Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared
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Intelligence Squared is the home of lively debate and deep-dive discussion. Follow Intelligence Squared wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy four regular episodes per week taking you to the heart of the issues that matter in the company of the world’s great minds. 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. 

  1. 23 HR. AGO

    John Gray on the US Election and a World After Liberalism, Part One

    We once thought liberalism could and should be universal. But recent decades have shown that this presumption could be flawed. Now, with the re-election of Donad Trump in the US, liberalism has fallen out of favour at the ballot box with populism and authoritarianism taking root globally. Where do we go from here? On the day of the US election, November 6th, John Gray, the renowned philosopher whose ideas often examine the idea of liberalism and ask whether its future is assured, discussed his latest book, The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism. Joining Gray in conversation to discuss the book and the pivotal events of November 2024 was Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University and author of Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century. This is the first instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    37 min
  2. 1 DAY AGO • IQ2 EXTRA ONLY

    John Gray on the US Election and a World After Liberalism, Part Three

    This is the third instalment of a three-part episode. We once thought liberalism could and should be universal. But recent decades have shown that this presumption could be flawed. Now, with the re-election of Donad Trump in the US, liberalism has fallen out of favour at the ballot box with populism and authoritarianism taking root globally. Where do we go from here? On the day of the US election, November 6th, John Gray, the renowned philosopher whose ideas often examine the idea of liberalism and ask whether its future is assured, discussed his latest book, The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism. Joining Gray in conversation to discuss the book and the pivotal events of November 2024 was Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University and author of Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century. This is the third instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access.

    27 min
  3. 1 DAY AGO • IQ2 EXTRA ONLY

    John Gray on the US Election and a World After Liberalism, Part Two

    This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. We once thought liberalism could and should be universal. But recent decades have shown that this presumption could be flawed. Now, with the re-election of Donad Trump in the US, liberalism has fallen out of favour at the ballot box with populism and authoritarianism taking root globally. Where do we go from here? On the day of the US election, November 6th, John Gray, the renowned philosopher whose ideas often examine the idea of liberalism and ask whether its future is assured, discussed his latest book, The New Leviathans: Thoughts After Liberalism. Joining Gray in conversation to discuss the book and the pivotal events of November 2024 was Helen Thompson, Professor of Political Economy at Cambridge University and author of Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century. This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access.

    35 min
  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    Jeremy Bowen: Making Sense of the Modern Middle East, Part Two

    This is the second instalment of a two-part episode. The October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Israel and the subsequent siege of Gaza by the Israeli military upended the Middle East. Can the conflict be contained or will the tensions between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran escalate and engulf the Middle East in a regional war? On October 27, 2024, Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, joined Intelligence Squared CEO Matt McAllester in conversation to reflect and make sense of what is happening in the region. Bowen has reported on all the most significant events that have shaped the region’s recent history – the long and ultimately failed Middle East peace process, the tragic events of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, plus most recently the Israel-Hamas war. Many of these events are covered in Bowen's recent book, The Making of the Modern Middle East. As a journalist and author, his deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences of its peoples makes him uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present. This is a two-part discussion. Part Two, recorded on October 28, 2024, convenes Dr Sanam Vakil, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, and James Barr, a historian of the Middle East and the author of Lords of the Desert and A Line In The Sand, in conversation with BBC News presenter, Jonny Dymond. This is the second instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    51 min
  5. 4 DAYS AGO

    Jeremy Bowen: Making Sense of the Modern Middle East, Part One

    The October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Israel and the subsequent siege of Gaza by the Israeli military upended the Middle East. Can the conflict be contained or will the tensions between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran escalate and engulf the Middle East in a regional war? On October 27, 2024, Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, joined Intelligence Squared CEO Matt McAllester in conversation to reflect and make sense of what is happening in the region. Bowen has reported on all the most significant events that have shaped the region’s recent history – the long and ultimately failed Middle East peace process, the tragic events of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, plus most recently the Israel-Hamas war. Many of these events are covered in Bowen's recent book, The Making of the Modern Middle East. As a journalist and author, his deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences of its peoples makes him uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present. This is a two-part discussion. Part Two, recorded on October 28, 2024, convenes Dr Sanam Vakil, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, and James Barr, a historian of the Middle East and the author of Lords of the Desert and A Line In The Sand, in conversation with BBC News presenter, Jonny Dymond. This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    45 min
  6. 6 DAYS AGO

    Lionel Barber and Zanny Minton Beddoes on the Story of the World’s Wildest Investor, Part Two

    This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. Japan’s Masayoshi Son has purportedly invested or controlled assets worth $1trn in the past two decades through his media-tech giant, SoftBank. He bankrolled Alibaba, China’s internet colossus, before the world had heard about it. He plotted with Steve Jobs to turn the iPhone into a miracle product and he invested in hundreds of tech start-ups, helping to fuel the biggest boom Silicon Valley has ever seen. The business magnate is the focus of former FT Editor Lionel Barber's new book, Gambling Man: The Wild Ride of Japan's Masayoshi Son. In this episode, Barber joins Editor-in-Chief of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes live onstage to discuss what we can learn from Son’s remarkable story. This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    39 min
  7. OCT 30

