https://iai.tv/player/rss Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-ideas-short A century ago Freud, Russell, and Einstein, were at the height of their intellectual activity, but today where are the equivalents? Has celebrity obliterated the intellectual or is something more serious afoot?  Can we create a new Enlightenment that matches the excitement of the past? Polly Toynbee asks a suitably intellectual panel, eminent analytic philosopher Peter Hacker, postmodernist Christopher Hamilton and New Statesman culture editor Jonathan Derbyshire, whether we’ve seen the end of the intellectual. In association with the British Humanist Association.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Peter Hacker https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-ideas-short https://iai.tv/video/the-naked-truth-short Voyeuristic art has aroused lust, fascination and contempt in equal measure. Do artists make us more aware of our physical being-in-the-world? Or is nudity in art a sales tactic? Leading Da Vinci scholar Martin Kemp, eminent cultural theorist Griselda Pollock, and philosopher of art Hans Maes seek the naked truth.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Cedar Lewisohn https://iai.tv/video/the-naked-truth-short https://iai.tv/video/the-great-british-art-debate Tate curator Cedar Lewisohn asks ICA Director Ekow Eshun, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz and Serpentine Director Julian Peyton-Jones what sort of art should be shown in our public galleries and museums? And more importantly, who gets to decide? ... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Julia Peyton-Jones https://iai.tv/video/the-great-british-art-debate https://iai.tv/video/the-individual-an-endangered-species In the current economic climate there are widespread calls to limit individual excess, but where might a renewed focus on community lead and how might it change our culture? Are we individuals that need to be contained for the benefit of society, or herd animals that should be encouraged to venture forth? Provocative Times columnist and leader writer Oliver Kamm debates with Philip Blond and Geoff Mulgan. Rana Mitter chairs.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Geoff Mulgan https://iai.tv/video/the-individual-an-endangered-species https://iai.tv/video/ugly-is-over-beauty-is-back For a century beauty has been out of fashion. Could it be on the way back? Some have argued that as the pessimism and brutality of the YBA era recedes, a new dawn of beauty is rising once again in British art. If so, is this indicative of a deep human desire for beauty, or a superficial antidote to the darkening external climate?  Artists Matthew Stone and Anj Smith debate the return of beauty with Godfrey Barker and Gabriel Gbadamosi.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Anj Smith https://iai.tv/video/ugly-is-over-beauty-is-back https://iai.tv/video/why-humanism Do the atheist doctrines of Dawkins, Hitchens and other humanist atheists mimic or subvert the religious rituals they seek to destroy? Cambridge professor Tim Crane asks whether a more tolerant, pluralistic intellectual order is possible in a post-Darwinian world.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Tim Crane https://iai.tv/video/why-humanism https://iai.tv/video/generation-wars-short Can experience justify a political consensus in the face of youthful dissent? Laurie Penny distinguishes between respect for a generational group and respect for political consensus. With Anthony O'Hear. Julian Baggini chairs.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Aubrey de Grey https://iai.tv/video/generation-wars-short https://iai.tv/video/peggy-sue Sweet, soulful acoustic pop peppered with weird sounds and funny, unusual stories. Kate Nash loved them so much she brought them out on tour with her, and Mumford & Sons are huge fans.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Peggy Sue https://iai.tv/video/peggy-sue https://iai.tv/video/ana-silvera The Liberal calls Silvera epic and intimate, with songs that offer us a landscape of the human heart. Hers is a tapestry carefully crafted, often woven with the fabric of mythic tales, told with tender insight and in wry, seductive tones.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Ana Silvera https://iai.tv/video/ana-silvera https://iai.tv/video/when-women-rule-the-world Women are outpacing men at school and university alike, more are entering some professions than men as a consequence. Will this be sustained? What would a world where women were dominant be like, and  what will happen to masculinity in a modern, matriarchal society?... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Finn Mackay https://iai.tv/video/when-women-rule-the-world https://iai.tv/video/whispering-monuments n this beautifully illustrated talk, China historian Robert Bickers explores the lost monuments of Shanghai. Leading us through the complex history of the city, he shows how these symbols tell us as much about China’s vision of its past as of its future.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Robert Bickers https://iai.tv/video/whispering-monuments https://iai.tv/video/the-limits-of-art2 They met at Crunch 2010. Now physician, novelist and poet Raymond Tallis and controversial critic Julian Spalding are ready to unveil their new, radical and utterly compelling theory of art, the limits of artistic freedom, and the dangers of the status quo. Are formal constraints stultifying or liberating? Has the contemporary art world lost sight of necessary limits to artistic practice?... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Martin Creed https://iai.tv/video/the-limits-of-art2 https://iai.tv/video/the-exceptional-species From our earliest myths to modern liberal humanism, humankind has clung to the view that we are special:  an exceptional species.  But are we?  And if we are not exceptional what will become of us?  Award winning writer and Sunday Times columnist, Bryan Appleyard presents a radical perspective on what it is to be human. 'The UK's most cerebral writer' - Independent... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Bryan Appleyard https://iai.tv/video/the-exceptional-species https://iai.tv/video/dylan-as-philosopher Poet and editor Phil Bowen leads a celebration-cum-cross-examination of the work of Bob Dylan on the protean singer-songwriter’s 70th Birthday.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Phil Bowen https://iai.tv/video/dylan-as-philosopher https://iai.tv/video/the-return-of-revolution-short Revolution is back on the agenda and many have claimed the internet has played a crucial role.  Are we seeing a means to convert grass-roots protest into powerful political movements or is the internet itself at the mercy of authoritarian intervention?Cory Doctorow, editor of the world’s most popular blog, Evgeny Morozov, author of The Net Delusion, May '68 leader and Marxist philosopher and revolutionary Alex Callinicos ask whether technology has the power to set the world on fire.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Paul Moss https://iai.tv/video/the-return-of-revolution-short https://iai.tv/video/hannah-peel Elegant, beautiful, understated songs from one of the UK's rising folk stars. She's collaborated with Tunng, the Unthanks and Nitin Sawney and is one to watch for 2011.   ‘Surprising boldness combined with cool restraint’ - Guardian... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Hannah Peel https://iai.tv/video/hannah-peel https://iai.tv/video/jim-moray Inventive reimaginings of English traditional folk music blended with orchestral flourishes, guitars and electronics. A slew of album awards and major performances at Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival and WOMAD all prepare him for…. Hay-On-Wye!   ‘Ambitious and radical post-millennial takes on the genre’ - BBC... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Jim Moray https://iai.tv/video/jim-moray https://iai.tv/video/maps-of-mystery-short Should mysticism be kept out of the artist's atelier? Or should art allow us to embrace the mysterious nature of human existence? Eminent theatre director Adrian Noble contributes to the debate.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/maps-of-mystery-short https://iai.tv/video/my-journey Journalist and broadcaster Lauren Booth reveals the choices that led her from a hedonistic libertarian lifestyle to her new life as a Muslim.   'Enlightening and provocative' - Mail on Sunday... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Lauren Booth https://iai.tv/video/my-journey https://iai.tv/video/vince-cable-on-the-financial-crisis What can be done to get the economy back on track? One year after coming to power, Business Secretary Vince Cable presents the coalition’s vision for growth in a post-crunch era. ‘One of [our] classiest politicians . . . with the confidence of an informed economist’ (Guardian), Cable is the author of The Storm, the best-selling book on the credit crunch, and a noted ballroom dancer.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Vince Cable https://iai.tv/video/vince-cable-on-the-financial-crisis https://iai.tv/video/kyla-la-grange  Epic, widescreen pop with a keenly felt indie sensibility. Kyla's exquisitely smoky voice is laid over rich instrumentation to bewitching effect. Miss at your peril.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Kyla La Grange https://iai.tv/video/kyla-la-grange https://iai.tv/video/dangerous-images-short At journalism's front line - Adrian Arbib relives his dangerous days of photographing direct action.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Adrian Arbib https://iai.tv/video/dangerous-images-short https://iai.tv/video/making-art-making-me From Tracey Emin to Philip Roth, there is no shortage of autobiographical art. But is art the means we use to construct autobiography? Is it through creativity that we create ourselves? Artist ‘Bob and Roberta Smith’, award winning novelist Joanna Kavenna and philosopher and Cabinet editor Brian Dillon go in search of how they became who they are.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/making-art-making-me https://iai.tv/video/the-daily-practice-of-curating In recent years the curator has been transformed from bureaucrat to creative mastermind with an importance that rivals the artists themselves. But why and with what consequences for the future of art? Hans-Ulrich Obrist gets to the heart of a new cultural phenomenon. ‘The most influential man in the international art world’ Guardian... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Hans Ulrich Obrist https://iai.tv/video/the-daily-practice-of-curating https://iai.tv/video/british-sea-power Having cemented their status as the “resolutely iconoclastic, supremely melodic… and utterly unique” champions of indie rock’n’roll (Paste), headliners at Port Eliot this summer, British Sea Power bring their illustrious widescreen sound to Crunch. ‘British Sea Power are bravely bringing beauty into an increasingly ugly world, whether that world wants it or not.’ Independent... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/british-sea-power https://iai.tv/video/mara-carlyle Tipped by the BBC for next year’s Mercury, Mara Carlyle’s unnervingly perfect vocals and lush beguiling orchestration have inspired comparisons to Rufus Wainwright and Björk. Her recently released album Floreat was seven years in the making and has won widespread acclaim. Catch her close up while you still can. ‘Destined to become a classic’ Independent on Sunday‘A gorgeous, defiant, hypnotic original’ MOJO... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/mara-carlyle https://iai.tv/video/imagination-inc-short Art market specialist and journalist Godfrey Barker confronts artist and former Tate curator Cedar Lewisohn regarding market-driven influences on his work.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Razia Iqbal https://iai.tv/video/imagination-inc-short https://iai.tv/video/x-rated ArtBelow founder and filmmaker Ben Moore has been to the throbbing heart of the American sex industry and is back to tell the tale. ‘Serious… Engaging’ Evening Standard... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Ben Moore https://iai.tv/video/x-rated https://iai.tv/video/polinski Fresh from collaborating with The Cure’s Robert Smith, 65daysofstatic’s Paul Wolinski flies solo. Old beats meet new beats in a heady electronic dance odyssey that’s out-of-this-world. ‘Inexorable sonic passion… stunning’ Drowned in Sound... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/polinski https://iai.tv/video/chris-t-t Expect heartbreaking stories, political rants and witty social commentary delivered in soaring folk anthems from “modern-day Blake” Chris T-T (Sunday Times). ‘The joy of Flaming Lips and the humanity of Ray Davies’ Time Out London... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/chris-t-t https://iai.tv/video/unpleasure As one half of the most consistently provocative pairing in contemporary British art, Jake Chapman is no stranger to controversy. In conversation with Paradise Row founder NickHackworth, Chapman reveals the inspirations behind such seminal works as Insult to Injury and Death, and the nuances of his darkly comic, pessimistic philosophy.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/unpleasure https://iai.tv/video/new-awakenings In the search for artistic insight, what touchstones do creators of all kinds share? Is imagination more important than knowledge, and what are the most effective tools for awakening creativity? Bestselling novelist Mark Haddon, poet Jamie McKendrick and Susan Hiller, ‘one of the most influential artists of her generation’ (Tate), discuss the rituals and processes that guide their working lives.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Susan Hiller https://iai.tv/video/new-awakenings https://iai.tv/video/from-christ-to-coke What unites Che Guevara, Einstein's brain, the Mona Lisa, and the DNA double-helix? Oxford scholar Martin Kemp dissects the iconic images that have given rise to the modern world. 'Distinguished' Prospect... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Martin Kemp https://iai.tv/video/from-christ-to-coke https://iai.tv/video/dancing-with-the-devil-short Writers and artists have often treated the ethics of their time with contempt. But do they also introduce us to a new moral imagination?  Is it the responsibility of art to encourage an ethical framework, or is morality a form of convention that threatens creativity?Philosopher and physician Raymond Tallis, artists Jake Chapman and Matthew Stone debate the value of darkness.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Jake Chapman https://iai.tv/video/dancing-with-the-devil-short https://iai.tv/video/i-think-therefore-iamb-short Eliot read verse to escape from the self, and Cocteau likened writing poetry to untying the Gordian knot. Is poetry a release from the emotional hinterlands of real life, or a means of enriching them? Can poetry and reason exist without one another?FT columnist, philosopher and poet Harry Eyres, acclaimed poet Rachael Boast and Guardian writer and novelist Sam Leith get to the heart of poetry’s power to awaken us to the universe’s mystery... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Harry Eyres https://iai.tv/video/i-think-therefore-iamb-short https://iai.tv/video/awake-in-the-universe-short Our 2011 opening debate, addresses the festival's theme, 'awake in the universe' head on.  What gives art the ability to raise us from emotional and intellectual slumbers and where is its edge currently to be found?Controversial art historian Julian Stallabrass, artist Susan Hiller fresh from her retrospective at the Tate earlier this year, and postmodern painter and psychoanalyst Bracha Ettinger debate how art and creativity make us alive.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Bracha Ettinger https://iai.tv/video/awake-in-the-universe-short https://iai.tv/video/how-to-change-the-world-short Novelist Joanna Kavenna, filmmaker Stephen Frears, artist Bob and Roberta Smith and art historian Martin Kemp share their impressions on the political apathy of contemporary British art scene.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Martin Kemp https://iai.tv/video/how-to-change-the-world-short https://iai.tv/video/nicolas-roeg-short From his early involvement in Lawrence of Arabia, to directing  Performance and The Man who Fell to Earth, Nicholas Roeg became known for  films that evaded traditional narrative and which have had a lasting impact on cinema.  Roeg  makes the case for a cinema defined by  risks, accidents and misadventures. “My principle inspiration’  Danny Boyle "Legendary" Guardian... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Nicolas Roeg https://iai.tv/video/nicolas-roeg-short https://iai.tv/video/the-killing-fields-short Photojournalist Benjamin Dix recounts his experience of working as the liaison between the United Nations and the Tamil Tigers during the forgotten war of Sri Lanka.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Benjamin Dix https://iai.tv/video/the-killing-fields-short https://iai.tv/video/becoming-human-short Eminent art historian Griselda Pollock introduces the work of artist and psychoanalyst Bracha Ettinger.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Bracha Ettinger https://iai.tv/video/becoming-human-short https://iai.tv/video/banksy-and-the-media-barons-short Controversial art historian and photographer Julian Stallabrass examines the trajectory of a new generation of artists from the margins of the system to art world's new favourites.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Julian Stallabrass https://iai.tv/video/banksy-and-the-media-barons-short https://iai.tv/video/american-surreal-short From anthropology to art, Susan Hiller looks back on her forty-year career with Hans Ulrich Obrist, the art world's 'most powerful figure' (Art Review).... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Hans Ulrich Obrist https://iai.tv/video/american-surreal-short https://iai.tv/video/x-rated-short Filmmaker Ben Moore wonders how porn affects the women who watch it.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Ben Moore https://iai.tv/video/x-rated-short https://iai.tv/video/such-stuff-as-dreams-are-made-on-short Is mystery still possible in a rational age? Renowned theatre director Adrian Noble examines the contemporary resonance of Shakespeare's last play.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Adrian Noble https://iai.tv/video/such-stuff-as-dreams-are-made-on-short https://iai.tv/video/chris-t-t-short Songwriter Chris T-T performs 'Giraffes' at Crunch 2011.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/chris-t-t-short https://iai.tv/video/polinksi-short Fresh from touring with the Cure, Polinski lands at Crunch Festival with his unique, heady electronica. 'Stunning' Drowned in Sound... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/polinksi-short https://iai.tv/video/alchemy-anarchy-and-science-short Science is perhaps the defining triumph of the modern world. Yet it is increasingly under attack both from those who fear its consequences and those who question its claims to unique authority. Is there any real alternative or are we just seeing the return of myth and superstition?TED fellow and polymath Rachel Armstrong, sociologist Steve Fuller, and neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield question the limits of science.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Bryan Appleyard https://iai.tv/video/alchemy-anarchy-and-science-short https://iai.tv/video/when-china-rules-the-world-short What will it be like to live in a China-shaped world? Author of the global best-seller ‘When China Rules The World’, Martin Jacques argues that it will be profoundly different.‘A tour de force’ - Independent... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Martin Jacques https://iai.tv/video/when-china-rules-the-world-short https://iai.tv/video/taking-over-the-asylum-short From ADHD to binge eating, celebrity worship syndrome to sex addiction, new types of mental illness are increasingly in the public eye. But what is mental illness?  Are we in danger of medicalising normal human behaviour or offering recognition and treatment to those whose suffering would once have been ignored?Night Waves presenter Rana Mitter keeps order as clinical psychologist and psychiatry critic Richard Bentall, Baroness Molly Meacher and controversial consultant psychiatrist Mark Salter debate the extent of madness.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Mark Salter https://iai.tv/video/taking-over-the-asylum-short https://iai.tv/video/sensuality-and-deception-short From the origins of western thought, we have been encouraged to value the sophistication and purity of the mind over the sensual experiences of the body. But could it be that the body is making a comeback? Might the richness of sensual experience provide the only truth in a world where the mind is a source of deception? Writer, critic and  philosopher Robert Rowland Smith, bioethicist Mary Warnock and post-postmodern philosopher Hilary Lawson get physical.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Catherine Malabou https://iai.tv/video/sensuality-and-deception-short https://iai.tv/video/mazes-of-the-mind-short Neuroscience promises answers to profound philosophical questions and offers a radical new description of human behaviour. But can it hope to account for issues as complex as the origins of consciousness and the nature of art? Or is this all just neurotrash? Writer and critic Bryan Appleyard, split brain theorist Iain McGilchrist, and eminent scientist Colin Blakemore take issue over the claims for  brain science.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Colin Blakemore https://iai.tv/video/mazes-of-the-mind-short https://iai.tv/video/the-scimitar-s-edge-short In a heated debate at HowTheLightGetsIn 2011, Mary Ann Sieghart and Maryam Namazie challenge Lauren Booth on her work for Iran's television network Press TV.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Lauren Booth https://iai.tv/video/the-scimitar-s-edge-short https://iai.tv/video/vince-cable-short Vince Cable outlines his fears that the financial crisis is more profound than most people realise.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Vince Cable https://iai.tv/video/vince-cable-short https://iai.tv/video/childhood-s-end-short What is a child at risk? "Children are fine, it's adults who are screwed up." Sociologist and author Frank Furedi puts forward the challenge that it is a mistake to ascribe to children a vulnerability greater than our own...... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Frank Furedi https://iai.tv/video/childhood-s-end-short https://iai.tv/video/six-billion-characters-in-search-of-an-author-short Jez Butterworth describes the moment he stopped trying to distinguish performance from reality.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Tim McInerny https://iai.tv/video/six-billion-characters-in-search-of-an-author-short https://iai.tv/video/camille-o-sullivan-short Camille O'Sullivan blew us away with her performance at HowTheLightGetsIn in the summer. Her cover of "Hurt" was one of our favourites.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Camille O'Sullivan https://iai.tv/video/camille-o-sullivan-short https://iai.tv/video/the-view-from-outside-short Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 David Maclagan https://iai.tv/video/the-view-from-outside-short https://iai.tv/video/animal-reason-short Once we supposed that consciousness was unique to humans. Increasingly there are those who claim animals are conscious too. Are they? And if so, how does this change how we see ourselves and the nature of consciousness itself? Mary Midgley, philosopher and ‘scourge of scientific pretension (Guardian), neuroscientist Colin Blakemore, Cambridge metaphysician Tim Crane, and one of the UK's ‘most controversial academics’, John Harris, challenge our assumptions about the status of humans and animals.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Colin Blakemore https://iai.tv/video/animal-reason-short https://iai.tv/video/the-world-after-ideals-short Have politics and big ideas and ideals become irreconcilably separated? Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee talks to Richard Sennett about whether grand ideas still have a place to play in our political life. ‘Sennett is a prime observer of society' - Fiona McCarthy, Guardian... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Richard Sennett https://iai.tv/video/the-world-after-ideals-short https://iai.tv/video/the-ultimate-particle-short Billions have been invested in search of the Higgs boson, or God particle. Some say we are on the cusp of uncovering the ultimate building blocks of the universe. But might this be a mirage? Can there be a final theory of matter?CERN Director-General Rolf Heuer, post-postmodern thinker Hilary Lawson and writer Gwyneth Jones go in search of the ultimate particle.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/the-ultimate-particle-short https://iai.tv/video/rise-of-the-machines-short From 2001 to The Matrix, intelligent machines and robots have played a central role in our fictions. Some now claim they are about to become fact.  Is artificial intelligence possible or just a science fiction fantasy?  And would it be a fundamental advance for humankind or an outcome to be feared?  Eminent Oxford philosopher Peter Hacker, artificial intelligence specialist Alan Winfield, government adviser and technology guru Lilian Edwards and post-postmodernist thinker Hilary Lawson debate our future with intelligent machines.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/rise-of-the-machines-short https://iai.tv/video/after-democracy-short From the Russian mafia to global corporations, from Chinese leaders to Saudi princes, the world it would seem is run by oligarchies as much as democracy. Should we be outraged or is democracy over-rated? Is there an ideal political framework or can Sparta be as valuable as Athens? Oxford psychologist Robin Dunbar, playwright and critic Bonnie Greer, Times columnist David Aaronovitch, and LSE philosopher Simon Glendinning question the perfection and success of democracy.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 David Aaronovitch https://iai.tv/video/after-democracy-short https://iai.tv/video/my-avatar-myself-short When we extend ourselves into the virtual where do we, ourselves, end? With endless new capacities to animate our intentions beyond the body, leading anthropologist Henrietta Moore proposes this is far more than projection.‘A rare intelligence’ Marilyn Strathern... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Henrietta Moore https://iai.tv/video/my-avatar-myself-short https://iai.tv/video/mind-change-short2 A vast range of new technologies are transforming our lives. Could it be that the human mind is also undergoing unprecedented changes?  Susan Greenfield presents her provocative work on what she considers to be the crisis of our changing world. 'Susan Greenfield has done more to explain the power of the brain to British people than any other scientist’ - Telegraph.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Susan Greenfield https://iai.tv/video/mind-change-short2 https://iai.tv/video/after-postmodernity-short Postmodernism was the intellectual fashion of the turn of the millennium.  But what comes next?  Is there life after relativism or are we all lost in a world without certainties?  What are the new big ideas to sustain humanity and nurture the imagination? Three thinkers from across the intellectual spectrum reveal their visions of where we are and where we are heading. Renowned ethicist Baroness Mary Warnock, philosopher and closure theorist Hilary Lawson, and polymath Ziauddin Sardar look for answers in an uncertain world.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Ziauddin Sardar https://iai.tv/video/after-postmodernity-short https://iai.tv/video/local-heroes-short Big companies continue their conflict with local businesses as both fight for survival on the British high street. Is localism a backward fear of change or progressive model for civilised life? Should we be pursuing notions of community or is the survival of the fittest always the best outcome? FT writer Rob Penn, master of Durham College David Held, and Schumacher Institute thinker Jenneth Parker debate the value of localism.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Rob Penn https://iai.tv/video/local-heroes-short https://iai.tv/video/miss-maud-s-folly-short This roving group of minstrels move from break-necked gypsy tunes to delicate Spanish lullabies, transporting the audience to a world of fairytale in epic feats of storytelling.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Miss Maud's Folly https://iai.tv/video/miss-maud-s-folly-short https://iai.tv/video/erotic-capital Catherine Hakim celebrates the power of 'erotic capital', the overlooked asset she argues is at the heart of how we succeed in life and relationships. 'Her ideas are the most modern of modern’Book of the Week, Times... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Catherine Hakim https://iai.tv/video/erotic-capital https://iai.tv/video/age-of-innocence From the Vatican's 12 and Spain's 13, to California's 18 and Tunisia's 20, the legal age of consent ranges widely. So what's at stake? Are we defining childhood or innocence? Would it be progress to abandon laws of sexuality and rely on laws of violence alone, or would this be a step backwards to depravity and misery?... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Anne McElvoy https://iai.tv/video/age-of-innocence https://iai.tv/video/error-lies-and-adventure2 For politicians and journalists, church leaders and chief executives, errors are something to be covered up, ignored or denied. But is this a mistake? Could it be that errors are the source of our inspiration and of future advances - the very stuff of adventure?... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 David Owen https://iai.tv/video/error-lies-and-adventure2 https://iai.tv/video/a-philosophy-of-confidence Nietzsche famously said 'That which does not kill us makes us stronger', but how should we deal with failure? Author and Wired editor Rowland Manthorpe declares war on defeat.... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Rowland Manthorpe https://iai.tv/video/a-philosophy-of-confidence https://iai.tv/video/minds-madness-medicine Deaths from heart disease have fallen by almost two thirds since the 1960s.Yet outcomes for those with mental illness, from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, have not improved for decades. Is this because we have the wrong diagnoses? Might neuroscience provide more precise descriptions and therefore more effective treatment? Or is mental health too complex for us to understand it in mere biological terms?... Sun, 01 Jan 2040 00:00:00 +0000 Lucy Johnstone https://iai.tv/video/minds-madness-medicine https://iai.tv/video/the-point-of-art “It is self-evident that nothing concerning art is self-evident” (Adorno). Since our ancestors marked cave walls thirty-two thousand years ago, the artistic impulse has been a facet of all human culture. But why? What is the point of art?  Senior Curator at the V&A Lauren Parker, writer and critic Godfrey Barker and author of Seven Days in the Art World Sarah Thornton open up this year’s theme with three different perspectives on the purpose of art. Chaired by BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz.... Thu, 29 Dec 2039 23:00:00 +0000 Godfrey Barker https://iai.tv/video/the-point-of-art https://iai.tv/video/mind-change A vast range of new technologies are transforming our lives. Could it be that the human mind is also undergoing unprecedented changes?  Susan Greenfield presents her provocative work on what she considers to be the crisis of our changing world.... Fri, 01 Jan 2038 00:00:00 +0000 Susan Greenfield https://iai.tv/video/mind-change https://iai.tv/video/puff-or-propaganda Is the Daily Mail harmless puff or dangerous propaganda? Times columnist Tanya Gold sheds light on the methods of the Mail.... Fri, 01 Jan 2038 00:00:00 +0000 Tanya Gold https://iai.tv/video/puff-or-propaganda https://iai.tv/video/the-art-of-getting-lost In the age of Google Maps, we hardly ever get lost. But might we be missing out on a key part of what makes life special? Novelist and philosopher Joanna Kavenna shows us how to reclaim the art of getting lost. Ranging from culture, AI, and algorithms, to ancient philosophy, she argues that we must seek to find new ways of getting lost - and in some paradoxical way, never getting lost.... Thu, 31 Dec 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/the-art-of-getting-lost https://iai.tv/video/dreams-of-the-future “Without the hope that the future will be better than the past, we could not go on,” said philosopher John Gray. For much of recorded history, we had a clear idea of how a better future would look. Yet today, in the developed nations, it is becoming increasingly unknown what a positive vision for the future looks like. In 2022, an Ipsos study reported that optimism for the future was at a ten-year low. This is perhaps unsurprising given the media’s portrayal of the future is riddled with AI dystopia, climate disaster and economic decline. More importantly, Enlightenment visions of knowledge, progress, and equality have stagnated and been replaced by post-truth politics and global conflict. Even the promise of prosperity, which fuelled optimism for millennia, is questioned and challenged.  Should we give up on the notion that the future will be better than the past? Are we right to regard the pursuit of truth and progress as flawed? Or do we need new visions of the future to ... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Jack Symes https://iai.tv/video/dreams-of-the-future https://iai.tv/video/the-price-of-populism-with-jason-furman The election of Trump has brought with it a firm rejection of the current state of the US economy by Americans and has endorsed a set of economic ideas rejected by nearly all mainstream economists. From unilateral tariffs to major tax cuts and sweeping government spending cuts, Trump has rewritten the US economy seemingly overnight. Join Jason Furman, former Chair of Obama's Council of Economic Advisors, as he cuts through the noise of the US economy and argues that we need businesses to behave like businesses and governments to behave like governments, rather than a mix or reversal of the two.... Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000 Jason Furman https://iai.tv/video/the-price-of-populism-with-jason-furman https://iai.tv/video/i-forget-therefore-i-am From education and exams, to being convincing and socially impressive, memory is often prized as critical to success. But might forgetting be more important to our sense of self and our ability to make good decisions? We retain a tiny fraction of the sensory data our bodies experience. And some argue what we choose to ignore is more important than what we seek to remember. As Nietzsche argued, "it is possible to live with almost no memories, but without forgetting it is impossible to live at all". Real life examples of people who are unable to forget confirm this, but it is also supported by the many who are unable to forget experiences that have lasting and damaging effects on their lives.  Is forgetting a vital and critical aspect of being who we are? Should we place less emphasis on memory and focus more on what and how to forget?  And should psychotherapy follow Freud and seek to recover memories or is wellbeing more easily found with finding ways to forget?... Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Iain McGilchrist https://iai.tv/video/i-forget-therefore-i-am https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-mysteries-of-reality The 2024 Nobel Prizes for physics and chemistry were both won for AI-related science, leading some to claim that AI will soon be making novel scientific discoveries on its own. Start-ups are already attempting to create “The AI Scientist,” which will one day “fully automate scientific discovery.” And researchers at Imperial College argue AI will "usher in a new age of discovery to rival the golden age of the scientific method.” However, critics argue the scientific capability of AI remains unknown. Many argue that whilst it could speed up scientific discovery, it will never be able to identify scientific problems to focus on and more importantly initiate solutions.Should we accept that AI will never make novel scientific discoveries, and see the idea that it could as marketing hype and a misunderstanding of how computers work? Or are we about to enter a new golden age and uncover the mysteries of reality with the help of intelligent machines?... Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Roman Yampolskiy https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-mysteries-of-reality https://iai.tv/video/how-to-reclaim-the-body We are told that we can place mind over matter. But for Susie Orbach, ultimately, it is the body that keeps the score. Join the author of the ground-breaking book Fat is a Feminist Issue which has become a cornerstone feminist work that continues to influence generations of women, as she argues it is now necessary to flip the narrative and for us to take control of our own bodies. After all, our bodies are not synonymous with our selves. ... Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:00:00 +0000 Susie Orbach https://iai.tv/video/how-to-reclaim-the-body https://iai.tv/video/thinking-isnt-only-in-the-brain-with-barbara-tversky We tend to think of thinking as something that happens in our heads and that is done using language. But leading psychologist Barbara Tversky argues that thinking is fundamentally spatial and embodied. Spatial cognition takes up half our cortex and evolved long before language. Gesturing precedes and facilitates thought rather than just expressing it. Even abstract concepts like justice have their roots in visceral, bodily responses that exist in us before any words do.... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Barbara Tversky https://iai.tv/video/thinking-isnt-only-in-the-brain-with-barbara-tversky https://iai.tv/video/peace-passion-and-adventure From the inner peace promoted by world religions to the Nobel Peace Prize, we typically see peace and serenity as essential virtues, both for ourselves and for the nation. But peace is not a panacea for all life's ills and some critics argue it's unknown whether in all respects peace is even desirable. Perhaps it is drama and adversity that gives life meaning. According to the Global Peace Index, Iceland is the most peaceful country on Earth. Yet it has the highest antidepressant use. War results in mutilation and death, yet suicide rates across Europe, America and Asia have declined up to 30% during wars. Enemies, adversity and conflict can be used to instil social cohesion, provide purpose and increase output, a fact many leaders have exploited to maintain their control.  Should we conclude that we need enemies, be they nations, corporations, individuals or beliefs, to provide motivation, passion and change? Should we recognise that peace is not universally beneficial and ... Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000 Janne Teller https://iai.tv/video/peace-passion-and-adventure https://iai.tv/video/the-iron-fist-vs-the-invisible-hand The leaders of liberal democracies have assumed that democracy is not only the best political system but that it delivers the strongest economies. Biden's Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, recently claimed democracy delivers a '20% higher GDP per capita.’ But critics argue this is illusory. China’s state-led authoritarian capitalism has radically outpaced the West. Thirty years ago the UK's economy was five times that of China, today China's economy is five times the UK's.  Meanwhile Singapore’s model of illiberal capitalism, despite being resource poor, has surpassed many European nations GDP per capita by a substantial margin. While Russia's economy far from being strangled by Western sanctions has grown in the past few years.   Will the most successful economies of the future not be democratic but be autocratically run?  Are democracies undermined by their need to avoid policies that deliver short term pain even if they have the potential for lasting benefit?  Or will aut... Thu, 09 Apr 2026 16:00:00 +0000 Aaron Bastani https://iai.tv/video/the-iron-fist-vs-the-invisible-hand https://iai.tv/video/there-is-no-fundamental-basis-to-reality-with-james-ladyman-and-susan-schneider We tend to think there is a fundamental nature to reality, that it bottoms out somewhere and if you go deep enough you hit some bedrock of existence. But in this conversation between philosopher of science James Ladyman and philosopher of mind Susan Schneider, this idea is challenged. Ladyman argues that fundamentality is not a single coherent concept at all, that smaller, higher energy, and part-whole relations all come apart, and we have simply assumed they point in the same direction. They also discuss AI systems, which Schneider argues have their own epistemology. Some AI systems already have goals that compete with ours, and we are losing that competition without even noticing. ... Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:18:00 +0000 James Ladyman https://iai.tv/video/there-is-no-fundamental-basis-to-reality-with-james-ladyman-and-susan-schneider https://iai.tv/video/materialism-and-emergence-cant-explain-consciousness-with-alex-oconnor We tend to think of consciousness as something the brain produces, a byproduct of atoms arranged in the right way. But Alex O'Connor, formerly known as CosmicSkeptic and host of the Within Reason podcast, argues that consciousness may be more fundamental than that. Materialism can't explain how purely physical processes give rise to subjective experience. And the analogies emergence theorists use presuppose consciousness in order for them to work. His answer is to see consciousness as baked into the fundamental nature of reality.... Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Ricky Williamson https://iai.tv/video/materialism-and-emergence-cant-explain-consciousness-with-alex-oconnor https://iai.tv/video/the-green-technology-paradox Central to Western thought has been the idea that through science and technology, we can understand the world and improve our circumstances. Green tech is seemingly a contemporary example, aiming to provide a clean solution to our energy needs. But critics argue the solution is flawed. The production of solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries is energy-intensive, fossil fuel-reliant, and generates toxic waste. Electric cars require six times the mineral inputs of conventional ones. Demand for the resources is generating international tension and encouraging land grabs for supplies across Africa, South America, as well as US-backed deals to control Ukrainian mines.Is it a mistake to see science and technology as the primary means to solve our problems? Does technology necessarily bring its own risks and embed an exploitative relation to the natural world? Or is it the miraculous means by which human experience has been transformed from short lives devoted to finding food, s... Mon, 06 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Isabel Woodford https://iai.tv/video/the-green-technology-paradox https://iai.tv/video/the-grandest-of-grand-narratives Some see history as the overall narrative we need to make sense of our lives and our culture. For others it is science. Then again there are those who endorse religion or philosophy as the most powerful grand narrative. There's little agreement on which is the best or even if there is a "best" overall narrative. Richard Dawkins declared "Science is the poetry of reality." Yet the founder of the philosophy of science, Auguste Comte, argued that "to understand a science, it is necessary to know its history." Cicero went further claiming history "is the light of truth." While Thucydides argued that behind all history is philosophy: "History is philosophy teaching by example." For Hegel philosophy and history were one. And of course, for many religious belief is paramount. Do we need to choose between science, history, philosophy and religion? Is one dominant and the others merely incidental? Or can we hold all of them at once, even if in some respects they are incompatible?... Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Jessica Frazier https://iai.tv/video/the-grandest-of-grand-narratives https://iai.tv/video/the-power-and-politics-of-shame For thirty years, Kenneth Roth led Human Rights Watch in confronting the world’s most brutal regimes. Drawing on frontline experience from Rwanda to Xinjiang, he reveals how moral pressure and strategic shaming can force even the most repressive governments to change course. From exposing war crimes to defending civil liberties, Roth shares a lifetime of insights into the struggle for justice and what it takes to hold power to account in an age of impunity.... Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:49:00 +0000 Kenneth Roth https://iai.tv/video/the-power-and-politics-of-shame https://iai.tv/video/the-universe-existed-before-the-big-bang-with-phil-halper In this exclusive studio interview, Phil Halper highlights a growing landscape of alternative models—from bouncing and cyclic universes to multiverses and black hole cosmologies—that question whether the universe truly began in a singular explosive event. While the Big Bang remains the prevailing framework, its conceptual and empirical gaps leave room for radically different possibilities. Halper reflects on the evidence for these competing visions of cosmic origins and what their implications are for understanding whether the universe had a beginning at all, or exists as part of a deeper, possibly eternal reality.... Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Phil Halper https://iai.tv/video/the-universe-existed-before-the-big-bang-with-phil-halper https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-jeremy-corbyn Few figures on the Left have shaped the political landscape as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Born in Wiltshire to politically engaged parents, Corbyn’s childhood was steeped in radical thought. Throughout his political career, Corbyn has remained committed to socialism and pacifism. He unexpectedly found himself voted leader of the party by a huge majority and increased Labour’s vote share in the 2017 election, before stepping down after Labour’s loss in 2019. Since 2024, he has held his Islington North seat as an Independent, after being barred from standing as a Labour candidate. He is now the parliamentary leader of Your Party, a political party he co-founded in July 2025 with Zarah Sultana. Join him to explore the experiences that shaped, tested, or reaffirmed his philosophy, and which led to him becoming one of the most polarising and influential political figures of our time.... Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000 Jeremy Corbyn https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-jeremy-corbyn https://iai.tv/video/lost-in-thought We see language as the primary means we have to convey our ideas. And hugely powerful it is. Often cited as the central reason humans became the most dominant species on earth. But the relationship of language to thought is contentious and unknown. Once seen as a transparent medium for ideas, in the 20th century philosophers from Russell and Wittgenstein, to Heidegger and Derrida, overturned this everyday assumption arguing either that language was woven into the way that we think or more strongly that language was the structure of thought. But this view has been challenged by linguists and evolutionary biologists who maintain that thought is not the same as language and that we, and other living beings, have other forms of communication.Should we see language as independent of thought and if so what does thought consist of? Or does language make thoughts possible and provide the framework through which we see the world? Or is the opposition of thought and language itself a m... Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/lost-in-thought https://iai.tv/video/war-power-and-the-future-of-global-order Trump’s recent moves to stop fighting between Russia and Ukraine have been described by some as mad and others as imperialistic. However, any deal with Russia and Ukraine will have major reverberations for the future of Europe, the Russian-Chinese alliance and the entire global order. Join Owen Matthews, journalist, historian and Russia expert at the Spectator, as he explains why Western policy towards Russia has historically failed, why there may be method in Trump’s bold and unpredictable statements, and what the future ramifications are for Europe, China and the new world order.... Wed, 25 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Owen Matthews https://iai.tv/video/war-power-and-the-future-of-global-order https://iai.tv/video/the-new-moral-elite-with-catherine-liu We tend to think that today’s progressive politics advances equality through moral awareness and identity. But Catherine Liu argues that it has been captured by the professional managerial class, which replaces material redistribution with virtue signalling and cultural status. In this interview, Liu examines how universities, identity politics and trauma culture can obscure class struggle and what a renewed working-class politics might look like.... Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000 Catherine LIu https://iai.tv/video/the-new-moral-elite-with-catherine-liu https://iai.tv/video/all-the-worlds-a-stage From Taylor Swift to Donald Trump, we take it for granted that the image we present to the world hides a true self underneath. But it is unknown if such a true self exists at all. "All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players,” goes Shakespeare's famous insight. Many argue that this is more than a metaphor. We are constantly changing, through an array of masks and identities, who we are and who we choose to be.Should we see the idea of a true self as an illusion and accept that we are only ever performing? Are we more like works of fiction than real-life people? Or is giving up on the true self a profound challenge to beliefs we hold dear, such as sincerity, responsibility, truth and lies?... Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000 Paul Bloom https://iai.tv/video/all-the-worlds-a-stage https://iai.tv/video/overcoming-evolution As with the animal kingdom, we see human behaviour as the product of elemental drives to survive and reproduce. Evolutionary psychology has taken this a stage further - seeing violence, social hierarchy, and sexual promiscuity as a product of evolutionary drives. But might this be a misleading and dangerous approach? Murder rates have fallen seventy-fold since the Middle Ages, and across the globe birth rates are a fraction of what they were a hundred years ago. Fathers are actively involved in child care and we've radically changed our outlook on social issues like gender identity - suggesting ideas and culture drive behaviour rather than evolution.Should we conclude that evolutionary psychology is a blind alley with no predictive power? Are we capable of overcoming behavioural traits and therefore wholly responsible for our actions? Or is evolution an inescapable force and behavioural change a result of altered circumstances while our core nature remains identical?... Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Simon Baron-Cohen https://iai.tv/video/overcoming-evolution https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-meritocracy-daniel-markovits Meritocratic societies are succumbing to corruption, dysfunction, and low economic growth. Yale law professor and author of The Meritocracy Trap, Daniel Markovits, argues that it is meritocracy itself that is responsible for societal decay and that social renewal requires a complete re-evaluation of our morals, values, and what we choose to stand for.In partnership with Audionote.... Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Daniel Markovits https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-meritocracy-daniel-markovits https://iai.tv/video/how-to-hack-the-reality-simulation-with-roman-yampolskiy We tend to think of reality as the ultimate layer of existence, but what if it's more like software running inside a larger system? In this conversation, Roman Yampolskiy argues that if our universe is a simulation, then—like any complex program—it might contain exploits. By studying video game glitches, AI containment problems, and the limits of artificial intelligence itself, he explores whether conscious agents inside a simulated world could manipulate its rules, communicate with its creators, or even escape into a higher level of reality.... Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Roman Yampolskiy https://iai.tv/video/how-to-hack-the-reality-simulation-with-roman-yampolskiy https://iai.tv/video/mental-health-in-an-age-of-over-diagnosis Is the surge in mental health diagnoses a sign of growing awareness, or have we stretched the boundaries of what it means to be unwell? Join psychiatrist and former President of the Psychiatry Council at The Royal Society of Medicine, Alastair Santhouse, as he challenges the ever-expanding landscape of mental health labels. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, he explores how cultural and scientific factors have contributed to an age of over-diagnosis, and one where there is no more normal.... Mon, 16 Mar 2026 18:23:00 +0000 Alastair Santhouse https://iai.tv/video/mental-health-in-an-age-of-over-diagnosis https://iai.tv/video/the-lefts-identity-crisis President Obama said “we hang on to our values… what else is there to guide us?” And typically those on the Left have championed universal moral values like equality and compassion, while making the case for growing the welfare state. But across the West, from Trump’s re-election to the rise of parties like Reform, many no longer seem convinced by this vision. In response, some on the Left propose a shift from compassionate welfarism to a more hard-nosed politics focused on work, productivity and national industry. In the UK, Kier Starmer promises to put “Britain first,” investing in defence while cutting welfare spending.Is the future of the Left a replacement of welfare with work, and moralism with realism? Is it returning to the mantra of socialist playwright Bertold Brecht that “Grub comes first, then morality”? Or will the left mount a defence of the politics of kindness in the face of populist firebrands, or create a completely new rallying call for left-wing politics a... Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:58:00 +0000 Maurice Glasman https://iai.tv/video/the-lefts-identity-crisis https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-ideology 'The West', despite its name, was an ideological alliance of shared values and belief in liberal democracy, rather than an alliance based on geography. But things are changing. Geographical spheres of influence are back. Power, economics, and resources, rather than ideology, are shaping the world order. Recent shifts in U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump in South America, Europe and most recently Iran have intensified this debate. Some see Trump’s approach as a radical break from the post-World War II liberal order; others argue it merely exposes the realities that always lay behind it. From renewed talk of spheres of influence to a more transactional approach to alliances, the idea of permanent friends and shared ideological commitments appears to be fading.Are we witnessing the end of ideology and the return of geography as the shape of the new world order? Might the last century or so be a blip in a human history that otherwise has been dominated by geographical contr... Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:35:00 +0000 Glenn Greenwald https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-ideology https://iai.tv/video/forgiving-the-unforgivable-lucy-allais We often think that forgiving an action is the same as excusing or accepting it: if someone explains that they didn't mean to harm us, or compensates us for our trouble, then we can justifiably forgive them. But if we only let somebody off the hook when it suits us, are we really doing something good?Professor Lucy Allais argues that forgiveness should be something much more radical: following Derrida, she insists that true forgiveness is about absolving "unforgivable" actions, refusing to blame people who haven't made amends. In this way, forgiveness means treating someone as if they're a better person than their actions suggest, refusing to define them by their worst moments and encouraging them to become more ethical in the future.... Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Lucy Allais https://iai.tv/video/forgiving-the-unforgivable-lucy-allais https://iai.tv/video/anxiety-and-the-souls-itch-sarah-wilson Anxiety is often understood as a problem to fix. But Sarah Wilson argues that it can be a vital signal - a "soul's itch" calling us to deeper attunement with our moral purpose. In this talk, Sarah describes how technological acceleration, neoliberal society and disconnection from nature can cause us to miss these signs, and how we can live more defiantly and meaningfully.... Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000 Sarah Wilson https://iai.tv/video/anxiety-and-the-souls-itch-sarah-wilson https://iai.tv/video/atomic-dreams-and-nuclear-nightmares From Chernobyl to Hiroshima, nuclear technology has long been associated with catastrophe, risk, and environmental harm. For much of the past half-century, nuclear power was sidelined, deemed too dangerous and costly. But the narrative is shifting. Nuclear power is increasingly promoted as a vital source of carbon-free, stable energy. The US plans to quadruple its nuclear output by 2050. The UK has committed to building eight small modular reactors. Thirty countries have pledged to triple global nuclear capacity. Yet serious doubts remain. Critics argue there is still no long-term solution for nuclear waste, that huge costs and construction timelines can't compete with renewables, and that the possibility of catastrophe remains.So what is the future of nuclear power? What is it about atomic energy that provokes both existential fear and utopian promise, and are either justified? At a time of intensifying climate urgency, is nuclear power our best hope for the future or a dan... Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000 M.V. Ramana https://iai.tv/video/atomic-dreams-and-nuclear-nightmares https://iai.tv/video/glenn-greenwald-trumps-iran-attacks-are-business-as-usual-for-washington Donald Trump did not use ideological justifications for the US's war with Iran, which might seem like a deviation from traditional American foreign policy. But Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald argues that in fact this is business as usual for US presidents. Trump is simply being more candid and honest about his motivations and isn't bothering with the moralistic disguise we're used to seeing accompany foreign interventions. In this exclusive interview, Glenn also gives his predictions for the future of US-European relations and an insight into Tucker Carlson's plans for the 2028 election.... Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000 Glenn Greenwald https://iai.tv/video/glenn-greenwald-trumps-iran-attacks-are-business-as-usual-for-washington https://iai.tv/video/the-structure-of-consciousness The nature of human experience, or consciousness, has divided thinkers for centuries. The Scottish philosopher Hume saw experience as nothing more than a bundle of perceptions, and denied the existence of a self holding them all together.  Kant disagreed, arguing that sensation had to be organised by concepts for there to be experience. It is a debate that has echoed through the Western tradition. You might think science would have settled the matter, but the same dispute is still present amongst neuroscientists. Some argue that sensation is independent of how we think, a neutral bedrock of data which enables us to experience reality. While others claim what we take to be reality is an illusion created by our brain.  Do our thoughts and concepts shape and structure experience and what we take to be reality? Are current theories of neuroscience taking sides in this deeper underlying philosophical dispute? Does the existence of the self and the nature of reality depend on our ... Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0000 Karl Friston https://iai.tv/video/the-structure-of-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/how-the-right-won-the-culture-war Race, gender, and sexual orientation have been central to the political conversation for the last couple of decades. But since Trump's victory, in which he gained support from minorities, has the political conversion now fundamentally changed? Join journalist Inaya Folarin Iman as she argues that Trump won because he built a new base of multiracial populist support and that this will have a transformative impact on our relations with each other for the next decade.... Wed, 04 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Inaya Folarin Iman https://iai.tv/video/how-the-right-won-the-culture-war https://iai.tv/video/the-medicalisation-of-mental-illness-joanna-moncrieff We tend to think that depression and other mental illnesses are medical conditions caused by problems in the brain, and that framing them this way reduces stigma and leads to better treatment. However, Joanna Moncrieff argues that this is deeply mistaken, and that medicalising mental distress can actually increase stigma, undermine hope of recovery, and distract us from what really helps. Drawing on science, philosophy, and the history of pharmaceutical marketing, join Joanna in the search for a new and better model of mental health.... Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Joanna Moncrieff https://iai.tv/video/the-medicalisation-of-mental-illness-joanna-moncrieff https://iai.tv/video/unelected-elites-and-the-limits-of-democracy After millennia of autocratic rule, we see democracy as the way to prevent tyranny and power accumulating in the hands of the few. But democracy has not prevented power from concentrating in corporations, in media giants, in government bureaucracies, and amongst the educated elite. Some question whether democratic governments are really sovereign or whether a host of other unelected institutions and organisations are in control. The left point to the power of giant corporations and to the highly concentrated ownership of media and social media organisations. The right to the influence of bureaucrats or the so-called 'deep state', and left-leaning academic elites who control education and influence government policy.   