Intelligence Squared

In this episode, Kamal Ahmed is joined by two bestselling authors: a life designer and a behavioural scientist to discuss the tools and insights that we can use to build happy and healthy lives. A mechanical engineer by training, Dave Evans teaches the overwhelmingly popular Designing Your Life courses at Stanford, and is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life...

In summer 2023, academic and politician Faiza Shaheen came to Intelligence Squared to argue that social mobility is collapsing in Britain and the government’s leveling up strategy does not work. Drawing from her recent book Know Your Place she discussed the ways in which inequality has continued to widen across various domains, from education to healthcare. She offered a manifesto for how we can reverse these trends and create a healthier, happier and less hierarchical society...

For this episode, we’re revisiting one of our favourite events from the past few years, The Poetry Pharmacy Returns. Back in 2019, we gathered a stellar line-up to celebrate the power of poetry all thanks to the vision of publisher William Sieghart. Sieghart’s Poetry Pharmacy books look to use the written word as a healing antidote to many of life’s everyday challenges...

What are the true origins of gendered oppression? Why does gender inequality persist despite efforts for change? What part do we all play in keeping patriarchal structures alive? In Summer 2023 award-winning science journalist Angela Saini came to Intelligence Squared to address these questions and challenge long-held beliefs about gender and power...

For episode three of Intelligence Squared's new podcast exploring Saudi Arabia's pursuit of global influence, award winning author and journalist James Montague, who focuses on the intersection of football and politics, explains the eye-watering sums of money Saudi Arabia is spending on sport and why the reasons for this are not as obvious as they might seem...

Paul Caruana Galizia is an award-winning journalist and now author. His new book is A Death in Malta, which tells the story of the life and death of his mother, the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was assassinated by a car bomb on the island of Malta in 2017. Joining Paul in conversation is the journalist and historian Anne Applebaum. She is staff writer for the Atlantic and a specialist on foreign affairs and authoritarian regimes...

Taylor Lorenz is a writer, tech journalist and columnist for the Washington Post. Her new book is is Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence and Power on the Internet. The book tells the often messy and constantly evolving story of social media and the creator economy that's been building since the early 2000s to the present day. Host of this conversation is Conor Boyle, Senior Producer for Intelligence Squared...

Michele Lamont is a Professor of Sociology and African and African American Studies at Harvard University, and a pioneer of cultural and comparative sociology. Her new book, Seeing Others: How to Redefine Worth in a Divided World, argues that we have lived for too long with the neoliberal idea that our worth is defined by our wealth and our achievements and calls for a new way of thinking about how we value ourselves and others...

In this episode from the Intelligence Squared archive, we jump back to 2019 for a discussion with the acclaimed food writer Michael Pollan, whose book How To Change Your Mind is a deep dive into the world of psychedelic exploration and what it can teach us about consciousness, addiction, depression and more. He was interviewed by the doctor and science broadcaster Xand Van Tulleken...

For this bonus episode of the podcast, much-loved broadcaster and documentary maker Louis Theroux joins Harriet Johnston for a wide-ranging discussion touching on subjects including his approach to filmmaking, how he’s shaped his career and his thoughts on topics such as money and fame. This selection of highlights is part of a conversation created for The Futureverse, our series in partnership with Y TREE...