min

How we understand mental health and the level of compassion we show to those suffering from depression and other forms of mental illness define us as a society. In May 2022 acclaimed travel writer Horatio Clare and science journalist Alex Riley came to Intelligence Squared to discuss their personal experiences of mental illness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

27 Mai 202256min

Palaeobiologist and bestselling author Thomas Halliday is helping us better understand how the natural world evolved over the past 500 million years. His recent book, Otherlands: A World in the Making, guides the reader through a series of ancient landscapes from the dawn of complex life 500 million years ago to up to the birth of humanity and uses Halliday's immersive storytelling combined with sharp scientific analysis to bring the journey to life. Hosting this discussion is science writer and broadcaster, Gaia Vince. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

25 Mai 202247min

Every second of the day, tiny biological clocks are ticking throughout your body, from the neural pathways of your brain down to your very cells. But modern life is disrupting this ancient and delicate mechanism in ways we are only just beginning to understand. Artificial light, jet lag, smartphones, air pollution and out-of-sync work-and-meal routines are conspiring to push us out of joint. This is not only exacerbating mental health issues such as depression and fatigue, but according to new studies, is also increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, dementia and even cancer. Professor Russell Foster is a world-leading expert on circadian neuroscience and his new book, Life Time, looks at how we can better understand and harness the science of rhythm and our own biology. Our host for this discussion is the author, economist and broadcaster, Linda Yueh. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

23 Mai 202254min

The political Left often purports that it has society’s best interests at heart and that it works for the good of all. Yet according to conservatives, it is precisely that self-regard, that attempt to monopolise virtue, which exposes the hypocrisy of left-wing ideology. In this archive debate from 2018, we gathered Labour MP Stella Creasy, environmental campaigner, journalist and author, George Monbiot, Conservative MP Kwasi Kwarteng, and the leading philosopher of conservative thought, the late Roger Scruton, who sadly passed away in 2020, to discuss the issue of right vs left. Our host for the discussion was the journalist, broadcaster, visiting lecturer and Professor in the Humanities Council at Princeton University, Razia Iqbal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

22 Mai 20221h 3min