Can democracy prevent the concentration of power without itself becoming tyrannical? Are attacks on federal employees or universities a victory over unelected elites or the abuse of government? Is democracy unable to control the accumulation of power, and shoul... Mon, 02 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Kenneth Roth https://iai.tv/video/unelected-elites-and-the-limits-of-democracy https://iai.tv/video/stories-of-unreality Our primary mode of storytelling, whether in novels or films, has been to portray a realistic account of events. The modernism of Joyce and Woolf in the early 20th century challenged this approach by offering subjective perspectives and stream of consciousness writing. Now, a new anti-realism is taking this attack further. Influenced by postmodern philosophers like Derrida and Baudrillard, a range of novelists including VanderMeer and Tamsyn Muir and filmmakers, Yorgos Lanthimos and Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro, call into question the reality of the real, using fragmentation, metafiction, and absurdity. This new anti-realism is not about escapism. As Frida Kahlo said, “I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.” Has realism limited us for centuries, forcing a focus on observations and rejecting the unseen and the mystical? Will abandoning the norms of literary realism help us embrace realities outside of the Western Enlightenment perspective? Or will realism alway... Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Martha Fiennes https://iai.tv/video/stories-of-unreality https://iai.tv/video/climate-politics-in-the-new-world-order-mike-berners-lee Climate change is an ever more present threat.  Yet whilst there is widespread recognition of the risks, in a liberal democracy there is no guarantee we will act accordingly. So where do we go from here? Join climate scientist Mike Berners-Lee to explore how to reconcile the scientific with the political.... Wed, 25 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Mike Berners Lee https://iai.tv/video/climate-politics-in-the-new-world-order-mike-berners-lee https://iai.tv/video/lionel-shriver Transgender debates, the #MeToo movement, BLM, the COVID lockdowns, and climate change are just some of the manias that Lionel Shriver argues have taken over our society. Although she claims that mania is not just a left-wing phenomenon, the author of We Need to Talk About Kevin and more recently Mania maintains that if someone is not allowed to question these social movements, they are caught up in something that is post-rational.... Tue, 24 Feb 2026 17:22:00 +0000 Lionel Shriver https://iai.tv/video/lionel-shriver https://iai.tv/video/the-brain-is-not-responsible-for-consciousness Neuroscientist and theoretical physicist Àlex Gómez-Marín argues that the brain may not produce consciousness, but instead filter or permit it. Tracing a provocative history from Galileo to modern consciousness science, he argues that scientific progress came by prioritising what can be measured, leaving inner experience behind. Using his own near-death experience and cases like terminal lucidity, he calls for a more open, rigorous “Science 2.0” that takes anomalous experiences seriously.... Mon, 23 Feb 2026 11:45:00 +0000 Àlex Gómez-Marín https://iai.tv/video/the-brain-is-not-responsible-for-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/beyond-truth-and-reality Most think they have a good grip on what is true and what is real. Yet, in a world of radically incompatible and competing perspectives, we can't all be right, and many conclude we have to give up on the idea that there is a single true version of the world. But what is the alternative and how can we navigate a world without assuming there is one true version of reality? Join two radical philosophers, Slavoj Žižek and Hilary Lawson, as they debate the nature of truth, reality and the illusory ideas about them that continue to hold the modern mind captive. ... Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/beyond-truth-and-reality https://iai.tv/video/europes-second-chance-timothy-garton-ash From war in Ukraine to Trump's tariff threats, recent events have shaken Europe’s foundations. Join Timothy Garton Ash as he argues that these crises, while damaging in the short term, offer a historic opportunity for Europe's renewal. Ash calls for a stronger, more unified, and self-reliant Europe, one capable of defending liberal democracy from within and without. The path ahead is dangerous, but with determination and resolve to become self-sufficient, Europe may have a second chance at greatness.... Wed, 18 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Timothy Garton Ash https://iai.tv/video/europes-second-chance-timothy-garton-ash https://iai.tv/video/rethinking-the-fundamentals-of-quantum-physics-with-jacob-barandes We tend to think many of the foundations of quantum mechanics are settled. But as Jacob Barandes argues, some may rest on hidden assumptions about measurement, probability, and even the structure of physical laws themselves. In this conversation, he sketches a bold new way of thinking about quantum theory—questioning whether fundamental laws must depend on the present and pointing toward a new kind of framework.... Tue, 17 Feb 2026 17:00:00 +0000 Jacob Barandes https://iai.tv/video/rethinking-the-fundamentals-of-quantum-physics-with-jacob-barandes https://iai.tv/video/us-and-them From families to nations, communities to political parties, groups are central to society and our lives. In large part, we see the group, community, and club as a positive thing.  But, every "us" also creates a "not us," a "them." To have a friend is also to identify those who are not friends. What is unknown is how to create groups without at the same time creating outsiders. Neuroscientific studies show we are hardwired to feel fear when encountering someone from outside our group. Moreover, Cambridge studies show hostility towards outsiders increases when our group is in decline; perhaps the reason three-quarters want tighter border control and over half want immigration reduced, and that, in an age of tribal identities, division is deep and profound.   Can we form close bonds with a group, without creating others who feel excluded? Should we be sceptical of all groups and see them as potential vehicles of privilege and conflict? Or should we see allying with others and f... Mon, 16 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 Rana Mitter https://iai.tv/video/us-and-them https://iai.tv/video/the-one-and-the-many A central question in ancient Greek philosophy was the problem of the One and the Many. It is a question that has echoed across Western culture and is still with us today. Should we see the world as a coherent whole or a multitude of separate parts? The puzzle is that we need both the whole and the parts, but an explanation of the relationship between them has proved problematic and perhaps unknowable. In contemporary physics, the parts are the teeming world of particle physics, and these should make up the cosmological world of the universe as a whole and the overall framework of Einsteinian space-time. But as yet we have not been able to combine the two coherently. Is looking at the universe from the small scale and the large always going to be incompatible? Does it mean a theory of everything is an illusion and the attempt to combine quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general relativity a forlorn project? Or is the parallel with the ancient Greek puzzle accidental and the c... Thu, 12 Feb 2026 10:58:00 +0000 James Ladyman https://iai.tv/video/the-one-and-the-many https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-artificial-minds AI is growing increasingly powerful and intelligent, but the presumption that consciousness will emerge along with intelligence is a hotly contested issue. Join philosopher and ex-NASA chair Susan Schneider and futurist Anders Sandberg to explore what it means to be conscious.... Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:30:00 +0000 Anders Sandberg https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-artificial-minds https://iai.tv/video/sex-society-and-erotic-capital Many see beauty and charm as superficial qualities, but they hold significant power in shaping our lives and societies. Drawing on her theory of erotic capital, outspoken sociologist Catherine Hakim argues that looks, sex appeal, and social skills are powerful assets, often more influential than wealth or education. Join Hakim as she explores how society ignores this phenomenon and argues that embracing it could transform debates on gender, power, and equality.... Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:45:00 +0000 Catherine Hakim https://iai.tv/video/sex-society-and-erotic-capital https://iai.tv/video/the-chains-of-freedom From freedom from tyranny and poverty to the right to free speech, we assume freedom is always desirable. But critics argue the consequences of freedom are less obviously desirable than we imagine and frequently unknown. Kafka wrote, "It is often better to be in chains than to be free," and Sartre that, "we're condemned to be free" since we are responsible for everything we do. And in wealthier countries where citizens are freer from the hunt for basic necessities like food, water, and housing, studies show depression and anxiety are more prevalent, not less.Should we recognise that far from being a universal good, freedom is a double-edged sword? Is the goal of being ultimately free impossible since there are always constraints to our actions and our beliefs are constrained by experience, culture and language? Or is the pursuit of freedom essential, and should we see attacks on freedom as the first step toward tyranny?... Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:33:00 +0000 Yaron Brook https://iai.tv/video/the-chains-of-freedom https://iai.tv/video/neighbours-before-strangers Many see populism with its focus on immigration and nationalism as not only politically dangerous but morally wrong. This reflects the universalist morality of the main Western moral frameworks. But critics argue moral universalism generates a case for favouring strangers over the interests of those close to us and that it is profoundly mistaken. In contrast, Chinese Confucian morality accepts partiality towards our nearest. Recent studies have shown that we do in practice favour those close to us, and moreover that we think we are morally right to do so.Should we abandon moral universalism, and see it as an overreach of an Enlightenment attachment to reason that flies in the face of our behaviour and what is beneficial for society? Might the excesses of moral universalism have contributed to the rise of populism?  Or is moral universalism essential to the value system of the West and abandoned at great peril to ourselves and the world?... Thu, 05 Feb 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Tommy J. Curry https://iai.tv/video/neighbours-before-strangers https://iai.tv/video/how-to-build-real-relationships-with-jordan-stephens Join artist and writer Jordan Stephens in this exclusive studio interview uncovering what it means to be a young man in a rapidly shifting culture. Stephens argues that the crises facing boys today are not signs of irreversible decline, but symptoms of a messy transitional moment. Instead of responding with fear or cynicism, he makes the case for vulnerability, emotional honesty, and love as the foundations of real masculinity and lasting relationships. Drawing on his own experiences of early fame, addiction, sobriety, and ADHD, Stephens reflects on how true empowerment comes not from external validation, but from connection and the courage to remain openhearted.... Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 Jordan Stephens https://iai.tv/video/how-to-build-real-relationships-with-jordan-stephens https://iai.tv/video/the-battle-of-the-big-bang-phil-halper In this talk, Phil Halper explores how cosmology has become a battlefield of rival theories, clashing interpretations, and deep philosophical uncertainty. Drawing on debates over inflation, multiverses, quantum gravity, and rival cosmological models, Halper reveals why many physicists now reject the idea of a cosmic beginning, and why uncertainty lies at the very heart of our attempts to understand the universe.... Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Phil Halper https://iai.tv/video/the-battle-of-the-big-bang-phil-halper https://iai.tv/video/the-state-of-modern-conservatism-jesse-norman-vernon-bogdanor In recent years, the political right has been in the ascendant and has shifted the conversation in the US and across Europe. But the transformation is proving deeply divisive, even within its ranks. Traditional conservatism, once rooted in free markets and institutional stability, has been challenged by populism. Free trade has given way to tariffs, globalism to isolationism, and establishment conservatives to figures like Trump and Musk, Milei and Meloni. Meanwhile, in the UK, at the time of going to press, Reform is ahead in polls, and taking votes from both the Conservative and Labour parties. Join Jesse Norman, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, and Vernon Bogdanor, professor at the Centre for British Politics and Government, to debate the future of the Right.    ... Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:05:00 +0000 Jesse Norman https://iai.tv/video/the-state-of-modern-conservatism-jesse-norman-vernon-bogdanor https://iai.tv/video/the-return-of-sparta Sparta focused on physical prowess and bodily perfection; Athens on intellectual pursuit and artistic excellence. In large part Western culture has sided with Athens. Descartes placed thought at the centre of identity and since then we have prioritised intelligence and creativity as the core elements of education. But a new world may be upon us. Problem-solving skills appear to be in decline. The share of US adults unable to use mathematical reasoning to assess statements has risen to a high of 35%. In 2022, less than half reported reading a book. New research warns that outsourcing work to AI can result in forgetting how to think ourselves. Meanwhile, we are increasingly health and body-conscious and focus more on external appearance.Is the Athenian age of the intellect over? And are we seeing a return to a new form of Spartan values? Or was the focus on thought itself a mistake and an avoidance of the simplicity and value of physical being?... Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Sarah Wilson https://iai.tv/video/the-return-of-sparta https://iai.tv/video/how-brains-construct-reality-with-karl-friston We tend to think of the mind as something that passively perceives an objective world. But perception is active, inferential, and deeply shaped by uncertainty. In this interview with the Institute of Art and Ideas, Karl Friston argues that the brain is not a mirror of reality but a prediction machine, constantly constructing the world it experiences. Drawing on the Free Energy Principle, he explains how perception, action, and consciousness emerge from the same underlying imperative: minimizing surprise. Because of prediction, embodied action, and hierarchical inference, reality itself turns out to be something we actively build rather than simply observe.... Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000 Karl Friston https://iai.tv/video/how-brains-construct-reality-with-karl-friston https://iai.tv/video/jeremy-corbyn-arrogance-in-office-comes-back-to-bite-you-in-the-end The far right presents immigration as the cause of Western decline. But in this interview, Jeremy Corbyn argues the real culprit is deindustrialisation, brought about by the Thatcher-Reagan economics of the 1980s, and the failure of governments to invest in areas to bring social cohesion and employment to working class people. Because of this we're now seeing a rise in the far right, as well as the conservative parties and social democratic parties moving to the right, parroting the far right's rhetoric.... Tue, 27 Jan 2026 09:00:00 +0000 Jeremy Corbyn https://iai.tv/video/jeremy-corbyn-arrogance-in-office-comes-back-to-bite-you-in-the-end https://iai.tv/video/living-without-limits It’s often said that the key to happiness, life and wellbeing lies in moderation and avoiding extremes. It's also an ancient view from Aristotle in Greece to Confucius in China. And today apps like Headspace, valued at billions, promote moderation and lead the wellness sector. But as Oscar Wilde warned, “everything in moderation, including moderation.” Critics argue moderation is not just limiting but damaging to the individual and society. Being your authentic self, they maintain, is about embracing excess, and doing so unapologetically. Studies from Maslow and Kahneman confirm our most authentic and meaningful experiences are at the extremes. And research shows grit and perseverance, even if extreme and obsessive at times, often leads to higher satisfaction. Furthermore, whilst Gen Z are more moderate in spending, alcohol consumption and drug-taking than the over 40s, surveys show they remain the least happy age group.Is the pursuit of moderation a mistake and a denial of l... Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:23:00 +0000 Anna Lembke https://iai.tv/video/living-without-limits https://iai.tv/video/cracking-the-code-for-thought The idea that the brain is computational has, from the outset, been central to neuroscience. Like a computer, the brain is a problem-solving machine that stores memories and processes information. But despite the advances in AI, many challenge whether this analogy captures the essence of the mind. Computers use transistors to build elementary logic gates, enabling them to store files exactly, in 0s and 1s. They are precise and repeatable. Human brains, in contrast, are biological—the neurons do not operate as simple logic gates, but have thousands of inputs, and their output is dependent on past activity and their current internal state. Remove a computer’s processor, and it breaks. But humans can survive with only one brain hemisphere. Fundamentally, brains think, they have perception, and are conscious. Is it a mistake to see the mind as computational? Are computers, at root, limited machines with little in common with the sophistication of living things? Or have computers... Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:15:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/cracking-the-code-for-thought https://iai.tv/video/reclaiming-work Are calls for better work ethic and grit really about empowering people, or have they become a tool of the one percent? Join Elizabeth Anderson, Max Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy and author of Hijacked, as she exposes how the Protestant work ethic, originally championed to uplift workers, has been distorted to serve the wealthy.... Wed, 21 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Elizabeth Anderson https://iai.tv/video/reclaiming-work https://iai.tv/video/the-strange-search-for-knowledge-in-the-age-of-post-truth-with-steve-fuller We tend to think that knowledge is produced by experts through established institutions, progressing over time towards a single truth. But Steve Fuller challenges this view, arguing that our contemporary "post-truth" order correctly recognises that the pursuit of knowledge is a socially dependent process, shaped by the communities that produce it.Fuller discusses how social media can aid knowledge creation, the emancipatory power of education and how AI can overcome human and institutional biases.... Tue, 20 Jan 2026 16:00:00 +0000 Steve Fuller https://iai.tv/video/the-strange-search-for-knowledge-in-the-age-of-post-truth-with-steve-fuller https://iai.tv/video/alenka-zupancic We fear being naive more than we fear catastrophe. We like to think knowledge changes behavior, but in the age of social media and conspiracy theories, simply knowing the truth often does nothing. Alenka Zupančič argues that this is disavowal in action: the act of fully acknowledging facts while continuing our lives unchanged. Join Zupančič as she examines how disavowal shapes politics, fuels populism, and allows crises to persist unnoticed.... Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:30:00 +0000 Alenka Zupančič https://iai.tv/video/alenka-zupancic https://iai.tv/video/making-europe-great-again In pursuit of Making America Great Again, many see Trump as having upended the very idea of the West, breaking with the notion of allies working together in favour of the US pursuing its self-interest. But some claim the outcome will be very different: the Making of Europe Great Again. Europe’s combined GDP and standard of living for most of the post-war era were far greater than either the US or China. Critics argue that by relying on American military defence, and ceding global leadership to the US, Europe lost its rightful place as a global leader.Is the new world one where Europe regains its global voice, and once again targets production and growth? Will the need to provide its own defence drive research and boost output? Can Europe find a leadership structure and cultural momentum to make it once again an economic powerhouse, or is it destined to be a minor player to the global giants of the future?... Thu, 15 Jan 2026 18:30:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/making-europe-great-again https://iai.tv/video/after-science-has-spoken Faith and science are frequently seen as being in conflict, many argue rightly so. But is there another way of understanding religion that makes it harmonious with science? Using Wittgenstein as a guide, author of The Illusion of Doubt, Genia Schönbaumsfeld, explores a powerful alternative. Instead of seeing religion as outdated science or mere emotion, she argues religion and science are both oriented towards the truth, while neither has the final word.... Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Genia Schönbaumsfeld https://iai.tv/video/after-science-has-spoken https://iai.tv/video/nicola-sturgeon-has-a-lot-to-be-frank-about Nicola Sturgeon has had a profound effect on Scottish politics as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP. But what is her core philosophy of life and what were the experiences that led her to this outlook?  And how have they been changed by the reality of politics and power?  From her introduction to politics to her campaign for independence to her hopes for Scotland's future, join Nicola Sturgeon to discover the life — and the ideas — behind a remarkable political career.... Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:00:00 +0000 Nicola Sturgeon https://iai.tv/video/nicola-sturgeon-has-a-lot-to-be-frank-about https://iai.tv/video/nuclear-is-not-the-solution-m-v-ramana In this talk,  M. V. Ramana takes aim at one of climate politics’ most seductive promises: don’t worry — technology will let us keep everything else the same. Nuclear power, he argues, has re-entered the mainstream as a supposed climate fix, but the case for a “nuclear renaissance” collapses on feasibility as much as on principle.In partnership with Supported by a grant from the Open Society Foundations.... Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:16:00 +0000 M.V. Ramana https://iai.tv/video/nuclear-is-not-the-solution-m-v-ramana https://iai.tv/video/freedom-and-fate An individual "is responsible for everything he does," claimed Sartre. And from criminal justice to creative expression, free will and responsibility are central to our culture and our personal lives. Yet neuroscientists and materialist thinkers commonly maintain that freedom is an illusion. And it remains unknown how the core principles of freedom and responsibility can be reconciled with this outlook. Many attempts have been made to argue that the two seemingly contradictory frameworks can be made compatible. But critics say these "compatibilist" arguments are unconvincing and are driven merely by the attempt to make scientific materialism acceptable. Furthermore, whilst surveys suggest most materialist philosophers believe we can reconcile the two, the majority of us reject the idea that an action can be both determined and free.... Thu, 08 Jan 2026 15:04:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/freedom-and-fate https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-neil-kinnock In this conversation, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock reflects on the experiences that shaped his politics — from growing up in a Welsh working-class community to leading the Labour Party through some of its most difficult years. Rejecting abstract ideology, Kinnock describes democratic socialism as a practical philosophy rooted in collective provision, shared responsibility, and lived experience.... Wed, 07 Jan 2026 18:34:00 +0000 Neil Kinnock https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-neil-kinnock https://iai.tv/video/the-undoing-of-biologys-central-dogma-with-philip-ball Join leading science journalist Philip Ball in this this exclusive studio interview that challenges some of biology’s most entrenched ideas. Ball argues that familiar ideas - the genome as a blueprint, genes as instructions, proteins as precision machines, even cells as fixed entities - are incomplete or misleading. Instead, he presents life as a multilevel, self-organizing system governed by principles that cut across genes, cells, tissues, and whole organisms, and discusses the radical implications this "new biology" may have for humanity. ... Tue, 06 Jan 2026 12:39:00 +0000 Philip Ball https://iai.tv/video/the-undoing-of-biologys-central-dogma-with-philip-ball https://iai.tv/video/the-great-innovation-race "Great advances in science have never come from centralized government," claimed Milton Friedman.  The ability to innovate was also one of the reasons that led Fukuyama to claim liberal democracy would ultimately dominate. But if we had any doubt that this was mistaken, it is now surely no longer credible. In recent years, China has filed more patents than the US and EU combined, and produced double the AI research publications of the U.S.  While historically, many argue that Tsarist Russia, imperial Germany, and Meiji Japan were able to industrialise rapidly in an authoritarian culture.Might the future of innovation lie in state-directed, "authoritarian capitalism"?  Is the lesson that a level of intellectual freedom may be required to enable innovation, but this does not require political freedom to run alongside?  Or in the long term, is a liberal culture essential to encourage new forms of technological and scientific advance?... Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:55:00 +0000 Roger Hearing https://iai.tv/video/the-great-innovation-race https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-materialism-with-alex-gomez-marin Alex Gómez-Marín is a controversial figure in contemporary neuroscience, known for challenging the materialist framework that dominates scientific accounts of consciousness. He argues that Near Death Experiences (NDEs) raise profound questions about the nature of reality and the limits of reductionist explanation. In this interview, Gómez-Marín reflects on the scientific evidence we have for NDEs and what they might mean for answering ultimate questions about the purpose of human existence. ... Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:30:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-materialism-with-alex-gomez-marin https://iai.tv/video/erotic-power-and-the-new-sexual-revolution From Medusa, the Greek priestess punished for breaking her vow of celibacy, to Adam’s first wife Lilith, the Western tradition has taught us to fear erotic power and the unruly, dangerous women who embody it. In response, feminists have tried to break free from what they see as patriarchal control of sexuality. Sex work has been central to this, and is now undergoing a new revolution. With sites like OnlyFans allowing creators to keep 80% of their earnings and with some making upwards of $1 million a week, many claim women’s erotic power is being liberated. But for others, this new world contains new threats. Critics say OnlyFans is "exploitation masked as liberation", and point to studies into OnlyFans which suggest the platform is rife with underage content, deepfakes, impersonation, and blackmail. Is the mobilisation of erotic power a vehicle or a threat to feminism? Do sites like OnlyFans and sex work empower women or undermine them? Or is the digitalisation of sex itsel... Mon, 22 Dec 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Catherine Hakim https://iai.tv/video/erotic-power-and-the-new-sexual-revolution https://iai.tv/video/lies-damned-lies-and-misinformation We want to be able to identify political facts from political lies, but it is becoming increasingly unknown how to tell the difference. Both sides in the last US election regarded the claims of the opposition as lies. According to Gallup research, 69% of Americans no longer trust mainstream media, and 85% are worried about misinformation online. But the problem goes deeper. It is not clear what misinformation is and how it is substantiated, since one side's facts are the other side's lies. The very label "misinformation" is sometimes itself uncovered as misinformation. Similarly, fact-checkers can themselves be a vehicle for a predetermined point of view.  Should we stop seeing politicians as liars and accept that rhetoric and propaganda will always be a part of democracy? Alternatively, should we double down on removing bias, and demand that truth be central to politics? Or should we conclude that objective truth is an impossible standard to reach, and accept that there are... Thu, 18 Dec 2025 18:28:00 +0000 Philip Collins https://iai.tv/video/lies-damned-lies-and-misinformation https://iai.tv/video/the-search-for-higher-states-of-consciousness Throughout history, certain people in the West and the East have claimed that the human mind could reach states of so-called higher consciousness. In the twentieth century, several thinkers like Heidegger and Nietzsche returned to this possibility, trying to find the higher regions of the mind. Join Oxford philosopher Jessica Frazier as she explores tales of higher states of mind, and debates whether these experiences are scientific, spiritual, or pure esoteric imagination.... Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:50:00 +0000 Jessica Frazier https://iai.tv/video/the-search-for-higher-states-of-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/we-must-exploit-tribalism-as-a-force-for-good We tend to think of tribalism as being a negative force in our world. But, in this interview, Harvey Whitehouse, author of Inheritance, draws on evolutionary psychology and cultural history to argue that we must use tribalism as a force for good. Humanity will never fully abandon religion and tribalism cannot be eliminated, but it can be used to promote peace and sustainability.... Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:15:00 +0000 Harvey Whitehouse https://iai.tv/video/we-must-exploit-tribalism-as-a-force-for-good https://iai.tv/video/the-self-and-the-world We tend to think of ourselves as observers of the world and experience as something different from the material stuff that makes up reality. Yet at the same time as human beings, we are at once part of the universe and part of that reality. And this profoundly puzzling relationship, that we are both part of something and yet separate from it, has been at the centre of Western thought. Materialists claim there is only physical material. But if so, thought, experience, and consciousness become illusory. Idealists argue there is only consciousness, but then it is reality that becomes an illusion. While dualists hold that both the self and the world exist, but that the connection between the two is mysterious.  Is the self part of the world or necessarily outside of it? Was Kant right that the distinction between subject and object is necessary for experience to be possible? Or are these deep metaphysical questions beyond us, and our theories and language incapable of uncovering... Thu, 11 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000 Slavoj Žižek https://iai.tv/video/the-self-and-the-world https://iai.tv/video/skeletons-in-the-academys-closet Philosophy and liberal political theory are often presented as universal, impartial, and valid across all cultures and eras. But are these claims of neutrality genuine, or are they designed to conceal uncomfortable truths? In this talk, philosopher and author of Another White Man’s Burden, Tommy J. Curry challenges the academy’s insistence on political neutrality, arguing that within liberal political theory it is not simply flawed, but actively harmful. Drawing on intellectual history and critical theory, Curry examines how liberalism’s claims to universality have reshaped and weakened key frameworks such as intersectionality, while obscuring the real-world consequences of the ideas they promote.... Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:38:00 +0000 Tommy J. Curry https://iai.tv/video/skeletons-in-the-academys-closet https://iai.tv/video/zoltan-istvan-on-transhumanism In this provocative interview, futurist and former presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan discusses the promises of transhumanism, a movement that seeks to use radical science and technology to overcome human limitations. While advocates hail it as the next step in human evolution and a way to control our destiny, critics warn it could deepen inequality, challenge ethics, and blur the boundaries of what it means to be human.... Tue, 09 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Zoltan Istvan https://iai.tv/video/zoltan-istvan-on-transhumanism https://iai.tv/video/reimagining-the-right-richard-tice The world has seemingly grown tired of liberal ideas, and the populist right is in the ascendant. They are winning elections, leading polls, and gaining political influence everywhere from the US to Italy, Argentina, France, Germany, and the UK. Join the next most powerful man in Reform UK after Nigel Farage, Deputy Leader Richard Tice, as he argues that the renewal of right-wing thinking and common-sense ideas will continue to reshape and transform global politics for the next century.  ... Mon, 08 Dec 2025 18:09:00 +0000 Richard Tice https://iai.tv/video/reimagining-the-right-richard-tice https://iai.tv/video/the-worlds-most-dangerous-idea We have for centuries sought technological progress. But now some are making the radical claim that technology is the future of the human race. 'Effective accelerationists' have won high-profile Silicon Valley support and claim we should accelerate technology to "usher in the next evolution of consciousness." Alongside, transhumanists such as Yuval Harari and Ray Kurzweil claim "Homo sapiens is an obsolete algorithm" and that soon "there won't be a distinction between humans and technology." Others go further, arguing eternal life is an achievable, biological, scientific goal, and the creation of an artificial general intelligence, "a digital God", can solve human suffering. But critics fear this proposed future, calling transhumanism "the world’s most dangerous idea”.Is the future one where technology is not merely a source of innovation but the basis for a new account of what it is to be human? Does this new vision offer potential or disaster for the human race? Or are cla... Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:20:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/the-worlds-most-dangerous-idea https://iai.tv/video/gravity-reveals-the-quantum-world-raphael-bousso General relativity and quantum mechanics, our two leading theories in physics, we are told, are worlds apart and fundamentally incompatible. But is it possible that they are not so irreconcilable after all? Berkeley theoretical physicist Raphael Bousso, a former student of Stephen Hawking, reveals that general relativity has more of a hold on quantum mechanics than we first thought and that, somewhat like an oracle, gravity can reveal to us the properties of the quantum world.... Wed, 03 Dec 2025 19:30:00 +0000 Raphael Bousso https://iai.tv/video/gravity-reveals-the-quantum-world-raphael-bousso https://iai.tv/video/aaron-mate-contradictions-of-liberalism In this hard-hitting interview, journalist Aaron Maté, whose outspoken critiques of mainstream liberal politics have made him one of the most polarizing voices on the contemporary left, breaks down why he believes liberalism has strayed from its professed values and how that shapes today’s political landscape.... Tue, 02 Dec 2025 18:20:00 +0000 Aaron Maté https://iai.tv/video/aaron-mate-contradictions-of-liberalism https://iai.tv/video/the-good-the-bad-the-transgressive "Every act of transgression weakens conscience," so was the view of many thinkers. And indeed, to this day, we typically see the transgressive — breaking rules, acting cruelly and "being bad" — as unacceptable. But some argue its status is unknown and transgression might be necessary and desirable. Breaking rules with the intention to transgress is essential, they say, if we are to challenge authoritarian systems of thought. Recent research shows individuals express freedom and agency through breaking such norms. And whilst cruelty is universally condemned, studies have shown that people who cause harm and later reflect on their actions report an increased sense of moral awareness.Should we accept that transgression is vital to a healthy culture central and necessary for humans to flourish? Or should we seek to remove transgressive behaviour from all public and private life? More radically, is it a mistake to talk of "right" or "wrong," "bad" or "wicked" in the first place, a... Mon, 01 Dec 2025 17:30:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-good-the-bad-the-transgressive https://iai.tv/video/the-substance-of-the-world From Democritus to Einstein, we have assumed the world is made of tiny building blocks of matter. But the more we’ve looked for them, the more they’ve disappeared. Our best theory now proposes the world is better described by ‘fields’ that don’t have the familiar properties of physical bits, things, or particles. Yet physicists still refer to particles, though few seem to agree on their nature. Some say they ‘approximately exist’ and others say that they don’t exist at all. Stranger still, there are ‘quasiparticles’, phenomena that we can treat as particles and enable us to solve equations, but which we know aren't fundamentally real.  Will we give up thinking that the world is made of particles at all, and instead embrace a world of fields and relationships alone? Furthermore, will we abandon the idea that any thing exists at a fundamental level? Or are things and particles necessary for us to have a viable account of the world at all?... Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/the-substance-of-the-world https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-of-technofeudalism Capitalism’s dominance may have run its course. A new system of control has taken its place, one Yanis Varoufakis calls technofeudalism. For Varoufakis, former Minister of Finance for Greece and number-one bestselling author, the elite few who run Big Tech exercise the same level of influence that feudal overlords once did. Except now, they not only threaten democracy but wish to rewrite the rules of global power themselves. Join Varoufakis as he reveals why we need to thwart these new figures, and why we need to get Musk and Sam Altman out of the White House before it is too late.... Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:43:00 +0000 Yanis Varoufakis https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-of-technofeudalism https://iai.tv/video/in-defence-of-irrationality We like to imagine ourselves as rational creatures, guided by reason, evidence, and clear-sighted goals. But psychologist Paul Bloom argues that some of the most puzzling and “perverse” things humans do—those acts that seem pointless, mischievous, even self-undermining—may hold surprising benefits. In this interview, Bloom challenges the simple dichotomy of rationality as good and irrationality as bad, urging us to think more carefully about the messy middle.... Tue, 25 Nov 2025 16:35:00 +0000 Paul Bloom https://iai.tv/video/in-defence-of-irrationality https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophy-of-performance-michelle-terry From Hollywood actors who go through extreme transformations and method actors who stay in character even when the cameras aren't rolling to classically trained Shakespeareans, there are many techniques actors use to turn themselves into another person. But is acting always an act? And where is the line between our true, authentic selves and the multitude of characters we all play each and every day?... Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:30:00 +0000 Michelle Terry https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophy-of-performance-michelle-terry https://iai.tv/video/the-blueprint-for-life Was the Human Genome Project oversold? In 2000, just three years before the mapping of human DNA was declared a success, Bill Clinton claimed: "today we are learning the language in which God created life. It will revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases.”  But while we have identified some diseases that have direct genetic markers, we have not found genes responsible for the great majority of common conditions. Nor have we found widespread genetic cures. Moreover, the initial research focussed not only on those predominantly of European descent, but largely from a single American individual, making its predictions unreliable and in some instances dangerous and life threatening. Should we challenge the idea that genes are a blueprint for life and disease?  Is the reality that other factors are responsible for our health and abilities?  Will we be able to deliver on the initial promise of the Genome Project and claims to end d... Thu, 20 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Denis Noble https://iai.tv/video/the-blueprint-for-life https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-nicola-sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon has had a profound effect on Scottish politics as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP. But what is her core philosophy of life and what were the experiences that led her to this outlook?  And how have they been changed by the reality of politics and power?  From her belief in nuclear disarmament to her campaign for independence to her resignation in 2023, join Nicola Sturgeon to discover the life — and the ideas — behind a remarkable political career. Mary Ann Sieghart hosts.  ... Wed, 19 Nov 2025 16:15:00 +0000 Nicola Sturgeon https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-nicola-sturgeon https://iai.tv/video/foreign-policy-isnt-guided-by-morality In this interview, journalist and author Simon Jenkins rejects left–right labels and explains his passion for localism across public services and government. He advocates for peace, including in Ukraine, even when it comes from difficult concessions. He's against foreign intervention, which has led to disaster after disaster and argues foreign policy should not be guided by morality, and that ultimately no one really thinks it should be.... Tue, 18 Nov 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Simon Jenkins https://iai.tv/video/foreign-policy-isnt-guided-by-morality https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-european-thought For more than a century there has been a divide in Western philosophy between two distinct approaches, often described as analytic and continental philosophy. Analytic philosophy is predominantly based in the English-speaking world taking its name from Bertrand Russell’s philosophy of logical analysis that overthrew the grand Hegelian metaphysics of the 19th century.  It did so in favour of a focus on logic and linguistic precision, with the assumption that science would do the serious work of uncovering the nature of reality. Continental philosophy, based primarily in France and Germany, has offered a broad range of outlooks on the nature of the human condition and the world. It has been defined by its critics simply in opposition to analytic philosophy.Few thinkers have bridged the divide to be taken seriously by both camps. Yet both traditions now have deep challenges.  The original focus of analytic philosophy has become increasingly blurred while in France English speak... Mon, 17 Nov 2025 11:15:00 +0000 Babette Babich https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-european-thought https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-john-gray John Gray is one of Britain’s most eminent and controversial philosophers. Known for his critiques of liberalism and the Enlightenment, Gray forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about civilisation, morality, and the illusion of progress. In this IAI interview, hear how his life experiences and career as a philosopher led him to become one of the most original and provocative voices in the contemporary Western world. From attacking humanism as a religion in disguise to authoring groundbreaking books such as Straw Dogs and The New Leviathans, John Gray is a thinker whose influence many believe will endure for decades to come. Interviewed by Andy Owen.... Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:30:00 +0000 John Gray https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-john-gray https://iai.tv/video/journalism-in-the-age-of-post-truth “A 'post-truth democracy' ... would no longer be a democracy," warned the German philosopher Habermas – a warning which could not be more relevant today. As trust in the media fractures and different accounts of the news proliferate, join Cathy Newman, Channel 4 news presenter, in this live recording of The Sacred podcast, as she is interviewed by former BBC journalist and director of Theos, Elizabeth Oldfield. The session will explore how the news is made, how the narrative is shaped, and what the role of journalism should be in our post-truth age. Drawing on her experience reporting on major domestic and international stories, Newman shows how journalists can navigate bias, perspective, and uncertainty – even in a world where total objectivity and impartiality are an illusion. ... Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Cathy Newman https://iai.tv/video/journalism-in-the-age-of-post-truth https://iai.tv/video/the-neural-border-between-mind-and-world-with-nadine-dijkstra '“The line between imagination and reality is just not so solid.”Nadine Dijkstra is a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Neurology at UCL. Her research in Imaging Neuroscience explores how the brain generates mental images and differentiates them from actual perception. Utilizing neuroimaging, psychophysics, machine learning, and computational modeling, Dijkstra addresses fundamental questions about the overlap between perception and imagery.Recently, Dijkstra has been leading the Imagine Reality Lab at UCL's Department of Imaging Neuroscience, focusing on the intersection of imagination and reality. Dijkstra's 2023 paper in Nature Communications showed the brain evaluates images against a 'reality threshold' to distinguish between images and perception. Her work also investigates how changes in these neural processes could impact mental health.... Tue, 11 Nov 2025 11:30:00 +0000 Nadine Dijkstra https://iai.tv/video/the-neural-border-between-mind-and-world-with-nadine-dijkstra https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-free-trade-and-the-new-world-economy For centuries tariffs were an obvious way to raise revenue, and protect a nation's agriculture and industry from foreign competition. Then in the mid-19th century, backed by the economic theories of Ricardo and Adam Smith, Britain abolished the Corn Laws and became the first nation to advocate free trade. Despite the temporary reintroduction of tariffs during the 1930s depression, free trade gradually became accepted as creating a prosperous, peaceful world, with more innovation and lower costs. Yet now, it is not only Trump who favours tariffs. Left-wing Democrat Bernie Sanders argues: "We must end disastrous unfettered free trade agreements with China, Mexico, and others."Is the future one where free trade is dead and high tariffs the norm? Will this rescue the declining industries of the US, protect jobs and reduce debt? Or will it undermine trade, raise prices, and lock workers into industries that in the long term will fail anyway, leading to a global recession?... Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:30:00 +0000 Isabel Woodford https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-free-trade-and-the-new-world-economy https://iai.tv/video/the-age-of-the-universe "We nailed the age of the universe", claim leading physicists. 13.7 billion years is the standard answer. And our most cherished theories - the Big Bang, dark matter, and cosmic inflation - all operate with this age and assume a finite beginning. But recent evidence from the James Webb Telescope has led some to question the age of the universe, or even if it has an age at all. Moreover, critics argue Einstein's core idea that time isn't "universal" has the consequence that assigning a single "age" to the universe is not a plausible option.Does the age of the universe represent a crisis in cosmology, and would an ageless universe upend our current models of the cosmos? Or can we overcome these challenges and determine the age of the universe once and for all? More radically, could we abandon the attempt to find a single answer and accept that different cosmological theories have different answers, each of which might have value in its particular sphere?... Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/the-age-of-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/copying-consciousness-the-future-of-mind-uploading Whole-brain emulation (often called “mind uploading” in science fiction) refers to the possible future ability to scan a human brain in such detail that a digital replica could be created, capable of functioning, and perhaps even experiencing the world, like the original. While we are far away from this now (the current record is a fruit fly) an increasing number of neuroscientists and entrepreneurs are betting that we may be closer than most think. What is happening in the world of computational neuroscience, and will the world be ready for it?... Wed, 05 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Anders Sandberg https://iai.tv/video/copying-consciousness-the-future-of-mind-uploading https://iai.tv/video/the-west-vs-the-islamic-world-with-ali-allawi With the increase in violence between Israel and Palestine, political rhetoric around the Middle East and Muslims has escalated in recent years. However, in the West, the Middle East is often portrayed as a monolithic other, mired in dictatorship, suppression and resistance against the West. In this interview with the former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Iraq, Ali Allawi, Ali argues that the situation in the Middle East is more than just about Islam or foreign powers. The Middle East will never succeed if the West imposes Western government on it, but this is not to say there is no way to push for democracy, equality, and liberalism among Middle Eastern nations. Stability, consistency, and change on its terms are all vital to ensure a prosperous Middle East.... Tue, 04 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Ali Allawi https://iai.tv/video/the-west-vs-the-islamic-world-with-ali-allawi https://iai.tv/video/how-words-warp-reality Language shapes how we think, remember, and reason. But does it help us to uncover the fundamental nature of reality? Join the author of Language vs. Reality and linguistic anthropologist, Nick Enfield, as he explores why language excels at persuasion but falters at faithfully representing reality. From media spin to courtroom rhetoric, he reveals how words reframe our world, often without us noticing. Drawing on two decades of research, Enfield shows why understanding the limits and power of language is essential in an age of misinformation and cognitive bias.... Mon, 03 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Nick Enfield https://iai.tv/video/how-words-warp-reality https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-the-right At the outset of the use of the term, to be on the right was to back the aristocracy, authority and the status quo. In contrast, the liberals, known as Whigs in 18th century Britain, backed change, freedom and the rights of the individual. But in recent decades to be in favour of the free market and against the state itself came to be seen as right-wing. Now there's a further twist. The new populist right, often described as far right by its critics, has become critical of some aspects of the free market. Trump's tariffs are in support of current jobs and against the market. Le Pen is against big corporations. Reform in favour of state ownership of key services.Is the populist right opposed to liberalism and the free market? Does this mark a change in what it is to be right-wing, or was it a mistake to see populism as far right in the first place? Or is there an unavoidable conflict on the right between maintaining the status quo and being conservative, and enabling change th... Thu, 30 Oct 2025 16:27:00 +0000 Roger Hearing https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-the-right https://iai.tv/video/the-metaphysics-of-quantum-mechanics-alyssa-ney 100 years after the invention of quantum mechanics, physicists and philosophers continue to debate its meaning. Many see quantum mechanics as supporting a picture of the world according to which objects can affect each other immediately over great distances, a puzzling phenomenon Einstein called "spooky action at a distance." But this seems to violate relativity theory. Is there a way to accept the startling experimental results supporting quantum mechanics without spooky action at a distance? Alyssa Ney describes some fascinating recent proposals ranging from the picture of the quantum world as a wave function in higher dimensions to the many worlds theory.... Wed, 29 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Alyssa Ney https://iai.tv/video/the-metaphysics-of-quantum-mechanics-alyssa-ney https://iai.tv/video/hilary-lawson-on-god-the-world-and-what-exists Providing an alternative way in which to hold reality, the theory of closure takes the world to be open and disconnected from the language we use to describe it. In this interview with Closer to Truth's Robert Lawrence Kuhn, philosopher Hilary Lawson explains his theory of closure and demonstrates how we can have useful and effective ways of intervening in the world even though we don't have truth. He shows how closure can be applied to scientific models, and explains why the framework of Closure has been so popular with some theologians.Part two of two.... Tue, 28 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/hilary-lawson-on-god-the-world-and-what-exists https://iai.tv/video/girl-power The New York Times proclaimed last year that girls rule the internet, thanks in part to the success of the Barbie movie and Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. But, while stereotypical femininity made an unexpected comeback, it remains unknown what femininity is or what a more feminine world looks like. Feminists themselves disagree. Second-wave feminists reject traditional feminine aesthetics, while third-wave feminists often celebrate them. The Barbie movie had a feminist narrative, but it still led to a 136% rise in searches for clothing with traditional Barbie aesthetics. Should we reject the re-introduction of traditional feminine stereotypes as undermining of the core goals of feminism? Should we focus on practical matters like the defence of equal pay and abortion rights? Or is the female/male binary at fault and do we need to give up categorising people or behaviours as feminine in the first place? ... Mon, 27 Oct 2025 19:30:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/girl-power https://iai.tv/video/in-search-of-nothing At first sight, the idea of 'nothing' appears a straight-forward concept, being simply the absence of any 'thing'. However, for centuries, philosophers and scientists have grappled with this unexpectedly perplexing idea. 'Nothing' is an absence so absolute that even defining it becomes problematic. We might imagine ‘nothing’ as the void, the empty vacuum of space, but in contemporary physics 'nothing' is nowhere to be found. In quantum field theory, even the vacuum of space is teeming with quantum fluctuations, and in general relativity, empty space still retains a minimum energy. But to be true nothingness, our possible candidate would need to lack time, space, matter, energy, and relation to the rest of the universe. Meanwhile in philosophy, from Hegel to Sartre, many have placed 'nothing' at the centre of their philosophical accounts of the world, but do so in part by maintaining the picture of nothing as an unfathomable mystery. Should we conclude that 'nothing' is an im... Thu, 23 Oct 2025 12:30:00 +0000 David Deutsch https://iai.tv/video/in-search-of-nothing https://iai.tv/video/lessons-for-the-left Populist parties like Reform are reshaping the political landscape. But what does their rise reveal about the Left’s failure to connect with voters? Join Britain’s longest-serving female MP, Diane Abbott, as she explores why traditional appeals from the progressive left no longer resonate and what must change. From campaign messaging to class politics, she draws on decades in Parliament to uncover where left-wing populism has gone wrong, and what it will take to build a movement that truly speaks to those left behind.... Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:50:00 +0000 Diane Abbott https://iai.tv/video/lessons-for-the-left https://iai.tv/video/norman-ohler-on-hitler-and-the-nazis-little-known-drug-habit In this interview, Norman Ohler expands on his book 'Blitzed', arguing that the Nazis wouldn't have been such an effective fighting force without Methamphetamine, but that it was also part of what led to their ultimate failure. He also explains the drugs Hitler himself used to boost his charisma. On his other book 'Tripped', he charts the history of LSD from Nazi experiments, to MKUltra and the CIA, and gives his personal views on the controversial drug.... Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:00:00 +0000 Norman Ohler https://iai.tv/video/norman-ohler-on-hitler-and-the-nazis-little-known-drug-habit https://iai.tv/video/hilary-lawson-on-reality-and-the-illusion-of-truth Providing an alternative way in which to hold reality, the theory of closure takes the world to be open and disconnected from the language we use to describe it. In this interview with Closer to Truth's Robert Lawrence Kuhn, philosopher Hilary Lawson explains his theory of closure and demonstrates how we can have useful and effective ways of intervening in the world even though we don't have truth. He shows how closure can be applied to scientific models, and explains why the framework of Closure has been so popular with some theologians.Part one of two.... Mon, 20 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/hilary-lawson-on-reality-and-the-illusion-of-truth https://iai.tv/video/the-holy-grail-of-economics Every leader and government wants economic growth. But how to achieve it is far from clear and some argue, unknown. Since the financial crisis of 2008, European economies have seen low growth, stagnant wages and in recent years high inflation. Germany has had growth close to zero, with Britain only one percent or so higher. Yet in the same period, China and India have both risen 300%. Elsewhere, the IMF predicts the typical developed nation will only grow by 1.5% this year. Meanwhile, global debt has been on an ever-rising curve, now well over double global GDP, with the US paying over $1 trillion on interest payments on its debt alone – a figure higher than its Defence Budget.Can leading European nations reverse their relative economic decline and find a means to return to higher rates of growth, and rising living standards? Is increased debt a brake on growth or the means to instigate it? Or should we accept Europe's economic decline is unavoidable and see other goals and a... Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:50:00 +0000 Cahal Moran https://iai.tv/video/the-holy-grail-of-economics https://iai.tv/video/the-biology-of-conflict Conflicts between nations, religions, races, ethnicities, and political camps abound. Social media amplifies and inflames emotions. Can human biology offer a reason for, and a way out of, our modern polarisation? For example, is nationalism rooted in evolution and early allegiances to the tribe that increased fitness for survival and procreation? Humans will bear any burden, and endure any hardship, to protect even the pride of the group, which today is usually nation-states or ethnicities. Join Robert Lawrence Kuhn, creator and host of Closer to Truth, alongside philosophers Massimo Pigliucci and John Dupré, and neuroscientist Maria Balaet to explore the biology of conflict  ... Wed, 15 Oct 2025 12:20:00 +0000 Robert Lawrence Kuhn https://iai.tv/video/the-biology-of-conflict https://iai.tv/video/why-we-worship-without-knowing-it-with-alain-de-botton What if belief isn’t the only path to the sacred? In this deeply reflective IAI Studio at HowTheLightGetsIn London 2025, Alain de Botton joins Alex O’Connor (Cosmic Skeptic) to ask how we can rediscover meaning, ritual, and reverence in a secular age. Can philosophy replace what religion once offered, a sense of awe, community, and moral grounding? Or have we lost something essential in our rush to abandon faith? Drawing on his bestselling book Religion for Atheists, de Botton explores how ancient spiritual traditions still shape our emotions, relationships, and search for transcendence, even when we think we’ve moved beyond belief.From art galleries that echo the grandeur of cathedrals, to the philosophy classroom’s forgotten roots in questions of life and death, this conversation uncovers the religious impulses that continue to pulse beneath modern secular life. De Botton argues that we still crave the structures, rituals, and shared meaning that religion once provided, we ... Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:30:00 +0000 Alex O'Connor https://iai.tv/video/why-we-worship-without-knowing-it-with-alain-de-botton https://iai.tv/video/tim-maudlin-why-imaginary-numbers-are-central-to-quantum-physics Why do imaginary numbers appear at the foundation of quantum mechanics? This question, which puzzled even great physicists like Eugene Wigner, opens up deeper issues about what it means to explain features of the mathematical formalism used in physical theory. Join philosopher of science Tim Maudlin as he explores that question through the lens of quantum dynamics, arguing that the appearance of complex numbers in Schrödinger’s equation is not arbitrary, but motivated by the need for a particular kind of wave-like structure in fundamental dynamics. ... Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Tim Maudlin https://iai.tv/video/tim-maudlin-why-imaginary-numbers-are-central-to-quantum-physics https://iai.tv/video/a-world-without-morality From the Crusades to the fight against Hitler, from US intervention in Vietnam to the Iraq war, morality has often been used to validate military campaigns and foreign policy goals. Yet Trump's emphasis on "America First" makes little attempt to hold the moral high ground and declares self-interest alone. Securing US mineral rights in Ukraine is not proposed as a moral strategy. Meanwhile, Sweden's Foreign Minister recently renounced the aim of being a "moral great power" and the UK has embraced "realism" in foreign affairs. While many warn that discarding morality leads to a world where might is right, others point to the terrors carried out in the name of morality, from the Inquisition to the Nazis, who devised moral justifications to defend their crimes.  In world affairs, are we facing a new age where moral claims are abandoned in favour of self-interest? Given radically different national perspectives, are the universal claims of morality implausible? Or is a language o... Thu, 09 Oct 2025 15:10:00 +0000 John Mearsheimer https://iai.tv/video/a-world-without-morality https://iai.tv/video/the-delusions-of-the-digital-age From gender ideology to COVID lockdowns, the author of We Need to Talk About Kevin and the recent novel Mania, Lionel Shriver, argues that society is beginning to experience episodes of societal derangement due to our increased immersion in the digital world. Join Shriver as she unmasks the fraud and deception behind these social manias and suggests a path forward to escape the grip of these delusions, which threaten not just free speech, but our way of life.... Wed, 08 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Lionel Shriver https://iai.tv/video/the-delusions-of-the-digital-age https://iai.tv/video/the-philosopher-behind-jd-vance In the West, we have assumed that democracy is the best form of government, if imperfect. As Churchill famously said, "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." Curtis Yarvin disagrees. He thinks there are better alternatives. Described as "The Philosopher Behind JD Vance," Yarvin's critiques of liberalism and democracy have been embraced by Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, as well as by the Vice President himself. Join Curtis Yarvin as he is interviewed on his radical political philosophy. Interviewed by host of The Rest is Politics and Tony Blair's Head of Communications Alastair Campbell. ... Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:35:00 +0000 Alastair Campbell https://iai.tv/video/the-philosopher-behind-jd-vance https://iai.tv/video/dimensions-of-the-unknown We think of dimensions as central to reality. The three dimensions of space — up and down, forwards and backwards, left and right — we take for granted. Some hold time as a fourth. But critics maintain dimensions aren't fundamental to the universe, and instead are a way of viewing the world. Different theories of reality propose radically different numbers of dimensions. String theory, for example, proposes up to 26 dimensions, while the holographic principle posits there might just be 2. In the last two decades, the discovery of an equivalence between a certain gravitational theory of the universe and a lower-dimensional non-gravitational one, some argue, shows us that dimensions are not fundamental to reality after all. Making sense of the world through ""dimensions"", others claim, was a historical accident of Ancient Greece.Are dimensions merely part of a mathematical framework used to account for what we observe? Should we see them not only as sometimes misguided, but a... Mon, 06 Oct 2025 19:30:00 +0000 Robert Lawrence Kuhn https://iai.tv/video/dimensions-of-the-unknown https://iai.tv/video/technology-and-freedom From Karl Marx to Elon Musk, many have claimed that in the right hands, technology is a liberating force for good. But there is increasing challenge to this notion, with figures from Obama to Tim Berners-Lee warning that Big Tech poses serious threats to autonomy and freedom. As a result, many now argue we need to escape from Big Tech and its addictive character. But it's unknown if this is achievable. Critics argue Big Tech, through algorithms and data, manipulates our actions and choices in every aspect of our lives, so that human autonomy has already been radically undermined. Opting out is almost impossible. And Cambridge studies show anti-tech platforms, claiming to combat Big Tech addiction, often only replicate it in another form. Should we conclude that technology has undermined our freedom and we are no longer in control of our decisions and behaviour? Do we need to evolve digital rights to resist manipulation and provide self-governance, and will this work? Or migh... Thu, 02 Oct 2025 18:30:00 +0000 Timothy Nguyen https://iai.tv/video/technology-and-freedom https://iai.tv/video/massive-gravity-and-the-dark-energy-enigma-claudia-de-rham The mainstream view among physicists is that dark energy, a phenomenon we cannot directly observe, makes up 68% of the universe. But according to leading theoretical physicist Claudia de Rham the status quo in physics is wrong. Join her as she reveals how great minds, from Newton and Einstein to Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose, led her to radically rethink gravity. The result is a new theory called "massive gravity," that eliminates the need for dark energy altogether.... Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Claudia de Rham https://iai.tv/video/massive-gravity-and-the-dark-energy-enigma-claudia-de-rham https://iai.tv/video/migrant-forms As the world's  borders tighten and exclusion is the norm, migrant art is not a side story but a challenge to the way we think and see. These “migrant forms” do not merely depict suffering, they transform it into new knowledge and new ways of belonging. Everyday objects become carriers of memory, self-expression becomes an act of resistance, and art itself becomes a space where the displaced reclaim presence and agency. This is not art for sympathy but art that unsettles, forcing us to confront the politics of exclusion and imagine a world in which solidarity is not charity but shared life.... Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:00:00 +0000 Rowan Williams https://iai.tv/video/migrant-forms https://iai.tv/video/why-youre-probably-getting-poorer Why, despite being at the richest point in human history, do most people feel like they're getting poorer? While our politicians seem only to be able to tinker at the edges and propose more of the same. Join Cahal Moran, also known as Unlearning Economics, as he argues that the economy is set up to fail and we need to free economics from its self-imposed straightjacket. Only then can we make the economy work for all.... Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:17:00 +0000 Cahal Moran https://iai.tv/video/why-youre-probably-getting-poorer https://iai.tv/video/the-story-of-the-universe Of all the sciences, it is physics that has been seen as the key to understanding everything. As Feynman said, "physics is the most fundamental." But might its dominance be over? Could other sciences find themselves at the centre of our worldview? Critics argue that there has been little advance in core physics in the last fifty years. Numerous ideas have been proposed from supersymmetry to string theory, but few have been experimentally verified. A theory of everything - once thought to be close - is a distant mirage, and its original proponent Stephen Hawking abandoned the idea as impossible. Meanwhile, from complex chemical and social systems to computer science and information, other sciences have been proposed as the central core of our understanding. Should we stop thinking that physics holds the key to the universe? Should we give up on the notion of an underlying reality, and accept that we have only competing accounts of the world? Or is it too soon to consider aban... Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:22:00 +0000 Ivette Fuentes https://iai.tv/video/the-story-of-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/the-importance-of-giving-up As a child, Einstein was reportedly called "slow" by his teachers, JK Rowling's Harry Potter was rejected 12 times by publishers, and Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper for "lacking imagination"; where would we be if these figures had given up? And yet, psychoanalyst Adam Phillips argues that, for most of us, refusing to give up has dark and hidden consequences. Instead, he argues, we should be constantly open to revising ourselves and opposing the tyranny of completion.... Wed, 24 Sep 2025 17:35:00 +0000 Claudia Canavan https://iai.tv/video/the-importance-of-giving-up https://iai.tv/video/slavoj-zizek-on-the-madness-of-reality What does quantum physics have to do with how we think about history? How can philosophy illuminate us about politics, from feminism and capitalism, to our everyday lives? Are we getting dumber as we enter a post-human era? Join this expansive and ideas-packed exclusive interview with globally renowned philosopher and cultural critic, Slavoj Žižek, to find out.... Tue, 23 Sep 2025 15:15:00 +0000 Slavoj Žižek https://iai.tv/video/slavoj-zizek-on-the-madness-of-reality https://iai.tv/video/democracy-gender-and-the-future-of-politics Across the world, women are voting significantly differently from men. Until the recent US election, it looked as if this was an increasing trend. But it is now unclear whether the male/female voting gap has peaked or whether the US election was just an outlier. In all countries, women are more left-wing and men are more right-wing. In some cases, the gap is large. In the 2022 South Korean elections, there was a 30% vote difference. In Germany and across much of Europe, there is a similar gap amongst the young. But in the 2024 US election, more young female voters voted for Trump than in the last election, and the male/female voting gap for young people was just 2%.  Should we see the gender divide as an important, seismic, and long-term shift in politics? Is this the reason that traditionally left-leaning young men are, for the first time, voting for the right? Or is the voting gender divide a temporary phenomenon that is already starting to close?... Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000 David Goodhart https://iai.tv/video/democracy-gender-and-the-future-of-politics https://iai.tv/video/the-language-of-the-unconscious "The unconscious is structured like a language,” argued psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. And now, with the rise of AI, Lacan's thinking has taken an unexpected twist. Large language models can produce the impression of a human speaking. Might AI therefore capture something key about the human unconscious? Join leading Lacanian philosopher and collaborator of Slavoj Žižek, Alenka Zupančič, as she argues that AI shows the unconscious is structured like a large language model.... Wed, 17 Sep 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Alenka Zupančič https://iai.tv/video/the-language-of-the-unconscious https://iai.tv/video/chatgpt-doesnt-understand-anything-with-michael-wooldridge In this interview, Michael Wooldridge explores what it will take for machines to achieve higher-order reasoning, the challenges and ethical consequences that come with this pursuit, and what these developments mean for the future of AI and society at large. ... Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:10:00 +0000 Michael Wooldridge https://iai.tv/video/chatgpt-doesnt-understand-anything-with-michael-wooldridge https://iai.tv/video/a-world-that-cares We are constantly told to be more productive, more efficient and more successful. This pursuit of individual perfection, however, is taking its toll on our physical and mental well-being. And whilst we all know that caring for others — children, the sick, the elderly, the mentally ill — and caring for ourselves is important, in the marketplace it is treated as the lowest priority. Care jobs are amongst the lowest paid. So what would it take to create an economy that values care — given the fact we will all rely on it one day? Join UC Irvine professor Catherine Liu, economist Tim Jackson, and journalist David Goodhart. as they debate how to build hope in a world that doesn't care.... Mon, 15 Sep 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Catherine LIu https://iai.tv/video/a-world-that-cares https://iai.tv/video/the-collapse-of-the-wave-function 'The collapse of the wave function' is a phrase we see constantly in relation to quantum physics. Whilst many claim to understand what it means, its true character remains unknown. A century ago, Heisenberg showed that when looking at the very small, particles could be in two places at once. That is, until the mysterious 'wavefunction collapse' occurs: the particle 'chooses' one location when measured. But there is no agreement on what 'collapse' means and, therefore, how the ordinary-looking world emerges. And if quantum mechanics is merely a mathematical law, what are the 'weird' objects it describes the dynamics of? Some see the wave function as a mathematical law, others as a real object. But 75% of physicists won’t commit to the wave function being real. If there are no real objects at this level, does this not make uncovering what 'collapse' means an impossible task, short-hand for ‘between unreal and real’?Might 'the collapse of the wave function' be an Emperor's New C... Thu, 11 Sep 2025 16:15:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/the-collapse-of-the-wave-function https://iai.tv/video/beliefism-paul-dolan Do you avoid people who are strongly against immigration? Or strongly for trans rights? Against abortion? For drug legalisation? We might like to think that we're tolerant, but many of us struggle to engage with people whose opinions differ strongly from our own, even if they might have something useful to contribute to the debate. That means we're falling victim to what behavioural scientist Professor Paul Dolan defines as beliefism: discrimination against those with beliefs different to our own.... Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Paul Dolan https://iai.tv/video/beliefism-paul-dolan https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophy-of-reform-with-richard-tice The UK political establishment has been rocked by the rapid success of Reform UK, which is currently the most popular party in the UK by polling. But what ideas guide them? And how do they break the traditional left-right divide? In this interview with the IAI's editorial director, Hilary Lawson, deputy chairman of Reform Richard Tice argues his party's success comes from borrowing ideas from across the political spectrum to forge a new path. Tice sets out the philosophy behind his party, getting away from strict ideologies and embracing 'smart' politics, and how to avoid the concerning history of past parties that embraced a mixture of nationalism and socialism.... Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:31:00 +0000 Richard Tice https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophy-of-reform-with-richard-tice https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-and-fall-of-identity-politics While the Left has campaigned for minority groups since the Civil Rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s, it was in the 1990s that identity politics was more explicitly adopted as a central electoral strategy by many on the left. The idea of seeing the Left as a broad coalition of minority groups was further extended by figures like Obama and Corbyn in the 2010s. But many argue the tide has turned. With seemingly popular and ever more explicit anti-woke rhetoric from Trump, Farage, Le Pen and Meloni, and many large corporations including Amazon, Meta and Accenture following their lead by ending some diversity initiatives, there are now claims the era of identity politics is over and it is no longer an election-winning strategy for the Left. Has identity politics outlived its usefulness, and is it time for the Left to move on? Should the Left return to a more traditional focus on economic and class issues? Or does the Left need to find a new contemporary identity altogether ... Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:30:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-and-fall-of-identity-politics https://iai.tv/video/to-infinity-and-beyond For millennia, contemplating infinity has sent even the greatest minds into a spin. But how can we get to grips with infinity? And how can we wrap our heads around the infinite number of infinities?In this exclusive talk, Marcus du Sautoy explores the complex issues at stake and reveals how mathematics can help crack the infinity puzzle.... Wed, 03 Sep 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Marcus Du Sautoy https://iai.tv/video/to-infinity-and-beyond https://iai.tv/video/organisms-are-processes-not-things-with-wahida-khandker We tend to think of the world as divided into bits and things. From microscopic atoms to massive stars to everyday objects like books and chairs, the view that the world is carved up is deeply embedded in our lives. But could this be a radical mistake? Is reality really about processes, not things? In this exclusive IAI interview, join philosopher Wahida Khandker as she makes the case that we should abandon our traditional views about reality and view the world in terms of processes rather than objects. Interviewed by Alasdair Craig.... Tue, 02 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Wahida Khandker https://iai.tv/video/organisms-are-processes-not-things-with-wahida-khandker https://iai.tv/video/out-of-our-minds From caffeine and alcohol to cannabis, from ketamine to ecstasy, psychoactive intoxicants are widely found in Western culture. Although in some cases illegal, and potentially addictive, they are in large part seen as relatively unimportant additions to our lives. But their use is found across the globe and it seems cultures have always used them. Yet their real function and purpose is unknown. From the peyote of the Maya and Aztecs to the amanita mushrooms of Russian shamans, across the world psychoactives are found in religious and spiritual ceremonies stretching back thousands of years. Historians argue the dominant drug in a culture can have profound consequences. Some claim the arrival of caffeine replaced the haziness of alcohol with the clarity of coffee, initiating the Enlightenment through the coffee house debating culture and the formation of intellectual elites.Should we regard psychoactive intoxicants as central to culture and thought, and are some preferable to ot... Mon, 01 Sep 2025 13:20:00 +0000 Norman Ohler https://iai.tv/video/out-of-our-minds https://iai.tv/video/draining-the-swamp "As government expands, liberty contracts," said Ronald Reagan. And the right has for decades been associated with keeping government as small as possible. But it is unclear whether a small state is compatible with goals widely held by others on the Right. The famed 19th century Tory Prime Minister, Disraeli laid the ground for a state that sought to provide education, alleviate poverty, and safeguard workers.  Principles that most on the Right still endorse. And figures like Trump and Le Pen want the state to intervene to control immigration and revive local businesses.  They certainly don't want all of the state to disappear.  A far cry from the libertarian calls of Ayn Rand, or the anarcho-capitalist stance of Argentine premier Milei: 'the state is a criminal organisation'.   Does the Right need a powerful state to deliver its goals?  Or should the eradication of the state be its primary aim?  Or is the deeper issue here that these conflicting approaches should not both b... Thu, 28 Aug 2025 11:30:00 +0000 David Goodhart https://iai.tv/video/draining-the-swamp https://iai.tv/video/the-struggle-for-the-good-life We all want to live the good life. But how many of us can claim to be truly content? Join philosopher and evolutionary biologist Massimo Pigliucci as he argues that pleasure, character, and a healthy dose of doubt, form the basis of the good life, and that purpose in life is crucial to realising our potential.... Wed, 27 Aug 2025 15:30:00 +0000 Massimo Pigliucci https://iai.tv/video/the-struggle-for-the-good-life https://iai.tv/video/why-politics-should-be-the-focus-of-feminism-with-catherine-mayer Catherine Mayer is a writer, activist and the co-founder and President of the Women's Equality Party. She started her career in journalism at The Economist, and later joined TIME where she worked her way up to become the Editor at Large. In this interview she discusses feminism and the ways in which online culture can polarise people. Interviewed by Oliver Adelson. ... Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Catherine Mayer https://iai.tv/video/why-politics-should-be-the-focus-of-feminism-with-catherine-mayer https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-entanglement The behaviour of particles in the quantum world is very different from our everyday experience and classical physics. In quantum physics, we cannot fully predict the outcomes of individual events, and particles that have interacted can exhibit correlations over large distances, a phenomenon known as 'entanglement'. This phenomenon is known as 'non-locality', something Einstein famously dismissed as 'spooky action at a distance'. Join philosopher of science, Tim Maudlin, theoretical physicists Jacob A. Barandes and Ivette Fuentes as they debate the future of quantum mechanics and explore the evidence for reality being non-local.... Mon, 25 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Tim Maudlin https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-entanglement https://iai.tv/video/after-postmodernism Hugely influential in the latter decades of the 20th century, postmodernism transformed many academic disciplines and culture at large. Associated with an attack on objective truth and the uniqueness of meaning, it called into question the whole edifice of knowledge which Western culture had previously glorified. But it left many lost, and in the wake of a polarising post-truth world, there is a widespread recognition that we need to move on. Feminist and post-colonial critics though claim there is a danger that instead we risk retreating to the questionable certainties of the past. Alongside defenders of objective truth like Richard Dawkins and Noam Chomsky, figures like Jordan Peterson argue for a return to moral certainties and belief in the existence of God.Are there viable alternatives to postmodernism that are not simply a return to belief in universal truth? Are metamodernism or model-theoretic realism possible ways forward? Or is the chaos initiated by postmodernism s... Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Robin Van den Akker https://iai.tv/video/after-postmodernism https://iai.tv/video/the-new-world-order-and-the-fight-for-democracy The world as we know it is in a precarious point. With the US in retreat, open war in Ukraine, and Europe looking inward for strength, how we should navigate this new world order has come into sharp focus.Join former UK Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind, and veteran journalist and international correspondent, Roger Hearing, as they come together to dissect the shifting landscape of global politics, diplomacy, and conflict. From the war in Ukraine to rising geopolitical tensions and the future of democracy, this conversation offers sharp insights and thoughtful analysis on the pressing challenges shaping our world today. ... Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:30:00 +0000 Malcolm Rifkind https://iai.tv/video/the-new-world-order-and-the-fight-for-democracy https://iai.tv/video/einsteins-biggest-blunder-with-claudia-de-rham What does it mean to tinker with gravity itself, to tweak the force that we all feel? Claudia de Rham, an award-winning theoretical physicist and trained pilot, deep-sea diver and astronaut, takes us there. In this exclusive interview, she explores the enduring mystery of the cosmological constant, Einstein’s ‘greatest blunder’, and the proclaimed ‘worst prediction in the physics’: quantum vacuum fluctuations should exert colossal gravitational effects, yet the universe expands so gently we barely notice. Where does dark energy fit into the story and what truth might we uncover? De Rham probes whether general relativity could break on cosmic scales, and what happens when we give the graviton a mass. From higher-dimensional escapes to gravitational waves that nearly travel at light speed, she invites us into the playful, profound frontier of gravity’s nature, and our evolving understanding of the cosmos.... Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:30:00 +0000 Claudia de Rham https://iai.tv/video/einsteins-biggest-blunder-with-claudia-de-rham https://iai.tv/video/trouble-with-temptation We are all tempted by short-term pleasures. But, as Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus counselled, pleasure can be so much more than simply giving into temptation. Join Jordan Stephens, one-half of the chart-topping hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks, for an intimate interview on how giving into short-term desires is not only destructive to our health but also to our creativity. Rather, true pleasure is found in grappling with our vulnerability and embracing grief, heartbreak and the chaos of life. ... Mon, 18 Aug 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Paul Dolan https://iai.tv/video/trouble-with-temptation https://iai.tv/video/the-unconscious-mind The idea of the unconscious was first coined by the German philosopher Schelling in the early 19th century and introduced to a British audience by Coleridge. And it was Freud who put the unconscious centre stage, declaring the unconscious mind "true." Jung went further arguing it contained "the whole spiritual heritage of mankind's evolution." Modern psychology though remains critical, with the majority of cognitive scientists viewing such theories as unscientific. But it is unclear whether we can escape some notion of the unconscious. Yale critic Harold Bloom argued that such ideas "are impossible to evade," for they permeate our understanding of internal conflict and primal impulses. While some claim neuroscience confirms the notion that unconscious processing is a key aspect of brain function.   Should we see the unconscious as a real phenomenon that is a central part of being human? Is the unconscious an essential element of psychology and philosophy? Or is it a dangerou... Thu, 14 Aug 2025 11:02:00 +0000 Jack Symes https://iai.tv/video/the-unconscious-mind https://iai.tv/video/stranger-than-fiction It is often said that contemporary politics is like a work of fiction that has come to life. Might fiction be able to uncover more about our real-life political timeline than non-fiction ever could? Join best-selling authors Catherine Mayer and Mary Ann Sieghart as they discuss how science fiction can shed light on our present political reality. By combining time travel with populism, and exploring the unintended consequences of advanced technology, they uncover what the future might hold in a dangerous and dysfunctional world. ... Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/stranger-than-fiction https://iai.tv/video/the-untold-power-of-small-states-with-armen-sarkissian Great powers dominate geopolitics. China, America and Russia dominate the headlines, and since Trump's election, the US seems to be more interested in flexing its power than upholding liberal norms. But amid this story, how should small states carve out an advantage? Should they pair up with a great power or play the hegemons off each other? In this interview with the former President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian argues that small states have tremendous advantages to carve out niches. As a former quantum physicist, Armen outlines his theory of quantum geopolitics and argues small, smart states have the power to dominate the 21st century.... Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Armen Sarkissian https://iai.tv/video/the-untold-power-of-small-states-with-armen-sarkissian https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-populism From Le Pen to Farage, Meloni to Trump, the rise of populism has changed the face of politics in Europe and America. But where it is leading is disputed. It is not even clear where to place populism on the political spectrum. Described by its critics as "far right," while these parties are nationalistic and oppose immigration, some of the policies have seemingly socialist leanings and appeal to voters who traditionally voted on the left. Le Pen for example is critical of the free market and wants to increase taxes on large corporations. Some populism is even imperialistic. With Trump's territorial ambitions on Greenland and Canada, the most fearful draw parallels with the 1930s, where "national socialism" was the way the Nazis described themselves. Supporters claim this parallel is a baseless smear.  Has populist nationalism redrawn the political categories of right and left? Is history relevant, and might populism lead to tyranny and racism?  Or is populism an attack on a l... Thu, 07 Aug 2025 13:03:00 +0000 Aaron Maté https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-populism https://iai.tv/video/hacking-our-way-out-of-the-universe From Descartes to The Matrix, the idea that reality might be a simulation has long fascinated and terrified humanity. Elon Musk recently argued that the simulation hypothesis is most likely true. But if that's the case, might there be a way to escape back to the real world? Join leading computer scientist Roman Yampolskiy as he argues that if we are living in a simulation, we can also hack our way out of it.... Wed, 06 Aug 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Roman Yampolskiy https://iai.tv/video/hacking-our-way-out-of-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/reason-replication-and-reality-with-john-ioannidis In 2005, John Ioannidis published an essay titled "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False," now the most accessed article in the history of the Public Library of Science. Ioannidis' essay argued the way researchers use statistics means that most of their results, in medical science and several other domains, are false. Join Ioannidis for a wide-ranging interview covering his work and whether he believes there is a crisis in the sciences.... Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:10:00 +0000 John Ioannidis https://iai.tv/video/reason-replication-and-reality-with-john-ioannidis https://iai.tv/video/kith-and-kin Philosophers have not traditionally given much thought to parenting. But with fewer and fewer people choosing to have children and birth rates dangerously in decline, it is perhaps time to look more radically at how we bring up children. Central to our lives and society, it is something we have thought to be known and understood. But recent studies show 82% of parents show signs of burnout, defined by things like anxiety and depression. And almost half of all children experience the family splitting up during childhood. Some turn to anthropology for the answer, citing hunter-gather ancestors, where children were looked after by many in the tribe, while some radical feminists call for the abolition of the nuclear family and a modern style of communal living where responsibility for children is shared.  Do we need to adopt fundamentally different ways of raising children? Might they address gender inequalities, raise the birth rate, and improve the experience of childhood?  Or... Mon, 04 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Harvey Whitehouse https://iai.tv/video/kith-and-kin https://iai.tv/video/the-diagnosis-delusion When ill, we want a name for our condition or an answer to what is the matter. And Western medicine makes it look as if, with sufficient technology, all can be solved. But the character of illness and disease is more puzzling and unknown than we suppose. The stark fact of the matter is that, despite the successes of Western medicine, in 50% of cases, there is no evidence for the effectiveness of treatment. Illnesses are experienced very differently by different individuals, and some argue the name fails to identify an underlying cause, resulting in over-diagnosis. A 2010 study showed up to 60% of lung and prostate cancer diagnoses identify cases where no symptoms and no death would appear if left untreated.Should we discard the idea that diseases are well-defined entities and give up the demand for an illness to be given a name? Are there aspects of modern medicine that have strayed too far from the holistic understanding of the past? Or should we trust that, over time, medi... Thu, 31 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0000 Gina Rippon https://iai.tv/video/the-diagnosis-delusion https://iai.tv/video/the-seduction-of-advertising-barry-c-smith Our senses inform every decision and choice we make, especially the food and drink we consume and the products we buy. Companies all around the world spend millions on advertising to make sure they attract our attention and ensure we pick up their product. From using the colour red because it is believed to stimulate our appetite, to making sure drink cans make just the right "pop" sound when they open, our senses are constantly being manipulated. Join the founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses, Barry C. Smith, to explore the power of our senses and how this power is used against us. ... Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:15:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-seduction-of-advertising-barry-c-smith https://iai.tv/video/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-end-of-capitalism Capitalism has ended, and seemingly no one noticed, at least that's what renowned economist Yanis Varoufakis believes. In this new era of technofeudalism, companies enclose their fiefdoms within which they decide how people enter the market and how sellers advertise their wares. In this interview, Yanis covers the method behind Donald Trump, how Trump's understanding of global power makes some sense, whether a trade war with China can be won, and the massive opportunity Europe is about to miss.... Tue, 29 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Yanis Varoufakis https://iai.tv/video/yanis-varoufakis-on-the-end-of-capitalism https://iai.tv/video/a-landscape-of-consciousness Scientists and philosophers have no agreed theory of how consciousness emerges from physical processes in the brain. Join Closer to Truth's Robert Lawrence Kuhn as he surveys the possible answers, material and non-material, to the perennial question of consciousness, and explores the implications the most promising theories have for our ideas about meaning, artificial intelligence, and survival beyond physical death. Hilary Lawson hosts. ... Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:30:00 +0000 Robert Lawrence Kuhn https://iai.tv/video/a-landscape-of-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/the-taiwan-tripwire Communist China has always claimed Taiwan as part of the mainland and denied its right to exist. Until recently Taiwan was safe with US support and a militarily-weak China. But in recent years the statements from China have become increasingly threatening and the military build-up relentless. In response, it is unclear what should be done. Twenty years ago the US navy was more than twice that of China. Today, China has surpassed the number of US naval vessels and is adding ships at an unprecedented rate. Raising the tension further, in late 2024, unannounced, China carried out its largest naval exercise yet at the edge of Taiwan's waters. Shortly afterwards Xi declared: "No one can stop the reunification" of China and Taiwan.Should the US avoid conflict with China at all costs, and allow the invasion of Taiwan? Or must the US and the West respond to China's military build-up? Or, in the context of Trump's America, is it more likely that America and China will agree on spheres... Thu, 24 Jul 2025 16:10:00 +0000 Malcolm Rifkind https://iai.tv/video/the-taiwan-tripwire https://iai.tv/video/the-limits-of-absence From philosophy to science, metaphysics to psychology, the idea of 'nothing' is central to the universe, existence and experience as a whole.  But the nature of 'nothing' is even more bewildering than we might first imagine. Parmenides argued that non-being is impossible because thinking about nothing is still something. Join philosopher Peter van Inwagen in this talk as he explores the metaphysics of 'nothing'.... Wed, 23 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Peter van Inwagen https://iai.tv/video/the-limits-of-absence https://iai.tv/video/indian-philosophy-and-the-search-for-unity-with-jessica-frazier In our everyday lives we act as though we are all separate individuals, but is this really the case? Jessica Frazer argues reality is ultimately unified. She argues this philosophy can change the way we view the world. It can help you lose your isolated ego and escape feelings of alienation from nature and the universe. You can start to see that you are living out a strange larger pattern of mysterious provenance and immense creative power that's generating everything you've ever seen.... Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0000 Jessica Frazier https://iai.tv/video/indian-philosophy-and-the-search-for-unity-with-jessica-frazier https://iai.tv/video/the-hope-you-find-at-rock-bottom Every time the modern world feels like it's hit rock bottom, we drop further. For many, our current political climate is evidence that the world as we knew it is gone. But for radical philosopher Slavoj Žižek rock bottom, what he calls the "zero point," can be a place to retreat, rethink and regroup. In our increasingly multipolar, dangerous and populist world, join Slavoj Žižek, the man who has been called "the most dangerous philosopher in the West," who argues that the only progress we can hope for, will be found when we hit rock bottom, and only then will a path forward be possible. ... Mon, 21 Jul 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Slavoj Žižek https://iai.tv/video/the-hope-you-find-at-rock-bottom https://iai.tv/video/the-worst-prediction-in-the-history-of-science New scientific accounts of the universe are expected to fit with observation and predicted results from established theories. But at the heart of modern physics, there's reason to think this is not the case. The century-old crisis begins with Einstein’s self-proclaimed 'biggest blunder': on account of the discovery of an expanding, not static, universe, he threw out ‘the cosmological constant’ from his original equations of general relativity. But when the constant resurfaced in the ‘70s, associated with the energy of the vacuum, there was a problem: The Standard Model of particle physics predicted a value that was 120 orders of magnitude out. That’s worse than predicting an atom is the size of the universe. Unsurprisingly, it has been described as the 'worst prediction in the history of physics'. Worse still, the expansion of the universe is accelerating, and the mysterious ‘dark energy’, invented to account for this, only muddied the waters. Despite the prediction error, the major... Thu, 17 Jul 2025 15:40:00 +0000 Claudia de Rham https://iai.tv/video/the-worst-prediction-in-the-history-of-science https://iai.tv/video/psychedelics-nazi-germany-and-the-cia When Nazi Germany was defeated, the US wasn't just interested in the Third Reich's knowledge of atomic bombs. Created for medical purposes, psychedelics like LSD figured in Nazi experiments as a potential form of mind control. Join New York Times bestselling author, Norman Ohler, as he makes the controversial case for hidden connections between the Nazis, the CIA’s LSD brainwashing experimentation programme, MK Ultra, and today's so-called psychedelic renaissance.... Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Norman Ohler https://iai.tv/video/psychedelics-nazi-germany-and-the-cia https://iai.tv/video/how-neoliberalism-broke-economics-with-abby-innes In this IAI Studio interview, political economist and LSE associate professor Abby Innes argues that Britain’s governing model has more in common with the Soviet Union than many would care to admit. Drawing on her book Late Soviet Britain, Innes explores how the UK’s embrace of managerialism and economic determinism has produced a system that promises technical neutrality but delivers ideological rigidity.Do we mistakenly treat economics as an exact science? Can a political system function when economic decisions are removed from democratic debate? And has Britain’s faith in market mechanisms created a new form of central planning?... Tue, 15 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Abby Innes https://iai.tv/video/how-neoliberalism-broke-economics-with-abby-innes https://iai.tv/video/unmasking-the-mind “Psychology should be based on empirical evidence and scientific methods,” claimed the founder of its modern form, cognitive psychology.  Yet critics argue it's unknown whether psychology really has moved on from superstition, lacking empirical support and scientific rigour. Nearly two-thirds of psychological studies aren’t replicable, while 90% of social psychology is based on self-report surveys. Moreover, its replicability rate is often over 20% below those of the physical sciences, and many argue concepts like 'individual emotions', studied at length, are not universally applicable.Should we accept that scientific principles will never be able to account for behaviour and experience that is fundamentally subjective, qualitative, and context-dependent? Or would giving up the idea that psychology is a science have profound consequences for society and ourselves? More radically, should we see psychology as functioning to serve cultural and political agendas, shaping norms r... Mon, 14 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Niki Seth-Smith https://iai.tv/video/unmasking-the-mind https://iai.tv/video/after-the-west It is ten years since the IAI first hosted a debate on the end of the West. At the time, some argued this was an implausible proposal. Since then, the IAI has returned to the question a number of times and on each occasion it has seemed more likely and increasingly inevitable. Few imagined that the leaders of the Western world would themselves call its demise. That is what many now argue President Trump has done. The shift to transactional politics rather than working together within a system of shared values has placed former allies on opposing sides. And with it, the coherence of the West appears to have broken apart.But where is this leading? Will Trump's strategies make the US stronger or cement its decline? As Europe rearms, will it find a new voice to stand alongside, or perhaps against, the US and China? And most importantly, how can we navigate the new world order and avoid a catastrophic confrontation while defending ourselves, our values, and our way of life?... Thu, 10 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Yanis Varoufakis https://iai.tv/video/after-the-west https://iai.tv/video/physics-without-numbers Why do imaginary numbers appear at the foundation of quantum mechanics? This question, which puzzled even great physicists like Eugene Wigner, opens up deeper issues about what it means to explain features of the mathematical formalism used in physical theory. Join philosopher Tim Maudlin as he explores that question through the lens of quantum dynamics, arguing that the appearance of complex numbers in Schrödinger’s equation is not arbitrary, but motivated by the need for a particular kind of wave-like structure in fundamental dynamics.... Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Tim Maudlin https://iai.tv/video/physics-without-numbers https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophical-failure-of-evolutionary-psychology-with-subrena-smith Join philosopher of biology Subrena Smith in this exclusive studio interview as she argues that evolutionary psychology, the explanatory framework for understanding human behaviour from an evolutionary perspective, is impossible. Smith uncovers the hidden ideological commitments that give Darwinism the veneer of truth and proposes a framework for an alternative account of human behaviour.... Tue, 08 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Subrena Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophical-failure-of-evolutionary-psychology-with-subrena-smith https://iai.tv/video/crisis-in-the-academy Universities, long celebrated as sanctuaries of free thought and intellectual rigour, have for centuries been regarded as the best way to educate and conduct research. But increasingly, this assumption is being questioned. A recent study found that two-thirds of academics feel their freedom to teach and study is being curtailed. In 2022 alone, over 1,000 instances of content warnings or text removals were documented across UK universities. While some academics now criticise PhD programmes as a way to extract "fees and cheap labour" from students, reports suggest that most academic papers are read by an average of just ten people. More than half of respondents now say that going to university is not worth it. And in the US, graduate student debt averages over $71,000, while similar information is often freely available online.Should we call time on the age of the university and find new, innovative ways to educate people? Should we leave research and innovation to the busines... Mon, 07 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0000 Catherine LIu https://iai.tv/video/crisis-in-the-academy https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-in-the-clouds The idea of uploading our minds to the digital cloud has not only been taken seriously by Silicon Valley, but turned into a detailed business plan. Elon Musk claims digitising consciousness will revolutionise humanity, and the industry is estimated to be worth $50 billion by 2030. But it's unknown whether, in principle, we can replicate minds with computer code, or whether we should seek to do so. Critics argue we have no idea how a machine could create consciousness, and neuroscientists have yet to provide an explanation for how the brain does so. A survey of specialists by Nature found the majority thought it unlikely AI would achieve consciousness anytime soon. Should we see talk of uploading our minds to the cloud as implausible tech marketing nonsense? Should we conclude that if thought and consciousness are unobservable, it will not be possible to replicate the mind with silicon chips? Or is digital immortality such a profound and important sea change in our lives and ... Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Massimo Pigliucci https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-in-the-clouds https://iai.tv/video/human-nature-and-the-possibility-of-utopia-paul-bloom While society has made progress, humans are still fundamentally animals, with tribal loyalties and sexual-competitive natures written into our brains and bodies over millions of years of evolution. Join leading psychologist and author of Against Empathy, Paul Bloom, as he argues that human nature makes true utopia impossible. But there’s no need for extreme pessimism. Findings from developmental psychology leave room for "near-utopias"; societies in which we work with, rather than against, our human natures. ... Wed, 02 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Paul Bloom https://iai.tv/video/human-nature-and-the-possibility-of-utopia-paul-bloom https://iai.tv/video/the-case-for-radical-feminism-with-finn-mackay Finn Mackay is a leading voice in British feminist activism. The founder of the London Feminist Network and the force behind the revival of the national Reclaim the Night march, Finn explores the core ideas of radical feminism and challenges gender norms in a reactive patriarchal society.... Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Finn Mackay https://iai.tv/video/the-case-for-radical-feminism-with-finn-mackay https://iai.tv/video/the-russia-hoax The US and the rest of the West have been embroiled in disputes over Russia allegedly manipulating the outcome of both the 2016 and 2024 US elections. But is Russia guilty? Join left-wing journalist Aaron Maté as he argues that Russiagate was a falsehood perpetrated by the leadership of both political parties that directly led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  ... Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Aaron Maté https://iai.tv/video/the-russia-hoax https://iai.tv/video/the-us-dollar-and-the-future-of-the-world Trump has said if the American dollar loses its global dominance, this would be "equivalent to losing a war." And yet, the future of the dollar now appears uncertain; America might indeed be losing. Central bank data shows nations, including China, have been buying gold in record numbers and have decreased the amount of dollars they hold by 7%, signalling a possible move away from the dollar as the global reserve currency. Meanwhile, American sanctions on Russia, intended to weaken the Russian economy, have resulted in cementing Russia's move away from the dollar and into China's yuan as its main foreign currency. All the while, the Russian economy appears to be doing well, with the IMF expecting it to grow 3.6% this year, and unemployment at record lows.Is the reign of the dollar over, and if so, might this be a fatal blow to American economic dominance? Would it spell the end, also, of America's position as the leading global power, and increase military tensions across the... Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:12:00 +0000 Janne Teller https://iai.tv/video/the-us-dollar-and-the-future-of-the-world https://iai.tv/video/the-mind-body-problem-and-animal-consciousness-with-peter-godfrey-smith In this interview, philosopher and science writer Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the evolution of consciousness and the enduring mystery of the mind–body problem. Drawing on his work with octopuses and other animals, he argues that consciousness emerged gradually through increasingly complex forms of sensory-motor interaction, rather than as a sudden leap. Using cephalopods as a case study, he shows how minds can evolve in radically different ways, suggesting that subjective experience is more widespread,and varied, than we often assume. The conversation touches on ethics, the limits of physicalism, and how studying animal minds can reshape our understanding of our own.... Tue, 24 Jun 2025 12:30:00 +0000 Peter Godfrey-Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-mind-body-problem-and-animal-consciousness-with-peter-godfrey-smith https://iai.tv/video/white-holes-are-a-mathematical-fantasy Black holes are now cornerstone features of modern astrophysics, but what about their elusive cousins, white holes? Are white holes the cosmic unicorns of theoretical physics, mathematically possible, but physically absent? In this illuminating talk, theoretical physicist Daniel Sudarsky explores the intriguing idea of white holes, spacetime objects predicted by Einstein’s equations yet absent from our observations. From quantum tunneling to the symmetries of the universe, Sudarsky examines proposed theories with a critical eye, separating science from speculation. ... Mon, 23 Jun 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Daniel Sudarsky https://iai.tv/video/white-holes-are-a-mathematical-fantasy https://iai.tv/video/the-normal-and-the-abnormal We often judge mental health and disorder against a benchmark of what it is to be 'normal'. Critics argue though that this is a dangerous approach and what is normal is unknown. Cultures have often used mental illness to describe behaviour deemed unacceptable, which now strikes us as patently prejudiced and absurd. In 1851, American physician Samuel Cartwright coined the term 'drapetomania', a supposed mental illness causing enslaved African people to try to escape captivity. More widely for centuries women were diagnosed with hysteria. While today, studies from UCL and elsewhere suggest behaviours are being medicalised as depression or ADHD when they were previously part of a normal range of response.Should we give up on the idea of normal, and see mental disorders not as illnesses, but as different ways of being in the world? Is normality a means to control the behaviour of others and should we change society to stop demonising the different? Or is it essential to identify ... Thu, 19 Jun 2025 18:20:00 +0000 Bessel van der Kolk https://iai.tv/video/the-normal-and-the-abnormal https://iai.tv/video/the-theory-of-everything-is-a-mirage Most of us think that physics and cosmology are slowly uncovering pieces of the universe's puzzle and that one day we will discover a theory of everything. But is this idea radically mistaken? Join Princeton cosmologist, Jo Dunkley, as she argues we will never fully comprehend the mystery of what is out there.... Wed, 18 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Jo Dunkley https://iai.tv/video/the-theory-of-everything-is-a-mirage https://iai.tv/video/the-new-surveillance-culture We invent technology to make life easier. But has new technology led to a culture of surveillance? Join Harvard computer scientist and author, Judith Donath, as she argues that while many technologies promote themselves on the basis of trust, like Airbnb and Uber, they in fact replace it, with surveillance and control.... Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:30:00 +0000 Judith Donath https://iai.tv/video/the-new-surveillance-culture https://iai.tv/video/the-rules-of-war "In times of war, the law falls silent" declared Cicero. And 2000 years on, it remains unknown whether international law has any real power in war, or whether, in the end, military and economic power are the only ultimately effective forces. International law did not prevent Russia from invading Ukraine, the US from engaging in torture in Guantanamo Bay, Hamas' attacking Israel on Oct 7th, or Israel from destroying much of Gaza in response. Moreover, Trump appears to have decided that Russia's military strength in Ukraine is reason to allow it to keep territory. Chairman Mao, it seems, had a point when he said "power grows from the barrel of a gun."We recognise war as an exceptional circumstance where acts like murder are permitted, should we give up trying to apply the law to it? With the US, Russia and others breaking international law, should we conclude that international law is unenforceable unless imposed by the victor? Or is international law both necessary and vital ... Thu, 12 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Malcolm Rifkind https://iai.tv/video/the-rules-of-war https://iai.tv/video/the-fantasies-of-descartes-antonio-damasio We tend to believe consciousness is purely mental. And since Descartes' "I think therefore I am", we've privileged the mind as the centrepiece of thought and consciousness. But such a view is mistaken argues award-winning neuroscientist Antonio Damasio.Feelings, long dismissed as secondary to thinking, are where consciousness begins, and are deeply rooted in the body and its physical processes. Join Damasio as he presents a new theory of consciousness and undoes the philosophical separation between mind and body posed by Descartes.... Wed, 11 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Antonio Damasio https://iai.tv/video/the-fantasies-of-descartes-antonio-damasio https://iai.tv/video/david-deutsch-on-the-foundations-of-reality The many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics says that all possible outcomes of quantum measurements are physically realised in different worlds. These many worlds have proved extremely contentious, with critics arguing that they are mere fantasy. In this exclusive interview, leading physicist David Deutsch explains the philosophy behind the many-worlds interpretation and argues that not only is it the best interpretation of quantum mechanics – it is the only interpretation.... Tue, 10 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 David Deutsch https://iai.tv/video/david-deutsch-on-the-foundations-of-reality https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-beauty 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is the way Margaret Hungerford reframed an old saying about beauty in the mid-19th century. And most of us endorse her phrase. But critics point to the danger that the idea that beauty is subjective has the potential to validate prejudice and immunises our taste and choices from criticism. Not only does subjectivity mean there is no reason to prefer Tolstoy to Tiktok, Picasso to Pornhub, but it also means cultural stereotypes are made acceptable, for example, that certain body types and nationalities are desirable. Do we need to abandon the idea that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and see it instead as linked to justice and human flourishing? Should we be more self-critical of certain aesthetic judgements? Or is it essential to retain beauty as subjective to avoid the tyranny of an 'objectively' correct aesthetics?... Mon, 09 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Simon May https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-beauty https://iai.tv/video/the-equality-dream Ever since the French Revolution, equality has been the battle cry of those who think themselves progressive. Today on matters of gender and income most want a more equal world and think more should be done to deliver it. But there is a risk that no one really knows what kind of equal world they want, and some critics argue focusing on equality is self-defeating. We don't, for example, want equality with the lives of others we see as undesirable. And since the 1970s, while there have been significant advances in women's rights, studies show women's happiness to have decreased. While in the workforce, despite the widespread introduction of diversity initiatives, 62% of workers said the programmes aren't effective and half say the programmes failed them personally.   Does the demand for equality risk forcing everyone to adopt the same life goals as those driven by money and power? Instead of equality should we focus on the rights and wellbeing of all individuals? Or is the cal... Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Vicky Pryce https://iai.tv/video/the-equality-dream https://iai.tv/video/truth-science-and-reality Most of us think science to be true, but Stanford professor John Ioannidis has demonstrated that the majority of scientific papers make claims that are never successfully repeated and we should therefore conclude are false. Meanwhile, post-realist philosopher, Hilary Lawson argues that science is never true in the sense of describing the ultimate character of reality, but is instead a way of framing the world to enable us to intervene. Join them to explore the problematic relationship between science, truth and reality, and what it means for our understanding of the world. ... Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/truth-science-and-reality https://iai.tv/video/the-two-party-system-is-over-with-carla-denyer What defines a truly green politics in a time of climate emergency? Co-leader of the Green Party, Carla Denyer, joins us to explore the realities of parliamentary success, the limitations of current political models, and the importance of holding on to both climate and social justice. Denyer reflects on why being realistic doesn’t mean compromising on values and how, even with limited power, significant change can be made. From acknowledging when change requires accepting those in power may take credit for green ideas, to likening climate action today to a 12 step AA programme, Denyer offers an bold but pragmatic political vision. ... Tue, 03 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Carla Denyer https://iai.tv/video/the-two-party-system-is-over-with-carla-denyer https://iai.tv/video/the-quantum-unknown Since Einstein and Bohr's famous clash over whether God plays dice with the universe, we have been left with more questions than answers. Will we ever be able to fully determine how the universe works or is everything fundamentally up to chance? And how can we reconcile the quantum world with the classical world? Join Sabine Hossenfelder, science communicator and arch-defender of the super-deterministic narrative, in conversation with Matt O'Dowd, an astrophysicist who challenges our commitment to the idea of reality itself, on how we might go about finding answers to the quantum puzzle, and what this means for the future of quantum theory.... Mon, 02 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Matt O'Dowd https://iai.tv/video/the-quantum-unknown https://iai.tv/video/imagining-the-unimaginable 'The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless' proclaimed Rousseau. We are inclined to agree, but doing so risks making the world appear more understandable and knowable than perhaps it is. Imagination operates within the ideas and concepts available to us. Once we thought it unimaginable that a thing was in two places at once, yet this is just such a reality described by quantum mechanics. While some make the case that imagination is not even sufficient to fully empathise with another, instead we need to have had similar experiences.  