Intelligence Squared

In an age where the line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation seems ever more blurred, can anyone actually own a culture? In this conversation acclaimed author and public intellectual Martin Puchner explains that the history of mankind has always been a story of borrowing from one another and that this is something to be celebrated, not lamented. The idea of ownership implicit in debates about cultural appropriation, he argues, presents an insular tale about how culture evolves — flattening out the complicated textures of human history and, in the end, what truly makes us us. Our host for this discussion is Edward Wilson Lee, fellow and lecturer at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

15 Maj 202343min

Louise Perry has been described as the most influential young feminist in Britain. She claims in her book The Case Against the Sexual Revolution that the contemporary world of rough sex, hook-up culture and ubiquitous porn is harming women and she calls for a radical challenge to what she sees as the failed liberal feminism of the 20th century. Meanwhile writer Mary Harrington argues that the belief in the progressive march of history is misguided and that new technology, far from liberating women, has trapped them into commodifying their bodies in the false belief that they are empowering themselves. In this conversation hosted by Alice Thompson, columnist and interviewer at The Times, they present their case for why they think progress is at odds with feminism.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14 Maj 202342min

Mikhail Shishkin is one of the most celebrated living Russian novelists and the only author to have won all three major Russian literary prizes. All his books have been adapted for the stage in Russia and they have been translated into 30 languages. In conversation with historian Victor Sebastyen Shishkin traces the roots of Russia’s problems, from Kievan Rus via the Grand Duchy of Moscow, empire, revolution and the Cold War to the now thirty-year-old Russian Federation. He explores the uneasy relationship between the Russian state and its citizens, and set out his view that there are really two Russian peoples: the disillusioned and disaffected, who suffer from what he calls a slave mentality, and those who embrace so-called European values and try to stand up to oppression. And he addresses the most vital question of all: Will Russia continue its vicious circle of upheaval and autocracy, or will its people find a way out of history? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

12 Maj 202341min

In this episode we bring you part two of our live event, 'How To Win Every Argument,' with renowned interviewer and debater Mehdi Hasan. Hosted by columnist, author, and broadcaster Jonathan Freedland, Hasan shares his tips and techniques for mastering the art of persuasion, which he explores in-depth in his new book 'Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking.' From Demosthenes to Elizabeth Warren, Hasan examines the historical importance of arguing and explains how we can all improve our communication skills. Part one of this event came out in our last episode and is available now to all our listeners. Do take a listen to that first if you can. Part three is available exclusively to subscribers, along with a special bonus episode from our series Bright Sparks, where we’ll be hearing from Mehdi on the creative ideas that make him tick. This event originally took place at Conway Hall on the 23rd of March 2023, and was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye, with editing by Executive Producer Rowan Slaney. — 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 podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us at @intelligence2.  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

9 Maj 202326min

In this episode we bring you part one of our live event, 'How To Win Every Argument,' with renowned interviewer and debater Mehdi Hasan. Hosted by columnist, author, and broadcaster Jonathan Freedland, Hasan shares his tips and techniques for mastering the art of persuasion, which he explores in-depth in his new book 'Win Every Argument: The Art of Debating, Persuading, and Public Speaking.' From Demosthenes to Elizabeth Warren, Hasan examines the historical importance of arguing and explains how we can all improve our communication skills. Part two and three of this event are available for subscribers, ad free, now. And for our listeners who don’t subscribe part 2 will be available in our next episode. We also have a special bonus episode for subscribers from our series Bright Sparks, where we’ll be hearing from Mehdi on the creative ideas that make him tick. This event originally took place at Conway Hall on the 23rd of March 2023, and was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye, with editing by Executive Producer Rowan Slaney. — 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 podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us at @intelligence2.  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

7 Maj 202329min

The episode is part two of our live event, System Error: Should We Fix Capitalism or Abandon It? Here Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, Martin Wolf and Greek politician and Economist Yanis Varoufakis continue their debate on the future of capitalism. In his new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, Wolf argues that democratic capitalism remains the best system for human flourishing, while Varoufakis advocates for a post-capitalist world without banks, billionaires, or tech giants. BBC journalist and broadcaster, Ritula Shah, was our host for the night. Part one of this event came out in our last episode and is available now to all our listeners. Do take a listen to that first if you can. Part three is available exclusively to subscribers, along with a special bonus episode from our series Bright Sparks, where we’ll be hearing from both Yanis and Martin on the creative ideas that make them tick. This event originally took place at the Tabernacle in London on February 9th 2023 and was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye, with editing by Executive Producer Rowan Slaney. — 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 podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us at @intelligence2.  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

6 Maj 202329min

This episode brings you part one of our live event, System Error: Should We Fix Capitalism or Abandon It? Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, Martin Wolf, and Greek Politician and Economist, Yanis Varoufakis, debate their views on the future of capitalism. In his new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism, Wolf argues that democratic capitalism remains the best system for human flourishing, while Varoufakis advocates for a post-capitalist world without banks, billionaires, or tech giants. BBC journalist and broadcaster, Ritula Shah, was our host for the night. Parts two and three of this event are available ad-free for subscribers now. For our listeners who don’t subscribe, part two will be available in our next episode. We also have a special bonus episode for subscribers from our series Bright Sparks, where we’ll be hearing from both Yanis and Martin on the creative ideas that make them tick. This event originally took place at the Tabernacle in London on February 9th 2023 and was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye, with editing by Executive Producer Rowan Slaney. — 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 podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us at @intelligence2.  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

4 Maj 202324min

Today we're bringing you some content from our premium monthly newsletter The Monthly Read, which is usually reserved for our subscribers. The Monthly Read is a space for a member of the Intelligence squared team to respond to a book, author, or idea that has recently caught our attention. This month, producer Feyi Adegbite posed the question: ‘Is thin back in?’ in response to our recent conversation with journalist Hadley Freeman on her experience of anorexia, and the growing popularity of weight loss medications like Ozempic. In this episode, voiced by Feyi, we’re sharing the audio version to continue the conversation with our listeners.  If you want to receive our full-length newsletter every month and stay on top of the latest conversations and big ideas then subscribe to Intelligence Squared Premium on Apple Podcasts or here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more. For more information please head to https://www.intelligencesquaredplus.com/ Some comments quoted in this episode have been voiced by actors.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 Maj 202321min