    Lionel Barber and Zanny Minton Beddoes on the Story of the World’s Wildest Investor, Part One

    Japan’s Masayoshi Son has purportedly invested or controlled assets worth $1trn in the past two decades through his media-tech giant, SoftBank. He bankrolled Alibaba, China’s internet colossus, before the world had heard about it. He plotted with Steve Jobs to turn the iPhone into a miracle product and he invested in hundreds of tech start-ups, helping to fuel the biggest boom Silicon Valley has ever seen. The business magnate is the focus of former FT Editor Lionel Barber's new book, Gambling Man: The Wild Ride of Japan's Masayoshi Son. In this episode, Barber joins Editor-in-Chief of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes live onstage to discuss what we can learn from Son’s remarkable story. This is the first instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    39 min
  8. OCT 30 • IQ2 EXTRA ONLY

    Lionel Barber and Zanny Minton Beddoes on the Story of the World’s Wildest Investor, Part Three

    This is the third instalment of a three-part episode. Japan’s Masayoshi Son has purportedly invested or controlled assets worth $1trn in the past two decades through his media-tech giant, SoftBank. He bankrolled Alibaba, China’s internet colossus, before the world had heard about it. He plotted with Steve Jobs to turn the iPhone into a miracle product and he invested in hundreds of tech start-ups, helping to fuel the biggest boom Silicon Valley has ever seen. The business magnate is the focus of former FT Editor Lionel Barber's new book, Gambling Man: The Wild Ride of Japan's Masayoshi Son. In this episode, Barber joins Editor-in-Chief of The Economist Zanny Minton Beddoes live onstage to discuss what we can learn from Son’s remarkable story. This is the third instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access.

    21 min

Shows with Subscription Benefits

  • Welcome to Arts & Culture by Intelligence Squared. Here we delve into the artistic and cultural moments, movements and conversations that have shaped, and are still shaping, our world. In this podcast Intelligence Squared speaks to some of the world’s greatest orators, writers, actors and artists. Guests include Stephen Fry, Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Salman Rushdie, Kate Winslet, Simon Schama, Tom Hiddleston and Marina Abromović. Join us every week as we feature the best of culture today and revisit some of the best live podcasts we have produced over the last twenty years.  For more information head over to IntelligenceSquared.com

  • Why did we go to war in Iraq? What went wrong? And how has this war shaped the region and the world we live in today? These are just some of the questions that we explore in ‘Iraq: Legacy of War’, a limited podcast series brought to you by Intelligence Squared to mark twenty years since the US-led invasion in 2003. Through interviews with policy-makers, military personnel, journalists, academics and Iraqi citizens, we reflect on the legacy of one of the most significant military interventions in modern history

  • In our age of disruption and uncertainty, Covid-19 and climate change, the need to debate our economic future has never been more important. We speak to business leaders, authors, public intellectuals and economists about the future of capitalism and the trends changing the world of economics & business. For more information head over to IntelligenceSquared.com

  • VS is a light-hearted podcast about the little debates that are always a big deal to someone. Arsenal VS Spurs. McDonald’s VS KFC. Twitter VS TikTok. 80s VS 90s. And many more. Our host Coco Khan invites experts and fans to go head-to-head on the timeless debates that form the lifeblood of friendships. Who wins? You decide with our weekly vote. VS is an Intelligence Squared production. Tune in to new episodes every Friday.

  • A Members Exclusive Limited Series from Intelligence Squared. Head to www.intelligencesquared.com/membership to become a member today and listen whenever you get your podcasts. In recent months it can feel like Saudi Arabia is intent on buying the world. Its Public Investment Fund (PIF) has bought up much of golf, sports teams, many of the globe’s best soccer players to its domestic league, and it owns huge chunks of many of the most famous companies on the planet. But Saudi Arabia is not just on a shopping spree. The once insular, oil rich kingdom is transforming into a major diplomatic player, a pivotal actor in the energy transition, an ever-stronger military power, and a host to high-end cultural events, like the FIFA World Cup in 2034. It feels like the era of the Saudi Project. And the country will become a bigger part of all of our lives. But what exactly is the kingdom trying to achieve? And will it succeed? This series speaks to world leading experts to go past the headlines and help listeners understand Saudi Arabia and it's ambitions more clearly. Providing unique analysis and insight into the complex moral questions all Western nations will have to answer as they work with a rising Saudi Arabia in the years ahead.

  • Introducing Energised from Intelligence Squared, made in partnership with Iberdrola, where we explore the most pressing issue of our time: the climate crisis. Temperatures are set to rise more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the next two decades. Scientists say that such an increase would cause irreversible damage to our planet. But is there still hope? If humans are to blame for climate change, then we must also provide the solutions.  Join us as we bring together experts and policymakers to delve deep into the key issues at the heart of the global drive towards net zero and the innovations that promise to accelerate the energy transition and transform the way we live. For more information head over to Intelligencesquared.com

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About

Intelligence Squared is the home of lively debate and deep-dive discussion. Follow Intelligence Squared wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy four regular episodes per week taking you to the heart of the issues that matter in the company of the world’s great minds. 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. 

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