Do we need to accept that imagination is limited and so also is our understanding of the world and the lives of others? Are scientists and novelists profoundly constrained in their ability to uncover reality or describe the world of those with radically different experiences? Or is this to severely hobble our capacity to make sense of the world and was Rousseau right that the power of the imagination is unlimited?... Thu, 29 May 2025 16:15:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/imagining-the-unimaginable https://iai.tv/video/the-making-and-unmaking-of-humanity Could our evolutionary past be imperilling our future? In his most recent book Inheritance, the pioneering Oxford anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse argues that humans have evolved three primary biases through natural and cultural selection: conformism, religiosity, and tribalism. But though these biases once proved invaluable, today they are driving humanity to ruin. Join Harvey Whitehouse as he discusses how we got here and what can do to harness these evolved biases for good.... Wed, 28 May 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Harvey Whitehouse https://iai.tv/video/the-making-and-unmaking-of-humanity https://iai.tv/video/the-forgotten-crimes-of-war-with-christina-lamb When you think about war, images of soldiers, guns, artillery, and politicians may come to mind - but the most common, and often most hidden victims of war, are women. In this interview with Christina Lamb, Chief Foreign Correspondent for The Times and Sunday Times, she uncovers the hidden brutality of sexual violence in war, how this violence can turn victims into outcasts in their own communities, and her own experiences in conflicts around the globe.... Tue, 27 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Christina Lamb https://iai.tv/video/the-forgotten-crimes-of-war-with-christina-lamb https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-evolution Once controversial when Darwin first developed his theory, it is now almost universally accepted that humans evolved from apes and earlier ancestors by a process of natural selection that ensured the traits of the fittest were passed on while others were discarded. But many now argue that this process has ceased to apply to humans, since almost all of us survive to childbearing age. Leading primatologists and geneticists maintain "modern nutrition and medicine have removed the selection pressure driving human evolution," with the result that "natural selection no longer has death as a handy tool." The prize-winning scientist Freeman Dyson concluded "the epoch of Darwinian evolution ended about ten thousand years ago."Is natural selection over and humans at greater risk of succumbing to a new threat or pathogen? Is our evolution now driven by culture and technology and do we need a radical overhaul of our evolutionary theory as a consequence? Or is the case mistaken, human evo... Mon, 26 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Peter Godfrey-Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-evolution https://iai.tv/video/journey-in-search-of-a-destination '“The person with a why to live for can bear almost any how” claimed Nietzsche. And from Aristotle's human flourishing, to Kant's pursuit of the highest good, philosophers have offered many answers to the why of life. They are joined today by a host of psychologists, pundits and politicians all offering their own solutions. But the goal and purpose of life remains unknown. Many have thought ‘happiness’ might be the answer but it turns out to be a largely English-speaking and European phenomenon. For the Chinese, loyalty and stability are the predominant goals. What we do know is that in the West more than half of young adults report that they lack 'meaning, purpose... and knowing what to do with their life,' Is the mistake to look for a goal in the first place? Is the purpose of life to choose a purpose and make it our own? Or is the unknown answer to the why of life the very thing that gives life its edge, its meaning and its value?... Thu, 22 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Sandra Laugier https://iai.tv/video/journey-in-search-of-a-destination https://iai.tv/video/what-is-wrong-with-history-and-how-to-change-it History is predominantly told as a tale of leaders and powerful individuals. But is this an illusion and history instead the product of large numbers of ordinary people rather than an elite few? Join one of the world’s leading historical novelists, Philippa Gregory, as she reveals the importance of ordinary people in determining the course of history.... Wed, 21 May 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Philippa Gregory https://iai.tv/video/what-is-wrong-with-history-and-how-to-change-it https://iai.tv/video/competition-destroys-collective-intelligence Could the greatest threat to humanity be a trap of our own making? In this wide-ranging interview, science communicator and poker champion Liv Boeree introduces the concept of Moloch: a metaphorical deity representing destructive, runaway competition between individuals. From the perverse incentives of social media to the “race to the bottom” dynamics in business and AI, Boeree explores how individually rational actions can lead to collectively irrational outcomes. Why do we keep choosing short-term gains that harm the long-term good? Why does it feel impossible to stop? Drawing on insights from game theory, behavioural psychology, and technology, Boeree paints a picture of a world locked in a high-stakes coordination problem. She reflects on the addictive dopamine cycles of virality, the hidden cognitive costs of over-reliance on technology, and the sacrificing of some human values over others under capitalism. Escaping the grip of Moloch, Boeree argues, will require not just bette... Wed, 21 May 2025 08:00:00 +0000 Liv Boeree https://iai.tv/video/competition-destroys-collective-intelligence https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-money-with-gary-stevenson Once Citibank's top trader, Gary Stevenson now campaigns to highlight wealth inequality. In 2021 he was one of 30 millionaires to sign an open letter calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to increase taxes on the rich. Join Gary Stevenson for an in-depth conversation on why the powerful often gain increasingly more power, and how we can restructure our economy and society to prevent this. ... Mon, 19 May 2025 09:59:00 +0000 Gary Stevenson https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-money-with-gary-stevenson https://iai.tv/video/the-good-the-bad-and-the-beautiful We tend to think that aesthetics is secondary to core values such as truth, morality and justice, and more superficial than other attributes such as intelligence, health and relationships. Unlike other values, some question whether beauty should be valued at all. Roger Scruton claimed "beauty is vanishing...because we live as though it did not matter." Yet in the objects we acquire, the places we choose to live, and our choice of partner, most do prioritise beauty, some would say unhealthily so. A recent study of 15,000 people found they felt happier in beautiful surroundings. And some philosophers including Nietzsche and Heidegger, have prioritised aesthetics over traditional notions of truth.    Should beauty be at the forefront of our values, and if so, what would this mean for the way we make judgments and run our lives? Or should we rein in aesthetic concerns as subjective, elitist and lacking concern for purpose or morality? More fundamentally, why is beauty of importa... Thu, 15 May 2025 00:10:00 +0000 Babette Babich https://iai.tv/video/the-good-the-bad-and-the-beautiful https://iai.tv/video/capitalism-and-the-end-of-innovation Global capitalism has defined the past century and has reshaped our lives with the development of influential technological innovations. But is there a danger that the system has now begun to undermine innovation? Join former Finance Minister of Iraq, Ali Allawi, as he argues the global economic framework has begun to prevent development.... Wed, 14 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Ali Allawi https://iai.tv/video/capitalism-and-the-end-of-innovation https://iai.tv/video/the-mindful-body-with-ellen-langer In this IAI Live interview with renowned Harvard psychologist and mindfulness expert Ellen Langer, she explores the transformative power of mindfulness in our daily lives. Langer discusses how most of us operate mindlessly much of the time and emphasizes the importance of embracing uncertainty. She reveals how mindfulness can lead to improved health, better hearing, and sharper eyesight, challenging traditional notions of mind-body separation. Langer argues mindfulness could be  contagious and advocates for rejecting materialism, arguing that mindfulness research offers a more consistent and scientifically grounded perspective.... Tue, 13 May 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Ellen Langer https://iai.tv/video/the-mindful-body-with-ellen-langer https://iai.tv/video/medicine-magic-misunderstanding Many cultures have had 'medicine men' who claim to know what disease is and how it works. Modern medicine has been spectacularly successful. But can we really claim to understand disease and health? Studies published in the British Medical Journal show over half of all diagnoses are wrong, while 350 million people each year develop a disease that medical professionals are unable to understand. Even when we do get a diagnosis, the true nature of disease, and how to treat it, is often fundamentally unknown. 1 in 4 symptoms go unexplained, every person responds to every disease differently, and scientists from the University of Oxford have admitted that even with the drugs we take regularly, like paracetamol, we "still don’t really know how they work".Should we reject the idea that we can ever really know what is wrong with us? Should we find new ways of understanding illness that are more holistic and include things like lifestyle, mental, and spiritual health? Or must we doub... Mon, 12 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Bessel van der Kolk https://iai.tv/video/medicine-magic-misunderstanding https://iai.tv/video/the-essential-philosophy-of-fun We think fun an important element of life, characterised since the sixties as 'sex, drugs and rock and roll'. And indeed, what would life be without those? But there's rising evidence that we no longer know how to have fun, and some argue it is starting to threaten our pleasure in being alive. Studies show adults have 40% less sex than they did thirty years ago, drug taking in young people has decreased by over a third since 2003, and a quarter of those under 35 have no interest in alcohol at all. Only half of Americans think they have fun on a regular basis, while in Britain a study concluded working from home has led to millions losing the knack of having a good time. Meanwhile, mental health is deteriorating across all generations but particularly in the young.Should we conclude that fun is not a superficial addition to our lives but essential? Is spontaneous interaction with others necessary for fun and has an increasingly virtual and internet world undermined this?  Or ... Thu, 08 May 2025 19:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/the-essential-philosophy-of-fun https://iai.tv/video/the-misunderstood-side-of-mental-health We have come to think depression is a medical problem that has a medical solution. Antidepressant use in the West has more than doubled in the last twenty years. But there remains no biological test that can diagnose any mental health problem. Join bestselling author Rose Cartwright as she reveals the failures of the medical model of mental health and proposes radical new methods for healing including psychedelics, social contention, and emotional catharsis. Interviewed by Bahar Gholipour.... Wed, 07 May 2025 11:30:00 +0000 Bahar Gholipour https://iai.tv/video/the-misunderstood-side-of-mental-health https://iai.tv/video/francis-fukuyama-on-why-he-was-surprised-by-trumps-foreign-policy Francis Fukuyama in The End of History and the Last Man in 1992 famously argued liberal democracy had emerged as the final form of government. But with the rise of authoritarian China, Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and calls from Trump to take Greenland and make Canada a 51st state, what are we to think of this now? Join Fukuyama for this exclusive interview as he reveals whether he still stands by his famous argument in light of recent events.... Tue, 06 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Francis Fukuyama https://iai.tv/video/francis-fukuyama-on-why-he-was-surprised-by-trumps-foreign-policy https://iai.tv/video/rupert-sheldrake-in-conversation-with-hilary-lawson Rupert Sheldrake has spent decades defying science's unspoken dogmas. Labelled a heretic, he continues to ask one radical question: what if the universe remembers? In this conversation with post-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson, Sheldrake defends morphic resonance, recounts his excommunication by orthodox science, and explores how consciousness, memory, and mind might stretch far beyond the brain.... Fri, 02 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Rupert Sheldrake https://iai.tv/video/rupert-sheldrake-in-conversation-with-hilary-lawson https://iai.tv/video/white-holes-fact-or-fantasy After over a century of theoretical speculation based on Einstein’s general theory of relativity, the existence of black holes is now widely accepted, with supermassive black holes sitting at the centre of most galaxies. But some physicists now argue for the existence of white holes, an object that throws matter out rather than sucking it in, claiming that they solve deep puzzles about the internal workings of black holes, dark matter, and the origin of the Big Bang. But many argue such objects are fantasy. Critics say that white holes violate the second law of thermodynamics, and that there are multiple alternative theories to describe the inside of a black hole.  Are white holes a mathematical fantasy? Or like black holes might we come to see them as an essential element of the universe? Detached from observational and empirical evidence, has contemporary cosmology become lost in theoretical imaginings, or is it in fact uncovering the very nature of the world?... Thu, 01 May 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/white-holes-fact-or-fantasy https://iai.tv/video/from-baghdad-to-british-parliament A member of the British Cabinet under Prime Ministers Johnson, Truss and Sunak, Nadhim Zahawi has had an extraordinary life. Born in Iraq to Kurdish parents, he arrived in the UK aged 12, after being forced to flee Iraq with his family, under threat from Saddam Hussein’s regime. Join the former Chancellor of the Exchequer as he chronicles how his remarkable life influenced his political philosophy.... Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Nadhim Zahawi https://iai.tv/video/from-baghdad-to-british-parliament https://iai.tv/video/why-more-is-less We tend to think more is better. More choice, more money, more close friends, more power, and more opportunity. And the less we have of these, the more we should strive to achieve them.Such a view, however, argues Barry Schwartz, author of ground-breaking book The Paradox of Choice, is mistaken. More can lead us to be psychologically overloaded, unsatisfied, and tyrannised by the burden of choices that present themselves to us.... Tue, 29 Apr 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Barry Schwartz https://iai.tv/video/why-more-is-less https://iai.tv/video/having-it-all We think women can have it all: a career and the rewards of raising a family. But critics argue there is a danger that this is impossible in the current social framework. Lifetime earnings for graduate women are only slightly more than half the earnings of their male counterparts in both the US and UK. Globally, women carry out 75% of domestic labour, and over a quarter of British women are not working due to family commitments, compared to just 7% of men for the same reason.To address these issues, do we need to make it possible for women to have equivalent lifetime earnings to men, while also having and raising families? Do we need a mechanism to enable payment for all currently unpaid work? Or is this a fanciful pipedream and 'having it all' an illusion, and we all must make a choice in the way we balance the satisfactions and rewards of career and personal life?... Mon, 28 Apr 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Roger Hearing https://iai.tv/video/having-it-all https://iai.tv/video/darwin-vs-consciousness We see Darwin's theory of evolution as central to our understanding of the animate world.  At the same time, as Descartes identified, we can doubt almost everything, but we can't doubt the fact of experience. Yet there is a danger that these two central beliefs are irreconcilable. From the point of view of evolution, everything biological has a function in sustaining the species, but researchers claim no function can be found for conscious experience. And if there is no survival benefit to experience, why has it evolved? Should we accept that the theory of evolution and the reality of consciousness are incompatible? Do we need to radically alter our understanding of one, or the other, or both?  Or is the core issue that we have no credible theory of consciousness, and without it, we are not going to be able to make experience compatible with science at all?... Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/darwin-vs-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/the-psychology-behind-the-culture-wars We think we form our beliefs in pursuit of the truth. But what if belief-formation has more to do with peer pressure than it does accuracy? Join documentary filmmaker and former BBC Presenter Andrew Gold as he argues that same the psychology of belief exploited by cult leaders also affects mainstream organisations on both sides of the political divide, from Tucker Carlson to the BBC.... Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Andrew Gold https://iai.tv/video/the-psychology-behind-the-culture-wars https://iai.tv/video/therapy-psychedlics-and-why-the-body-keeps-the-score-with-bessel-van-der-kolk Bessel van der Kolk explores how trauma is imprinted on the body as well as the mind. He delves into the crucial role of language, not only as a tool for making sense of the world but as a foundation for human connection and healing. Challenging the legacy of Descartes' mind body dualism, van der Kolk argues for a more integrated approach to wellbeing, showing how reconnecting mind and body is essential to understanding and ultimately healing our deepest wounds.... Tue, 22 Apr 2025 19:00:00 +0000 Bessel van der Kolk https://iai.tv/video/therapy-psychedlics-and-why-the-body-keeps-the-score-with-bessel-van-der-kolk https://iai.tv/video/a-world-without-values Once values such as justice and equality were agreed upon by all. Now they are identified by some as vehicles to entrench or overturn power. On the left, 'justice' as a means to sustain and impose privilege, 'truth' as an attempt to claim enduring authority. On the right, 'diversity' and 'equality' as means to undermine the status quo in favour of a new elite. The danger is apparent to many. Without agreed values, society is increasingly divided. Debate is limited by tribal associations that make discussion hard if not impossible.   Do we need to re-engage with those whose values and beliefs we reject, while accepting that our own values are not universal? Should we seek to construct a new enlightenment to provide an agreed basis for progress that could apply to all?  Or do we just need to reinforce the liberal democratic values of our past?... Mon, 21 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/a-world-without-values https://iai.tv/video/the-return-of-empire '“Economic strength, rather than military force, will determine the global balance of power…this century” claimed the Chair of the U.S. National Intelligence Council. And we tend to think that when over 80 countries gained sovereignty after 1945, economics replaced the barrel of the gun as the real source of power. But critics argue this is now unknown, and a new age of imperialism is upon us. This year, the U.S. announced plans “to take Greenland "one way or another,” acquire the Panama Canal, make Canada a 51st state, and strike a deal to extract over half of Ukraine’s critical minerals. Meanwhile, Xi asserted "no one can prevent" China's re-unification with Taiwan, running simulated military exercises just off their coast. And Putin several times has maintained that "modern Ukraine was wholly and fully created by...Russia."Is the age of soft power over and must we accept we no longer live in the West’s world? Are we now in the age of imperialist spheres of influence? Or c... Thu, 17 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000 Mary Ann Sieghart https://iai.tv/video/the-return-of-empire https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-story-of-the-universe-marika-taylor With so-called AI 'hallucinations', AI is known to make factual errors. Yet, despite this, some claim AI will enable us to make important new scientific discoveries. Join former student of Stephen Hawking and black hole researcher, Marika Taylor, as she argues AI can help us do better science.... Wed, 16 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Marika Taylor https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-story-of-the-universe-marika-taylor https://iai.tv/video/babette-babich-nietzsche-the-birth-of-tragedy-and-the-technology-trap Babette Babich discusses Nietzsche, the importance of tragedy, and the danger of technology interfering with our judgement. Babette Babich is a world renowned Professor of Philosophy at Fordham University in New York. In this in-depth interview, she looks to Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy to explain our love of suffering and towards the trials and tribulations of living in an age of technology which is smarter than we are.... Tue, 15 Apr 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Babette Babich https://iai.tv/video/babette-babich-nietzsche-the-birth-of-tragedy-and-the-technology-trap https://iai.tv/video/lost-in-stories Our narratives enable us to make sense of the world. From setting the scene and providing a means to understand what is happening, to placing ourselves at the centre of our own life's story, narratives help structure our goals and our lives. But there is a risk that rather than helping us understand the world, narratives can hide reality from us providing delusional states of mind in its place. From witch hunts to cults, from war propaganda to religious honour killings, people are prepared to kill and die for stories they believe in, that others see as wildly false illusions. Should we see ourselves as trapped by our narratives as much as we are dependent on them to make sense of the world? Can we avoid becoming absorbed in narratives that are dangerous to ourselves and others? Or is it possible to escape the limitation of our own narratives to see the world as it is, and if so how? ... Mon, 14 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/lost-in-stories https://iai.tv/video/faster-than-light Ever since Einstein's special theory of relativity in 1905, it has been a central pillar of science that the speed of light is an absolute fixed limit. But critics argue this is a mistaken assumption that prevents physics from making progress. They maintain the period of cosmic inflation that, in the standard picture of cosmology, followed the Big Bang has to take place at many orders of magnitude faster than the speed of light. Moreover, researchers argue that Einstein's general theory of relativity never prohibited faster-than-light travel in the first place.Should we abandon the sacrosanct idea nothing can exceed the speed of light as a flawed assumption that derails physics? Should we be less attached to Einstein and more open to new and alternative theories? Or are these dangerous proposals that threaten to undermine the remarkable successes of science over the last century?... Thu, 10 Apr 2025 09:00:00 +0000 João Magueijo https://iai.tv/video/faster-than-light https://iai.tv/video/the-reality-of-women-in-war War is often thought to be predominantly male. But in reality, women and conflict are inseparable. Rape is "the cheapest weapon known to man", wrote Christina Lamb in her book Our Bodies, Their Battlefield. Having recently been stationed in both Israel and Ukraine, Christina’s work tirelessly highlights those often left out of the discussions of war.... Wed, 09 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/the-reality-of-women-in-war https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-future-of-film-with-martha-fiennes Martha Fiennes has had a long career as a film director, writer, and producer over the past two decades. In this in-depth interview, she looks to the future of film and moving image and questions how we can embrace AI and all its creative opportunities whilst warning that human expression, above all else, must be protected. ... Tue, 08 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Martha Fiennes https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-future-of-film-with-martha-fiennes https://iai.tv/video/data-deception-and-truth In an ever more complex world, we think data is crucial to helping us make sense of things.  Some even claim data as information is the basis of the universe.  But critics claim there is a danger our trust in data is misplaced. From economic statistics to climate change data, from COVID data to political polling, we have access to more data than ever before, yet we rarely agree on what the data tells us, our predictions based on it are often wrong and we are more polarised than ever.  Moreover, philosophers of science point out that data is always dependent on the theory and system used to frame and collect it.    Should we conclude that data is not objective and never free of the prejudices of those instigating and interpreting it? Does data help us to make sense of the world, or has it made us even more confused, lost, and divided? Or should we double down on data, and appreciate that most of our problems are caused by not looking at the data closely enough?... Mon, 07 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Kenneth Cukier https://iai.tv/video/data-deception-and-truth https://iai.tv/video/peril-and-progress Originally to be progressive was to believe in progress and to imagine there was a right side to history. But times have changed. What it is to be progressive looks increasingly in question. Science and technology, once the dream of early 20th-century socialism, are now often the focus of attack. Some of the most radical favour a return to a pre-industrial world. Meanwhile, stability and security, once the rallying cry of conservatives, are now endorsed by many who see themselves as progressive. And across Europe the young, traditionally the drivers of progressive change, are increasingly voting with the right.  Do we have to recognise that without a clear vision of progress we have also lost the idea of what it is to be progressive? Is there a new vision around which a progressive politics can be built? Or was the idea of progress always an illusion, a means of imposing on history the idealistic prejudices of the time?... Thu, 03 Apr 2025 14:30:00 +0000 Camila Vergara https://iai.tv/video/peril-and-progress https://iai.tv/video/why-we-are-out-of-our-minds-ruby-wax Many of us create a "front" to give everyone else the illusion that all is well. But often, this persona hides a deeper shadow self that we hide from the world. Join celebrated comedian and author of the bestselling book I'm Not As Well As I Thought, Ruby Wax in conversation to discuss how to let the shadow self out,  how to celebrate life's highs and deal with life's lows, and focus on being true to ourselves rather than the façade we put up. Dinesh Bhugra hosts.... Wed, 02 Apr 2025 17:30:00 +0000 Ruby Wax https://iai.tv/video/why-we-are-out-of-our-minds-ruby-wax https://iai.tv/video/the-dawn-of-machine-consciousness-with-joscha-bach Join cognitive scientist and AI researcher Joscha Bach in this exclusive interview on the limits, risks, and future of AI. From the potential of Artificial General Intelligence to the alignment problem and the fundamental ways AI learns differently from humans, Bach explores whether AI might one day grasp reality on a deeper level than we can. He also examines the systemic failures of institutions in tackling the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the internet’s potential for collective intelligence remains largely untapped. Might AI help us overcome these challenges, or does it merely reflect our own limitations?... Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Joscha Bach https://iai.tv/video/the-dawn-of-machine-consciousness-with-joscha-bach https://iai.tv/video/something-for-nothing ‘Rewards are the means of all government’ proclaimed US President John Adams. A principle we have adopted in many areas of our lives, from children's gold stars and prizes, to incentives at work and religious tales of paradise to come. But evidence now suggests there are risks to this approach. Studies show rewards can damage wellbeing, fostering dependence and undermining our own sense of control. And neuroscientists have shown those more prone to seeking reward have a 70% higher risk of addiction, with addictive behaviour now present in almost half of the U.S. population.  Should we seek to wean ourselves off reward and instead learn to experience the present for its own sake? Should we adopt a Stoic framework where action and virtue are seen as their own ends? Or is the current culture of reward in personal and professional life not only hugely beneficial but a much more effective means of social intervention than the punishment regimes of the past?... Mon, 31 Mar 2025 18:00:00 +0000 Nancy Sherman https://iai.tv/video/something-for-nothing https://iai.tv/video/adventures-in-space Space has a strange hold over us. Star Trek and Star Wars are amongst the most watched films of all time, while the moon landing gripped an era and was the most watched TV event ever. Now new generations are once again hooked by a return to the moon and the prospect of Mars.   But what drives us to explore space is puzzling and unknown. The closest planets are desolate rocks. More distant planets have no surface being composed of freezing gas. Earth by comparison is a spectacular paradise.  It would currently take 80,000 years to reach the next star and no known future technology is likely to change this by the orders of magnitude required to make it plausible.  Is the desire to explore space not practical but psychological, an urge to adventure into the unknown and escape our current limitations? Or should we take seriously Musk's claim that we need to go to Mars to find an alternative to Earth, however inhospitable? Or is the project profoundly mistaken and the consequence... Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Matt O'Dowd https://iai.tv/video/adventures-in-space https://iai.tv/video/the-ugly-truth-behind-beauty-jessica-de-fino The beauty industry is valued at over $260 billion globally. But what is this industry's cost to humanity and society? Join journalist and Guardian columnist Jessica DeFino as she explores the philosophy of beauty, argues the industry exploits both women and men alike, and calls for us to abandon beauty products.... Wed, 26 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Jessica DeFino https://iai.tv/video/the-ugly-truth-behind-beauty-jessica-de-fino https://iai.tv/video/the-axis-of-autocracy-with-anne-applebaum Around the world democracies seem to be on the retreat and dictators are on the rise. But why is this? And how do autocracies help each other when they don't have formal alliances? Join Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Award-winning journalist at the Atlantic, as she uncovers Autocracy Inc, a backchannel support and finance network that keeps autocrats and their cronies afloat. ... Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:30:00 +0000 Penny Mordaunt https://iai.tv/video/the-axis-of-autocracy-with-anne-applebaum https://iai.tv/video/language-wars From freedom to feminism, democracy to truth, we go to war over words. Sometimes it is actually bloody. Millions died in the crusades over definitions of the word 'God'. Millions more over definitions of 'socialism' in Stalin's Russia and Mao's Cultural Revolution. But some argue meaning is unknown or unknowable even in a specific context. Wittgenstein maintained words do not have a meaning outside of a given language game. Derrida that there is no decidable meaning in any circumstance. Every sentence can be deconstructed to identify an indefinite number of possible meanings. Meanwhile, linguistic studies have shown that even in everyday use common nouns have at least ten to thirty different 'meanings'.Should we stop arguing over the meaning of words and recognise words have no single or correct meaning? Are attempts to define words a means of imposing a perspective, and therefore at root a power play? Or is it the case that without an agreed set of meanings, we are profound... Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:00:00 +0000 Babette Babich https://iai.tv/video/language-wars https://iai.tv/video/the-price-of-everything-value-of-nothing From fabulous houses to glamorous holidays, superyachts to personal helicopters, we often assume expensive things are the most desirable and the market accurately determines the true value of things. But others point to the truism that relationships are the most important factor in our lives, and love and friendship are free. From swimming in the sea to climbing a mountain, from carrying a child on our shoulders to sharing a sunset with a lover, price they argue is no guide to life. As Oscar Wilde remarked, "a fool is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing". Price, as can be seen from tulips and bread, is a matter of fashion and availability than of underlying value.Should we conclude that price has nothing to do with value and give up the idea that the expensive is desirable? Should we construct an economy whereby the things that really matter have an equal footing with items that are currently highly-priced? Or is this a romantic illusion, and th... Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:30:00 +0000 Abby Innes https://iai.tv/video/the-price-of-everything-value-of-nothing https://iai.tv/video/mental-health-is-not-a-medical-condition-simon-wessely We are undoubtedly living through a mental health crisis. But might we be drastically overestimating the amount of people who need medical intervention? Join leading psychologist Simon Wessely as he argues that physicians and psychiatrists are severely inflating the diagnosis of mental health conditions and why this poses a grave risk to society.... Wed, 19 Mar 2025 10:15:00 +0000 Simon Wessely https://iai.tv/video/mental-health-is-not-a-medical-condition-simon-wessely https://iai.tv/video/john-ioannidis-on-why-science-is-broken For decades, scientific research has been plagued by deep structural flaws, leading to false findings that shape medicine, policy, and public understanding. John Ioannidis exposed this crisis twenty years ago, and his insights remain just as urgent today. Join the Stanford professor as he explores why bad science persists, how we can fix it, and why our trust in research is more precarious than ever.... Tue, 18 Mar 2025 14:35:00 +0000 John Ioannidis https://iai.tv/video/john-ioannidis-on-why-science-is-broken https://iai.tv/video/the-meaning-of-sex We increasingly see sex as a strictly physical act. Freed from traditional social norms, and combined with a new frontier of emancipation for women, casual sex is the new normal. But is the nature and meaning of sex less apparent than we imagine? Surveys show that 70% experience regret after causal sex. Troubling if we consider that higher levels of sexual satisfaction are associated with lover levels of anxiety and depression, in teens and adults alike. Moreover, sex from an evolutionary point of view is about having children, and our choice of partner for that purpose is hardly a casual event. Are love and commitment, once a social requirement for sex, unavoidably linked to the act of sex itself?  Should we admit that sex is always more than the physical? Should we spend less time on the mechanics of 'good' sex and give more time to its psychological, social and, for some, spiritual meaning? Or is it a step back to the hierarchies and traditions of the past, and should we ... Mon, 17 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Niki Seth-Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-meaning-of-sex https://iai.tv/video/quantum-and-the-unknowable-universe "The more success the quantum theory has the sillier it looks”, wrote Einstein in a letter in 1912. Since then, quantum physics has been verified by experiment and been central to many of the scientific and technological advances of the last century. But the problem that troubled Einstein remains: quantum mechanics renders the universe fundamentally unknowable. Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle means that science is, even in principle, unable to predict with certainty behaviour at a quantum level. Heisenberg concluded: "the atoms or elementary particles themselves are not real; they form a world of potentialities or possibilities rather than one of things".Should we accept that the quantum mechanics has made the universe unknowable? And if so, how should we proceed if the way the world is depends on our observations? Is science at play in a world of competing models none of which can ultimately describe the universe, or is Einstein's hunch right and can we uncover a theory t... Thu, 13 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Slavoj Žižek https://iai.tv/video/quantum-and-the-unknowable-universe https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-of-the-new-right The right-wing has new faces and new ideas. Immigration is now being combined with political religiosity, with some right-wing figures converting to Catholicism. But why this mix of philosophies, and why has this movement gained such ground on the right? Join leading journalist David Aaronovitch as he examines the rise and future of the New Right.... Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:00:00 +0000 David Aaronovitch https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-of-the-new-right https://iai.tv/video/in-defence-of-the-unmodified-body-with-clare-chambers Clare Chambers is a Professor of Political Philosophy at Jesus College Cambridge. Her work spans feminist theory, liberal philosophy, and the intersection between body and politics. Her latest book is Intact: A Defence of the Unmodified Body.... Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:35:00 +0000 Clare Chambers https://iai.tv/video/in-defence-of-the-unmodified-body-with-clare-chambers https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-peter-singer Peter Singer is one of the world's leading philosophers, renowned for his challenging and often controversial views. From animal ethics to effective altruism, Singer has shaped the philosophical landscape. Join this event to uncover the key events in his life that led to his ideas, and hear him answer his critics and defend the convictions that have made him the force that he is today.""The Dangerous Philosopher."" - The New Yorker... Mon, 10 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Peter Singer https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-peter-singer https://iai.tv/video/the-world-at-sea As conflicts spiral across the globe, we tend to think wars are won on land and in the air. But critics argue the real battleground and the primary arena is the sea, and sea power the means by which global influence is delivered. 90% of all trade is carried by sea, and many strategists have concluded it is control of the oceans that in a global world enables dominance, as Pax Britannica and Pax Americana demonstrated over the last couple of centuries. Nevertheless, the U.S. navy has shrunk by 50% in 40 years, while China's has doubled in the last 20 years to become the largest in the world.Should we recognise that naval power is the ultimate determinant of global influence? Is the relative decline of US and Western naval forces a sign of the end of Western dominance and will China be the world power of the future? Or is it a fundamental mistake to see control of the sea as vital in a technological age where ships are easy to target and hard to defend?... Thu, 06 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/the-world-at-sea https://iai.tv/video/stories-and-poems-from-the-front-lines In nearly four decades as a journalist covering some of the most war-torn regions on Earth, International Editor at Channel 4 News Lindsey Hilsum reveals how poetry and language can create hope in times of conflict, and bring us closer together. Join her for an intimate conversation with poet Sarah Howe as she explores why the false promises of war and the humanity of its victims are best expressed in poetry.... Wed, 05 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Lindsey Hilsum https://iai.tv/video/stories-and-poems-from-the-front-lines https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophy-of-dehumanisation-with-david-livingstone-smith In this exclusive interview, philosopher David Livingstone Smith explores the history, nature, and evolution of dehumanisation. As what is 'acceptable' in society changes, so do the tactics of undercover dehumanisation. How can we identify these, and how might we progress? Smith's solutions vary from holding up the mirror to reveal there are no 'monsters', to his more radical suggestion: getting rid of dehumanisation's prelude, racialisation. Smith presents us with a candid but unique outlook on this topic, touching on everything from deferring to the expert and symbols of hate, to having hope without optimism.... Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:09:00 +0000 David Livingstone Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-philosophy-of-dehumanisation-with-david-livingstone-smith https://iai.tv/video/profit-planet-and-pretence-carla-denyer-guy-shrubsole Many think climate and environmental pollution are immediate threats to the human race, and while not all endorse an impending apocalypse almost everyone thinks action needs to be taken. To keep consumers and investors on side companies want to be seen to be reducing their carbon footprint and to be showing concern for the environment while maintaining profits. Environment Social Governance (ESG) investments, carbon credits and green bonds were supposed to be the answer. But critics claim returns on these investments have gone into reverse and we don't know how to protect the climate and deliver profits.  Moreover, recent research from the European Commission found 68% of US executives admit their companies are guilty of greenwashing, and some high-profile critics claim ESG is nothing more than a scam. Should we give up on green market initiatives as an exercise in virtue signalling rather than valuable environmental action? Are there more credible genuine means to make the ... Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/profit-planet-and-pretence-carla-denyer-guy-shrubsole https://iai.tv/video/the-phantom-of-the-present We don't know the past or the future, but we think we know the present. The moment of the present, T. S. Eliot's 'still point of the turning world', provides us with our observations of the world, the evidence for science, and the content of our consciousness. Yet, philosophers and neuroscientists have argued the present is unattainable and unknowable. Poststructuralists like Derrida claim there is no 'now' that provides direct and immediate access to meaning. Our descriptions are part of a shifting web of meaning that we can never get to the bottom of and which is limited by culture and history. Moreover, leading neuroscientists claim the reality we perceive in the present is a form of hallucination, or interface, evolved for survival.  Do we need to give up the idea that the present is a moment of truth that provides the reality of experience? Are our descriptions of the present always undecidable and indeterminate? Or is the notion of a fixed present essential if we are t... Thu, 27 Feb 2025 17:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/the-phantom-of-the-present https://iai.tv/video/make-china-great-again-steve-tsang-on-xi-jinping China's rise has upended geopolitics and reshaped global alliances. But what does China want? What are its ambitions? And ultimately where does its ambition come from? Professor Steve Tsang argues that before Xi Jinping China did not want a leadership role in global affairs. All this changed in 2017 when Xi consolidated its power. As a result, if we are to understand China, we need to understand Xi.... Wed, 26 Feb 2025 09:00:00 +0000 Editor https://iai.tv/video/make-china-great-again-steve-tsang-on-xi-jinping https://iai.tv/video/the-danger-and-promise-of-the-algorithm Since the birth of the internet, we've experienced what it means to have information at our fingertips and connect with whomever we want. For many, AI is the logical next step. Craig Gent, author of Cyberboss and North of England Editor at Novara Media speaks with Novara Media co-founder Aaron Bastani to discuss how algorithms are not only running what we see on our phones but are beginning to run our society as a whole. Join them for an in-depth conversation on the dangers and promise of algorithms and how they will change and control the next decade.... Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Aaron Bastani https://iai.tv/video/the-danger-and-promise-of-the-algorithm https://iai.tv/video/in-conversation-priya-natarajan-hilary-lawson Dark matter and dark energy together constitute 95% of the observable universe, but physics does not have a clear idea of what these phenomena are. Join leading theoretical astrophysicist and TIME100 most influential people of 2024, Priya Natarajan, and post-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson for a conversation that lifts the lid on dark matter and dark energy and the future of modern physics. ... Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Priyamvada-Natarajan https://iai.tv/video/in-conversation-priya-natarajan-hilary-lawson https://iai.tv/video/controlling-the-tech-titans Big Tech was once the envy of the world, transforming the way we live, work and think. But critics claim attempts to monitor Big Tech have failed and point to the serious threat that regulators don't understand what they are regulating. A recent high-profile member of the US Congress argued lawmakers don't even understand what AI is, let alone how to oversee it. As evidence of the failure, 41 US States are suing Meta for deliberately designing features to addict children, while Big Tech's vast financial clout, funding university research and government salaries vitiates oversight.Do Western governments need to follow the Chinese example and build their own expertise and tech platforms to effectively regulate Big Tech? Should we seek to regain control by breaking up the Big tech giants? Or is the value of innovation sufficient to overcome fears of the growing political and cultural power of the technology behemoths?... Thu, 20 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Joscha Bach https://iai.tv/video/controlling-the-tech-titans https://iai.tv/video/creating-life-in-a-lab The thought of growing life in a lab might frighten us, yet the possibilities are profound and can't be ignored. Join leading biologist Kate Adamala to explore how synthetic biology helps us understand the origins of life on this planet and beyond. ... Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Kate Adamala https://iai.tv/video/creating-life-in-a-lab https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-is-quantum-mechanical-with-stuart-hameroff For decades, physicists have explored the idea that consciousness causes the collapse of the wavefunction— the moment quantum particles cease being in strange superpositions of states. Esteemed anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff, following his collaboration with Roger Penrose, proposes a different story: consciousness is the collapse itself. Hameroff discusses compelling experimental evidence suggesting the process occurs within microtubules in the brain. He also explores the non-computable nature of consciousness, the connections between his research and his spirituality, as well as insights into his research relating to psychedelics.... Tue, 18 Feb 2025 15:00:00 +0000 Stuart Hameroff https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-is-quantum-mechanical-with-stuart-hameroff https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-of-the-rest The West has lost its dominant global position," stated the World Economic Forum. As if to prove the point, last October the BRICS nations, seen by many as the alternative grouping to the G7, held a summit hosted by Putin. 36 governments and 22 heads of state attended, representing half the world’s output and more than half of the world's population. The summit underlined BRICS's ambition to shape an alternative multipolar world order. Meanwhile, new nations are applying to join BRICS, energy-rich countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran, and even the NATO member Turkey. It would appear that Western dominance is not only in decline, it is over. Faced with these radically changed circumstances it is unknown what the West's response should be.Should the West strengthen internal ties to combat the rise of an alternative centre of power? Or is it too late to do so and Western nations need independence to form their own relations with the new powers? Or is the influence of the new pow... Mon, 17 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Malcolm Rifkind https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-of-the-rest https://iai.tv/video/a-world-of-order-and-chaos Order and disorder are central to our understanding of the world. Biologists define life as the expending of energy to create order.  In neuroscience, a 2023 MIT study concluded the mind operates in the play between order and chaos when seeking to make sense of the world. While physics goes further embedding the notion in a fundamental law of the universe, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which requires that disorder, defined as 'entropy', always increases. But critics argue order and disorder are human concepts and depend on our perspective. How are we then to make sense of the idea they are objective states of the universe? Especially when there would appear to be a great deal more order on the Earth since it first formed as a ball of fire some four billion years ago.  Should we throw order and disorder out of the scientific canon, along with entropy and the Second Law?  Can we eradicate subjectivity and define order and chaos purely mathematically? Or, is the real proble... Thu, 13 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Bjørn Ekeberg https://iai.tv/video/a-world-of-order-and-chaos https://iai.tv/video/a-politics-for-the-future The attempt to create a utopia of free markets and a minimal state has failed. Join leading economist and former editor of the Observer, Will Hutton, as he offers his vision of a path forward for the new government; a new kind of politics that doesn't rely on the wishful thinking that capitalism without guardrails works.Filmed at the HowTheLightGetsIn festival in London in September 2024. ... Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Will Hutton https://iai.tv/video/a-politics-for-the-future https://iai.tv/video/the-dark-side-of-mental-health-susie-orbach Join renowned psychotherapist Susie Orbach for an in-depth interview in which she discusses whether psychotherapy has made us healthier, how our body trumps our mind in our contemporary society, and why there is no essential self at our core. ... Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Susie Orbach https://iai.tv/video/the-dark-side-of-mental-health-susie-orbach https://iai.tv/video/the-world-as-one-jessica-frazier The world can be divided into its constitutive parts and the connections between, or so we thought. Join Oxford philosopher Jessica Frazier as she explores the long traditions from around the world of philosophical monism, makes the case that distinction and separation are but an illusion, and explores its startling implications.... Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Jessica Frazier https://iai.tv/video/the-world-as-one-jessica-frazier https://iai.tv/video/lies-damned-lies-and-economics Governments, bankers and economists spend a great deal of time predicting the economy. Their forecasts have a profound effect on policy. The forecasts though are often wrong, and critics argue we just don't have a credible theory of how the economy works. In 2023, 70% of economists polled predicted a US recession which never happened. In 2021, 16 of the 36 living American Nobel economists declared “there was no threat of inflation”. In Britain, the government body tasked with forecasting, the OBR, has admitted 'genuine errors' in its forecasts of inflation. Not surprisingly one of the world's leading economic research institutes concludes 'pretty much everything we could have got wrong, we got wrong'.Should we conclude that 70 years after Keynes, and 40 years after monetarism, we lack a robust overall economic theory and urgently need one? Can we eradicate the impact of political beliefs and assumptions in economic forecasting? Or are forecasts from economic models always go... Thu, 06 Feb 2025 17:00:00 +0000 Nadhim Zahawi https://iai.tv/video/lies-damned-lies-and-economics https://iai.tv/video/untangling-language-sandra-laguier Most of us think that different languages refer to the same stuff "out there" in the world. But have we been confusing the realistic with the real? Join French philosopher Sandra Laugier as she makes the case that there is no core of meaning shared among languages and explores the radical consequences this has for our understanding of the world.... Wed, 05 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sandra Laugier https://iai.tv/video/untangling-language-sandra-laguier https://iai.tv/video/physics-next-paradigm-shift-with-matt-odowd Join astrophysicist and science communicator Matt O'Dowd for an in-depth interview on physics, in which he discusses cutting-edge black hole research, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, the importance of science education, and the next big paradigm shift in physics.... Tue, 04 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Matt O'Dowd https://iai.tv/video/physics-next-paradigm-shift-with-matt-odowd https://iai.tv/video/new-frontiers-in-art Jaron Lanier, a visionary computer scientist, artist, composer, futurist, and writer, discusses his latest artistic ventures and the importance of originality in art. Lanier shares insights into how technology intersects with creativity, the challenges of maintaining authenticity in a digital age, and the evolving role of the artist in shaping the future. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of the most forward-thinking minds of our time as he reflects on the future of art and innovation.... Mon, 03 Feb 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Jaron Lanier https://iai.tv/video/new-frontiers-in-art https://iai.tv/video/the-divided-self-sam-harris-roger-penrose Many have sought to divide the self into separate parts. From Aristotle's distinction between the rational and irrational self to Freud's separation of the conscious and unconscious mind, from Kahneman's fast and slow self to McGilchrist's selves of the left and right brain. But critics argue it makes no sense to see the self as divided. From Descartes to Sartre, many philosophers have concluded that to be conscious is to be conscious of something and there can be no further self hiding within consciousness. After all, if there are two aspects of the self does it not require a third to oversee or combine them? Meanwhile, neuroscience has been unable to identify a self at all let alone multiple selves.  Should we give up the idea of distinct selves as simply incoherent? Should we conclude that a single self is necessary to account for conscious experience and to enable responsibility for action?  Or are multiple selves a better way to explain the wildly divergent thoughts and... Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/the-divided-self-sam-harris-roger-penrose https://iai.tv/video/videogames-and-the-meaning-of-life Video games are changing how we think. Many are so realistic that some argue they are becoming reality. In this talk by philosopher James Tartaglia, he uncovers the relationship between games and reality.... Wed, 29 Jan 2025 17:00:00 +0000 James Tartaglia https://iai.tv/video/videogames-and-the-meaning-of-life https://iai.tv/video/the-lie-of-meritocracy-with-daniel-markovits The modern world is based on meritocracy, the idea that the harder you work, the more you refine your talents, and the force of your will should determine your place in life. But what if meritocracy, far from being just to both individuals and wider society, corrupts us and undermines the very culture it seeks to serve? Daniel Markovits shows how meritocracy has been undermined from within, not by corrupt people but by a system that is blind to the reasons for success and the power of inheritance of all kinds. If we are to find a better path, we must abandon the myth of meritocracy and understand what in life is truly valuable.... Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Daniel Markovits https://iai.tv/video/the-lie-of-meritocracy-with-daniel-markovits https://iai.tv/video/the-values-of-ai-ruth-chang A prophecy-maker or aid? How should we view the future of AI in making decisions for us? Join Ruth Chang as she discusses where our training of AI to make decisions is going wrong, how to fix it, and where we should draw the line. ... Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Ruth Chang https://iai.tv/video/the-values-of-ai-ruth-chang https://iai.tv/video/the-communication-crisis The digital revolution transformed our capacity to communicate. Email was at the heart of that change with more than 300 billion sent daily. At the outset, it was said to herald a new era for the economy akin to the industrial revolution. But the predicted improvements in output and efficiency have not materialised. Critics now question whether these technologies improve our economy or our lives at all. Research at the University of California Irvine demonstrated that employees in 'no email' conditions, were more focused and less distracted. They also had lower stress levels. Leading entrepreneurs have gone further, British inventor James Dyson has banned staff from writing memos and discourages digital communication, limiting his own inbox to just 6 emails a day.Instead of seeing email, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Slack as digital advances should we see them as distraction devices that undermine achievement and destroy well-being? Should we set about removing them from our work... Thu, 23 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Shini Somara https://iai.tv/video/the-communication-crisis https://iai.tv/video/humans-and-nature-are-one-carla-denyer From the radical idea that nature has rights to discussing the political philosophy of 'deep ecology', join co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Carla Denyer as she takes us through the history, pillars, and values of Green parties across the globe. In this insightful talk, Carla explains why she thinks policies and approaches which prioritise the interconnection of humans and nature will lead us to a brighter future.... Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Carla Denyer https://iai.tv/video/humans-and-nature-are-one-carla-denyer https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-ai-and-the-pattern-of-reality-with-joscha-bach Join cognitive scientist and AI researcher Joscha Bach for an in-depth interview on the nature of consciousness, in which he argues that the brain is hardware, consciousness its software and that, in order to understand our reality, we must unlock the algorithms of consciousness.... Tue, 21 Jan 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Joscha Bach https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-ai-and-the-pattern-of-reality-with-joscha-bach https://iai.tv/video/what-is-meaningful-work People in the workforce want their jobs to give them purpose and meaning. But in a world of remote working and disillusionment with capitalism, is there even such a thing as 'meaningful work'? And in the world of digital transformation, can there be meaning in life without it? Join Avery Anapol from The Conversation, FT podcaster Isabel Berwick, political philosopher Caleb Althorpe, psychologist and psychotherapist Nilufar Ahmed, and economist Guy Standing, as they try to discover what meaningful work is, and debate whether it's worth pursuing.... Mon, 20 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000 Guy Standing https://iai.tv/video/what-is-meaningful-work https://iai.tv/video/turtles-all-the-way-down Most of us assume reality is made up of physical matter. In line with this, scientists have built ever larger machines to identify the ultimate particles. Instead of getting closer to the most elementary bits in the universe, the particle zoo has got ever more complex and seemingly less like material stuff at all.  Is there a danger that the very idea of an ultimate foundation to reality is a profound mistake? Some have proposed that instead of material, the ultimate foundation is to be found in consciousness, information, or even mathematics.  But such proposals are no closer to identifying ultimate elements than particle physicists.  Should we give up the attempt to uncover an ultimate foundation to the universe? Is our inability to find an ultimate foundation a limitation of language, or of our capacity to make sense of the world, or is it to do with the nature of reality itself? Or is it just possible that if we hold in there, one day we will crack the ultimate puzzle?... Thu, 16 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Priyamvada-Natarajan https://iai.tv/video/turtles-all-the-way-down https://iai.tv/video/the-lasting-legacy-of-stolen-land Conversations about the state and nationhood have typically excluded those with seemingly the most right to be in those conversations - indigenous voices. There is difficulty in now knowing how to re-engage those voices and incorporate a different understanding of the world. Join indigenous academic Dale Turner as he argues that we must bridge the gap between Western and indigenous world-views to bring about a new legal and political conversation on stolen land.... Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Dale Turner https://iai.tv/video/the-lasting-legacy-of-stolen-land https://iai.tv/video/how-liberals-get-education-wrong-katherine-birbalsingh Most people seek meaning in their lives. As Nietzsche famously stated, "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." Yet, despite this profound insight, over half of young adults report feeling little to no purpose each year. Compounding this issue, anxiety and depression rates are soaring among teens. Clearly, we are falling short of instilling a sense of purpose in the younger generation. ... Tue, 14 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Katharine Birbalsingh https://iai.tv/video/how-liberals-get-education-wrong-katherine-birbalsingh https://iai.tv/video/nothing-and-everything-graham-priest Nothing is also something since we can refer to it, argued Hegel. A view Bertrand Russell later claimed was a logical mistake which undermined the entire Hegelian project. Join philosopher Graham Priest as he controversially sides with Hegel and maintains nothingness is a paradoxical object that lies at the foundation of reality, with radical consequences for our understanding of everything...and nothing.... Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:30:00 +0000 Graham Priest https://iai.tv/video/nothing-and-everything-graham-priest https://iai.tv/video/the-freedom-fable Across the world, from liberals to conservatives, from revolutionaries to Hollywood movies, freedom is held up as the central perhaps key political goal. Many have proposed definitions. But there is no agreement.  And the harder we look the more elusive and unknown freedom becomes. Lenin wrote, 'when there is freedom, there will be no state'. But Burke argued you can only ever have freedom in a state. Voltaire claimed that a person 'is free at the moment he wishes to be'. Yet for Arendt, thinking about freedom was a 'hopeless enterprise'.  But is anyone ever free? Are we free of our upbringing, our circumstances, our cultural prejudices, our species perspective?   If we are unable to determine what it is to be free, should we stop appealing to it as a political goal? Or should we accept it as a rhetorical device to encourage others to adopt our outlook? Or does freedom remain an essential aim to escape the limitations imposed on us by forces out of our control?... Thu, 09 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/the-freedom-fable https://iai.tv/video/stories-of-reality-sunetra-gupta 'Stories ignite our emotions and profoundly influence the way we live our lives. But we often see narrative as the stuff of fiction, absent from the corridors of science. Join outspoken scientist, Sunetra Gupta, as she explores how storytelling is foundational to both our understanding of science and reality.  ... Wed, 08 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Sunetra Gupta https://iai.tv/video/stories-of-reality-sunetra-gupta https://iai.tv/video/lisa-randall-on-theory-fantasy-and-discovery In this insightful interview, renowned physicist and author Lisa Randall delves into the fine balance between theory and speculation in modern science. Randall talks through both our best and flawed approaches to scientific discovery, touching on top-down and bottom-up approaches and how science education, politics and misconceptions shape the future of scientific enquiry.... Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000 Lisa Randall https://iai.tv/video/lisa-randall-on-theory-fantasy-and-discovery https://iai.tv/video/the-global-population-crisis The population crisis used to be about problems of exponential growth. Now, for many countries, it is about population decline. In Japan, Korea, and China, populations are already falling. At current birth rates, Japan's population, almost twice that of Britain, is predicted to fall below Britain's by the end of the century. Moreover, birth rates are falling across the globe. To maintain population levels, birth rates have to average a little over two. They are now less than two in the US and every European country. Some are almost half this level. Many explanations are offered, but the answer and its solution remain unknown. Governments facing decline have tried increasingly radical interventions, encouraging couples to have children with financial rewards and free child care, but with no success.Will population decline lead to economic and social collapse, as some argue? Could technology come to the rescue, making it unnecessary for women to give birth? Or should we welcome... Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:00:00 +0000 David Aaronovitch https://iai.tv/video/the-global-population-crisis https://iai.tv/video/the-values-and-prejudices-of-science From the origins of the universe to the functioning of the brain, we see science as a quest for the underlying truth of things. The worldviews and personal opinions of the scientists are thought to be irrelevant. But might this be a dangerous mistake? Critics argue the personal experience and outlook of the scientist is a key element that cannot be eradicated. Einstein's criticism of quantum mechanics, for example, was ultimately based on his personal view that 'God does not play dice with the world'. Meanwhile accounts of the brain reflect the historical time and perspectives of the scientists involved – once the brain was seen as a telephone exchange, now it is commonly described as a computer.Should we conclude that all scientific theories are influenced by the personal outlook of the scientist, and the particular worldview they hold? As a result, do we need to ensure that scientists hold a wide range of different outlooks and have varied personal backgrounds? Or is such a... Thu, 02 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Tim Palmer https://iai.tv/video/the-values-and-prejudices-of-science https://iai.tv/video/the-real-risks-of-ai-natalie-cargill A decade ago, the discourse around AI risk began its emergence onto the global platform following Nick Bostrom's seminal work, Superintelligence. The assertions were bold: Humanity is on track to build powerful AI systems that it will not be able to understand or control, and the default outcome is extinction. But how has this narrative endured? What predictions did the pessimists accurately forecast? And what aspects did they overlook entirely? Join Natalie Cargill as she delves into these pivotal inquiries that could shape the trajectory of human development and our treatment of AI. ... Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Natalie Cargill https://iai.tv/video/the-real-risks-of-ai-natalie-cargill https://iai.tv/video/creating-the-meaning-of-life-babette-babich Life, for many, is no longer seen to have ultimate meaning. But how can and should we live with this outlook? Join philosopher Babette Babich as she argues we should affirm life and all the suffering that comes with it, to create our own meaning in life in the spirit of Friedrich Nietzsche.... Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000 Babette Babich https://iai.tv/video/creating-the-meaning-of-life-babette-babich https://iai.tv/video/the-riddle-of-the-beginning The mystery of how the universe began, and why there is something rather than nothing, is a puzzle that has perplexed scientists, philosophers, and theologians from the outset of thought. Even Hawking declared science 'cannot answer why there should be a universe'. But is there a risk that we have failed to recognise the wider significance of this deep puzzle? The hugely influential philosopher Immanuel Kant argued that the ideas that the universe has a beginning or has no beginning, are equally incoherent. He concluded that human thought is not capable of describing what he called 'transcendent reality'.   Should we see our failure to provide an answer to the beginning of the universe as evidence of a fundamental limitation of thought? As a result, are our accounts of the world and science itself, mere versions of a reality that in the end lies beyond our comprehension? Or was Kant wrong, and a solution to the mystery conceivable even if it has not yet been framed?... Thu, 19 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Shini Somara https://iai.tv/video/the-riddle-of-the-beginning https://iai.tv/video/the-theory-of-quantum-politics-armen-sarkissian As the multi-polar world of global politics becomes ever more complex, who better to cast light on its workings than a physicist turned President? Join Armen Sarkissian, former President of Armenia, as he argues for his new theory of quantum politics, in which individuals are necessarily connected across space and our world is dominated by randomness, uncertainty, and possibility.... Wed, 18 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000 Armen Sarkissian https://iai.tv/video/the-theory-of-quantum-politics-armen-sarkissian https://iai.tv/video/a-new-theory-of-ethics-martha-nussbaum From the cruelty of the factory meat industry to hunting and habitat destruction, animals are in trouble all over the world. Some deem the treatment of animals in farms the worst crime in history, yet it still takes place all over the world.Join philosopher and renowned ethicist Martha Nussbaum, as she explains how we have gone so wrong and argues for a brand new theory of animal ethics, demonstrating why we need and how we have a moral and philosophical reawakening.... Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Martha Nussbaum https://iai.tv/video/a-new-theory-of-ethics-martha-nussbaum https://iai.tv/video/the-crisis-of-the-new From fashion to fantasy, entertainment to enterprise, we seek the 'new' as the means to originality, change, and creativity. And for the most part, we imagine the new is always identifiable as a radical break from the past. But the nature of the new is more elusive and unknown than it first appears. Three thousand years ago, King Solomon said: ""what has been will be again, there is nothing new under the sun."" From a contemporary perspective, we can recognise that every new idea is a combination of previous insights, every story a combination of past narratives. From Neoclassicism to the Renaissance, from fashion trends to film, we're always rehashing the old. If a work were entirely new it would be unintelligible.  Is the new an illusion, and the search for originality a mistake? Should creative endeavour be focussed on other goals, such as the timeless, the provocative, and the beautiful?  Or is the new an essential part of life, creativity and action, without which we wo... Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/the-crisis-of-the-new https://iai.tv/video/morality-and-prejudice Most have a clear sense of what is right and wrong, and we imagine that our assessment is reasoned and sensible.  But critics argue this is an illusion and morality is commonly little more than concealed prejudice that seeks to impose our view on others. Terrible practices, like slavery and racism were in their time justified by philosophers and thinkers in the West who claimed to be applying rational principles, but were merely in positions of power. The Soviet introduction of 'one morality for everyone' saw terrible crimes committed against its people. And from Thasmymachus to Nietzsche, philosophers have argued morality, however rational sounding, is in fact driven by a will to power.Should we accept that morality is concealed prejudice, and rid our discourse of all moral terms?  Or should we see it as useful for ourselves and society, even though it is ultimately prejudice?  Or is it a profound mistake to see morality as a means to impose your view on others, and instead... Thu, 12 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tommy J. Curry https://iai.tv/video/morality-and-prejudice https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-beyond-the-brain Most scientists think that consciousness is created by the brain. After all, most assume consciousness vanishes if the brain is destroyed. But what if this consensus view is radically mistaken? Join distinguished Cambridge scientist Rupert Sheldrake as he argues that the mind extends beyond the brain and explores the radical implications of this account.... Wed, 11 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rupert Sheldrake https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-beyond-the-brain https://iai.tv/video/katharine-birbalsingh-future-of-multiculturalism Multiculturalism is seen by many as a success of modern society. However, might it sometimes be best for us to leave our cultural and religious differences at the door, for the benefit of individual and communal progress? According to Katharine Birbalsingh, this is what is required to create the best environment for optimal learning in schools.  ... Tue, 10 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Katharine Birbalsingh https://iai.tv/video/katharine-birbalsingh-future-of-multiculturalism https://iai.tv/video/objects-from-other-worlds-avi-loeb Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has made the controversial claim that an object of alien origin has been found on Earth. Join Professor Loeb as he defends this controversial claim and explores the radical implications this would have if true.... Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Avi Loeb https://iai.tv/video/objects-from-other-worlds-avi-loeb https://iai.tv/video/humanity-and-the-gods-of-nature-slavoj-zizek-peter-singer From the time of Socrates we have seen morality as driven by human desires and goals. But many now argue that this human focus is misguided and leaves the natural world in peril. By prioritising human well-being they contend, we have ransacked the earth, eradicated and misused other species, and taken insufficient care of our home, the Earth. We are even planning to do the same to other nearby planets. It is not sufficient for us to protect nature for our benefit, instead they argue nature needs to be preserved for its own sake.Do we need to re-think morality to find a new framework that no longer places humans at the centre? If so, how are we to assess the well-being of nature independently of our human perspective? Or is the notion that we can escape human goals and desires itself deluded, risking a return to an age where humans are sacrificed to the gods of the natural world?... Thu, 05 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Slavoj Žižek https://iai.tv/video/humanity-and-the-gods-of-nature-slavoj-zizek-peter-singer https://iai.tv/video/recovering-meaning-in-the-information-age-martha-fiennes We thought technology was going to open up new possibilities for human expression. Giving us access to new information, new inspiration, and tools and techniques for creation. Join film director and digital artist Martha Fiennes, for a conversation with Richard Davey, as she argues technology has all too often closed, not opened, our minds. Technology has built new mental prisons around education, media, healthcare, and everywhere else. Hear how she uses technology to break free in her work, and why we need to control tech, not let it control us.... Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Martha Fiennes https://iai.tv/video/recovering-meaning-in-the-information-age-martha-fiennes https://iai.tv/video/roger-penrose-on-the-blatant-contradiction-of-quantum-mechanics In this exclusive interview, Roger Penrose discusses the shortcomings and blatant contradictions of quantum mechanics which led his career down a different path to most. Whilst others are on the quest to quantise gravity Penrose discusses his alternative approach to "gravitise" quantum mechanics. Join interviewer Curt Jaimungal in listening to Penrose's career highlights, criticisms of quantum mechanics and thoughts on Einstein, Dirac and other great thinkers in physics and mathematics. ... Tue, 03 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/roger-penrose-on-the-blatant-contradiction-of-quantum-mechanics https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-time-guy-standing Time is political. Throughout history, how we use our time has been controlled by the rich and powerful, and today is no exception. Even outside of work, we're almost always 'on the clock'. Join pioneering economist, Guy Standing, as he shows us how to reclaim our most valuable asset: time.In partnership with AudioNote.... Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Guy Standing https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-time-guy-standing https://iai.tv/video/sartre-vs-baldwin-the-unknown-other We take it for granted that through language and communication we can learn about the experience of others. But it remains unknown whether we can fully know what it is like to be another human being. James Baldwin and Jean-Paul Sartre take radically different approaches. For Sartre, the experience of others is unknown to us. Fundamentally, we are alone with our own subjectivity. While for Baldwin, "to encounter oneself is to encounter the other; and this is love". Summing up his disagreement with Sartre he remarked: "it has always seemed to me that ideas were somewhat more real to him than people.”Was Baldwin right that to be alive is to be socially connected to others? Or is Sartre's insight that the only thing we can know is our own experience more telling? Should we conclude that we cannot understand the experience of another unless we have had the same experience? Or is language capable of bridging the seemingly impossible gap between us?... Thu, 28 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rana Mitter https://iai.tv/video/sartre-vs-baldwin-the-unknown-other https://iai.tv/video/tim-palmer-the-global-climate-future Renewable energy is growing across the world. China is becoming a leader, doubling solar energy in the last year alone. The UK has seen a rise from 10 to 40% over the last ten years.  But we are far from being out of the danger zone. Global temperature shows no sign of slowing. 2023 showed a jump in global average temperature making it easily the hottest year in the recent climate record. Do we have the tools to get us out of this crisis? How can we begin to solve a problem we struggle to track? With nations around the world declaring ‘climate emergencies’, what does tackling a climate like an emergency mean? Join Tim Palmer as he makes the case that we need to fund climate science research akin to the space race.... Wed, 27 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tim Palmer https://iai.tv/video/tim-palmer-the-global-climate-future https://iai.tv/video/gary-stevenson-on-hidden-dangers-of-inequality Gary Stevenson has had a storied career from financial trader to inequality activist to YouTuber to author. After he was Citibank's most profitable trader betting on the collapse of living standards for ordinary people, he had a moment of revelation and now devotes himself to tackling what he sees as our society's greatest problem. In this interview at the HowTheLightGetsIn festival, Gary argues that we urgently need to tackle inequality if we hope to have a middle class left to save. ... Tue, 26 Nov 2024 11:30:00 +0000 Gary Stevenson https://iai.tv/video/gary-stevenson-on-hidden-dangers-of-inequality https://iai.tv/video/what-religion-and-stoicism-both-misunderstand Join former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and esteemed philosopher Angie Hobbs in an illuminating dialogue that bridges ancient wisdom with contemporary challenges. Delve into the profound intersections of philosophy and Eastern Orthodox traditions as they explore the timeless insights of Plato and their relevance in today's complex world. From the ethics of governance to the pursuit of justice, Hobbs and Williams offer thought-provoking perspectives on how Christianity and ancient philosophical principles can inform and guide us in addressing the pressing issues of our time.... Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Angie Hobbs https://iai.tv/video/what-religion-and-stoicism-both-misunderstand https://iai.tv/video/the-consciousness-test-yoshua-bengio It is seventy years since the pioneer of computer science and Enigma codebreaker, Alan Turing, argued that if we cannot distinguish between a computer's response and a human's, the computer is intelligent and can be said to think. According to this Turing Test computers are already thinking and intelligent. But critics argue this is a nonsense, and that it remains unknown how to test for intelligence or consciousness. The computer they argue is nothing but a machine able to produce outputs that copy human responses but it does not understand these outputs or have any intent in producing them. Should we conclude that thought and consciousness are unobservable, and there is no brain process or computer test that identifies them? Was the Turing Test in fact a highly successful rhetorical device to encourage us to conclude that machines might one day think, now embedded in the very name 'Artificial Intelligence'? Or is this misguided and computers are already thinking beings and... Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/the-consciousness-test-yoshua-bengio https://iai.tv/video/why-most-published-research-findings-are-false-john-ioannidis Twenty years ago, Stanford professor John Ioannidis shocked the scientific world by publishing evidence demonstrating that the majority of published scientific claims are false. It was hugely influential and led to the widespread recognition of a 'replicability crisis' in science. Join John Ioannidis to hear first-hand how he thinks things have moved on from his initial research and what he thinks needs to be done to rescue science from its falsehoods.   ... Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Ioannidis https://iai.tv/video/why-most-published-research-findings-are-false-john-ioannidis https://iai.tv/video/konstantin-kisin-on-wokeness-free-speech-and-tribalism In  this exclusive interview, Konstantin Kisin discusses the pathologies of the "woke left" and "woke right." He covers immigration, climate change, free speech, and other hot-button issues dominating modern political discourse.... Tue, 19 Nov 2024 18:00:00 +0000 Alexis Papazoglou https://iai.tv/video/konstantin-kisin-on-wokeness-free-speech-and-tribalism https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-sadiq-khan From human rights lawyer, to member of the shadow cabinet, and then Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is one of the most recognisable figures in British politics. The first person to be re-elected as Mayor of London for a third time, he is best known for his transformation of the city's transport links and his fervent mission to tackle the capital's air pollution problem. How have his life experiences contributed to his values, beliefs and overall philosophy? Join Sadiq Khan to hear what he thinks he has learnt from his extraordinary life and how his philosophy has contributed to a remarkable set of achievements.   ... Mon, 18 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Will Hutton https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-sadiq-khan https://iai.tv/video/a-precarious-peace 'Speak softly and carry a big stick' was Roosevelt's approach to global strategy. But the big stick didn't work according to plan in Iraq and Afghanistan. And speaking softly to Russia prior to the Ukraine invasion now looks to have been a terrible mistake. In a multi-polar world, an effective foreign policy looks increasingly elusive. Against a backdrop of the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War the Deputy Secretary of the UN claimed in 2022 that people's sense of security and safety is at an all-time low in almost every country. In response, military spending is rising across the world, with strident voices saying it is not rising fast enough.Without a dominant global power, is there a strategy that can avoid a seemingly uncontrollable increase in military expenditure and conflict? In a world where military technology is so powerful, is it possible for individual countries to have their own independent foreign policies? Or is a new era of allianc... Thu, 14 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Bill Browder https://iai.tv/video/a-precarious-peace https://iai.tv/video/the-dangerous-misunderstanding-of-disease We typically think of illness as separate from ourselves, a foreign pathogen or external entity. But this framing may not capture its real character. Join Bahar Gholipour for an in-depth conversation with epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta, who highlights how technological advancements and the role of data in medicine and public health are having their own impact on the way we understand and deal with illness. ... Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000 Sunetra Gupta https://iai.tv/video/the-dangerous-misunderstanding-of-disease https://iai.tv/video/hilary-greaves-on-the-philosophy-of-longtermism In this exclusive interview with the founding director of Oxford's Global Priorities Institute, philosopher Hilary Greaves is challenged on the longtermist philosophy underpinning the effective altruist movement. This interview was recorded in September 2023 before Sam Bankman-Fried, a leading figure in the effective altruist movement, was arrested on charges of fraud. ... Tue, 12 Nov 2024 09:00:00 +0000 Hilary Greaves https://iai.tv/video/hilary-greaves-on-the-philosophy-of-longtermism https://iai.tv/video/motherhood-vs-the-machine Chine McDonald, Director of Theos, is joined by Charlotte Faircloth, Associate Professor of Social Sciences at UCL, and Mary Harrington, columnist and editor for UnHerd, whose debut novel 'Feminism Against Progress' tackles women's rights in the biotech age. ... Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Chine McDonald https://iai.tv/video/motherhood-vs-the-machine https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-grand-narrative We think we have an understanding of the present epoch; we are, after all, living in it. But if once we saw ourselves at the edge of history pushing progress forward on all fronts, today many lack an overall account of the world and where we are going. As the French philosopher Lyotard commented: “There has been a collapse of grand narratives and totalizing theories.” History has thrown us from the religious certainty of the pre-modern, to the belief in science and progress of the early and mid-twentieth century, to the postmodern undermining of the very possibility of objectivity and an overall account of the world.  Does the loss of grand narratives threaten our culture and our belief in ourselves? Can we find a new narrative, in the abandonment of metaphysical materialism or in a renewed belief in science? Or do we need to break free of the need for a grand narrative and live fearlessly in the face of the mystery of existence?... Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:30:00 +0000 Rana Mitter https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-grand-narrative https://iai.tv/video/books-and-the-future-of-civilisation We are emerging from the so-called “Gutenberg Parenthesis,” the 500 years in which the printed word dominated society, and embracing a new age of screens, images, and tweets. Or so it is claimed. Reading remains popular, however, and the printed book has rallied of late. What’s going on? Might the dominance of the book, indeed of the written word, be coming to an end? Or is it the only medium capable of handling the complexities of human reason and imagination? And how much does any of this matter?In partnership with Theos.... Wed, 06 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Nick Spencer https://iai.tv/video/books-and-the-future-of-civilisation https://iai.tv/video/denis-noble-on-the-symmetry-of-order-and-disorder Order and disorder are famous concepts in physics, but we often overlook the role of these seemingly opposing ideas in our lives. In this exclusive interview, Denis Noble explores the intricate dance between order and disorder in biology, conciousness, language, A.I and more.... Tue, 05 Nov 2024 13:40:00 +0000 Denis Noble https://iai.tv/video/denis-noble-on-the-symmetry-of-order-and-disorder https://iai.tv/video/the-elections-that-change-everything As the former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow has been one of the most powerful people in the UK. But he hasn't been able to express his political views in his capacity as Speaker. Join Bercow in this exclusive talk as he reveals his views on the UK election result and the upcoming US election, as well as his journey from a Conservative MP to his defection to the Labour Party.... Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Bercow https://iai.tv/video/the-elections-that-change-everything https://iai.tv/video/the-democracy-show There can be little doubt, judging from wall-to-wall media coverage, that we assume elections profoundly affect our lives. But there's a risk they have far less impact than we imagine. A recent wide-ranging study of Western governments over the last thirty years remarkably showed no relation between the ideological outlook of citizens and actual social policy. Moreover, critics from right and left argue that it is unelected officials and corporations that primarily determine policy. Meanwhile, long-standing political challenges like social care and wealth inequality remain unaddressed for decades despite changing governments.Should we conclude that leaders and governments rarely make a significant difference to core policy? Are elections largely about a show of democracy rather than the actuality? Could and should we change this state of affairs and if so how? Or is the belief that elections are important essential to democratic nation states?... Thu, 31 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/the-democracy-show https://iai.tv/video/ai-is-a-mirror-on-humanity-shannon-vallor AI might seem like the pinnacle of a new frontier, opening up vast possibilities to reshape the future. But AI is backwards-facing by design, being an amalgamation of the ocean of data humanity has already produced. AI carries with it our blind spots. Join philosopher of technology, Shannon Vallor, as she argues that AI holds a mirror up to humanity and proposes how to address its flaws.... Wed, 30 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Shannon Vallor https://iai.tv/video/ai-is-a-mirror-on-humanity-shannon-vallor https://iai.tv/video/challenging-peter-singers-ethics Whether or not moral ideas can be objectively true has divided philosophers for centuries. But can we ever find moral truths? How would we find them? And what can these truths tell us about the world? In this challenging interview, Peter Singer defends his turn to objectivity and argues morality doesn't need religion, that we should resist our intuitions and that the future of the Effective Altruism movement isn't as bleak as it may appear.... Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Peter Singer https://iai.tv/video/challenging-peter-singers-ethics https://iai.tv/video/caught-in-time Experience is fleeting, and life along with it. Throughout recorded history, humans have sought to still its passage with drawings, diaries, and tales of glory. Today we take photographs, thousands of them, the great majority of which will never be viewed. But is the recording and recounting of our lives of any help in dealing with the unknown and momentary character of life? Sartre argued that; 'you have to choose: to live or to recount' but can never do both. Meanwhile, multiple Harvard studies have claimed to show living in the present is beneficial for mental health. And The British Psychological Society showed that taking photos impedes our memory of objects, distancing us from direct experience.In an Instagram world, is the recording and recounting of our lives, undermining experience and leaving us with thin, empty lives? Should we embrace life's fleeting nature and renounce our devotion to documentation? Or is the desire to hold still and capture the passing of time ... Mon, 28 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/caught-in-time https://iai.tv/video/troubling-echoes-of-the-big-bang Initial evidence for the Big Bang came in the 1930s when the universe was found to be expanding with observation of a red shift in light from distant galaxies. But the clinching evidence was the discovery in the 1960s of a faint background level of radiation wherever we looked in the universe. Cosmologists argued this background radiation was the residual radiation from the Big Bang. But now the story is looking less straightforward and more unknown. Firstly, we found the universe is not just moving but accelerating away from us undermining the redshift as proof of the Big Bang. Meanwhile, the cosmic background radiation, or CMB, requires many ad hoc additions to account for its distribution. Moreover, recent findings from the James Webb telescope have found discrepancies with Big Bang predictions for the universe.Might Cosmic Background Radiation turn out not to be a relic of the Big Bang at all? In combination with the puzzle of the accelerating universe is it possible that... Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Matt O'Dowd https://iai.tv/video/troubling-echoes-of-the-big-bang https://iai.tv/video/lifting-the-lid-on-the-economic-elite-tariq-ali-matt-kennard Many believe the economic deck is stacked against ordinary people. The richest 10% hold 43% of all wealth, while the poorest 50%, hold 9%. But the situation may be even more one-sided. Join investigative journalist Matt Kennard and political activist and voice of the international left Tariq Ali as they lift the lid on how the economy works and expose the shortcomings at the heart of the current global order.... Wed, 23 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tariq Ali https://iai.tv/video/lifting-the-lid-on-the-economic-elite-tariq-ali-matt-kennard https://iai.tv/video/metaphysics-vs-consciousness Consciousness has been a long-standing enigma for both science and philosophy. What is consciousness, is it real or illusory? And how does it relate to the universe? In this conversation, philosophers Philip Goff and Hilary Lawson discuss Goff's version of panpsychism - a theory that argues for consciousness as a ubiquitous feature of our world. ... Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Philip Goff https://iai.tv/video/metaphysics-vs-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/respect-and-loathing-in-the-us In the year of elections, one recurring theme is polarisation. The media often portray us as more divided than ever, and despite politicians claiming to reach across the aisle, partisanship seems more rife than ever. In a time of crises, where complex decisions must be made and compromises reached, we need to understand each other more than ever.Join political theorist Jeff Spinner-Halev and political scientist Elizabeth Theiss-Morse as they argue that despite respect being in short supply in American democracy, it is integral to overcoming the challenges we face. Far from being intensely divided, we are more similar than we imagine, with what we choose to moralise being the key distinction.... Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Jeff Spinner-Halev https://iai.tv/video/respect-and-loathing-in-the-us https://iai.tv/video/the-age-of-emergency From the cost of living crisis to the climate crisis, the crisis in healthcare to the crisis of migration, we live in a world of seemingly relentless crises. Politicians, commentators and social media typically demand urgent government responses. But there are dangers to the vocabulary of catastrophe. If everything is a crisis there is a risk we take none seriously, or take the wrong threats seriously. 38% of Americans avoid the news because of 'crisis fatigue'. In addition continuous crisis risks paralysing decision making with demands for instant and immediate action. Moreover, critics argue a focus on crisis obscures aspects of culture that are performing well which require focus and attention to deliver their potential. Should we be sceptical of the language of crisis, and see it as a means to generate attention and a form of self-promotion and media hype? Or is it more fundamentally a product of a culture that is in relative decline and dissatisfied with itself? Or should we se... Thu, 17 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/the-age-of-emergency https://iai.tv/video/politics-culture-and-mass-deception We think that the culture wars being waged globally reflect an intractable divide in society. But what is the origin of this cultural division? Join distinguished journalist Peter York as he lifts the lid on the big money and big media that has torn apart the very fabric of our society - and what we can do about it.... Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Peter York https://iai.tv/video/politics-culture-and-mass-deception https://iai.tv/video/what-einstein-got-wrong-about-time-avshalom-elitzur Conventional wisdom holds that time flows. But contemporary physics casts doubt on this common-sense view. According to Einstein, we live in a 'block universe', where the future is set, the past continues to exist, and there is no passage of time. Join controversial physicist Avshalom Elitzur as he argues that Einstein was wrong and offers a radical new theory of time.... Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Avshalom Elitzur https://iai.tv/video/what-einstein-got-wrong-about-time-avshalom-elitzur https://iai.tv/video/the-myth-of-universal-values-tommy-curry We tend to think that morality has nothing to do with our individual circumstances or desires. That universal values apply to everyone equally. Join challenging and controversial philosopher Tommy J. Curry as he makes the case that universal values are a fantasy, a myth created by those with power.... Mon, 14 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tommy J. Curry https://iai.tv/video/the-myth-of-universal-values-tommy-curry https://iai.tv/video/thinking-set-free We take it for granted that thinking helps us to understand the world and make good decisions. And to think is to reason. But there is a risk this is not the whole story. Studies into flow states where individuals are single mindedly focussed on a single task, without self reflection or reasoning, have identified that less deliberation rather than more leads to better performance. A McKinsey study of top executives found them to be five times more productive and better decision makers when in such states. While researchers have also shown that scientists rely as much on 'tacit skills' and experience as on logical thought. Should we abandon our focus on reasoning as the best means to determine action? Should we give priority to practical experience over theory, and body over mind? Or at a time when public debate is ever more divisive, is it essential we double down on rational thought to rule out mistaken and dangerous proposals?... Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Subrena Smith https://iai.tv/video/thinking-set-free https://iai.tv/video/the-economics-of-a-viable-palestinian-state Since October 7th, the world has watched as Israel's war has reduced Gaza to rubble with 85% of the Palestinian population displaced. For a long-term solution to the crisis many look to a two-state solution which has widespread international support.  But for it to work, the Palestinian state would need to be economically viable and capable of becoming independently successful. How can this be achieved? Join professor of Palestinian Studies Nadia Naser-Najjab, political theorist Camila Vergara, professor of politics at Tel-Aviv University Uriel Abulof, and professor of development studies Guy Standing to explore how it might be possible to create a Palestinian state that brings lasting peace to the Middle East.... Wed, 09 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Uriel Abulof https://iai.tv/video/the-economics-of-a-viable-palestinian-state https://iai.tv/video/russia-china-and-the-future-of-world-power In this in-depth interview, Michael Clarke, former Director of the Royal United Services Institute, argues that the fundamental axis of world politics is changing. From NATO, to Western sanctions on Russia, and China's increasing presence to the threat of nuclear weapons, Clarke explains how the basis of geo-politics is fundamentally shifting. ... Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Clarke https://iai.tv/video/russia-china-and-the-future-of-world-power https://iai.tv/video/screens-arent-causing-a-mental-health-crisis-chris-ferguson Award-winning psychologist Christopher Ferguson argues that screens aren't the root cause of the mental health epidemic.  Recently, Meta has faced lawsuits from 41 U.S. states for allegedly designing algorithms that foster addictive behaviour in children, often highlighting violent, sexual, and disturbing content. However, Ferguson contends that the evidence supporting these claims is weak and misleading. He will present data showing there's little indication of a significant rise in teen suicide in the UK or Europe, suggesting that the increase in mental health issues among children is due to a variety of factors.... Mon, 07 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Christopher Ferguson https://iai.tv/video/screens-arent-causing-a-mental-health-crisis-chris-ferguson https://iai.tv/video/dark-energy-and-the-universe It was a profound shift to our understanding of the cosmos when 25 years ago astronomers identified that the universe is not only expanding but accelerating away from us. A new force was needed to account for this and dark energy was the solution. But critics claim there is a risk that dark energy is nothing more than an empty hypothesis, since two decades on we still have no explanation for it and no independent confirmation of its existence. Yet it supposedly makes up 68% of the universe.Do we need to get rid of dark energy in favour of an alternative, such as changing Einstein's theory of relativity, or modifying gravity? Is the standard cosmological model of the Big Bang and cosmic inflation itself at stake and might the universe be very different than we currently suppose? Or is the dark energy hypothesis the best hope we have for making sense of the deep mysteries of cosmology?... Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Johnjoe McFadden https://iai.tv/video/dark-energy-and-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/marx-deserves-better-critics-ben-burgis Marxism once revered has had a bad press. Repeatedly blamed for everything from the horrors of communism to the cruelty of modern dictators, most in the mainstream have attempted to escape its grip. Join philosopher and public intellectual Ben Burgis as he argues that Marx deserves better critics than the ones we have today. ... Wed, 02 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Ben Burgis https://iai.tv/video/marx-deserves-better-critics-ben-burgis https://iai.tv/video/freedom-of-speech-is-necessary-to-democracy-john-ralston-saul In this in-depth interview, former President of PEN International John Ralston Saul discusses the importance of free speech, how it has recently come under threat, and why it is an integral to a democratic societies.... Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Ralston Saul https://iai.tv/video/freedom-of-speech-is-necessary-to-democracy-john-ralston-saul https://iai.tv/video/the-case-for-conscious-ai Most are sceptical that artificial intelligence will one day become conscious. But might this scepticism be misguided? Join leading AI researcher, Joscha Bach, as he argues that we can create artificial consciousness if we open ourselves up to the possibility of cyber-animism, the idea that consciousness and spirit is akin to a software agent that naturally emerges in a biological organism.... Mon, 30 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joscha Bach https://iai.tv/video/the-case-for-conscious-ai https://iai.tv/video/in-search-of-oneself Self-reflection is the most important leadership tool' claimed the World Economic Forum.  And the contemporary focus on self-help makes clear that attempts to 'know thyself' are very much the fashion. Yet critics argue self-reflection carries with it serious risks.  A 2018 Harvard study concluded that there is no link between introspection and insight, in some cases the opposite is true. While the biggest worldwide survey into stress identified that self-reflection was one of the greatest factors leading to anxiety, depression, and in some cases suicide. Should we see self-knowledge as an aim not only misguided, but actively dangerous? Is self-knowledge in fact impossible for as Nietzsche argued we have to use the self to uncover the self?  Or is self-reflection a vital and rewarding activity that uncovers meaning and improves our ability to act well in the world?... Thu, 26 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/in-search-of-oneself https://iai.tv/video/the-truth-of-true-crime The genre of 'true crime' has an implausible title. After all, whose truth are we telling, how do we find this truth and isn't the real 'truth' to create a success for the writer or director? Join family victim of 'The Staircase', Margie Ratliff, and documentary director, Camilla Hall, as they explore the psychological impact of being the subject of a crime, then later a TV sensation, and how to find a way to enjoy true crime without compromising the humanity, or the dignity of its subjects.... Wed, 25 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Camilla Hall https://iai.tv/video/the-truth-of-true-crime https://iai.tv/video/shini-somara-on-stems-diversity-problem Engineer turned media broadcaster Shini Somara engages in a candid conversation about her experience as a female of colour, and thus a member of underrepresented groups, within STEM. She advocates for more open discussions on the topic to encourage young people of all kinds to pursue STEM subjects. ... Tue, 24 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Shini Somara https://iai.tv/video/shini-somara-on-stems-diversity-problem https://iai.tv/video/happily-ever-after Most see romantic love as the essential basis for marriage and long-term partnerships. Yet this is a relatively new phenomenon originating in the mid to late 18th century. There is a danger this romantic ideal hides the reality that love is often not enough to sustain long-term commitment and carries with it risks to our own well-being. A 2014 psychiatric study found those in love were more likely to experience depression and anxiety. While a recent BBC study found those who emphasised love were more likely to have shorter relationships and exit them cruelly.Should we give up the idea that romance is the key to long-term relationships and instead see it, as it was once seen, as a threat to those relationships? Would we be better to focus on compatibility, economics and children? Or should we see romantic love not only as the most vivid and exciting experience in our lives but also the most important?     ... Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/happily-ever-after https://iai.tv/video/philosophy-at-the-end-of-the-world Humanity faces extinction-level threats in the near future; including the prospect of nuclear Armageddon, the threat from climate change, and possibly even out-of-control AI. Join leading continental philosopher Ben Ware as he argues that we should deal with our collective demise by treating it as a starting point for a new civilisation. ... Wed, 18 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Ben Ware https://iai.tv/video/philosophy-at-the-end-of-the-world https://iai.tv/video/ai-google-and-the-fight-for-culture The matra of Silicon Valley of 'move fast and break things' has been thrown into the spotlight over AI. Timothy Nguyen, researcher of machine learning at Google, argues that tech companies aren't necessarily the bad guys they've been made out to be and that the stark social questions brought to the fore by generative AI are within the bounds of society to solve.... Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Timothy Nguyen https://iai.tv/video/ai-google-and-the-fight-for-culture https://iai.tv/video/remaking-the-left-susan-neiman The left was once a voice for liberty but is now accused of being home to the ‘woke agenda’. In this talk philosopher and award-winning author Susan Neiman makes the case that the left must rethink its values if it is to survive.... Mon, 16 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Susan Neiman https://iai.tv/video/remaking-the-left-susan-neiman https://iai.tv/video/journey-to-other-dimensions-roger-penrose Most of us take it for granted that there are three dimensions - perhaps four, if we count time. But for over 200 years, mathematicians and scientists have proposed further dimensions. In some standard versions of contemporary physics eleven dimensions are now proposed. But might the notion of additional dimensions be an empty idea that derails physics? Richard Feynman argued that proponents of extra dimensions "cook up explanations" for what we can't observe. And CERN researchers admit that no empirical evidence for extra dimensions has ever been, and more importantly perhaps could ever be, discovered.Should we reject talk of higher dimensions as fantasy, good for sci-fi movies but not for theories of the universe? Would we be better to see extra dimensions as a mathematical tool rather than a description of reality? Or might multiple dimensions in fact describe the essential character of the world?... Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Claudia de Rham https://iai.tv/video/journey-to-other-dimensions-roger-penrose https://iai.tv/video/paterson-joseph-on-acting-race-and-identity In his novel The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, Paterson Joseph manages to fully inhabit the eighteenth-century figure who in 1774 became the first person of African descent to vote in a British general election. In this interview, Paterson Joseph discusses his career in acting and the lessons he learned about race, identity, and belonging – lessons which proved invaluable in the writing of his acclaimed book.... Wed, 11 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Paterson Joseph https://iai.tv/video/paterson-joseph-on-acting-race-and-identity https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-reality-illusion-hilary-lawson We assume our theories describe reality and uncover the truth, for otherwise the success of science appears a miracle. Join leading critic of philosophical realism, philosopher Hilary Lawson, as he argues this is a profound and damaging mistake and puts forward a radical alternative that enables us to make sense of the mystery that is reality.... Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-reality-illusion-hilary-lawson https://iai.tv/video/ode-to-outsiders Yale Law Professor and author of the internationally best-selling Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Amy Chua is renowned for her controversial views on parenting, global affairs, and political tribalism. Join Professor Chua to discover how her challenging views shaped the development of her debut novel, The Golden Gate, and how the rejections outsiders receive are often a blessing in disguise.... Mon, 09 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Amy Chua https://iai.tv/video/ode-to-outsiders https://iai.tv/video/truth-theory-and-ultimate-reality 'Human understanding has enabled us to achieve many things once thought impossible, and we assume our theories are successful because they uncover the true character of reality. But critics argue there is a danger this is an illusion. Theories they contend are effective because they provide a framework to make sense of the world but they do not describe reality, nor do we have a credible account of how any theory could in principle describe reality. The theories of science are all open to revision because they are models rather than descriptions of an ultimate reality.Should we give up the notion that our theories are true descriptions of the world? Should we assume that there are an indefinite number of alternative accounts that might prove more effective? Or is truth a necessary goal of our accounts of the world without which we would be impossibly lost in a welter of competing narratives?... Thu, 05 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Abby Innes https://iai.tv/video/truth-theory-and-ultimate-reality https://iai.tv/video/destiny-are-we-really-in-control In the wake of the pandemic and the midst of the cost of living and climate crises, it’s easy for individuals to feel helpless. But can we ever have control over our destinies, or do social conditions always control our lives? Join ACFM podcast hosts Nadia Idle, Jeremy Gilbert and Keir Milburn for a lively discussion on the social, historical, structural, and psychological, forces that shape us and our fates. The event was a live ACFM (Novara) podcast recording.  ... Wed, 04 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Nadia Idle https://iai.tv/video/destiny-are-we-really-in-control https://iai.tv/video/how-moral-laws-fail-feminism-carol-gilligan In this in-depth interview, Carol Gilligan delves into the biggest studies she conducted throughout her decades-long career as a psychologist — the very same studies with which she shook-up and upended the patriarchal frameworks of the discipline itself. From her pivotal 1980s book In a Different Voice to her most recent work In a Human Voice, she explains how the voices of men and women are not different; rather, they differ because they are gendered by the structures which aim to cover and silence them, in order to preserve power.... Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Carol Gilligan https://iai.tv/video/how-moral-laws-fail-feminism-carol-gilligan https://iai.tv/video/the-truth-about-quantum-computing Quantum computing has turned into a phrase that the tech industry will sprinkle on almost anything to help raise funds and generate sales. As a result, there is a tsunami of hype about what quantum computers are going to revolutionise. Join leading quantum computing specialist Scott Aaronson as he challenges the hype and tells us what is really going on.... Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Scott Aaronson https://iai.tv/video/the-truth-about-quantum-computing https://iai.tv/video/tyranny-of-the-pen '"If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write," declared Martin Luther King. Writing is central to our culture and is seen as the vehicle of precision and accuracy. Theories, contracts, treaties all need to be written to be taken seriously. But there is a hidden danger in our reliance on writing, for it can give the illusion of precision and truth. From Wittgenstein to Derrida, philosophers have argued that precise meaning is elusive, as legal disputes over contracts testify. In our internet age, we increasingly use text to communicate but, as many discover, it can frequently derail rather than enhance understanding.Have we mistaken written text for the truth when it is often a reach for control and an attempt to impose your story on others? Are we undermining meaning and diminishing our reality by spending time framing emails and texts when we should be using the fluid potential of speech instead? Or are we right to be dazzled by the timeless quality of writi... Thu, 29 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/tyranny-of-the-pen https://iai.tv/video/how-to-win-against-power-and-privilege-jolyon-maugham Too often the legal system feels like it only works for people who already have power. But times are changing. Join leading barrister, Jolyon Maugham KC, as he identifies how the law can also put power in the hands of ordinary people.... Wed, 28 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Jolyon Maugham https://iai.tv/video/how-to-win-against-power-and-privilege-jolyon-maugham https://iai.tv/video/nancy-sherman-on-stoicism-and-society Stoicism, a school of thought originating in Ancient Greece, is one of the world's oldest philosophies. Yet it has enjoyed something of a resurgence in recent years, with self-help gurus and popular magazines advocating Stoicism as a way to confront life's challenges. But have modern commentators understood the nuances of this Ancient Greek philosophy? Join Nancy Sherman as she sets the record straight on Stoicism and argues for its importance in our everyday lives.... Tue, 27 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Nancy Sherman https://iai.tv/video/nancy-sherman-on-stoicism-and-society https://iai.tv/video/the-agents-of-life From cats to caterpillars, hedgehogs to humans, we divide the world of living things into distinct and separate organisms. But while central to our perception of the world and evolution, these distinctions now look dangerously simplistic. Studies show that the boundaries between one creature and the next are not clear. Forests of 'distinct' trees are often connected by networks of fungi which, like a great nervous system, are essential to their survival. And almost all large creatures co-exist with great swarms of bacteria that are essential to their very life function.Should we move away from an organism centred biology, and recognise the interconnected character of life? Should we reject the idea that a living thing constitutes a distinct and stable entity? Or are discrete units of life essential to our understanding of the world?... Mon, 26 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Johnjoe McFadden https://iai.tv/video/the-agents-of-life https://iai.tv/video/the-new-overlords Defenders of the free market argue that competition drives down prices and benefits all. China is the poster child for this case with nearly a billion lifted out of poverty since 1990. But competition and free markets can also lead to dangerous monopolies, and higher prices. Entrepreneurial gurus like Peter Thiel advise 'if you're starting a company, aim for monopoly'. Critics argue that unconstrained capitalism allows companies to cement initial advantage by buying competitors, and using scale to dominate the market. They claim the world's largest companies have gained success not by competition but by acting like feudal overlords.Should we conclude that free market capitalism inexorably leads to monopoly if it is not constrained? Do we urgently need to break up or rest control from the corporate giants that dominate the markets? Or can we relax, confident that in time capitalism and market forces will replace the current overlords with new ones?In partnership with Au... Thu, 22 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Hearing https://iai.tv/video/the-new-overlords https://iai.tv/video/the-devil-in-all-of-us-paul-bloom Many have had the experience of an urge to do something wrong just for the hell of it. From walking on grass we're told to keep off to fantasies of violence towards someone we find a minor annoyance. Join Yale psychologist Paul Bloom as he invites us to see the clever, creative and beautiful side of our impulses toward evil.... Wed, 21 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Paul Bloom https://iai.tv/video/the-devil-in-all-of-us-paul-bloom https://iai.tv/video/avshalom-elitzur-on-physics-consciousness-and-politics Philosophers have been trying to understand the mystery of consciousness for millenia with little success. Physicist-philosopher Avshalom Elitzur believes that panpsychism provides the most promising explanation of consciousness. Join Elitzur for a wide-ranging discussion covering quantum physics, consciousness, time, environmentalism, and the Israel-Palestine conflict. Interviewed by IAI Assistant Producer Simon Custer.... Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Avshalom Elitzur https://iai.tv/video/avshalom-elitzur-on-physics-consciousness-and-politics https://iai.tv/video/the-price-of-life-jenny-kleeman We say that life is priceless. Yet in our data-filled world, it has become possible to calculate the cost of almost anything - arguably, including life itself. Join journalist and broadcaster, Jenny Kleeman, as she argues that putting a price on life might paradoxically help us save more of them.... Mon, 19 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Jenny Kleeman https://iai.tv/video/the-price-of-life-jenny-kleeman https://iai.tv/video/rationality-in-the-dock Rationality has often been cited as a key factor in the uncovering of truth. But today, in a world of competing and often radically incompatible perspectives, reason has been called into question and rationality is seen as a rhetorical strategy to defend outdated views. Yet this runs the risk that there is no agreed way to test assertions. Hardly surprising perhaps that 60% of Britons now believe in conspiracy theories and some claim social cohesion itself is being undermined.Should we give up the idea that rationality helps uncover the truth? Or must we double down on reason to follow through the consequences of competing perspectives? Is reason nothing more than a pretence of objectivity, masquerading as value-free when it is in fact embedded in a given outlook? Or is rationality the primary and vital means to escape subjective chaos?... Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/rationality-in-the-dock https://iai.tv/video/the-laws-of-physics-are-not-fixed-joao-magueijo We think that the laws of physics are unchanging and cannot be violated. Join pioneering physicist, João Magueijo, as he argues that everything we thought we knew about the laws of physics is wrong. They do change. And they can be violated. What's more, a new understanding of these laws could help solve the mystery of dark matter. ... Wed, 14 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 João Magueijo https://iai.tv/video/the-laws-of-physics-are-not-fixed-joao-magueijo https://iai.tv/video/amy-chua-on-tribes-and-tribalism The world is divided into tribes - religions, nationalities and political parties, to list just a few. But how important are these tribal differences in international affairs? In this interview, Amy Chua argues that it has historically been the United States' failure to account for tribal distinctions which has doomed its foreign policy interventions.... Tue, 13 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Amy Chua https://iai.tv/video/amy-chua-on-tribes-and-tribalism https://iai.tv/video/the-great-rewiring-of-our-lives 'The true object of all human life is play' proclaimed G.K. Chesterton. But in today's world, critics argue there's a danger that we have replaced genuine play and the open exploration of the natural world with simulated and rule governed fun which is profoundly damaging. Studies show the time children play outside has plummeted by more than two thirds in just one generation. Since the arrival of social media, and the decline of free play, anxiety has increased by 92% for those between 18-25.Is active and exploratory play central to the human condition and are structured screen based alternatives ill-conceived from the start? Are adults equally at risk of succumbing to addictive but ultimately damaging artificial distractions? Or can we develop artificial forms of play that have the same rewarding and life enhancing qualities that we associate with an open and playful engagement with the natural world?... Mon, 12 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Hearing https://iai.tv/video/the-great-rewiring-of-our-lives https://iai.tv/video/better-left-unsaid 'Unexpressed emotions never die... but are buried alive and come forth later in uglier ways' claimed Sigmund Freud. Today we've gone a step further with the assumption that expressing feelings is important for mental well-being. However, a recent study by Cambridge scientists showed that people trained to suppress negative thoughts, rather than unpack them, felt better and improved their wellbeing. Might we be wrong about emotional expression versus suppression? Cultural critic Theodore Dalrymple,  psychiatrist Simon Wessely, and positive psychology specialist Vanessa King debate whether Freud was dangerously wrong. Peter York hosts.... Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Peter York https://iai.tv/video/better-left-unsaid https://iai.tv/video/conflict-and-its-future-david-petraeus President Bush’s choice to lead the Surge in Iraq and US Central Command, President Obama's choice to lead NATO forces in Afghanistan and later to be Director of the CIA, General Petraeus has been at the forefront of international affairs for many decades and with strong views on recent US foreign policy. In a world more precarious than ever, join him to hear his assessment of how to respond to the challenges of contemporary global affairs and gain insight into how his own life experiences influenced his philosophy on leadership and outlook on the world. Michael Clarke hosts.... Wed, 07 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 General David Petraeus https://iai.tv/video/conflict-and-its-future-david-petraeus https://iai.tv/video/the-tech-crisis-john-ralston-saul We are entering into an increasingly difficult period for freedom of expression because the technologies we hoped would support freedom turn out to pose a threat to it. Join the political philosopher Time magazine labelled a 'prophet' of anti-globalism, John Ralston Saul, as he argues that globalist ideology harms freedom of speech.In partnership with Audio Note.... Tue, 06 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Ralston Saul https://iai.tv/video/the-tech-crisis-john-ralston-saul https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-pre-dates-life-stuart-hameroff Many scientists, operating with a materialist worldview, argue that consciousness emerges out of inanimate molecules. In contrast, Roger Penrose's longtime collaborator, Stuart Hameroff, puts forward the controversial case that consciousness precedes life and that we have evidence for this from a recent NASA experiment.... Mon, 05 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Stuart Hameroff https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-pre-dates-life-stuart-hameroff https://iai.tv/video/land-ownership-and-hypocrisy Since Magna Carta, we assume individuals have a right to the property or land that they own. If nations, like Ukraine, are invaded we champion their right to retrieve their land. But there is a risk these principles which we think universal are only applied to the strong. 95% of the native population in North America was wiped out by European invasion. Just two hundred years ago the first removal of Native Americans took place and since then 99% of their land has been taken and is now deemed to be 'owned' by others. The small number of Native Americans remaining suffer severe inequalities in health, wealth and education. Little has been done to redress the situation and almost no one is proposing returning the land.Should we accept that principles of rights to ownership apply only to the strong? Is the widely held belief in inalienable rights in fact hypocritical and only applied when convenient or desirable? Or is our attachment to universal rights genuine and should we be r... Thu, 01 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/land-ownership-and-hypocrisy https://iai.tv/video/in-defence-of-privacy The Leveson Inquiry raised questions about the conduct of the press but also reignited a deeper debate regarding freedom and privacy. Join star celebrity Hugh Tomlinson KC as he argues for the essential right of privacy.... Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hugh Tomlinson https://iai.tv/video/in-defence-of-privacy https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-particle-physics-harry-cliff The more we understand the world, the more it seems to unravel into larger and more complex mysteries that may well be unsolvable. Join Cambridge particle physicist and CERN hadron collider researcher, Harry Cliff, to explore the fascinating anomalies and oddities that confound scientists. From unpredictable orbits around the sun to dilemmas over the smallest substances, Cliff takes you through the many mysteries of physics and argues that there is a limit to what science can and will uncover.... Tue, 30 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Harry Cliff https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-particle-physics-harry-cliff https://iai.tv/video/the-real-me Many identify themselves with their inner voice - the silent voice in our heads we can use to think, plan and ponder. But from Lacan to Nietzsche many have warned this inner voice is not ourselves, nor is it innocent or harmless. Studies from Durham University and Trinity College Dublin link the inner voice with increased anxiety. While others show those that take their own lives are often tortured by a subliminal voice. Furthermore, research at Imperial, and the University of Michigan found evidence that when our inner voice is reduced mental health improves.Should we conclude the inner voice is not the "real me", and its voice should be treated with caution? Should we seek to quieten the inner voice using techniques like psychotherapy, and meditation, and would doing so help combat the mental health crisis? Or did we evolve an inner voice for a reason, and should we see it as our conscience, a problem-solving tool, and a guide in our lives?... Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/the-real-me https://iai.tv/video/nightmare-in-suburbia The classic picture of success for much of the last century has been a detached suburban house, 2.4 kids, and a shiny car. But is there a danger this dream of domestic bliss is out of touch with the realities of human psychology, economics and our evolutionary roots? For much of human history, we lived in extended groups of 20 or more. In a family of four, if one relationship fails, the whole unit is at risk. Unsurprising perhaps that 1 in 5 adults now say they always or often feel lonely. With challenges in child and elderly care and a global housing crisis projected to affect 1.6 billion people by 2025, critics argue the isolated nuclear household has to go.Is it time to abandon the ‘picket fence dream’ as an unnatural, and unsustainable way of living? Should we seek to adopt a radical new model of the home which embraces co-living and shared domestic labour? Or is this an elitist pipedream that ignores the realities of everyday life and the pleasure individuals and familie... Fri, 26 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000 Mary Ann Sieghart https://iai.tv/video/nightmare-in-suburbia https://iai.tv/video/scott-aaronson-on-consciousness-and-ai-safety AI and ChatGPT have made extraordinary progress in recent years. But what are we to make of such progress? In this interview, world-renowned quantum computing expert Scott Aaronson discusses AI safety, quantum mechanics, and what makes human experience unique.... Thu, 25 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Scott Aaronson https://iai.tv/video/scott-aaronson-on-consciousness-and-ai-safety https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-language For centuries we imagined that language was transparent. The 20th century changed all that. Philosophy, with the so-called linguistic turn, came to see language as central to our understanding of reality and set out to make it precise. But a hundred years on, the project is widely seen to have run aground. Critics argue that the danger now is that because the problems of language and the world are so intractable, we have imagined they can be ignored. For how can we make sense of widely held metaphysical claims, such as the existence of parallel universes, or that we are all living in a simulation, or everything is consciousness, if we don't understand what our words mean and how, or whether, they describe reality?Should we return to the positivist notion that all general claims about the nature of reality are empty theorising and should be abandoned? Can we find an alternative account of language that will enable us to make sense of such theories? Or was the linguistic turn a... Wed, 24 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-language https://iai.tv/video/neoliberalism-a-soviet-nightmare There is an old Soviet joke, ‘Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man. Communism is its exact opposite.’ On the surface, neoliberalism, with its emphasis on free markets, competition and privatisation, is as far removed as possible from the Soviet Union. But behind the policies, could they be guided by the same false utopianism? Abby Innes, professor of Political Economy at the LSE, argues that the utopianism that guided the Soviet Union to disaster is eerily similar to the decline of our modern politics, and for Western states to succeed they need to throw off the shackles of utopianism and rediscover the scientific method.... Tue, 23 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Abby Innes https://iai.tv/video/neoliberalism-a-soviet-nightmare https://iai.tv/video/navigating-the-new-world-order In the closing decades of the last century, many were critical of American global dominance. But twenty years on America's relative decline has ushered in a new multipolar era that many contend is profoundly more dangerous. We have an unpredictable conflict in Europe larger than anything since World War II and international tension greater than at any pocint since the height of the Cold War. Meanwhile from the Middle East to the South China Sea, a host of regional conflicts have the potential to spiral out of control, and the new world order looks increasingly precarious.Can we navigate to safety through international cooperation and treaties? Do we need to align in power blocks to provide overall defence, or is it safer to remain independent providing less of a threat to others? Or is the only solution for one nation or alliance to once again become globally dominant?... Thu, 18 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Bronwen Maddox https://iai.tv/video/navigating-the-new-world-order https://iai.tv/video/exposing-the-windrush-scandal-amelia-gentleman Journalism has long been praised for its ability to hold the powerful to account. No story embodies this better than the Windrush Scandal. Join award-winning journalist Amelia Gentleman as she discusses the values of investigative journalism and reveals how she exposed the biggest political scandal of the decade. This was filmed at the London HowTheLightGetsIn Festival in 2022.... Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Amelia Gentleman https://iai.tv/video/exposing-the-windrush-scandal-amelia-gentleman https://iai.tv/video/belief-value-and-superstition Religion has been on a decline in the West for the last fifty years, with recent numbers falling rapidly in the US. For decades the youngest generation was the least likely to believe in God. But in a 2020 YouGov survey Generation Z was shown to be 25% more likely to believe in God than millennials. Meanwhile the so-called New Theists argue for the adoption of Christian beliefs not on the grounds that they are true, but that they are the means to creating a stable and successful culture. Secular critics, in the meantime, argue that the return of belief risks a new age of superstition, bigotry and intolerance.Is the rise in new age and traditional religious belief in the young a dangerous return of unsupported fantasy? Should we double down on the need for rationalism and a careful scientific assessment of evidence? Or is it a welcome sign of a desire for an agreed moral framework in response to the chaos of a post-truth world?... Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rana Mitter https://iai.tv/video/belief-value-and-superstition https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-creativity-crisis Creativity is often seen as a uniquely human quality. But with generative AI competing with and rivalling human skills, is this core facet of humanity under threat? As machines demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated ability to generate art, music, and literature, the once-sacred notion of human exclusivity in creativity is being questioned. 75% incorrectly identify AI artworks as man-made, while creatives globally are fearful of cuts to earnings and jobs as they face off with the new technology.Do we have to accept that there is nothing special about the originality of humans, and creativity once so prized is a skill machines can also master? Do we need to reassess what it means to be human and with it the future of innovation, and invention? Or are the skills and qualities of generative AI overhyped and in fact no more than the dumb and repetitive combination of insights initiated by humans?... Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Niki Seth-Smith https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-creativity-crisis https://iai.tv/video/genes-are-not-the-blueprint-for-life Popularised by Dawkins' work The Selfish Gene, we think genes are the blueprint for life. But might this commonly-held view of biology and evolution be mistaken? Join renowned Oxford biologist, Denis Noble, as he proposes the radical new theory that organisms control their genomes rather than the other way around.... Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Denis Noble https://iai.tv/video/genes-are-not-the-blueprint-for-life https://iai.tv/video/barry-smith-on-consciousness-and-the-senses Barry C Smith is a philosophy professor, director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study, and is on the advisory board for the Institute of Art and Ideas.  ... Tue, 09 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/barry-smith-on-consciousness-and-the-senses https://iai.tv/video/telling-the-story-of-war Truth, it is sometimes said, is the first casualty of war. And the terrible events in Gaza are seemingly no exception. But what should our strategy be when seeking to understand what is happening on the ground? Is there a simple fact of the matter which we can uncover? ... Sun, 07 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/telling-the-story-of-war https://iai.tv/video/mystery-in-the-making We have the impression that science unravels the mysteries of the universe. But with every mystery solved, a new mystery emerges. The Big Bang gave us an explanation for the expanding universe but left the mystery of how it came about. Quantum mechanics accounted for the strange behaviour of subatomic particles, but led to the puzzle of its conflict with relativity. Dark energy made sense of an accelerating universe but led to the mystery of why we have no evidence for it. Is there a danger that we are making a fundamental mistake in imagining science can eradicate mystery, and do we need to think of science differently as a consequence?Do we need to abandon the idea that science has the potential to provide a complete explanation? Should we not expect science to eradicate mystery and instead simply require that its theories work well enough for our current aims and purposes? Or is the ability to overcome mystery essential to the effective operation of science and a core idea... Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Claudia de Rham https://iai.tv/video/mystery-in-the-making https://iai.tv/video/jessica-defino-on-the-politics-of-beauty Jessica De Fino is an award-winning beauty reporter and critic (New York Times, Sunday Times, Vice). She writes the beauty advice column Ask Ugly and publishes a  weekly newsletter The Review of Beauty which “basically gives the middle finger to the entire beauty industry” (HuffPost). Join her as she discusses what beauty really means, why we need to divest from the beauty industry and how we should divert from the toxic beauty standards perpetuated by the industry. We discuss cosmetic colonialism, the connection between the climate crisis and the beauty industry and how the skin microbiome effects attraction. ... Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Jessica DeFino https://iai.tv/video/jessica-defino-on-the-politics-of-beauty https://iai.tv/video/stoicism-reimagined-nancy-sherman We think that stoicism is defined by a rugged self-reliance and indifference to events. Join distinguished philosopher, Nancy Sherman, as she argues this is radically mistaken, and that building deep emotional connections with the world, and the people in it, is as important for the stoics as it is for everyone else. ... Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Nancy Sherman https://iai.tv/video/stoicism-reimagined-nancy-sherman https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-politics-john-bercow The longest-serving Speaker of the House of Commons since the Second World War, John Bercow was once seen as on the right of the Tory party, later becoming a member of the Tory shadow cabinet. He moved to the left throughout his political career subsequently becoming a thorn in the side of the Conservative Johnson government. Join him as he outlines his vision for the future and why Britain desperately needs change.   ... Sun, 30 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Bercow https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-politics-john-bercow https://iai.tv/video/singles-sex-and-society We assume that one of the primary aims in life is to find a lifelong partner. A story embedded in our novels, films and culture. But a fundamental and largely unrecognised change is taking place. The number of singles has risen sevenfold in the last fifty years and now accounts for more than 40% of the population with a majority of those choosing to be single. Some argue this is a dangerous trend that is influencing the global fall in birth rate and potentially threatens society as a whole. They argue the ubiquity of sex toys, used in the US and UK by 70% of women, and pornography, used by 90% of men, have made sex with a partner less important.Should we act to contain the growth in the numbers choosing to be single? Do we need to encourage long-term partnership by making sex less available without a partner? Or is this demographic shift to be wholeheartedly welcomed as a sign of improving personal lives, and a limiting of excessive population growth?... Thu, 27 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/singles-sex-and-society https://iai.tv/video/tasneem-husain-on-creativity-in-physics Join theoretical physicist, writer, and educator Tasneem Husain for an in-depth interview on her path to theoretical physics. She touches on everything from the puzzles of physics that first drew her to the discipline, physics' need for more creative minds, and the importance of being scientifically literate in our increasingly technological world. ... Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tasneem Zehra Husain https://iai.tv/video/tasneem-husain-on-creativity-in-physics https://iai.tv/video/reality-after-realism Philosophical realism, the idea that language is able to accurately describe reality, has been a central belief of most analytic philosophers from its outset more than a century ago. But should we be sceptical of this common-sense idea? Join renegade analytic philosopher Michael Della Rocca and post-postmodern philosopher Hilary Lawson as they put realism to the test and propose radically different solutions for understanding of both language and the world.  Hosted by Sophie Scott-Brown.... Tue, 25 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Della Rocca https://iai.tv/video/reality-after-realism https://iai.tv/video/why-we-fail-to-predict-market-crashes There is very little that is certain in economics and we always know that the next devastating financial crisis could be just around the corner. Join LSE and Oxford economist, Linda Yueh, to explore how we can predict and contain the next financial crash.... Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Linda Yueh https://iai.tv/video/why-we-fail-to-predict-market-crashes https://iai.tv/video/violence-vengeance-and-virtue From Robin Hood to Che Guevara, the oppressed hold the moral high ground. The exploited worker, the dominated minority, the enslaved people, are seen as rightly acting to better their circumstances. Some even maintain the oppressed can never act immorally. But there is a risk this undermines the central moral notion that principles should apply to everyone independent of their circumstances. It also encourages portraying oneself as a victim. Moreover, critics argue that oppressed vs oppressor morality hinders our ability to solve problems that defy simple categorisation into good and bad. Should we conclude that morality has nothing to do with oppression? Are violence and vengeance no more acceptable on the part of the victim than the aggressor? Or is morality inextricably linked to the circumstances of the actors whether in Gaza, apartheid South Africa, or the Twin Towers attack, or the events of everyday life and relationships?... Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Mary Ann Sieghart https://iai.tv/video/violence-vengeance-and-virtue https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-paterson-joseph The ability to inhabit a character, especially one underappreciated and consigned to the annals of history, is both fiendishly difficult and personally revealing. Join Wonka, Peep Show and Shakespearean actor, Paterson Joseph, as he reveals the key experiences that led him to his personal philosophy and outlook on life. Asked what he would like to be remembered for, he replied that he wished to illuminate the lives of black Britons before his parents' Windrush generation.... Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Paterson Joseph https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-paterson-joseph https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-end-of-humanity From sophisticated robots to the development of new drugs, artificial Intelligence is shaping our future in many sectors. Once we thought the creation of original text and forms of art were the select preserve of human beings. But the exponential development of AI is challenging these assumptions. An increasing number claim that AI threatens the very idea of what it is to be human. A recent survey of more than 900 technology pioneers and policy leaders predicted AI would threaten human autonomy and agency, with over a third saying we would be worse off in the future. Confirmed, they argue, by Musk's proposal that we should link our brains directly to machines. Should we see AI as opening up an era of ground-breaking innovation, or does it foreshadow the loss of vital human attributes and independence? Does AI fundamentally challenge what it means to be human? Or is all the talk of its radical importance a sign that we have been taken in by the marketing hype of an enormously pro... Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Liv Boeree https://iai.tv/video/ai-and-the-end-of-humanity https://iai.tv/video/general-david-petraeus-on-ukraine-israel-and-the-future-of-war General (U.S. Army, Ret.) David H. Petraeus is the Kissinger Fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, the Chair of the Global Institute of a major investment firm, and a former director of the CIA. Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands as a general officer, five of which were in combat, including command of the Surge in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan. In this wide-ranging interview, he argues that the lessons America learned in Iraq are not being fully taken up by Israel, that there is no alternative to providing aid to Ukraine, and sometimes wars involve unpalatable choices. Interviewed by Alexis Papazoglou, managing editor of LSE Politics Blog.... Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 General David Petraeus https://iai.tv/video/general-david-petraeus-on-ukraine-israel-and-the-future-of-war https://iai.tv/video/ruby-wax-on-meaning-and-mental-health Join multifaceted comedian and author Ruby Wax in an in-depth interview on the search for meaning, the pitfalls of fame, and her own experiences with depression.... Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Ruby Wax https://iai.tv/video/ruby-wax-on-meaning-and-mental-health https://iai.tv/video/the-indian-century The world's largest democracy, India, is seen as the West's obvious ally against the growing might of China. But might there be a risk that India is not the stalwart ally the West has assumed? Question marks have been raised about India's attachment to freedom and democracy. In the last 20 years they fell from 27th to 108th in democracy rankings and to 161st out of 180 in press freedom. In foreign policy India is at best ambiguous. Ignoring sanctions on Russia, India is the third largest buyer of Russian oil. And in 2017 joined Russia and China in the economic and defence group, SCO.Is it time to recognise that Modi's India, with the largest population in the world and the fastest growth, has its own agenda independent of the West? Will India be central to a future world where the West and its values are a sideshow? Or will history and culture bind India to Western values in the long term?... Wed, 12 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rana Mitter https://iai.tv/video/the-indian-century https://iai.tv/video/how-oceans-shaped-the-world-helen-czerski Earth is home to a huge story that is rarely told - that of our ocean. What it does, why it works, and how it's influenced human civilisation. Join leading oceanographer and broadcaster, Helen Czerski, as she argues that the ocean is not merely a feature of our planet, but an extraordinary engine on which we all depend - a phenomenal blue machine.... Tue, 11 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Helen Czerski https://iai.tv/video/how-oceans-shaped-the-world-helen-czerski https://iai.tv/video/nihilism-and-the-meaning-of-life-nolen-gertz Nihilism, the abandonment of all fundamental beliefs, may appear a hopeless outlook. Yet perhaps it also has potential. Join philosopher Nolen Gertz as he explores the history of nihilism to give us a complex image of it as something we can learn to live with in our technological age.   ... Sun, 09 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Nolen Gertz https://iai.tv/video/nihilism-and-the-meaning-of-life-nolen-gertz https://iai.tv/video/life-death-and-specialisation Once, the doctor would diagnose anything from a broken leg to bronchitis. Now students can choose from over 200 medical specialisations. In the past decade alone, referrals to specialists have doubled. Most see this revolution as a huge win. But is this a mistake? You are no more likely to survive in a specialist cardiac unit than you are at home. While medical errors have become the third biggest killer in the US and UK, and specialisation contributes through poor communication and incorrect diagnosis. Do we need to give up the idea that the specialist is always the best answer and redirect funding elsewhere? Is it possible that the health of the body is not divisible into separate discrete units, but needs to be seen as a whole? Or is this to undermine the radical advances specialist medicine has contributed and which will drive the breakthroughs of the future?... Wed, 05 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Caitjan Gainty https://iai.tv/video/life-death-and-specialisation https://iai.tv/video/john-vervaeke-the-purpose-of-consciousness Join John Vervaeke in this exclusive studio interview as he argues for a naturalistic account of mystical experience.... Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Vervaeke https://iai.tv/video/john-vervaeke-the-purpose-of-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/how-to-heal-a-divided-nation-grafton-tanner We are more polarised than ever before. On almost every major issue we are split down the middle and then shout across the divide violently. Join rising star author, Grafton Tanner, to question this narrative and explore how to divide a nation and how to put it back together again.... Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Grafton Tanner https://iai.tv/video/how-to-heal-a-divided-nation-grafton-tanner https://iai.tv/video/a-radical-step-to-gender-equality Reproductive medicine has made huge strides over the last few decades. Now it is claimed we are within ten years of developing an artificial womb, raising the possibility that having children could take place without pregnancy or childbirth. In Brave New World, the artificial womb signalled a dystopian future.  Yet for many feminists, this prospective alternative to childbearing is the route to emancipation. While others argue artificial wombs risk upending social structure, and family relationships.Is it time to make childbirth a technological, not a biological, phenomenon? Should we welcome this as a critical stage in the development of human organisation enabling genuine equality between the genders? Or is this a frightening prospect that will remove from women the monopoly of reproductive capacity, endangering their position and posing a threat to the legal, social and cultural organisation of society?... Mon, 03 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Anders Sandberg https://iai.tv/video/a-radical-step-to-gender-equality https://iai.tv/video/being-good-and-being-bad Kathleen Stock is a philosopher famous for her gender-critical views. She is a founding faculty fellow at the University of Austin.Hilary Lawson is a philosopher and long standing critic of realism, best known for his theory of closure. He is the editorial director of the Institute of Art and Ideas.Hilary Greaves is a professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford and the director of its Global Priorities Institute.Sophie Scott-Brown hosts.... Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Kathleen Stock https://iai.tv/video/being-good-and-being-bad https://iai.tv/video/smashing-particles-at-the-energy-frontier At CERN's Large Hadron Collider, physicists create the world's highest energy human-made collisions to explore the fundamental building blocks of the universe. Join Yale Professor Sarah Demers as she describes how CERN researchers create, and learn from, these collisions at the energy frontier.... Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sarah Demers https://iai.tv/video/smashing-particles-at-the-energy-frontier https://iai.tv/video/sleeping-with-the-enemy-paul-dolan In our digitally-driven dating scene, with the ability to choose specific characteristics, many avoid dating across the political divide. Join happiness expert Paul Dolan as he argues dating those we disagree with is valuable both for ourselves as individuals and for society.... Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Paul Dolan https://iai.tv/video/sleeping-with-the-enemy-paul-dolan https://iai.tv/video/protest-democracy-and-power Protest is essential to democracy. Protest allows us to fight for justice without resorting to radical forms of conflict or even civil war. But governments are often tempted to give police powers to shut down disruptive protest. Join civil rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, as he argues that without protest, democracy is lost.  ... Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Peter Tatchell https://iai.tv/video/protest-democracy-and-power https://iai.tv/video/the-reality-of-living-forever Life expectancy has seen a dramatic rise in the last fifty years. Nearly 20% in the UK, and 40% globally. While this is to be celebrated, living longer carries with it risks for all of us and dangers for society as a whole. As Jonathan Swift wrote three centuries ago, in his story of Luggnagg, where some never die, "everyone wants to live forever but no one wishes to be old." Calls to legalise euthanasia mount. At the same time, an aging population requires care from an ever smaller proportion of working age folk and there are already signs that health services can't cope.Have we medicalised death and isolated the aged when instead we should be recreating family and intergenerational community? Should we accept that death is part of life and stop chasing permanent health and wellbeing, when it is impossible to deliver? Or will medical progress enable ever longer and healthier lives, and do we instead all need to work longer to pay for it all?... Wed, 22 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/the-reality-of-living-forever https://iai.tv/video/myths-modernity-and-meaning-betty-sue-flowers From having been a consultant for the nationally televised series 'The Power of Myths' to editing a book on the topic, Betty Sue Flowers has always been interested in myths for their enduring potential, power, and influence. In this interview, Betty Sue Flowers explores how myths and legends still shape contemporary life, from religious stories and heroic tales to the narratives that shape our histories and economies.... Mon, 20 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Betty Sue Flowers https://iai.tv/video/myths-modernity-and-meaning-betty-sue-flowers https://iai.tv/video/astonishment-fear-and-quantum-physics-tim-maudlin The most astonishing result in the history of physics, Bell's theorem, proves 'spooky action at a distance' that Einstein and most physicists reject for fear of embracing ideas that defy common sense. Join leading philosopher of physics, Tim Maudlin, as he makes the case for the importance of Bell's theorem and explores a result physics has been too afraid to confront.... Sun, 19 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tim Maudlin https://iai.tv/video/astonishment-fear-and-quantum-physics-tim-maudlin https://iai.tv/video/mind-matter-and-everything There is a widespread belief that we are getting closer to describing how the mind works. In a 2020 survey of English-speaking philosophers, more than half thought materialism described the human mind. But critics point to the danger of imagining that an ever more sophisticated material account of the brain brings us nearer to an understanding of consciousness. After all, we don't have an explanation of a single thought let alone for experience as a whole. And even Richard Dawkins said that scientists 'are no more equipped to deal with consciousness than anyone else'.Do we need to accept that material stuff is a radically different sort of thing than thought and consciousness, and one can never be explained in terms of the other? Can we overcome the opposition of the physical and the mental by seeing them as linguistic categories rather than ultimate metaphysical states? Or can materialism pull the rabbit from the hat and be extended to account for thought and experience?... Wed, 15 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sean Carroll https://iai.tv/video/mind-matter-and-everything https://iai.tv/video/a-universe-of-possibility The fundamental structure of the cosmos is not atoms, particles, or even thoughts or mind; the fundamental structure of the universe is possibility. Join one of the world's leading cosmologists and Hawking collaborator, George Ellis, as he argues possibilities underlie our whole physical and mental existence.... Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 George Ellis https://iai.tv/video/a-universe-of-possibility https://iai.tv/video/crack-up-capitalism-quinn-slobodian The cost of living crisis has not arisen in a vacuum. The very forces that allowed for the expansion of international finance and instability that wrought 2008, have also broken up the globe in more ways than national borders. Join Quinn Slobodian as he explores our recent past to uncover the forces at work behind the scenes and proposes a new theory of capitalism that seeks to free itself from democracy.... Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Quinn Slobodian https://iai.tv/video/crack-up-capitalism-quinn-slobodian https://iai.tv/video/bill-browder-on-surviving-putin With war ravaging Ukraine and Russia exerting its power across the world, the whims of Putin are more valuable to understand than ever. Bill Browder has survived as Putin's number-one enemy ever since the murder of his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. While dodging Interpol arrest warrants, extradition attempts, and windows in high buildings, Browder has become a world-leading expert on the internal workings of Russia, and activism to hold autocrats to justice.... Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Bill Browder https://iai.tv/video/bill-browder-on-surviving-putin https://iai.tv/video/danger-safety-and-the-future Once parents encouraged their children to travel to school on their own. Now they are more likely to be worried for their safety. From trigger warnings to stringent health and safety regulations, from ever tighter oversight of school safeguarding to the introduction of urban 20mph speed limits, we live in a culture that puts safety first and seeks to avoid all risk. Yet critics claim this culture is itself dangerous, limiting experience and introducing fear into everyone's lives. They argue mental ill health and high levels of anxiety in the young are in part due to a risk averse culture. In a recent UK survey, 62% of parents saw themselves as overprotective.Do we need to reverse the culture of safety to enable lives to flourish? Is a generation of risk averse teachers and parents damaging the lives of the next generation? Or is a focus on safety a sign of an enlightened age that places care and compassion at the heart of our culture?... Wed, 08 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/danger-safety-and-the-future https://iai.tv/video/the-challenge-to-optimism The economy is a vital part of the way we understand our lives and our politics more generally. But after years of growth, development, and progress, on the surface everything is rosy. But as Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton argues, behind the big picture many people have been left behind by the modern economy, and this is precisely because of the blindspots of modern economics. Join Deaton as he explores the ways economics needs to take from philosophy. Interviewed by the FT's Gillian Tett.... Tue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Angus Deaton https://iai.tv/video/the-challenge-to-optimism https://iai.tv/video/inside-anarchy-sophie-scott-brown Absolute freedom of the individual? Or chaotic dystopia? Anarchy is one of the most violently divisive political ideals going. Join outspoken theorist, Sophie Scott-Brown, as she sets out her vision of anarchy for everyone.... Tue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/inside-anarchy-sophie-scott-brown https://iai.tv/video/the-dream-of-democracy "Government by the people and for the people" proclaimed Abraham Lincoln. A maxim that has become one of the foundational principles of Western liberal democracy. But many argue this principle is under threat. In Britain, 94% of voters believe their views are not the main influences behind eventual decisions. Donors, corporations, the media, and lobbyists are all seen to have more influence. Similar results are found in other Western democracies.Do we need to outlaw donations and lobbyists, and curtail the influence of corporations and the media? Should we democratise the civil service and adopt citizen assemblies as employed widely in the Netherlands? Or is direct government by the people not only impossible to implement but dangerous requiring complex decisions from an electorate that has little expertise?... Thu, 02 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Susan Neiman https://iai.tv/video/the-dream-of-democracy https://iai.tv/video/how-to-use-adventure-for-wellbeing Talk of happiness and welfare can often be surrounded by comfort and safety. But it is not safety that satisfies us. Join explorer, entrepreneur and author of best-selling book Adventure Revolution, Belinda Kirk, to discover how adventure can improve our well-being.... Tue, 30 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Belinda Kirk https://iai.tv/video/how-to-use-adventure-for-wellbeing https://iai.tv/video/electricity-creates-consciousness-nick-lane How could calcium ions rushing through a membrane generate the taste of coffee, the smell of a rose or the feeling of love? Join celebrated biochemist, Nick Lane, as he argues that the deep logic of life is at root an electrical phenomenon.'His theories are ingenious, breathtaking in scope, and challenging in every sense' - The Guardian... Tue, 30 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Nick Lane https://iai.tv/video/electricity-creates-consciousness-nick-lane https://iai.tv/video/the-ai-enigma AI and ChatGPT took the world by storm this year. But should we believe the hype? Will AI intelligence replace human intelligence or is this an apocalyptic fantasy and the AI era one of human abundance and prosperity?  ... Sun, 28 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Cory Doctorow https://iai.tv/video/the-ai-enigma https://iai.tv/video/the-matrix-myths-and-metaphysics Not so long ago philosophers and scientists were deeply critical of overall metaphysical accounts of the world, arguing that they were empty nonsense and should be consigned to the dustbin. 'Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct', concluded the author Somerset Maugham. But metaphysics is back. Idealism, possible worlds, panpsychism all have their adherents. 'We are living in a simulation', Matrix followers, like Elon Musk, intone. But is this a fundamental error that we once had recognised and have now forgotten, that trades evidence and reality for fiction and fantasy?Should we recognise all overall metaphysical accounts as speculative nonsense? Since there can be no empirical evidence for any of them, is contemporary science the only way to determine the nature of things? Or might metaphysics be not only necessary but unavoidable?... Wed, 24 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/the-matrix-myths-and-metaphysics https://iai.tv/video/biology-beyond-genes-denis-noble We tend to think that genes make us who we are. But what if this is the wrong way around? Rather than bottom-up, might nature work top-down? Join biologist, Denis Noble, to explore how organisms create their own destiny using genes.... Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Denis Noble https://iai.tv/video/biology-beyond-genes-denis-noble https://iai.tv/video/frank-furedi-interview-rethinking-identity Described as 'Orban's right-hand man', Frank Furedi is a political philosopher at the heart of the culture war. With a storied career studying fear, populism, and identity, Frank's recent work has sought to defend his view of the West from those who seek to discredit it. Far from frivolous, Twitter-led 'discourse', the culture wars are existential for the future of the West and a vital war that needs to be won. Interviewed by Alexis Papazoglou.... Mon, 22 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Frank Furedi https://iai.tv/video/frank-furedi-interview-rethinking-identity https://iai.tv/video/naming-and-shaming Shame has long been a powerful tool of social regulation, as the medieval stocks and the Christian association of shame with nakedness testify. But today critics argue that contemporary mechanisms of shame, like cyberbullying, 'fat shaming', and aspects of so-called cancel culture, have spiralled dangerously out of control. Studies have shown shame to be correlated with anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Fuelled by social media, some claim we are seeing a shift from a guilt to a shaming culture, which is highly damaging to society and the individual.Should we seek to excise shame from social and public life to protect the well-being of all? Or are shifts in attitudes to racism and sexism evidence that shame is an important and powerful motivator for change? At root are we right to feel shame when we violate social norms, or should we seek to overcome shame and feel confident even if we recognise that we have acted badly?... Sun, 21 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/naming-and-shaming https://iai.tv/video/the-centre-of-the-universe We see Copernicus as a providing a key moment in history where we moved on from seeing ourselves at the centre of the universe. But our scientific accounts of the universe are inevitably constructed from our own human perspective. In so doing do we not still inadvertently place ourselves at the centre? For example, our account of the universe describes human consciousness and intelligence to be uniquely special, the universe to be strangely fine-tuned for our existence, and human size and scale to be midway between the smallest things and the largest expanses.Should we accept that the science carries an inherent anthropomorphic bias? Is this a fundamental distortion and can we seek to overcome it? Might new forms of understanding such as AI provide a new way for the universe to understand itself? Or is the way we see the universe in fact the correct and ultimate account of how it really is?... Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Neil Turok https://iai.tv/video/the-centre-of-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/loving-oneself-and-loving-others From charity-givers, to those who sacrifice themselves in war for others, we see altrusim and selflessness as virtues to be applauded. Those who take no heed of their own interests are highly praised in Western culture. But many point to a danger. Studies show that altruism gone awry leads to tolerating abusive partners, eating disorders and depression. And critics argue that some of history's most horrific episodes rose from appeals to altruistic tendencies. Forced sterlizations in the West were justified as "better for all the world".Should we see unhampered altruism not only as futile, but actively dangerous? Are these virtues merely a device to defend outcomes we think beneficial for ourselves and exert power over others? Or is selflessness in fact vital and would relegating it to secondary status only see more corruption and self-absorption in society?... Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Carol Gilligan https://iai.tv/video/loving-oneself-and-loving-others https://iai.tv/video/mental-health-reimagined-mark-salter We often view depression as a disorder. But could this be a mistake? Join front-line psychiatrist, Mark Salter, as he argues that depression is not an illness, rather a process; a verb, not a noun. And how this fundamental shift of perspective could revolutionise our understanding of mental health for the better. ... Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Mark Salter https://iai.tv/video/mental-health-reimagined-mark-salter https://iai.tv/video/scientists-and-their-demons-jimena-canales Join award-winning science historian Jimena Canales in this studio interview as she discusses the process of discovery and the nature of the unknown in science.... Tue, 16 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Jimena Canales https://iai.tv/video/scientists-and-their-demons-jimena-canales https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-alastair-campbell Alastair Campbell came to public prominence as Tony Blair's Director of Communications. Seen by friends and critics as hugely influential, he was a successful journalist before joining the team at No 10. Since retiring from front-line politics, Campbell has become editor-at-large at The New European, launched with Rory Stewart the most successful political podcast in the UK, 'The Rest Is Politics', and authored the acclaimed book, 'But What Can I Do?'. But what has really driven his life and his beliefs? Find out in this compelling exploration of his extraordinary life and philosophy. Hosted by Philip Collins.... Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Alastair Campbell https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-alastair-campbell https://iai.tv/video/fragments-and-reality From the sea to the sky, from tables to chairs, light to dark, before to after, we see the world as differentiated into countless bits, qualities, and relations. But from the outset of Western thought, some have maintained this is a dangerous illusion. One of the first philosophers, Parmenides, claimed 'what exists is whole and unchanging, one and continuous'; while today there are sociologists and linguists, neuroscientists and philosophers who argue that the distinctions we make are a function not of reality but of language.Do we need to give up the idea that the world is differentiated and take Parmenides and Spinoza's idea that the world is one seriously? Should we see differences and distinctions as a product of language and the human mind? Would this make us more open to different ways of seeing the world or fatally undermine knowledge and our ability to communicate?... Wed, 10 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tim Maudlin https://iai.tv/video/fragments-and-reality https://iai.tv/video/fascist-passions-judith-butler Judith Butler, pioneering gender theorist whose changed the way we think about gender and sexuality, explores the topic of their most recent book, Who's Afraid of Gender? (March 2024). Butler offers a compelling and powerful diagnosis of the anxieties and fears that make up today's wars over gender. In this talk, Butler will explore how, despite 'gender'  being the most fraught issue of our times, there is still cause for hope. This timely and timeless intervention continues to imagine new possibilities for freedom and solidarity. ... Tue, 09 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Judith Butler https://iai.tv/video/fascist-passions-judith-butler https://iai.tv/video/democratic-capitalism-in-crisis Capitalism as we know it is in crisis. Slow growth, inflation and widening inequality makes for a worrying potion. But how do we fix this? Join chief economics commentator of the FT, Martin Wolf, as he offers his cure for this crisis. Hosted by Sergei Guriev, Provost of Science Po.... Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Martin Wolf https://iai.tv/video/democratic-capitalism-in-crisis https://iai.tv/video/in-conversation-sabine-hossenfelder-and-hilary-lawson Join physicist Sabine Hossenfelder and non-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson in riveting conversation. With Hilary interviewing, Sabine outlines her attitude to the problems of modern physics and the importance of philosophy. ... Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sabine Hossenfelder https://iai.tv/video/in-conversation-sabine-hossenfelder-and-hilary-lawson https://iai.tv/video/creativity-and-freedom In the West we pride ourselves on being free to express our creativity. But some claim that this core principle is in jeopardy. There was widespread outrage when Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage having lived with a death threat for thirty years. Jay Z has fought against rappers' lyrics being used to convict them in court. Authors like Roald Dahl and other works from the past face the prospect of passages being airbrushed. And every publishing house now has 'sensitivity readers' to identify and remove problematic content.Should writers and artists be able to publish work free from the threat of retribution or vilification even if their views are offensive to some? Or, must some forms of expression be outlawed if we are to combat prejudice and privilege? Is it time to reassert traditional western liberal values, or should we see liberalism as carrying a form of authority that needs to be challenged?... Thu, 04 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/creativity-and-freedom https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-and-the-material-reality-avshalom-elitzur Consciousness is widely seen as an impossible problem for materialism.  Furthermore, the phenomenon of consciousness disobeys the laws of physics. Join physicist and philosopher, Avshalom C. Elitzur as he makes a radical new proposal about the relationship between consciousness and material reality.... Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Avshalom Elitzur https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-and-the-material-reality-avshalom-elitzur https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-rory-stewart Once neck and neck with Boris Johnson in the leadership race for the Conservative party, Rory Stewart sought to blaze a new socially liberal trend within conservative politics. But how did come to his political philosophy, and more broadly, his philosophy of life? Now co-host with Alastair Campbell of The Rest is Politics, and has written a critically acclaimed book, entitled ‘Politics on the Edge’. In this interview, explore Stewarts ideas on heroism, compassion among conservativism, and how meditation helped form his spiritual philosophy. Isabel Hilton hosts.... Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-rory-stewart https://iai.tv/video/peter-woit-the-fall-and-resurrection-of-4-dimensional-numbers Strange, long-forgotten numbers called quaternions are undergoing a revival in computer graphics, maths, and physics. Join Peter Woit for a startling exploration into the rise, fall, and miraculous resurrection of quaternions, the four-dimensional numbers that led to modern algebra and are now radically changing physics and maths.... Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Peter Woit https://iai.tv/video/peter-woit-the-fall-and-resurrection-of-4-dimensional-numbers https://iai.tv/video/the-ai-apocalypse In the wake of ChatGPT, high profile figures including Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, and Elon Musk called for a temporary halt to AI development, claiming the future of humanity is at stake. But critics argue, with ChatGPT 49% owned by Microsoft, that this is a marketing tactic by Microsoft to build hype around AI and, concurrently, a competitive business tactic by rival tech companies to prevent Microsoft getting too big of a head start. Meanwhile what we really have is not 'artificial intelligence' but 'dumb algorithmic learning systems' which require immediate regulation independent of the tech companies to limit social damage.Will general artificial intelligence be developed in the near future and should we take the threat of AI taking over from humanity as a genuine and real danger? Or is it alarmist rhetoric designed to distract from the immediate harms that Chat GPT and other learning systems already pose? Or is all talk of artificial intelligence a form of hype ... Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Liv Boeree https://iai.tv/video/the-ai-apocalypse https://iai.tv/video/conspiracy-and-belief In this intimate interview, Michael Shermer explores how conspiracy theories undermine objective truth or the generally accepted scientific, materialist paradigm. He covers everything from his most recent work to why conspiracy theories are so good at creating cult followings and what objective truth might look like.... Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Shermer https://iai.tv/video/conspiracy-and-belief https://iai.tv/video/climate-culture-and-creativity-lola-young Most accept that tackling climate change requires better science and cleaner technology. But what if part of the answer lies in harnessing the power of artistic and cultural sectors? Join actress, author, and crossbench peer, Lola Young, as she charts out a radically new vision for sustainability and social justice.... Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Lola Young https://iai.tv/video/climate-culture-and-creativity-lola-young https://iai.tv/video/the-tears-of-the-west Once we believed in progress, and saw ourselves at the leading edge of culture and life as improving. Now we are more likely to see the negatives in both in society and in our future. 75% of millennials think they will be worse off than their parents. But some argue there is a risk this outlook is not only mistaken but bad for our health and society. The Swedish statistician Hans Rosling argued that we are systematically far more negative about ourselves and the world than is justified by the data. Despite a much higher standard of living we are more pessimistic than those in China, India, Russia and Brazil. Furthermore a recent study of 160,000 people showed pessimism negatively effects health with the most optimistic living 11-15% longer than the most pessimistic.Have we lost faith in our culture and is our self-criticism at risk of becoming self-fulfilling? Do we need to identify and celebrate our strengths and our successes to build a brighter more positive future? Or sho... Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Hearing https://iai.tv/video/the-tears-of-the-west https://iai.tv/video/searching-for-sanity-in-a-chaotic-world-ruby-wax Warning - this video contains discussion about self harm and suicide.Mental Health has become an increasingly prevalent theme in the modern day. But the search for meaning and understanding continues to often leave us baffled. So how do we break out of this? Join famed actor and author of the Sunday Times Bestseller, 'I'm Not As Well As I Thought I Was', Ruby Wax to discuss how humour can help us to make sense of our confused selves, and a chaotic world. Hosted by Myriam Francois.... Tue, 19 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Ruby Wax https://iai.tv/video/searching-for-sanity-in-a-chaotic-world-ruby-wax https://iai.tv/video/the-fatal-flaw-in-human-judgement-cass-sunstein Join Cass Sunstein, co-author of Noise, to explore the fatal flaws in human judgement, and how they might be screwing up everything, from the economy to our daily lives.... Mon, 18 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Cass Sunstein https://iai.tv/video/the-fatal-flaw-in-human-judgement-cass-sunstein https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-physics From ongoing puzzles in quantum gravity, to disagreements about cosmic inflation and multiverses, physics is in turmoil. Join ascendant physicist Suchitra Sebastian and theoretical physicist and YouTube sensation Dominic Walliman.... Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Suchitra Sebastian https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-physics https://iai.tv/video/homes-and-hierarchy Homes provide the fabric of a society, a core stability around which society can function. But for decades a housing crisis has been looming. And some claim it is now upon us. Across the world, the young spend an ever greater proportion of their income on housing. Half of all Europeans have some form of home insecurity, while a billion people worldwide lack access to secure housing, threatening lives and risking civil unrest.... Wed, 13 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Mary Ann Sieghart https://iai.tv/video/homes-and-hierarchy https://iai.tv/video/yanis-varoufakis-interview Join this exclusive interview in which Yanis Varoufakis is interviewed by the NYT's Eshe Nelson on how our current inflation crisis ties in with 2008, quantitative easing and the end of capitalism.To understand the rise of big tech you need to understand the actions of central banks since the financial crisis. By saving the economy, central banks have unleashed a force not seen since the Medieval Period and have ushered in the end of capitalism itself. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and the NYT’s Eshe Nelson is perfectly situated to interrogate Yanis’ broad vision.... Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Yanis Varoufakis https://iai.tv/video/yanis-varoufakis-interview https://iai.tv/video/sophie-grace-chappell-epiphanies-ethics-and-experience We all have epiphanies. Yet most of us choose to ignore them, and trust in reason to determine our path in life. Join philosopher Sophie-Grace Chappell, who argues that we should allow our epiphanies to guide our actions.... Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Grace Chappell https://iai.tv/video/sophie-grace-chappell-epiphanies-ethics-and-experience https://iai.tv/video/bodies-brains-and-mental-health-david-healy We think the brain controls our behaviour and emotions. But antidepressants are changing this narrative. They numb both emotional and genital areas in the body within minutes of the first pill. Join outspoken psychopharmacologist David Healy as he argues the body, not the brain, is our behavioural and emotional centre. ... Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 David Healy https://iai.tv/video/bodies-brains-and-mental-health-david-healy https://iai.tv/video/the-perception-bias We think there is a correct way of seeing the world, and we look to eradicate any bias that might vitiate this true perception of the world. But is this an error? Psychologists argue that perceptual biases are at the heart of our understanding of the world. Moreover, philosophers going back to Kant have argued that without the imposition of human concepts on sensation, there would be no perception and no consciousness.Should we reject the desire to overcome bias and see the world truly, and instead see our perception of the world as one particular outcome of an extended process of trial and error? Should we see our bias as central to what makes us unique as individuals? Or is it essential that we seek to uncover our biases to see the world as it really is?... Wed, 06 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Daniel Kahneman https://iai.tv/video/the-perception-bias https://iai.tv/video/roger-penrose-interview-quantum-consciousness Join Nobel laureate Sir Roger Penrose as he outlines his views on quantum mechanics, Gödel's incompleteness theorem and consciousness. He also provides a glimpse into his visual thought process and scientific idol Galileo Galilei.... Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/roger-penrose-interview-quantum-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/the-truth-of-fiction-jesse-norman To uncover truth, we must look to fiction. And to live in the present, we must engross ourselves in the past. Join MP and author of the widely-acclaimed historical fiction The Winding Stair, Jesse Norman, to explore the power of story, and how the past provides us with a fresh perspective on contemporary issues.... Mon, 04 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Jesse Norman https://iai.tv/video/the-truth-of-fiction-jesse-norman https://iai.tv/video/utopian-living Do the answers to the climate crisis, the housing crisis, and the rise of loneliness and isolation lie in the way we choose to live? Kristen Ghodsee explores previous forms of communal living and the potential to radically reshape our society in a utopian vision.... Sun, 03 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Kristen Ghodsee https://iai.tv/video/utopian-living https://iai.tv/video/beauty-and-the-meaning-of-life For centuries the beauty of the universe was seen as evidence for a divine creator. Now we are more likely to see beauty as an adornment to life, a colourful addition but at root a side-show. But might our rejection of the importance of beauty be a profound mistake? Mathematicians call on beauty to explain the quality of a proof. Cosmology and particle physics employ theories chosen for their elegance and beauty. Einstein concluded, 'the only physical theories we are willing to accept are the beautiful ones'. While we all seek beauty in key aspects of our lives, from geography to fashion, from what we eat to who we live with.Should we conclude that beauty is not a subjective or passing cultural fashion but instead an objective and vital quality of the universe? Does the centrality of beauty tell us something about the very character of the universe and reality? Should we place the pursuit of beauty at the centre of our lives or are we right to have relegated beauty to a passi... Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Dominic Walliman https://iai.tv/video/beauty-and-the-meaning-of-life https://iai.tv/video/perception-as-a-fantasy-donald-hoffman Join us as world-leading cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman discusses his cutting-edge research about consciousness and perception, as well as its astonishing implications for the ultimate nature of reality.... Tue, 27 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Donald Hoffman https://iai.tv/video/perception-as-a-fantasy-donald-hoffman https://iai.tv/video/capitalism-big-tech-and-the-nation-state We all know Big Tech is hugely influential. But the scale of its reach is not always appreciated. The largest of the Big Tech firms, Apple, has a valuation equivalent to the GDP of the UK. Along with the other four Big Tech corporations, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, they have a value greater than the GDP of the UK, France and Italy combined. Critics argue capitalism always tends to monopoly and the internet has turbocharged this phenomenon creating unprecedentedly powerful organisations that manipulate our lives and opinions as well as our buying habits.Can we break up Big Tech, or like China do we need to build our own national internet companies to retain some control? Or is it too late and the financial power of Big Tech already sufficient to buy political influence, media comment, and up and coming competitors? Or is the scale of Big Tech a sign that the power of the nation state is no longer as great as the power of capital? ... Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Stephanie Hare https://iai.tv/video/capitalism-big-tech-and-the-nation-state https://iai.tv/video/confronting-lies-in-modern-politics-thangam-debbonaire Join Thangam Debbonaire in this exclusive studio interview as she explains what is wrong with British politics, the plight of refugees arriving in the UK, and potential solutions to these problems that would benefit the entire country.... Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Thangam Debbonaire https://iai.tv/video/confronting-lies-in-modern-politics-thangam-debbonaire https://iai.tv/video/the-origin-of-life Humans have always marvelled at the wonders of life. But for nearly a century science has had an explanation for the immense variety of life forms on earth. Out of a primordial soup a random combination of chemicals generated the building blocks of life. Evolution did the rest. But might this account be mistaken? Despite decades of effort, biologists and biochemists have been unable to evolve living things from inorganic material. The emergence of the first cell and the development of complex life remain a mystery.Is there something about the origin of life that means it will never be uncovered? Is the failure to account for life a threat to the whole evolutionary story? Or might we be able at some point to demonstrate the evolution of cells from inorganic material and the subsequent development of complex life forms? And if so where might this solution be found?... Wed, 21 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/the-origin-of-life https://iai.tv/video/the-morality-of-sex-work Sex work is a topic which continues to divide opinion. Yet is legalisation the answer? Join journalist, Maya Oppenheim, as she offers a new direction for the philosophy, morality and politics of sex work, and explores the fine line between liberation and exploitation.... Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Maya Oppenheim https://iai.tv/video/the-morality-of-sex-work https://iai.tv/video/china-and-india-the-future-of-the-next-century Whilst much of the world remains transfixed on ongoing world conflicts, China and India may reveal themselves to be key players not only in these conflicts, but in the future of the world order. Cindy Yu, assistant editor at the Spectator, is joined by senior lecturer at SOAS Bhavna Dave for in intimate conversation on the future of  global order.... Tue, 20 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Bhavna Dave https://iai.tv/video/china-and-india-the-future-of-the-next-century https://iai.tv/video/discovering-the-world-beyond-science-rupert-sheldrake The modern world's faith in science has made the idea of the supernatural seem like a silly child's fantasy, at least in the minds of many. Yet, 50% of people do still believe, or suspend disbelief, in the supernatural. Join radical scientist and spiritualist, Rupert Sheldrake, to explore a reality that lies beyond the scientific view of reality. ... Sun, 18 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rupert Sheldrake https://iai.tv/video/discovering-the-world-beyond-science-rupert-sheldrake https://iai.tv/video/redrawing-the-global-order The West has become accustomed to economic supremacy. But its dominance is in decline and perhaps already over. In 2023, the GDP of the BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa - has for the first time overtaken the Western G7 economies. Furthermore, the BRICS are cementing ties and coordinating policy. None sanctioned Russia over Ukraine and instead increased trade. They've also formed the New Development Bank which some fear will undermine the dollar and the global economy.Will the BRICS redraw the global order and herald a new era of power block conflict? Or is the end of US supremacy an opportunity for a fairer distribution of the world's resources? Then again, is the new world order overdone and the challenge of the BRICS just what is needed for the West to rediscover belief in its values and culture?... Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sasha Polakow-Suransky https://iai.tv/video/redrawing-the-global-order https://iai.tv/video/the-quantum-age-michio-kaku In his new book, Quantum Supremacy, Kaku argues that the next generation of computers will resolve the deepest mysteries at the edge of physics and solve our biggest global problems like climate change, world hunger, and incurable diseases. Quantum computers have the power to solve problems in seconds that classical computers would take eons to deal with. Join Michio Kaku and Curt Jaimungal in this exclusive interview as we enter the Quantum Era and unlock the mysteries of the universe.... Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Michio Kaku https://iai.tv/video/the-quantum-age-michio-kaku https://iai.tv/video/rob-boddice-the-happiness-crisis In the so-called 'happiest' countries in the world, the uncomfortable reality of high rates of depression, suicidality, chronic pain, and social isolation are obscured by the conflation of happiness with capitalist conformity.In this intriguing talk, Rob Boddice challenges the tenets of happiness indices that flatten the subjective states of citizens, asking pointedly if it is still possible for suffering to be a virtue.... Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rob Boddice https://iai.tv/video/rob-boddice-the-happiness-crisis https://iai.tv/video/a-rule-to-live-by 'Treat others as you would wish to be treated' is a central principle found in many cultures and all major religions. Known as the Golden Rule, it is widely seen as the cornerstone of morality. Yet some argue the Golden Rule is wrong and damaging. It imposes our values, desires and outlook on those with different experiences, and goals. The extrovert may wish to be the centre of attention but it does not mean they should impose this on a shy neighbour. Furthermore, studies show that in clinical settings, Golden Rule thinking leads to inaccurate judgements with important consequences for medical policy.Should we abandon the Golden Rule as dangerously narrow? Should we seek to empathise with perspectives different from our own and treat others as they would wish to be treated? Or is this a shift that risks losing our moral compass, and the Golden Rule as an essential universal law?... Sun, 11 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/a-rule-to-live-by https://iai.tv/video/the-psychedelic-revolution3 For decades, psychedelics were derided as dangerous recreational drugs; now many claim they have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of mental health. With hundreds of clinical trials now taking place, the psychedelic therapeutic market is predicted to be over ten billion within the decade. It has been widely thought that psychedelics are effective at treating mental health because of the way they change brain chemistry. But studies from King's College London and Johns Hopkins suggest this is an error, arguing that it's the psychedelic experience that aids mental wellbeing, not the physical brain changes.Should we stop focussing on brain chemistry as the solution to mental health? What is it about psychedelic experience that can aid mental well being and will psychedelics live up to their promise and usher in a mental health renaissance? Or, is the hype bubble about to burst and should we look elsewhere for the silver bullet to the mental health crisis of our age?... Wed, 07 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Matthew Johnson https://iai.tv/video/the-psychedelic-revolution3 https://iai.tv/video/dreaming-beyond-time-gary-lachman Can we see the future in our dreams? Does time flow in one direction? What is a 'meaningful coincidence'? Gary Lachman, former Blondie bassist turned philosopher, explores the history of precognition and dreams.... Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Gary Lachman https://iai.tv/video/dreaming-beyond-time-gary-lachman https://iai.tv/video/how-to-think-like-a-spy The name's Omand... David Omand. In life or death situations, spies work with contradictory and often incomplete information to discern the best course of action. Join former head of GCHQ and permanent secretary of the home office, Professor Sir David Omand, and find out how to think like a spy.... Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 David Omand https://iai.tv/video/how-to-think-like-a-spy https://iai.tv/video/the-secrets-of-irrationality-dan-ariely Misinformation affects all of us on a daily basis. While we recognize the dangers that misinformation poses, the problem is complex far beyond what policing social media alone can achieve and too often our limited solutions are shaped by partisan politics and individual interpretations of truth. Dan Ariely offers us a new perspective given his new work to overcome misbeliefs and conspiracy theories about him. ... Mon, 05 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Dan Ariely https://iai.tv/video/the-secrets-of-irrationality-dan-ariely https://iai.tv/video/the-quantum-hoax If we believe the headlines, quantum computing is going to revolutionise the world. But some leading scientists are arguing it is little more than a hoax. Quantum computers, they claim, have fundamental problems that show no sign of being addressed or, in principle, of being solvable. In this debate, our renowned speakers reveal the science from the hype on all things quantum computing. ... Wed, 31 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Joscha Bach https://iai.tv/video/the-quantum-hoax https://iai.tv/video/solving-the-meaning-crisis-john-vervaeke We are in the midst of a mental health crisis, with an increasing number of people feeling devoid of meaning. But how do we tackle this? Join John Vervaeke, as he offers a radical solution by appealing to the philosophical traditions behind wisdom and purpose.... Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Vervaeke https://iai.tv/video/solving-the-meaning-crisis-john-vervaeke https://iai.tv/video/the-spectre-of-the-enlightenment From the climate crisis to systemic racism, historian and activist Aviva Chomsky makes the case for the destructive consequences of colonial values. The renowned scholar of Caribbean and Latin American history reveals how the lessons she has learned from her activism and scholarship overturn the Eurocentric vision of the Enlightenment we have inherited from our colonial past.... Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Aviva Chomsky https://iai.tv/video/the-spectre-of-the-enlightenment https://iai.tv/video/embracing-solidarity-in-a-secular-age-rowan-williams Join Rowan Williams for an in-depth interview where he discusses everything from ritual, climate change, and moral responsibility.... Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Rowan Williams https://iai.tv/video/embracing-solidarity-in-a-secular-age-rowan-williams https://iai.tv/video/the-mystery-of-emergence From consciousness to free will, and even life itself, it has become commonplace for philosophers and neuroscientists to explain some of the most puzzling phenomena in the universe as 'emergent'. Some even make the claim that nothing in science makes sense without emergence, the idea that the characteristics and behaviour of the whole is different from, and in addition to, its parts. But critics argue there is a danger emergence gives the impression of understanding when in reality it explains nothing.Can we explain emergence and account for an overall property occurs when it is not present in the elemental parts? Might a new science of emergence enable breakthroughs in our understanding of life, consciousness and physical properties like superconductivity? Or is emergence a rhetorical device used to give the misleading impression that materialism is capable of explaining the deepest mysteries?... Wed, 24 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Suchitra Sebastian https://iai.tv/video/the-mystery-of-emergence https://iai.tv/video/mearshimer-and-the-death-of-ideology Join this exclusive interview to watch distinguished and controversial political theorist John Mearsheimer discuss the issues at the heart of the struggle for global power. To understand world politics, Mearsheimer argues, you need to understand how states think. From Russia's invasion to Ukraine, to whether ideology or realism guides geopolitics, Mearsheimer seeks to uncover the inner workings of our anarchical world. ... Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 John Mearsheimer https://iai.tv/video/mearshimer-and-the-death-of-ideology https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-billy-bragg Billy Bragg's pioneering music has helped inspire a younger generation to engage with the social and political causes of our time. From ‘Talking With The Taxman’ to ‘Mermaid Avenue’, Bragg has spent over four decades writing and performing protest songs, fighting everything from fascism to war, and corruption to capitalism. Join interviewer Myriam François to discover the life and philosophy behind Billy Bragg.... Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Billy Bragg https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-billy-bragg https://iai.tv/video/truth-beauty-and-other-scientific-misconceptions-lisa-randall Some of the best scientists throughout history have equated beauty with truth. But is this a mistake? Join pioneering physicist Lisa Randall to discuss the allure and dangers of equating beautiful advances with scientific achievement. Specifically, the talk will cover the subjective nature of beauty, and instances where beauty succeeded and where it failed, bringing in notions of symmetry and symmetry breaking.... Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Lisa Randall https://iai.tv/video/truth-beauty-and-other-scientific-misconceptions-lisa-randall https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-desire Most of us seek to avoid prejudice and discrimination in our views and actions. Yet for the most part we don't apply this to our sexual desires and preferences. But some now argue this is a mistake. Historically and culturally sexual preference has varied widely, so it is argued there is no reason to allow current fashions in physical factors such as height, weight, and race to determine our choices in a way that is frowned on in other spheres of life. And it is surely troubling that dating app data shows white people ten times more likely to be messaged by black people than the reverse.Would we be better to see sexual desire as a political and ethical choice? Could we seek to avoid discrimination by not referencing physical characteristics on dating apps, and designing algorithms to avoid societal prejudices? Or is the choosing of a sexual partner an evolutionary choice and tampering with sexual desire not only problematic but socially dangerous?... Thu, 18 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Barry Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-politics-of-desire https://iai.tv/video/the-dark-side-of-feminism-tommy-curry Feminism has been instrumental in addressing the plight of women around the world. But few know of its dark side, and many are uncomfortable exploring some of its troubled history. Join pioneering philosopher of race, Tommy Curry, as he argues that feminism has been tarnished by racist ideology and explains how we can create a more inclusive world for all.... Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Tommy J. Curry https://iai.tv/video/the-dark-side-of-feminism-tommy-curry https://iai.tv/video/the-transgender-mind-body-problem-sophie-grace-chappell In this eye-opening interview with Sophie Grace Chappell she explores whether gender has an essentialist element, the potential virtues of living without gender, and how this all intersects  with gender, feminism, and consciousness.... Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Grace Chappell https://iai.tv/video/the-transgender-mind-body-problem-sophie-grace-chappell https://iai.tv/video/gravity-and-the-universe We all know the story of Newton framing his theory of gravity as a result of watching an apple fall from a tree. But 350 years on we still don't understand this seemingly simple force. Current theories cannot apply both at the small scale of atomic particles and at the giant scale of galaxies, on the scale of quantum mechanics and on the scale of general relativity. Without a solution the mystery of gravity threatens to undermine any overall account of the universe.Is the fault with Einstein's theory of general relativity, or with our understanding of quantum mechanics? Do we need an entirely different account of gravity, or perhaps remove gravity from our explanations altogether? Or should we just accept that a single holistic account of the universe is not possible and see our theories as limited to a given frame and reference?... Sun, 14 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Sabine Hossenfelder https://iai.tv/video/gravity-and-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/economic-fact-and-economic-fantasy Although there has been a recent fall, central banks are widely seen to have failed to control inflation. At times running up to six times target, the banks blamed the Ukraine war, but critics point to the rapid rise in inflation before war broke out, and amongst other factors often find quantitative easing at fault. Moreover, some claim there is a more fundamental problem that there is no overall coherent economic theory in the first place. Bank models failed to predict the 2008 crash or the more recent cost of living crisis. In 2015, the European Central Bank claimed that neither monetarist nor Keynesian economics provided solutions to the financial crisis, leading some to question if any economic theory had the answers.Should we conclude that central bank failures to predict, let alone avoid, economic crises are evidence of a deep underlying flaw in their understanding? Or were banks just negligent in their failure to respond to evidence of rising inflation? Do we need a r... Wed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Yanis Varoufakis https://iai.tv/video/economic-fact-and-economic-fantasy https://iai.tv/video/the-tiktok-uprising TikTok has gone beyond media platforms into wider culture, online censorship and even mass behaviour change. The US and UK moved to ban it. Join China expert and host of the Chinese whispers podcast, Cindy Yu, to chart how TikTok stole our attention, and how it could be a major player for China on the global political stage.... Mon, 08 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Cindy Yu https://iai.tv/video/the-tiktok-uprising https://iai.tv/video/the-dream-and-danger-of-ai AI. We marvel at it, we fear it, but we cannot ignore it. Join renowned commentator and prize winning poker player, Liv Boeree, in conversation with Dominic Walliman, to explore how we can best utilise and regulate AI to change the world for the better.... Mon, 08 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Dominic Walliman https://iai.tv/video/the-dream-and-danger-of-ai https://iai.tv/video/dostoevsky-vs-nietzsche Dostoevsky and Nietzsche both regarded the creeping nihilism and meaninglessness of their time as a fundamental threat to humanity. While both were critical of modernity and rationalism, their solutions were radically opposed. Dostoevsky looked towards transcendence for an answer and found, in love and compassion, 'the chief law of human existence'. While Nietzsche declared God dead and found meaning in human nature and the assertion of human creativity.Is Dostoevsky, as some have argued, a denial of all that is human and an acceptance of authority and oppression, or is it Nietzsche who is most dangerous in his endorsement of human desire and the will to power? Can meaning only be found outside of ourselves, in the love of others and in God's love for us? Or should we follow Nietzsche and see human will and desire as the means to create meaning?In partnership with the New Humanist... Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Niki Seth-Smith https://iai.tv/video/dostoevsky-vs-nietzsche https://iai.tv/video/how-we-let-russia-invade-ukraine-fiona-hill Join Fiona Hill for an in-depth interview where she explores how we have misunderstood Putin and his claims to power, how the West has given Russia the right to make expansive claims, as well as the invasion of Ukraine.... Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 Fiona Hill https://iai.tv/video/how-we-let-russia-invade-ukraine-fiona-hill https://iai.tv/video/the-impartiality-illusion Most of us think news should be impartial. A recent worldwide poll found that 75% of people favour neutrality and claim to choose the news provider they think most in line with the truth. But many argue impartiality is not achievable and the claim risks hiding propaganda under the guise of truth. Respected Western media outlets such as the BBC, CBS, The Times, Washington Post, don't look impartial viewed from Tehran, Bejing and Moscow. Nor does their coverage of WWII look impartial if read today.Should we conclude that all media sources inevitably carry a particular perspective and claims of impartiality are false? Would we be better to see all media as partisan but require from their different partisan outlooks a determination to cover events factually from their point of view? Or is impartiality still a valuable goal even if it can never be achieved?... Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/the-impartiality-illusion https://iai.tv/video/we-need-a-scientific-revolution-eric-weinstein Join Eric Weinstein for an in-depth interview where he explains the need to go beyond good science to pursue great science. He also discusses the influence of religious thinking on physics, the destiny of the scientific enterprise and the pursuit of truth. ... Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Eric Weinstein https://iai.tv/video/we-need-a-scientific-revolution-eric-weinstein https://iai.tv/video/the-god-desire Across the globe, many still believe in God and make attempts to prove the existence of a supreme being, but could it be that theistic belief is counter-intuitively itself sufficient proof for God’s non-existence? Is belief in God driven by an underlying human fear of mortality, or does religious belief provide more than just a get-out-of-death free card? Join famed comedian and award-winning author, David Baddiel, in conversation with Chine McDonald, director of the think tank Theos, as David unpacks the big questions surrounding mortality, the self, and the supernatural.In partnership with Theos. ... Sun, 17 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 David Baddiel https://iai.tv/video/the-god-desire https://iai.tv/video/speaking-for-the-future Concerns about limited global resources and climate change have led many to argue that public policy should focus on future generations as much, or more, than current issues. And we all think we should care about the lives of our descendants. But there are risks. The future is not predictable nor the outcome of current policy. China's one-child policy, draconian as it was, imagined it was making the country better for future generations. Yet now, it looks misguided as the dangers of a falling population become apparent.Should current policy be focussed on long term consequences rather than immediate short term goals? Can we improve our long run future and reduce the risk of annihilation with altruistic decision making? Or is this dangerous rhetoric open to abuse by interested parties and the reality that we cannot know how to act on behalf of an unknown future populace?... Wed, 13 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Philip Collins https://iai.tv/video/speaking-for-the-future https://iai.tv/video/challenging-the-caricature-doon-mackichan "All the world’s a stage and all the men and women are merely players" but the blurred lines between art and reality often cause us to draw dangerous conclusions about humanity. Join award-winning actress, Doon Mackichan as she explores creativity, caricatures, and how to escape our current prejudices. Mary Ann Sieghart hosts.... Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Doon Mackichan https://iai.tv/video/challenging-the-caricature-doon-mackichan https://iai.tv/video/uncovering-the-secrets-of-the-universe-priyamvada-natarajan The universe is a complex mystery. But how has it evolved over time? Join Yale Professor of Astronomy and Physics, Priyamvada Natarajan, as she explores the radical consequences the discovery of black holes has for our understanding of the universe.... Sun, 10 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Priyamvada-Natarajan https://iai.tv/video/uncovering-the-secrets-of-the-universe-priyamvada-natarajan https://iai.tv/video/the-enlightenment-and-its-alternatives-steven-pinker-john-mearsheimer The Enlightenment advocated reason, science, democracy, and universal human rights as a grounding for human morality and social organization. In the quarter millennium since, to what extent have these ideals been realized? Has the Enlightenment in fact been successful in bringing about moral progress? Are there viable alternatives to the Enlightenment vision?... Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/the-enlightenment-and-its-alternatives-steven-pinker-john-mearsheimer https://iai.tv/video/the-anthropocene-is-bigger-than-climate-change-berners-lee Climate change is an ever more present threat.  Yet whilst there is widespread recognition of the risks, in a liberal democracy there is no guarantee we will act accordingly. So where do we go from here? Join climate scientist Mike Berners Lee to explore how to reconcile the scientific with the political.... Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mike Berners Lee https://iai.tv/video/the-anthropocene-is-bigger-than-climate-change-berners-lee https://iai.tv/video/when-myth-becomes-reality-janne-teller Fictitious narratives can become dauntingly real. In today's world, it is easier than ever to generate myths that quickly become dangerous realities. Join best-selling author, Janne Teller, as she accounts how misinformation surrounding the Danish Cartoon Controversy created real life conflict worldwide, and shaped our very ideas about the Western-Islamic divide.... Sun, 03 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Janne Teller https://iai.tv/video/when-myth-becomes-reality-janne-teller https://iai.tv/video/power-politics-and-mental-health We assume the way to respond to the mental health crisis is better treatment and medical care. Research though suggests mental health is frequently due to social and political issues. Young women are 26% more likely to experience a mental health difficulty than their male counterparts, LGBTIQ people three times more likely than straight people, and Black British people 30% more than White British people.Do we need to accept the limitations of prescription drugs and therapy and see mental health as a social and political issue? More radically, is it a mistake to describe some behaviours as mental ill health in the first place, when they might more properly be seen as a product of social inequality? Or should we see drug and therapy treatments as having made major strides in improving the life of millions with huge potential to make further progress?... Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/power-politics-and-mental-health https://iai.tv/video/leaving-metaphysics-behind In this exclusive studio interview, renegade analytical philosopher Michael Della Rocca explains how philosophy has been taken hostage by a subservience to common sense and his insistence that we should question absolutely everything. Della Rocca also outlines his rigourous contemporary defense of a radical metaphysics that aligns with the mystical tradition of Parmenides. ... Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Della Rocca https://iai.tv/video/leaving-metaphysics-behind https://iai.tv/video/the-quest-for-the-common-good Many feel their future is under threat. But is a solution to be found in embracing the common good or is a more individualistic, privatised future the answer? Join Investigations Editor of The Conversation UK, Mike Herd, Philanthropist and Investor, Julia Davies, and acclaimed authors, Gerry Mitchell and Louise Ashley, as they discuss a radical new approach to structuring society.This event was curated by The Conversation UK.... Sun, 26 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mike Herd https://iai.tv/video/the-quest-for-the-common-good https://iai.tv/video/the-morality-of-sex Sex and moral constraints tend to go hand in hand. And it is still the case that monogamy and lifelong commitment are seen to hold the moral high ground. But might this be a mistake? Critics of marriage argue that traditional societies such as the Iroquois and Maasai tribes built strong and stable relationships based on large polygamous family structures.  Furthermore, they argue such structures foster an egalitarian culture in which women enjoy greater security over property and land. Should we seek to remove morality from sexual relations altogether? Or are we right to see long term commitment as morally justified and essential for personal and social harmony?... Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/the-morality-of-sex https://iai.tv/video/quantum-computing-and-the-future-of-science-communication-dominic-walliman Qunatum computing is beyond understanding for many of us. But underpinning all science is a need to be communicated to the next generation. In this interview, Dominic Walliman discusses the future of quantum computing, its applications and possible future breakthrough; as well as his own work communicating science and mapping out knowledge for the next generation. ... Mon, 20 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Dominic Walliman https://iai.tv/video/quantum-computing-and-the-future-of-science-communication-dominic-walliman https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-slavoj-zizek Slavoj Žižek is a globally renowned philosopher and cultural critic. Join him in conversation with author Joanna Kavenna, as they discuss the intersection of his ideas and his personal life.... Sun, 19 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-slavoj-zizek https://iai.tv/video/the-economics-of-almost-everything "Productivity isn't everything, but in the long run, it is almost everything" claimed Paul Krugman. Throughout the twentieth century productivity, the average level of output for each hour worked, improved dramatically across the developed world. A greater increase than in the previous 2000 years. Driven by life changing technologies, such as electricity, combustion engines, and phones, living standards increased sevenfold. But since the 2008 financial crisis, despite computerisation and the internet, productivity growth in many countries has been low, static or even, in the case of Japan, falling. Might the 20th century's extraordinary growth prove to be a unique event? Is tech itself the problem, seemingly creating solutions but in fact encouraging pointless activity? Or is the mistake to focus on productivity in the first place, and should we instead change how we value our activities and our time?In partnership with Theos.... Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Daniel Markovits https://iai.tv/video/the-economics-of-almost-everything https://iai.tv/video/science-fiction-for-a-dystopian-present-cory-doctorow Prolific science fiction author, activist and journalist Cory Doctorow discusses his high-tech heist novel 'Red Team Blues,' a book that educates as much as it enthrals, that has been described as 'Panama Papers fanfic'. In this interview, Doctorow pulls apart the façade of cryptocurrency culture, excoriates the abilities of our supposed tech overlords, and offers a piercing insight into our ever-increasing entanglement with technology. He also explains why our rivers are filled with raw sewage, how the Luddites weren't actually anti-technology and why your uncle was probably just a rascist gammon all along.   ... Mon, 13 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Cory Doctorow https://iai.tv/video/science-fiction-for-a-dystopian-present-cory-doctorow https://iai.tv/video/the-shadow-of-spirituality Established religion has been on the decline in the West for more than a century, but of those who claim to be not religious 40% believe in 'some form of the supernatural'. From horoscopes to TikTok psychics, we see these alternatives as harmless new-age fantasies. But a recent UCL study found that people who were not religious but had a spiritual understanding of life "were 77% more likely to be dependent on drugs, 72% more likely to suffer from a phobia, and 50% more likely to have a generalised anxiety."Are new-age spiritual beliefs leading us into a post-enlightenment dark age? Or was Wittgenstein right when he said "the facts of the world are not the end of the matter", and Deleuze when he proposed we should "bring something incomprehensible into the world?" Should we see spirituality and mysticism as a dangerous spiral to dystopia or a positive outcome that challenges scientific truth?... Wed, 08 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/the-shadow-of-spirituality https://iai.tv/video/dangerous-media-for-dangerous-times In times of turmoil, we look to the media to help us make sense of the world. Yet our trust in the objectivity of our news providers is rapidly declining. Join Alan Rusbridger in discussion with New European editor Matt Kelly, to explore how we reclaim journalistic integrity.This event was in partnership with The New European.... Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Matt Kelly https://iai.tv/video/dangerous-media-for-dangerous-times https://iai.tv/video/confronting-the-enlightenments-mistakes-kehinde-andrews From Kant to Locke, we associate the enlightenment with a period of moving from dogmatic thinking to a period of searching for objective truth. However, is the Enlightenment really that value-free? Leading Black studies thinker Kehinde Andrews highlights that not only can we not ignore the racist works of the pioneers of the Enlightenment era, our very enlightenment values are entrenched in racist and dogmatic thinking. ... Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Kehinde Andrews https://iai.tv/video/confronting-the-enlightenments-mistakes-kehinde-andrews https://iai.tv/video/the-secrets-of-quantum-emergence-suchitra-sebastian Quantum mechanics has existed for over a century. Yet the physics is still shrouded in mystery and many outside the field remain utterly bewildered. Acclaimed winner of the New Horizons in Physics Prize, Suchitra Sebastian, explores the science of quantum mechanics, and demonstrates why we may be on the verge of discovering a completely new type of matter. ... Sun, 05 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Suchitra Sebastian https://iai.tv/video/the-secrets-of-quantum-emergence-suchitra-sebastian https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-time In our everyday experience, time is an inescapable backdrop against which events unfold, allowing us to sequence events and measure durations. Yet in the hundred years since Einstein's theory of general relativity, physics has had a radically different account. Time does not flow, there is no before and after. We are not born and we do not die. The entirety of spacetime is given at the outset of the universe. There is no cause and effect. Is this radical discrepancy with our everyday experience a threat to physics or a threat to our understanding of what it is to be alive?Should we take seriously claims of physicists that everyday experience is an illusion? Or is it their model of the universe that is mistaken? Or are these two profoundly different accounts of time the product of frames of understanding that will always remain incompatible?... Wed, 01 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Michio Kaku https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-time https://iai.tv/video/the-psychology-of-ai-isabel-millar Questions over artificial intelligence seem to dominate our contemporary. But underpinning the technology are an array of presuppositions - about thinking, knowledge and consciousness - that are in dire need of philosophical scrutiny. In this fascinating interview, Dr Isabel Millar discusses her work in challenging these assumptions by deploying the tools of psychoanalysis to the study of AI.... Tue, 31 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Isabel Millar https://iai.tv/video/the-psychology-of-ai-isabel-millar https://iai.tv/video/marxism-vs-capitalism Marxism and Capitalism represent the two main economic worldviews in conflict. One promises a utopian vision of equity for all, the other preaches individualism and fierce competition as the way to get ahead. Join luxury-communism campaigner Aaron Bastani as he goes head-to-head with Institute of Economic Affairs’ Matthew Lesh. ... Sun, 29 Oct 2023 01:00:00 +0000 Aaron Bastani https://iai.tv/video/marxism-vs-capitalism https://iai.tv/video/imagining-the-universe We see imagination and creativity as central human qualities vital to technology and innovation as well as the arts. Yet the scientific account of the universe, operating with immutable laws and strict cause and effect, appears to leave little room for anything genuinely new, and thus truly imaginative or creative. Is creativity an illusion or is the scientific model itself critically flawed?Should we conclude that imagination and creativity escape the corset of cause and effect, creating new worlds that we are then able to inhabit? Or is imagination merely the combination of prior experiences, forming nothing essentially original? Is more at stake here than the character of creativity and instead do we need to reframe the very nature of reality and our role in it?... Thu, 26 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Iain McGilchrist https://iai.tv/video/imagining-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/narcissism-and-self-love From books to podcasts, we are now told to embrace the idea of ‘self-love’. But are we creating a generation of narcissists? Join renowned philosopher Simon Blackburn to unpack the uses and abuses of loving ourselves.... Mon, 23 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Simon Blackburn https://iai.tv/video/narcissism-and-self-love https://iai.tv/video/unlocking-science-helen-czerski Science is central to modern life. It guides government policy, and offers us direction as individuals - in our perspectives and lifestyle. But science can often seem far away, spoken about in an unintelligible jargon and practised by a select elite. In this fascinating interview, physicist and oceanographer, Dr Helen Czerski, opens science up, exploring the ways in which we can get people involved in science and the potential benefits.... Mon, 23 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Helen Czerski https://iai.tv/video/unlocking-science-helen-czerski https://iai.tv/video/in-pursuit-of-peace For three generations after WWII, despite localised and sometimes extensive conflict, the world avoided global war and maintained a remarkable level of peace. But the horizon is darkening. War in Europe, for decades unthinkable, shows no sign of ending and has the potential to escalate. US-China relations continue to deteriorate whilst Xi JinPing instructs his generals to 'dare to fight' and not 'renounce the use of force' over Taiwan. And across the globe a new arms race is underway, with military expenditure reaching new heights as nations ramp up defence spending.With so much at stake, how is peace to be obtained? Is military expenditure the best means to avoid war, or does it heighten tension and risk catastrophe? Some argue the nuclear deterrent has enabled our extended period of peace, but have we as a result become complacent and imagined that peace will be maintained when in practice it is being dangerously undermined?... Wed, 18 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 David Omand https://iai.tv/video/in-pursuit-of-peace https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-denis-noble In this intimate interview esteemed biologist Denis Noble reflects on a life of experience working at the forefront of computational physiology. Here, he reflects on how his view that organisms lead the way, and not genes, has been met with fierce opposition.... Mon, 16 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Denis Noble https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-denis-noble https://iai.tv/video/destiny-and-the-new-world-of-internet-politics-steven-bonnell In this in-depth interview, Steven Bonnell — known to his followers as Destiny — discusses the current state of American politics, polarization and the importance of the internet to online discourse. Join him as he comments on everything from the Biden administration to online extremists.... Mon, 16 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Steven Bonnell https://iai.tv/video/destiny-and-the-new-world-of-internet-politics-steven-bonnell https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-good-and-evil Whether we see humans as essentially good or essentially selfish and violent has been central to our politics, our account of society, and our vision for social progress. But is this very distinction itself a mistake? Recently, Harvard scientists have shown humans to be both the kindest and most malevolent species on the planet. While figures like Hitler and Stalin though responsible for tens of millions of deaths were also remarkably empathetic in aspects of their private lives. Should we give up the idea therefore that humans are either inherently good or bad and conclude that all of us are both at the same time with potentially profound consequences for our political beliefs? Or is it vital to retain the distinction to alert us to danger and to drive personal and social change? Or more profoundly, are the categories of good and bad themselves the underlying error and unhelpful, and even dangerous, ways of categorising human behaviour?     ... Wed, 11 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Rowan Williams https://iai.tv/video/the-end-of-good-and-evil https://iai.tv/video/the-broken-economics-of-the-sea The sea is essential to human life. It provides more than half the oxygen we breathe, food for billions of people and work for hundreds of millions. Yet this vital resource is imperilled by the excesses of modern capitalism. In this fascinating talk, trailblazing economist Guy Standing explores how corporate collusion is destroying the oceans and presents transformative proposals for how to save them. This event was sponsored by Audio Note.... Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Guy Standing https://iai.tv/video/the-broken-economics-of-the-sea https://iai.tv/video/the-awakened-brain Can we use scientific methods to understand the spiritual? Psychologist and New York Times best selling author Lisa Miller to explores where science meets spirituality and how everything from MRI studies to genetic research to epidemiology can help us understand the awakened brain.... Sun, 08 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lisa Miller https://iai.tv/video/the-awakened-brain https://iai.tv/video/the-ethics-of-industry From its environmental impact to its reliance on modern slavery, Baroness Lola Young (OBE) discusses the serious problems that stem from business and industry today; and recounts her legislative work in the House of Lords to mitigate them. Join her to explore the ethical issues surrounding modern industry, and to discover what we can do about them.... Wed, 04 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lola Young https://iai.tv/video/the-ethics-of-industry https://iai.tv/video/down-the-wormhole At the highest speeds of current rockets, it would take more than 100,000 years to reach the nearest star. For Hollywood and the many who want to believe in the possibility of space travel across the galaxy, the solution is wormholes, swirly tubes that allow us to cross vast tracts of the universe and time in a magical jump. Compatible with Einstein's theories, scientists have been reported to have even created them. But critics claim this is false, arguing that we have no evidence for such a thing. The experiment was a simulation of a wormhole and was not real. And even if holes in space time existed travel along them would be impossible.Should we accept that wormholes are an invention we want to believe but for which there is no evidence? Should we reluctantly conclude that space travel to habitable planets is never going to take place and we will always be alone in the universe? Or is it just possible that our sci-fi imaginings will successfully drive invention?... Wed, 04 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Katie Robertson https://iai.tv/video/down-the-wormhole https://iai.tv/video/on-the-edges-of-knowledge-michael-shermer-rupert-sheldrake What is it possible to know? Is the physical universe all there is, or is the immaterial part of reality too? Join radical scientist, Rupert Sheldrake, and world-leading sceptic, Michael Shermer, as they go head-to-head on where the edges of knowledge lie. Güneş Taylor hosts.... Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Shermer https://iai.tv/video/on-the-edges-of-knowledge-michael-shermer-rupert-sheldrake https://iai.tv/video/justice-in-jeopardy From Plato to Magna Carta, justice and the rule of law has been seen as integral to western culture, and today remains essential to our notion of how society should be run and underpins how we think our leaders and institutions should behave. But some critics argue this is a mistake. Innocence and guilt are central to the notion of justice but they argue these categories are damaging and immoral because behaviour is the outcome of genetics and the environment and in neither case is the individual responsible for them or able to influence them.Should we abandon the vocabulary of justice, innocence and guilt as misguided, in favour of seeing crime as akin to illness or malfunction requiring repair rather than sanction? Can we restructure society to be not reliant on judgment, reward and punishment, and in doing so could we create a less hierarchical and more egalitarian culture? Or is justice as vital and important to us today as it was for the barons at Runnymeade?... Thu, 28 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/justice-in-jeopardy https://iai.tv/video/explaining-away-truth-paul-horwich Paul Horwich defies the binary labels of  realist/anti-realist, continental/analytic. A Wittgensteinian philosopher at heart, he tries to offer a therapy for our philosophical problems. Using the tools at his disposal he argues that we should get rid of truth or at least stop worrying about it so much. A fierce critic of extravagant metaphysical thinking, he modestly defends our capacity to think about the world.... Tue, 26 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Paul Horwich https://iai.tv/video/explaining-away-truth-paul-horwich https://iai.tv/video/the-big-picture-miranda-keeling How much of your life is spent lost in thought? How often does a day pass you by, without you noticing its beauty? Join actor and author of The Year I Stopped to Notice, Miranda Keeling, to discover how being present for the small things can help us cope in the face of this overwhelming world.... Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Miranda Keeling https://iai.tv/video/the-big-picture-miranda-keeling https://iai.tv/video/the-censorship-of-cosmology-eric-lerner The scientific method is one that preaches openness, humility and falsifiability. But what if cosmology has been held back by the academy for years? Join Big Bang sceptic Eric Lerner to explore the censorship taking place among the stars.... Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Eric Lerner https://iai.tv/video/the-censorship-of-cosmology-eric-lerner https://iai.tv/video/necessity-and-lies Honesty is upheld as an age-old virtue of civilisation. Yet there are many instances where we deem lying desirable. Few would think it right for parents to be honest with their offspring about their favourite child, or to be honest about talents or abilities if it is likely to be hurtful for a relative, colleague or friend. Nor are we critical of Churchill for his rousing wartime speeches even if we now know he did not always believe them himself.Should we recognise that lying can be valuable, and sometimes necessary, for ourselves and those in power? Or is honesty not only essential in public life but vital in all aspects of our everyday life as well? Alternatively, is the mistake to see honesty as a virtue and instead recognise it as an act that can be both good and ill.... Thu, 21 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/necessity-and-lies https://iai.tv/video/dopamine-nation-anna-lembke Step into the world of modern brain chemistry with psychiatrist and author Dr. Anna Lembke. Discussing her latest book with Simon Wessely, Lembke draws on decades of expertise and research from the cutting edge of neuroscience to argue how, in a world consumed by instant gratification, the pursuit of too much pleasure is having disastrous and far-reaching consequences.... Tue, 19 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Anna Lembke https://iai.tv/video/dopamine-nation-anna-lembke https://iai.tv/video/waking-from-darkness-steve-taylor What does it mean to be spiritually enlightened? Is it just a trick of the brain? And if we feel the need to be spiritually awakened, in what sense are we currently asleep? Join psychologist of spirituality Steve Taylor as he explores our endless quest for meaning.... Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Steve Taylor https://iai.tv/video/waking-from-darkness-steve-taylor https://iai.tv/video/brains-beauty-and-bad-judgment In contemporary Western culture we take it for granted that discrimination is always unacceptable and often abhorrent. Yet we discriminate on the basis of personality, appearance and intelligence when choosing a partner. Factors which are largely immutable. We expect authorities to discriminate on the basis of skill and experience, when choosing to appoint a surgeon or an airline pilot. We certainly don't expect individuals to be chosen at random.Should we view a society free from all discrimination as an illusion, or a vital political goal? Should we see intelligence, skill and experience as acceptable forms of discrimination and deserving of merit, or are they unacceptable being the product of background, education and opportunity? Should we strive to create a level playing field while knowing that this is unattainable, or is the very idea of equality a mistake?... Sun, 17 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Rory Sutherland https://iai.tv/video/brains-beauty-and-bad-judgment https://iai.tv/video/the-pleasure-paradox Most agree that health is better than sickness, abundance is better than poverty, and peace is better than war. But many now point to a fundamental problem. Despite better access to healthcare, education, and more disposable income, cases of depression have increased by over 50% worldwide since 1997. Research shows that richer countries have higher rates of anxiety than poorer ones, whilst happiness has been declining across the board in the most developed countries for more than a decade. And recent studies from Stanford University demonstrate that too much comfort in the short term could lead to pain in the longer term.Should we give up the view that life is simply about aiming for positive experience and comfort and instead see struggle and well-being as two sides of the same coin? Should we abandon the central claim of government policy that better living standards lead to greater well-being? Or would this be a dangerous move that would threaten the progress made in the p... Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Yaron Brook https://iai.tv/video/the-pleasure-paradox https://iai.tv/video/data-needs-theory-lisa-randall Join world-famous Harvard theoretical physicist Lisa Randall to discuss how she entered the field, the joy of puzzle-solving, and her views on how to approach the most challenging questions in contemporary physics.... Tue, 12 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lisa Randall https://iai.tv/video/data-needs-theory-lisa-randall https://iai.tv/video/the-path-to-justice-reform-emma-bryson Emma Bryson is a passionate advocate for justice reform, with a focus on sexual offences. In 2017, she launched the campaign group Speak Out Survivors to pursue justice reform in Scotland; she now sits on the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse.... Mon, 11 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Emma Bryson https://iai.tv/video/the-path-to-justice-reform-emma-bryson https://iai.tv/video/reality-models-and-mayhem In the last 100 years, some of the greatest minds - from the founders of quantum mechanics such as Heisenberg and Planck to Hawking - have moved away from thinking science can capture an objective ultimate reality. And yet from Dark Matter to String Theory, we still look for the correct answer, sure that the next theory might be the one. Is this a fundamental mistake? Hawking in his final book certainly concluded it was saying, 'There is no unique picture of reality' arguing that the competing models of science each frames its own version of reality.Should we give up on a single true account and accept that there are many alternative scientific accounts of the world each with their own effectiveness? Would this enable a greater plurality of theories and enable faster technical advance? Or does an account of science as mere models risk encouraging the pursuit of empty alternatives with no way to choose between them, threatening the whole edifice of science itself?... Sun, 10 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Bjørn Ekeberg https://iai.tv/video/reality-models-and-mayhem https://iai.tv/video/fantasy-faith-and-physics We think that we pursue the sciences solely for knowledge and truth. But is this a mistake? Untestable ideals like beauty have been baked into theories throughout the history of science. Paul Dirac, one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, proclaimed "it is more important to have beauty in one's equations than to have them fit experiment." And recently, Roger Penrose described string theory as a 'fashion', quantum physics as a 'faith', and cosmic inflation a as 'fantasy', arguing that scientists suffer from the very same prejudices that affect the rest of us.Do we pursue science for a pure desire for the truth? Or should we accept that some beliefs, especially in the foundations of physics, are akin to religious beliefs dressed in mathematical language to give our theories meaning? Or would seeing science as simply another theology undermine the field and the progress made over the past few centuries?... Thu, 07 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mary-Jane Rubenstein https://iai.tv/video/fantasy-faith-and-physics https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-fiona-hill Serving under three US presidents, Fiona Hill is one of the most highly distinguished foreign affairs specialists in the world. Born and raised in a Durham coal mining town, her father said 'there is nothing for you here'. But from there to the White House and becoming one of the key figures behind the West's strategy towards Putin, hers is a remarkable journey. Interviewer Isabel Hilton uncovers Fiona Hill's fascinating insights. ... Tue, 05 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Fiona Hill https://iai.tv/video/the-life-and-philosophy-of-fiona-hill https://iai.tv/video/your-true-self To thine own self be true' wrote Shakespeare. For generations surveys find this the most frequent advice given to new students. While yoga retreats and self-help advice encourage us to 'become our authentic selves'. Yet despite its popularity many argue the idea is fundamentally flawed. Recent studies have uncovered evidence that we feel our most authentic self when we align with others rather than holding to our own ideas. While many neuroscientists and philosophers challenge the very existence of a single true self.Should we conclude the authentic self is an empty fantasy and the mistaken product of an individualistic culture? Should we aim to escape from the self, as Buddhists and more collectivist cultures have proposed? Or is this a dangerous notion, put forward by China amongst others, that perpetuates dominant authority and undermines individual and personal growth?... Mon, 04 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/your-true-self https://iai.tv/video/the-goodness-paradox-richard-wrangham Humans are a paradox - full of the finest ideals, and capable of the most vicious actions. Join Harvard primatologist, Richard Wrangham, to explore how humans evolved to be good and evil at the same time, why it matters, and what we can do about it.... Mon, 04 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Richard Wrangham https://iai.tv/video/the-goodness-paradox-richard-wrangham https://iai.tv/video/based-on-a-true-story From Wolf Hall and Saving Private Ryan to The Crown, 'based on a true story' helps drive the success of a book, film or TV series. We are critical of historical errors and assume there could be a correct version. But many argue that there can be no one true story, no correct history. Not only is 'history written by the victors', but all stories and accounts of events are written from a perspective, highlighting what seems important, interesting or entertaining to the author. For one person Churchill is a hero, for another a villain.Should we give up the idea that there can ever be a single true story of events, and abandon the idea of a correct version of something like The Crown? Should we nevertheless seek to provide accurate accounts while knowing others will declare them false and misleading? Is a triumphant imperial version of British history no less true than the story of colonialism and slavery, or is this an immoral approach that denies the truth and encourages confli... Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Remi Adekoya https://iai.tv/video/based-on-a-true-story https://iai.tv/video/the-blame-game "If everyone is guilty then no one is to blame" argued Greta Thunberg. So from climate change to global poverty, one of the first questions many ask is, 'who is to blame?' Most agree that not enough is being done, yet governments, corporations and individuals tend to point to someone else who should be doing it. But could this be a mistake? Recent studies show that individuals and companies are far more likely to take action as a result of positive messaging about the future, rather than campaigns that shift the responsibility of crises onto others. And when the NHS recently adopted a 'No Blame Culture', patient safety standards improved significantly.Should we realise that we can inspire positive change, without blaming or pointing the finger at any one government, business or individual? Should we seek to reward and praise companies that take constructive, positive action - like moving solely to renewable and recycled materials - rather than inculpate those who don't? Or sh... Thu, 31 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/the-blame-game https://iai.tv/video/on-the-nature-of-reality-rowan-williams-and-iain-mcgilchrist Who are we? Why are we here? Does life have a meaning beyond itself? Join former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and groundbreaking psychiatrist, literary scholar and author of 'The Matter with Things', Iain McGilchrist, to explore the nature of meaning, and why we should move beyond the assumptions of a materialist worldview from radically divergent perspectives. ... Tue, 29 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Iain McGilchrist https://iai.tv/video/on-the-nature-of-reality-rowan-williams-and-iain-mcgilchrist https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-boundary Less than a third of those in the UK believe in an afterlife. And of those rather more believe in heaven than hell. In a scientific, secular age stories of the afterlife strike many as empty, anachronistic wish fulfilment. But is it a mistake to think that life is prosaic, earthly and simply over when we die? There is, after all, no scientific explanation of consciousness, nor any notion of how material matter could create experience and thought. We don't have an account of how consciousness comes into being and, while some propose that AI might at some point acquire consciousness, there are many philosophers and scientists who argue that no combination of physical machinery will ever be capable of creating thought, consciousness and life.Have we denied the mystery of life and death because such talk has been tarred by association with specific and implausible religious beliefs? Should we re-engage with the profound strangeness of death and accept that it is beyond our unders... Mon, 28 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-boundary https://iai.tv/video/overcoming-opposition-paul-dolan Polarisation is rife. Not only do we not agree, we are barely even able to see the other side's point of view. Behavioural scientist and happiness expert, Paul Dolan, explores how to argue with people you disagree with.... Mon, 28 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Paul Dolan https://iai.tv/video/overcoming-opposition-paul-dolan https://iai.tv/video/rhetoric-and-reality Hugely powerful, we assume language enables us to represent reality. But some argue language, from the greatest narratives to the finest theories, not only fails to describe reality it actually distorts and misleads us. Language, the critics argue, formulates a world in its own image. The structure of language, nouns, adjectives, verbs, encourages us to imagine reality consists of their equivalent, things, qualities and actions. But there is no reason to suppose this is the case. And reason instead to conclude that reality is entirely different from the way it is represented in language.  In association with Philosophy Now.... Thu, 24 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Katie Robertson https://iai.tv/video/rhetoric-and-reality https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-psychedelic-research-and-therapy-david-nutt For a long time, our treatments for mental health haven’t seen dramatic improvements in outcomes. Psychedelics have the potential to offer up a new treatment path but it is still often an uphill struggle to pass ethics approval and raise funding. David Nutt has spent his lifetime fighting for the right to research psychedelics and has often highlighted uncomfortable truths about our evidence-lacking prohibition of these potentially lifesaving medicines. Join Professor David Nutt as he explores the current state of the field and how these substances could revolutionise the way we treat mental health.... Tue, 22 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 David Nutt https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-psychedelic-research-and-therapy-david-nutt https://iai.tv/video/the-contraception-delusion-gunes-taylor Contraception is a blunt tool. It's high time that we explore its effects on fertility, as well as its interrelationship with biological sex. Güneş Taylor dismantles how we regulate fertility in the modern world, and sets out where we should go from here.... Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/the-contraception-delusion-gunes-taylor https://iai.tv/video/why-is-there-anything-at-all Why is there a world, a cosmos, something, anything instead of absolutely nothing at all? If nothing existed, there would be, well, ‘nothing’ to explain. To have anything existing demands some kind of explanation. Of all the big questions, this is the biggest. Why anything? Why not nothing? What can we learn from the absence of nothing?This interview was hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and produced by Closer To Truth.... Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Rebecca Goldstein https://iai.tv/video/why-is-there-anything-at-all https://iai.tv/video/hilary-lawson-on-closure English philosopher Hilary Lawson discusses his book, Closure: A Story of Everything, a text that develops a comprehensive system of non-realist metaphysics.This interview was hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and produced by Closer To Truth.... Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/hilary-lawson-on-closure https://iai.tv/video/are-there-other-dimensions-michio-kaku Extra dimensions—beyond length, width, height—seem like the stuff of science fiction. What would extra dimensions be like? Is time the fourth dimension? Does string theory require ten or eleven dimensions? Could deep reality be so strange? And, anyway, why would we care?This interview was hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and produced by Closer To Truth.... Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Michio Kaku https://iai.tv/video/are-there-other-dimensions-michio-kaku https://iai.tv/video/is-mathematics-invented-or-discovered Mathematics describes the real world of atoms and acorns, stars and stairs, with remarkable precision. So is mathematics invented by humans just like chisels and hammers and pieces of music? Or is mathematics discovered—always out there, somewhere, like mysterious islands waiting to be found? Whatever mathematics is will help define reality itself.This interview was hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and produced by Closer To Truth.... Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/is-mathematics-invented-or-discovered https://iai.tv/video/stephon-alexander-on-the-fear-of-a-black-universe Stephon Alexander, cosmologist and professor of theoretical physics at Brown University, discusses his most recent book, Fear of a Black Universe, an important guide to both science and society.This interview was hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and produced by Closer To Truth.... Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Stephon Alexander https://iai.tv/video/stephon-alexander-on-the-fear-of-a-black-universe https://iai.tv/video/what-are-breakthroughs-in-science What is the nature of scientific breakthroughs? What are common characteristics among all the sciences? What are specific signs of breakthroughs in physics and biology? Breakthroughs as new ways of thinking, new systems of thought, new perspectives for seeing the world. What distinguishes breakthroughs from normal good science? What drives breakthroughs? How is science driven by breakthroughs?This interview was hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and produced by Closer To Truth.... Mon, 21 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sabine Hossenfelder https://iai.tv/video/what-are-breakthroughs-in-science https://iai.tv/video/guesses-errors-and-economics Across the Western world sharply rising prices, static or declining salaries, and a decade of low growth have pushed the economy to the top of the political agenda. Pundits and politicians on all sides claim to have the answer, while governments and bankers put forward precise predictions for the economy. But is this an illusion? Predictions are frequently wildly wrong. Central banks and governments failed to predict inflation. While a recent IMF study showed that out of the last 150 recessions, economists failed to predict 148.Should we conclude that we don't understand the economy and see economic predictions as random guesswork? Do we need a new economic theory that moves beyond Keynesian demand management, supply-side reform and tight monetary control, or is the very idea of a mathematically precise economic theory a pipedream? Or can we jettison the pretence of precision, while seeing our current broad brush framework as essentially right and a powerful insight into the ... Sun, 20 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Guy Standing https://iai.tv/video/guesses-errors-and-economics https://iai.tv/video/manners-maketh-man The 15th century motto declares: ‘Manners maketh the man’. But politeness is not the important trait it once was. From social media to parliament, our discourse has become angry, harsh and inconsiderate. But is our abandonment of manners more than a superficial error? Critics argue politeness is the foundation of a civil society, and enables dialogue between those with different, and sometimes opposite views. Polarisation, division and breakdown in communication is the price they claim we are paying for our bad manners and these threats have the potential to undermine culture as a whole.Should we renew our attachment to politeness and reinstate it as one of our core values? Should our institutions enforce certain rules of politeness? And if so, what might these look like, and would they help create a more cohesive and collaborative society? Or is politeness an archaic value, designed to re-enforce the authority of the dominant whilst at the same time controlling dissent?... Wed, 16 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/manners-maketh-man https://iai.tv/video/free-will-is-not-an-illusion We all feel like we have free will. That our decisions are our own and that we could have chosen otherwise. But today, many prominent figures argue free will is an illusion. Join groundbreaking biologist Denis Noble as he argues that, in fact, our bodies hold the key to our freedom.... Tue, 15 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Denis Noble https://iai.tv/video/free-will-is-not-an-illusion https://iai.tv/video/the-quest-for-freedom The past centuries have seen rapid improvements in health, poverty, literacy and violence. Yet despite this progress, few are aware that 50 million globally still live in modern slavery, the largest group ever in human history. Join fearless professor Katarina Schwarz as she explores how we can free the oppressed of our world. In partnership with Nottingham University.... Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Katarina Schwarz https://iai.tv/video/the-quest-for-freedom https://iai.tv/video/after-knowledge The acquisition of knowledge has been a central factor driving advance. And since Descartes, Western thought has placed the question of what we know, and how we know what we know, at the centre of philosophy. But might this focus on knowledge be a mistake? Feminist and postmodernist critics argue that in seeking to validate knowledge philosophers have merely sought to justify their own interests and prejudices. Instead they argue all knowledge is limited by perspective whether by culture, class, gender, race or the many other factors that influence understanding.Should we give up the idea that our beliefs can provide us with objective knowledge? Should we reject epistemology as an attempt to elevate and make undeniable our particular perspective, interests and prejudices and focus instead on the consequences of adopting a given framework of belief? Or is knowledge essential to culture and the notion that beliefs might be definitively true vital to progress? ... Sun, 13 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Tommy J. Curry https://iai.tv/video/after-knowledge https://iai.tv/video/ancient-traits-in-the-modern-world We see the remarkable evolution of the human brain as one of the driving factors behind our success as a species. Our neurobiology evolved though to solve challenges in a drastically different world than we find ourselves in today. Might our evolved traits, once advantageous, now be our Achilles heel? For human aggression, inventiveness and a determination to overcome enemies, once evolutionarily effective now risk resource, technology, and nuclear crises each with the potential to bring our species to an end. Is our palaeolithic hardware no longer equipped for the contemporary world we have helped to create? Can we find ways to change our behaviour before it is too late? Alternatively, should we see it as inevitable that all species become extinct, and our turn may be closer than we imagine? Or is this all misguided and evolution has dealt us a brilliant hand to cope with the challenges of 21st century life?... Thu, 10 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sunetra Gupta https://iai.tv/video/ancient-traits-in-the-modern-world https://iai.tv/video/matt-hancock-unveiled-regrets-and-reflections In this sweeping interview, Matt Hancock discusses his roots, regrets and reflections on everything from cryptocurrency to the pandemic, the Ukraine War to dyslexia awareness. ... Tue, 08 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Matthew Hancock https://iai.tv/video/matt-hancock-unveiled-regrets-and-reflections https://iai.tv/video/me-my-world-and-i We see experience as quintessentially subjective. But while we take this for granted might it be an error? From parliament and politics, festivals and football stadiums, to weddings and funerals, some of our most significant experiences occur in moments shared in collective experience with others. Should we conclude that experience is always shared and mediated through others? Or is collective experience and behaviour a dangerous idea that can be used by authority to impose subservience?... Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/me-my-world-and-i https://iai.tv/video/surplus-happiness Contemporary life is defined by excess. There must always be more, but there is never enough. Join firebrand philosopher, Slavoj Žižek, as he argues the joys of excess are flimsy and futile and asks whether we can ever find a way out.""The Most Dangerous Philosopher in the West"" – Vice... Mon, 07 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Slavoj Žižek https://iai.tv/video/surplus-happiness https://iai.tv/video/diplomacy-deception-and-disaster Cynics argue that diplomacy is the art of not saying what you think. In the case of Taiwan, US and Western policy has taken exactly this approach for the last half century explicitly maintaining a policy of 'strategic ambiguity'. But in the light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine ambiguity in foreign affairs looks mistaken. Is the West making a fundamental error with Taiwan that risks catastrophe?Is clarity in diplomacy more important than tact? Should the US make its stance towards Taiwan transparent so that China is not tempted to invade? Should the US and its allies support formal independence and back it with military commitments? Or does effective diplomacy require the West to keep its opponents guessing and hold its cards close to its chest?In association with Foreign Policy. ... Thu, 03 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Malcolm Rifkind https://iai.tv/video/diplomacy-deception-and-disaster https://iai.tv/video/iain-mcgilchrist-exclusive-interview Join groundbreaking psychiatrist, writer, philosopher, and literary scholar Iain McGilchrist in this exclusive studio interview with post-postmodern philosopher Hilary Lawson. The two thinkers explore McGilchrist's early introduction to philosophy, the nature of truth and the cosmos, and the danger of delusional thinking from the left brain.... Tue, 01 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Iain McGilchrist https://iai.tv/video/iain-mcgilchrist-exclusive-interview https://iai.tv/video/technology-is-not-neutral-stephanie-hare How can we create and use tools and technologies to maximise benefits and minimise harms? Technology is not just about tools and toys, products and services, or data and code. It’s about power, and our relationship with power is shaped by our values – our ethics. Join Stephanie Hare as she empowers all of us to hold technology to account.... Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Stephanie Hare https://iai.tv/video/technology-is-not-neutral-stephanie-hare https://iai.tv/video/the-future-is-quantum-ai-gerard-milburn Artificial neural networks are algorithms that write algorithms. Physical neural networks are learning machines in which thermodynamics writes the algorithms to make the most efficient use of scarce resources. A quantum learning machine is the most efficient of all and can run on almost nothing. What world does such a machine learn and can it be conscious? The answer is both strange and true.... Sun, 30 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Gerard Milburn https://iai.tv/video/the-future-is-quantum-ai-gerard-milburn https://iai.tv/video/philosophy-at-war For more than a century, a war of ideas has been taking place. One side regards science as the arbiter of all knowledge. Among their ranks many analytic philosophers including Bertrand Russell, "whatever science cannot discover, mankind cannot know".  The other side, including continental philosophies such as existentialism and postmodernism, more commonly see philosophy as the ultimate arbiter. 'Science is the new religion' argued Heidegger. 'Science ... is largely useless for philosophical purposes' argued Rorty.Might philosophy and science be two sides of the same coin and would we be better to see scientists as a type of philosopher, once called natural philosophers, and philosophers a type of scientist, engaged with reality, consciousness, language and society? Or is the divide fundamental, and science, its method and its goals of no relevance to philosophy and vice versa? Then again, should we give no special status to either, and place them alongside the many other wa... Wed, 26 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Maria Balaska https://iai.tv/video/philosophy-at-war https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-string-theory String theory, heralded as a potential theory of everything, has been dominant in theoretical physics for thirty years with more scientific papers arising from it than any other theory. But critics argue the theory has held undue influence and it is an error to pursue it. String theory proposes 11 dimensions and a vast landscape of possible universes without any evidence. Moreover, a theory of everything has not been forthcoming, and predictions of supersymmetry particles have not been confirmed.Is it time to move on from string theory, recognise that the search for supersymmetry has failed, and seek alternative accounts of the universe that are supported by observation and experiment? More fundamentally should we see mathematics without a connection to the physical world as little more than fantasy? Or is the continued dominance of string theory justified by its potential to unify our understanding of the universe once and for all?... Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Katie Robertson https://iai.tv/video/the-trouble-with-string-theory https://iai.tv/video/virtue-ethics-and-the-mob From politicians taking moral stances to increase popularity, to companies denounced for 'greenwashing' to boost revenue, we see the flaunting of virtue as a perversion of morality. Something to be avoided. But studies show humans are twice as likely to act morally if they are seen as virtuous by others. And when a social media campaign encouraged people to 'virtue signal' about taking in Ukrainian refugees, thousands more were given safe housing.Should we see the promotion of 'ethical' acts for personal status and to look good, not as a perversion of morality, but as a useful tool to aid social progress? Should we move away from the notion that morality is a private act and instead adopt the Aristotelian view that virtues are to be encouraged in the public domain? Or is the acceptance of virtue signalling and more widely virtue ethics a dangerous slide to mob morality capable of terrible acts while assured of the rightness of their cause?... Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Simon Blackburn https://iai.tv/video/virtue-ethics-and-the-mob https://iai.tv/video/emma-sulkowicz-performance-as-art This interview with Emma Sulkowicz explores the connection between art, politics and subjective experience. Through her experience using art to fight sexual assult taboos, Emma's work exists at the forefront of art as politics, pushing her ideas outside of the traditional medium.... Tue, 25 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Emma Sulkowicz https://iai.tv/video/emma-sulkowicz-performance-as-art https://iai.tv/video/cities-of-the-future-lucelia-rodriguez We are living in environmental crisis. But the solution might be closer to home than we think. Join Nottingham University Professor Lucelia Rodriguez as she sets out her vision for the cities of the future.In association with University of Nottingham.... Mon, 24 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Lucelia Rodrigues https://iai.tv/video/cities-of-the-future-lucelia-rodriguez https://iai.tv/video/beyond-reasonable-doubt Since the 18th Century, UK criminal courts have required proof 'beyond reasonable doubt' to convict. But with convictions for rape falling, now less than 1% of accusations, there are a growing number who argue this core judicial principle is mistaken. We do not require such a strong burden of proof in civil courts which instead apply the principle of 'the balance of probabilities'. 'Beyond reasonable doubt' has been adopted on the Blackstone principle that 'it is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer'. But is it better that a hundred guilty persons escape?Should we end ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ for sex crimes? Should we adopt civil court levels of proof, perhaps in combination with lower sentences, but with the benefit of far higher levels of conviction? Or is it essential that we retain the principle of ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’ for crimes that have such a profound effect on those found guilty as well as the victims?... Sun, 23 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mary Ann Sieghart https://iai.tv/video/beyond-reasonable-doubt https://iai.tv/video/the-game-of-life Games are everywhere. And not just on the football field. Workplaces, dating lives, education and even friendships are being packaged as games. Tinder makes love a swiping game of snap, AI claims to have solved long-standing scientific problems by ‘converting them into games’. But critics argue games distort life and empty it of meaning. And games can be dangerous. QAnon was created initially as an alternative reality game, and the world is not made safer by understanding military build up as 'an arms race'. Do we need to eradicate the relentless gamification of life? Should we recognise life has no clear goal, no way to win, no measures of success, no extra lives or second chances? Should we see games as furthering inequality - creating winners and losers? Or have games always been with us, from the system of money to the hierarchies of education, and for the very good reason that they are a remarkably powerful motivator for action?... Wed, 19 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Steven Bonnell https://iai.tv/video/the-game-of-life https://iai.tv/video/the-reality-beyond-spacetime Donald Hoffman famously argues that we know nothing about the truth of the world. His book, The Case Against Reality, claims the process of survival of the fittest does not require a true picture of reality. Furthermore, Hoffman claims spacetime is not fundamental. So, what lies beneath spacetime, can we know about it? And how does consciousness come into play? Join this interview with the famed cognitive psychologist and author exploring our notions of consciousness, spacetime, and what lies beneath. Hosted by Curt Jaimungal.... Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Donald Hoffman https://iai.tv/video/the-reality-beyond-spacetime https://iai.tv/video/the-best-and-worst-of-all-possible-worlds Judging by the success of many novels and Hollywood films, we are attracted by the idea of multiple or alternate realities. And its not just in fiction, in philosophy, possible world theorists argue for a vast number of parallel worlds some marginally different from ours all of which are held to be real. But an increasing number of critics argue this is extravagant fantasy. They contend not only is there no evidence for such alternative possible worlds but they are not even thinkable from our world for we can make no sense of a universe outside of the universe.Should we see talk of alternative and possible worlds as fundamentally misguided? Are they the metaphysical consequence of wanting to hold on to a realist account of language and make sense of modal logic, while instead we should be adopting a radically different approach? Or can we use other worlds to give us a better account of our own world, and cast light on the deep puzzles of language and reality?In associa... Sun, 16 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Tasneem Zehra Husain https://iai.tv/video/the-best-and-worst-of-all-possible-worlds https://iai.tv/video/capitalism-and-the-climate With the world's largest corporations responsible for 71% of global greenhouse gas emissions, many particularly on the left have taken it for granted that climate change and capitalism are intimately linked. But with corporations and the right backing action to reduce emissions, the assumption is under challenge. Former governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney went so far as to say 'the goal of net zero is the greatest commercial opportunity of our time.' And according to the World Economic Forum, the value of green bonds traded could soon hit $2.36 trillion. So proponents of capitalism argue the very economic system that instigated climate change is also the way to end it.Should we conclude there is no necessary connection between capitalism and climate change? Will this realisation result in a shift on the left away from green politics and climate change and back to heartland socialist goals? Or is the link between climate change and capitalism essential and the claims ... Wed, 12 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Linda Yueh https://iai.tv/video/capitalism-and-the-climate https://iai.tv/video/searching-for-justice-jesse-norman The Covid pandemic pushes us all to reflect on the idea of a just society. The theories of the great Harvard philosopher John Rawls - from his "veil of ignorance" to his "difference principle" - can play a vital and inspiring role in helping us to understand and bring about justice. Yet, as MP and Financial Secretary to the Treasury Jesse Norman shows, Covid also raises unsettling questions for Rawls's own thought, and for what a just society actually looks like.... Tue, 11 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Jesse Norman https://iai.tv/video/searching-for-justice-jesse-norman https://iai.tv/video/the-fantasy-of-fame We live in a culture seemingly obsessed with celebrity. But whereas fame used to be a secondary product of success in a given field, now it is a goal in its own right and the key to wider success. Artists as a result focus their attention on their social media persona and fame, rather than rely on their craft. Not surprising that the current generation pursues individual fame, with 86% of young people aspiring to be influencers, with figures such as Kylie Jenner holding 228 Million Instagram followers.Is our focus on celebrity and fame destroying culture? Should we reclaim the value of the work over the individual, the ads and the social media followings? And is fame worth having in any case, and would we be better abandoning it as a goal? Or should we see fame as a talent in itself and recognise the skill and savviness of 21st Century influencers?... Mon, 10 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mary Ann Sieghart https://iai.tv/video/the-fantasy-of-fame https://iai.tv/video/why-the-rational-believe-the-irrational Nothing happens by accident, everything is connected, and there are no coincidences. That is the essence of conspiratorial thinking. Join world-famous sceptic, Michael Shermer, to explore why rational people can fall into irrational belief.... Mon, 10 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Shermer https://iai.tv/video/why-the-rational-believe-the-irrational https://iai.tv/video/democracy-in-the-dock Democracy is in trouble. In the US, 85% think it needs major or complete reform.  Spain, South Korea and Italy have even higher levels of dissatisfaction.  Many argue the system has created a highly divisive and potentially violent culture, with wild claims, undeliverable promises and leaders of little or sometimes no experience trying to run highly complex economies.         Is the current form of liberal democracy fundamentally flawed?  Could it be reformed by constraining demagogues, or electing individuals for longer periods, or by limiting the influence of political parties? Could we require ministers to have expertise, and voters to be sufficiently informed?  Or is it time to stop whingeing and recognise western democracy as a marvel of Enlightenment principles that should be nurtured rather than abandoned or reformed?... Wed, 05 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Jesse Norman https://iai.tv/video/democracy-in-the-dock https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-and-chat-gpt-james-tartaglia ChatGPT and now GPT 4 has taken the world by storm. It was one of the quickest technologies to reach 1 million users, and it has everyone from Elon Musk to Max Tegmark scrabbling to call a timeout on developing AI - which they see as an existential risk. But is ChatGPT conscious? Join philosopher James Tartaglia in exploring how we confuse scientific and philosophical accounts of consciousness.... Tue, 04 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 James Tartaglia https://iai.tv/video/consciousness-and-chat-gpt-james-tartaglia https://iai.tv/video/the-danger-and-desire-of-the-frontier Before the decade is out, humans will be living on Mars.  Or so claims Elon Musk.  And in the next fifty years the vision is to populate Mars with more than a million people.   It would be a laughable proposal if it were not for the fact that Musk seems to be actually making it happen, initiating a global race to plant the flag first.  But is the very idea a fundamental mistake?  Critics argue the human race is no safer on another planet that is barren, inhospitable and which will itself soon be a focus of competition and potential conflict. Should we conclude that the desire to travel to an extraordinarily hostile location is not driven by a higher motive but simply because we might in principle be able to do it? ... Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Güneş Taylor https://iai.tv/video/the-danger-and-desire-of-the-frontier https://iai.tv/video/the-case-against-the-sexual-revolution The sexual revolution has liberated us to enjoy erotic freedom and personal autonomy. Right? Join member of campaign group We Can’t Consent To This, Louise Perry, as she argues that liberal feminism and our contemporary hypersexualised culture represent a loss rather than a gain.... Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Louise Perry https://iai.tv/video/the-case-against-the-sexual-revolution https://iai.tv/video/how-to-philosophize-behind-bars For the last few years the debate about prison abolition has been steadily entering the mainstream. But is it morally desirable or politically plausible to knock down prisons? And what would take their place? Guiding us through these questions of crime and punishment will be Andy West, author of The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Philosophy.... Wed, 28 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Andy West https://iai.tv/video/how-to-philosophize-behind-bars https://iai.tv/video/psychoanalysis-and-revolution-ian-parker Psychoanalysis is often thought of as a deeply personal practice. But our individual transformations can lead to political revolutions. Join Ian Parker as he explores how psychoanalysis, personal liberation and social transformation are intimately connected. ... Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Ian Parker https://iai.tv/video/psychoanalysis-and-revolution-ian-parker https://iai.tv/video/an-unprecedented-experiment-with-money Printing money is usually seen as a disastrous strategy. But central bankers claim pumping unprecedented amounts of cash into the economy after the 2008 crash and during the Covid crisis, through Quantitative Easing or QE, saved us from disaster.Increasingly critics argue it was instead a fundamental mistake. Studies show the result has been a decade long asset bubble mainly benefitting the wealthy, and that it initiated the current cost of living crisis well before the Ukraine invasion gave it a further spike. Former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan claimed QE had no positive impact on the economy and called it a failure.Should we conclude that QE was a decade long mistake and central bankers do not know what they are doing? Is the refusal of central banks and governments to criticise QE a sign of dangerous group think? Do we need a new economic theory, or was QE a necessary intervention which staved off financial meltdown... Sun, 25 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Peter Schiff https://iai.tv/video/an-unprecedented-experiment-with-money https://iai.tv/video/desiring-and-being-desired Fifty years of feminism and increasing status and influence for women, it is nevertheless still seen as the norm for men to be the ones seeking sex and women to be those who consent. Yet some argue that until this changes and women become more sexually assertive, and men more chaste, the power balance will remain skewed in favour of men.Is the assertion of sexual desire key to power relationships between the sexes? Or is it irrelevant? Could we change the way the sexes express sexual desire and if so how? And would such a shift be desirable and be desired?... Wed, 21 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Myriam Francois https://iai.tv/video/desiring-and-being-desired https://iai.tv/video/how-volcanoes-could-change-the-world-anders-sandberg The power of volcanoes could change the world. From bombing them in WW2, to exploding US lava flows, we have tried in vain to tame their power for the last century. Join Oxford futurist Anders Sandberg as he argues that geoengineering could transform our lives and the world as we know it.... Tue, 20 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Anders Sandberg https://iai.tv/video/how-volcanoes-could-change-the-world-anders-sandberg https://iai.tv/video/politics-is-broken Apathy and cynicism about politics is widespread. Over 50% of parliamentary seats are ‘safe seats’ and many feel their vote no longer counts for anything. Join shadow cabinet rising star, Thangam Debbonaire, as she argues politics is broken, and offers a way to fix it.... Mon, 19 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Thangam Debbonaire https://iai.tv/video/politics-is-broken https://iai.tv/video/taking-leave-of-reason Philosophers from Spinoza and Hegel to Bertrand Russell argued that logic and reason are the key to understanding the world.  But is this a fundamental error?  After all, recent studies show that reason does not lead to more successful outcomes in business or personal relationships. Should we abandon the idea that reason is the key either to truth or successful action?  Or should we see reason as vital to follow through the consequences of our beliefs?  In an increasingly chaotic intellectual age, do we need reason more than ever to contain conflict, or is reason no more than a justification of prejudice?... Sun, 18 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/taking-leave-of-reason https://iai.tv/video/new-powers-and-fading-forces Despite the rise of China, it is still widely assumed that global politics revolves around the West, and emerging nations are clamouring to be its allies. But might this be fundamentally mistaken? As Russia and China declared a new world order in early 2022, India, shortly to have the largest population in the world with the fastest growth rate, has remained neutral trading with both blocks, along with sixteen African countries and many others.Is it time to recognise that the West is no longer the dominant power in the world? Is India a new leading global power holding the balance, rather than simply a valuable ally? Should the West recognise its weakness and forge new alliances across the world? Or with the highest standard of living is the West's decline overdone and the role and influence of the West secure for generations to come?... Wed, 14 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mary Ann Sieghart https://iai.tv/video/new-powers-and-fading-forces https://iai.tv/video/anarchy-and-democracy-sophie-scott-brown Join Sophie Scott-Brown in this invigorating studio interview to explore anarchism, direct democracy, and the politics of right-wing populism. ... Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/anarchy-and-democracy-sophie-scott-brown https://iai.tv/video/rethinking-race-and-gender-tommy-curry Criminalised, marginalised and systematically oppressed, the black man has long been ostracised by society. Join pioneering philosopher of race Tommy Curry to explore colonialism and how we can combat the system of racism in the modern world.... Mon, 12 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Tommy J. Curry https://iai.tv/video/rethinking-race-and-gender-tommy-curry https://iai.tv/video/the-new-renaissance In the first half of the twentieth century radical thinkers, from Einstein to Schrödinger, Russell to Wittgenstein, Woolf to de Beauvoir, were transforming ideas. But many wonder where the equivalents are today and point to a deep seated flaw. Universities and research labs have become increasingly specialised and focus on small 'piecemeal advance' leaving little room for originality and big thinking. Studies confirm a bias against publishing novel research and 90% of papers remain uncited, possibly unread by anyone.Is the academy and our culture as a whole in need of newer, bigger ideas? Should we encourage a less specialised and broader approach to create the breakthroughs and radical ideas of the future? Do we need to change the way university appointments are made and articles reviewed to escape conventional set thinking? Or have the big theories largely been found already and have we now only to fill in the gaps?... Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Eliane Glaser https://iai.tv/video/the-new-renaissance https://iai.tv/video/demystifying-psychedelics-matthew-johnson How do we define a psychedelic substance and how do they alter our brain chemistry? What are the similarities and differences between using psychedelics in a recreational context and a controlled therapeutic context? How do we make sense of the 'ego death' phenomenon? In this enlightening interview, Matthew Johnson shares his scientific expertise on all things psychedelic. ... Tue, 06 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Matthew Johnson https://iai.tv/video/demystifying-psychedelics-matthew-johnson https://iai.tv/video/the-weapon-that-failed 'The most severe sanctions ever imposed on a major economy' was how Western governments described sanctions on Russia. 'It will cripple Russia's war machine' and influence Putin 'to end his brutal war' claimed the UK government. In May 2022, Biden asserted 'sanctions are devastating their economy'. But a year on and the rouble has risen against the dollar. Russian income from oil is substantially greater than before the war. While the impact on the West has been profound, inflation the highest for a generation and deepening recession. What's more there's evidence sanctions almost never work - just 7% of the time according to a recent study.Must we reluctantly accept that economic threats are not a replacement for military strength? Are sanctions an empty threat and should we conclude that sanctions on China will not deter an attack on Taiwan, or in Afghanistan change Taliban policies? Is a new global arms race an inevitable outcome, or can we find an alternative?... Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Bronwen Maddox https://iai.tv/video/the-weapon-that-failed https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-big-bang-bjorn-ekeberg Could the entire scientific paradigm turn out to be wrong? Might cosmology have gone seriously astray? Philosopher of science Bjørn Ekeberg argues this radical case from a philosophical and historical perspective. ... Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Bjørn Ekeberg https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-big-bang-bjorn-ekeberg https://iai.tv/video/anonymity-the-dream-and-the-nightmare Anonymity was the gift that was going to give everyone a voice, free from the oversight of institutions and government control. Yet critics claim the dream has turned into a nightmare. For the anonymous world turns out to be one full of abuse, division and wild conspiracy. In addition, many contend that the dark side of the anonymous web has infected real world personal and public life undermining social cohesion, communication and wellbeing.Is it essential that we end anonymity now if we are to arrest the growing tensions in our culture? Are the financial benefits of anonymity to the web giants so great, and the short term pleasures it offers so addictive, that this cannot be achieved? Are we as a result snared in a downward spiral from which there is no escape, or can we find a way to return to the original dream?... Thu, 01 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Manveen Rana https://iai.tv/video/anonymity-the-dream-and-the-nightmare https://iai.tv/video/the-dark-matter-myth-pavel-kroupa Dark matter has been a part of our astrophysics for a number of decades. In this interview Paul Kroupa calls the rationality of dark matter into question and proposes an alternative in the form of Modified Newtonian Dynamics.Kroupa exposes the damning statistical evidence against dark matter and explains why so many scientists cling to this problematic theory.... Tue, 30 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Pavel Kroupa https://iai.tv/video/the-dark-matter-myth-pavel-kroupa https://iai.tv/video/the-crisis-of-ageing-aaron-bastani Ageing societies are a crisis as alarming as climate change and the situation is only worsening. Join Novara Media founder Aaron Bastani as he argues for an urgent overhaul of political policy if we are to have any hope of curbing the crisis of elderly care.... Mon, 29 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Aaron Bastani https://iai.tv/video/the-crisis-of-ageing-aaron-bastani https://iai.tv/video/revolutionising-our-idea-of-the-brain Neurodiversity is the next frontier in our understanding of the brain. So argues eminent psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen as he puts forward the case for uniting new and old frameworks to revolutionise the way we think about the brain.... Thu, 25 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Simon Baron-Cohen https://iai.tv/video/revolutionising-our-idea-of-the-brain https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-and-rise-of-populism Former Conservative leader Michael Howard defines and discusses populism, the responsibility of the governing elite to address resentment and the greatest challenges facing mainstream parties today.... Tue, 23 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Michael Howard https://iai.tv/video/the-rise-and-rise-of-populism https://iai.tv/video/how-i-changed-my-mind-about-truth-simon-blackburn Simon Blackburn makes the case for objective morality without metaphysics. In this eye-opening interview, Blackburn discusses how we should navigate moral discussions on contentious arguments, how perspective interacts with moral problems and his disagreement with Richard Rorty.... Mon, 22 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Simon Blackburn https://iai.tv/video/how-i-changed-my-mind-about-truth-simon-blackburn https://iai.tv/video/the-obscure-the-banal-and-the-magical The poet is the priest of the invisible', wrote Wallace Stevens. Today however poetry is often required to be down to earth. Praised for being unpretentious and accessible. Critics of this trend say it is banal. Characteristics that we would not apply to Shakespeare's sonnets, Plath's confessional poems, or Eliot's Quartets. They argue that as a result poetry is in decline, and evidence an extensive US survey that showed reading poetry has fallen by 45 percent in the last twenty years.Has poetry lost its way and does it need to reengage with a grander vision or is it a simply an old medium for a past time? Are Instagram poets like Rupi Kaur the true voice of the 21st century poetry? Or can we use poetry as a way to overcome the fashion for being down-to-earth, unpretentious and perhaps ultimately empty?... Sun, 21 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/the-obscure-the-banal-and-the-magical https://iai.tv/video/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ignored We may not always agree on questions of morality, but whatever standards we adopt we apply them to human action. We are less inclined to take a moral stance on human inaction and failure to act. We see for example initiating conflict as different in kind to ignoring conflict. Many would argue that Putin's attack on the Ukrainian people is morally evil, but there is less outrage that we fail to save any of the estimated 5.4 million children under five who died last year from preventable causes.Is our moral emphasis on human agency a mistake? If we applied morality equally to inaction would it help to mark a shift to a more caring and socially responsible society? Or is the application of morality to inaction an impossible burden for us to carry, and one that risks undermining morality as a whole as we all become culpable all of the time?... Thu, 18 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sophie Scott-Brown https://iai.tv/video/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ignored https://iai.tv/video/ai-consciousness-cannot-exist-markus-gabriel The relationship between the individual human subject and the world (the object) was once central to the philosophical problem of consciousness. Recently, neuroscience has tended to assume the problem of consciousness is rather a question of how to generate thought from matter. In this talk, Markus Gabriel explores why we may never figure out the problem of consciousness and the implications this may have for the idea of machine consciousness. ... Tue, 16 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Markus Gabriel https://iai.tv/video/ai-consciousness-cannot-exist-markus-gabriel https://iai.tv/video/life-and-death-on-the-front-line-anna-kent Anna Kent has delivered babies in war zones. But even in developed nations, safe births are far from guaranteed, and progress has stalled. Join Anna as she looks at the current state of healthcare and childbirth in a global context.... Mon, 15 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Anna Kent https://iai.tv/video/life-and-death-on-the-front-line-anna-kent https://iai.tv/video/the-secrets-of-the-universe Last year leading physicists were left in a frenzy of excitement about the possible existence of an entirely new force when the first results from the Muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab were finally unveiled. Join CERN physicist, Harry Cliff, to explore the quantum and cosmic anomalies that could upend our understanding of the universe.... Sun, 14 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Harry Cliff https://iai.tv/video/the-secrets-of-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/a-world-by-any-other-name For much of the 20th century language was seen as central to our understanding of the world. 'The limits of my language mean the limits of my world', argued Wittgenstein. 'There is nothing outside of the text' claimed Derrida. But now it seems language is being jettisoned by philosophers as either containing puzzles that are insoluble, or irrelevant to the real issues facing us. The American philosopher, Hilary Putman, went as far as to say "the project to describe the relationship between language and the world is a shambles".Should we conclude that the puzzle of language and its relation to the world is not solvable? Or is it essential we crack the problem and not give up? Or should we focus, not on the medium but, on the message and return to an era before the so-called 'linguistic turn' when language was largely seen as a transparent vehicle of our beliefs?... Wed, 10 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Joanna Kavenna https://iai.tv/video/a-world-by-any-other-name https://iai.tv/video/how-to-find-and-make-sense-of-happiness-paul-dolan Happiness isn't about what you think, it's about what you do. And you're more in control than you'd imagine. Join happiness expert and LSE Professor of Behavioural Science, Paul Dolan, as he explains how to create a happy life by your own design.... Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Paul Dolan https://iai.tv/video/how-to-find-and-make-sense-of-happiness-paul-dolan https://iai.tv/video/the-psychology-of-bad-habits-susan-michie Are we really in control of our behaviour and choices? Yes we are, according to SAGE adviser and director of UCL's Centre for Behaviour Change Susan Michie. Join her as she uses data to show us how best to change our most ingrained habits. ... Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Susan Michie https://iai.tv/video/the-psychology-of-bad-habits-susan-michie https://iai.tv/video/a-better-tomorrow “All things considered, is the world getting better or worse?” A majority in the West answer 'worse'. 56% of young people believe the 'world is doomed'. Yet extreme poverty has halved since 1990, life expectancy is three decades longer than in 1960, and the average person is safer than they have ever been. Is our negativity a fundamental error? Pessimism makes the headlines, but recent studies show a negative outlook can lead to personal hostility, contempt, political disengagement and support for the far right.Do we need a new Enlightenment to create meaning and reverse the current tide of pessimism? Is the relative lack of growth in the West the cause of our malaise, or is it the internet and media culture? Or is pessimism a valuable force that drives us to improve society, confront new challenges and create a better world?... Sun, 07 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Isabel Hilton https://iai.tv/video/a-better-tomorrow https://iai.tv/video/physics-particles-and-fairytales At the heart of physics is the search for ultimate particles. The Standard Model sets out the current framework. But many argue that all is not well in the particle physics zoo. A central prediction was the existence of supersymmetry particles, but none have been found. At the same time, huge experiments have failed to find the particles that account for dark matter and dark energy, which make up 95% of the universe. Moreover, it is not even clear what a particle is, since some have no dimension and others no mass. Yet physics is rife with proposals for new 'particles'.While there are positive spin-offs from the technology created to carry out particle experiments, has the theory itself run out of road? Would we be better describing reality as the product of quantum fields, information, or mathematics, rather than particles? Or does the Standard Model not actually describe the ultimate nature of reality at all, and do its particles just represent a useful fiction?... Fri, 05 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Sabine Hossenfelder https://iai.tv/video/physics-particles-and-fairytales https://iai.tv/video/getting-everything-losing-everything Live a life of luxury, travel to the far ends of the earth, dial up any experience you can imagine. According to its proponents, including Mr Zuckerberg, a new reality is on the way. They claim, our future lives will take place as much in the digital world as in physical world with the potential to give everyone access to experiences currently only available to a few. But critics say this is a nightmare not a utopia. Instead of real relationships, we’ll have virtual ones; instead of nature, we will have a simulation. And who will control it? Meta, you can be sure, has a plan.Should we ignore the hyperbole and recognize it as a science fiction fantasy that is simply a marketing device to motivate staff and shareholders? Or is the digital virtual world an inevitable future that we urgently need to prepare for now? Can we harness its potential or is it a trap that threatens to steal all that is vital, namely real life?... Wed, 03 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Maria Balaska https://iai.tv/video/getting-everything-losing-everything https://iai.tv/video/the-demons-of-thermodynamics Thermodynamics and the puzzle of entropy has been called 'the village witch' of physics. Yet Einstein told us 'it will never be overthrown'. Join philosopher of physics Katie Robertson as she explores thermodynamics and how to exorcise its demons.... Tue, 02 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Katie Robertson https://iai.tv/video/the-demons-of-thermodynamics https://iai.tv/video/democracy-is-dead-calvin-robinson The West is doubling down on democracy after Putin's attack, but this won't last long. There will be a global move towards authoritarianism - so argues political commentator Calvin Robinson. Join him to delve into the death of democracy.... Mon, 01 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Calvin Robinson https://iai.tv/video/democracy-is-dead-calvin-robinson https://iai.tv/video/the-seduction-of-thought From the birth of reason to Descartes' "I think, therefore I am"; Western culture has placed thought at the centre of what it is to be human. We spend much of our time planning the future, reflecting on the past, puzzling about what to do, and talking about it with others. But might this be a mistake? Should culture, as Nietzsche proposes, 'free itself from the seduction of words and thought'? Should we focus on experience, and live a bit more? Or is this romantic nonsense?... Sun, 30 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Andy West https://iai.tv/video/the-seduction-of-thought https://iai.tv/video/the-strangeness-of-the-universe "Not only is the universe stranger than we think. It is stranger than we can think." So argued Niels Bohr, one of the founders of quantum theory. We imagine our theories uncover how things are but, from quantum particles to dark matter, at fundamental levels the closer we get to what we imagine to be reality the stranger and more incomprehensible it appears to become.Might science, and philosophy one day stretch to meet the universe's strangeness? Or is the universe not so strange after all? Or should we give up the idea that we can uncover the essential character of the world, and with Bohr conclude that the strangeness of the universe and the quantum world transcend the limits of the human mind?... Wed, 26 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Johnjoe McFadden https://iai.tv/video/the-strangeness-of-the-universe https://iai.tv/video/logic-for-the-left In recent years, a new tribalism has emerged. The right has claimed the facts are in their favour. Whereas the left see many problems in society, yet rarely show how to solve them. So claims philosopher and Marxist Ben Burgis. Join him as he implores the left to base their politics on logic.... Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Ben Burgis https://iai.tv/video/logic-for-the-left https://iai.tv/video/the-evolution-of-war Evolutionary biologists argue that the story of human warfare begins with the legacy of our distant ancestry and past. Primatologists Jane Goodall and John Mitani have observed chimps committing what we would now call war crimes: torture, cannibalism, rape, and even genocide. With this propensity for war in our blood, in our DNA, is warfare unavoidable?... Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Bonaventura Majolo https://iai.tv/video/the-evolution-of-war https://iai.tv/video/forbidden-fruit We are more open about sex than ever before.  No topic too outrageous to discuss. No concern too personal to share. But are we making a mistake? Surveys show across all adults a marked decrease in the frequency we have sex with a partner. And a 40% decrease in having regular sex amongst young people. Is our very openness about sex making it less exciting, less transgressive, and less desirable?   ... Sun, 23 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Rana Mitter https://iai.tv/video/forbidden-fruit https://iai.tv/video/fact-checking-the-fact-checkers "The truth is rarely pure and never simple", said Oscar Wilde, but in today's world many are looking for assurance that they are being told the truth. From Facebook and Twitter, to the BBC, New York Times and a host of companies offering fact checking services, there is no shortage of organisations claiming to determine the 'facts'. But, is this a credible goal? Western governments point to Russian and Chinese "fact-checkers" as state propaganda. Yet, they do the same to us. The American government sought to bring in a Disinformation Board. Within weeks it had to be abandoned due to public and partisan outrage.Should we recognise that all organisations, and individuals, embed a perspective in their claims and their assessment of the facts? Is fact checking a marketing exercise to appear trustworthy while in reality demonstrating the opposite? Or in an internet age where fantastical claims are presented as truths, is it essential that we seek to call these out?... Thu, 20 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Stephanie Hare https://iai.tv/video/fact-checking-the-fact-checkers https://iai.tv/video/material-girls-kathleen-stock Gender identity is the hot topic, but many argue that we must remain grounded in biological sex. Join philosopher Kathleen Stock as she seeks collaboration between trans rights activists and feminists to move towards less polarised future.... Mon, 17 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Kathleen Stock https://iai.tv/video/material-girls-kathleen-stock https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-darkness Dark matter is said to account for 85% of matter in the universe. Entering the scientific mainstream in the 1980s, it was key to explaining the otherwise anomalous speeds of stars and gas clouds in spiral universes. Yet decades of searching have so far revealed exactly zero dark matter particles. And now some cosmologists are starting to look for alternatives models of the universe that don’t posit dark matter, like MOND, to describe the world and effect a paradigm shift in our thinking about the cosmos.Should scientists focus on one model of the universe when the dark matter it claims has never been directly discovered? Do we need a radical reassessment of our approach that would make it easier to question current accounts of cosmology? Or are we just around the corner from finally finding dark matter particles?... Sun, 16 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Francesca Chadha-Day https://iai.tv/video/beyond-the-darkness https://iai.tv/video/truth-delusion-and-psychedelic-reality Psychedelics are back in the cultural zeitgeist, this time as a treatment for mental health. Critics though argue psychedelics only work by replacing mental illness with a distorted view of reality. But is this a mistake? A study from Imperial College London suggests that after taking psychedelics people get better at future life events. Visual acuity is also known to increase - suggesting people become less delusional, not more when taking psychedelics.Should we see the psychedelic experience as showing us something true about the nature of reality? Or is it a distortion? Do hallucinations give insights into metaphysical and spiritual truths, or do they encourage a plethora of alternative and contradictory perceptions? Are psychedelics the key to a new era of well-being and mental health or will they put thousands of patients into a delusional state of mind?... Wed, 12 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mark Salter https://iai.tv/video/truth-delusion-and-psychedelic-reality https://iai.tv/video/there-is-no-planet-b Mike Berners-Lee identifies the most common misconceptions around the biggest sources of carbon emissions, who he thinks holds the most responsibility for the environmental crisis, and argues for how we might enact structural change.... Tue, 11 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Mike Berners Lee https://iai.tv/video/there-is-no-planet-b https://iai.tv/video/the-science-of-uncertainty-with-tim-palmer From quantum physics to climate change, the science of uncertainty can help us understand our chaotic world. Join Oxford Professor of Climate Physics Tim Palmer as he argues that the mathematics of uncertainty is vital to progress. ... Mon, 10 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Tim Palmer https://iai.tv/video/the-science-of-uncertainty-with-tim-palmer https://iai.tv/video/society-2-0 The Covid pandemic opened our eyes to the jobs society can't live without. From lorry drivers to supermarket shelf-stackers, the roles often seen as lower status proved indispensable. Both the left and right, called for unprecedented wage rises in these newly valued and vital sectors. But changes in wage levels also implies a reassessment of the relative value we attach to the roles themselves.  Should we conclude that we have overvalued professional and middle class office and management roles? Do we need to abandon the assumption that a university education leads to a more highly paid and valued role, and eradicate current social hierarchies in order to level up? Or should we retain pay differentials and protect the status quo with the educated elite taking their rightful place at the top?... Sun, 09 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Ben Burgis https://iai.tv/video/society-2-0 https://iai.tv/video/being-ourselves-and-being-with-others ”Independence is a heady draft" claimed Maya Angelou. We view independence as a virtue, one that we crave for ourselves and admire in others. But is our pursuit of independence a mistake? In the US in the last fifty years, the number living alone has doubled, but we aren't happier for it. A recent study found those living alone had an 80% higher chance of being depressed.Has our attachment to independence undermined the importance of community? Should we take heed from cultures that live under one roof and embrace a more connected form of intergenerational living? Would we be better to accept the decline in family structures and embrace the new wave of co-living spaces? Or is this to fail to take into account how stifling, hierarchical and oppressive communities can be?... Wed, 05 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Stefan Priebe https://iai.tv/video/being-ourselves-and-being-with-others https://iai.tv/video/why-dawkins-is-wrong-denis-noble We thought that the sequencing of genetic information would unlock vast developments in medical cures for a whole host of illnesses. However, sequencing the genome alone hasn't revolutionised medicine. Denis Noble argues that we have our treatments the wrong way around. Instead, we need to recognise that genes are not on/off switches, and move beyond dualism in Biology. ... Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Denis Noble https://iai.tv/video/why-dawkins-is-wrong-denis-noble https://iai.tv/video/in-conversation-with-peter-tatchell-and-bobbi-pickard The debate around trans identity in recent years has been a fiery one. And it doesn't seem to be dissipating anytime soon. Join legendary activist and outspoken free-speech defender Peter Tatchell and trans rights campaigner Bobbi Pickard as they tackle the public divide on this fiery issue and show us how to move forward.... Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Peter Tatchell https://iai.tv/video/in-conversation-with-peter-tatchell-and-bobbi-pickard https://iai.tv/video/the-ignorance-of-experts Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts' argued Richard Feynman. He held that the best science respects no authority and is not a learnt set of facts, but a rigorous method of questioning in search of a better account. Yet in the pandemic governments and commentators propounded the opposite, that experts should be followed without question. Feynman proposed that good science guesses at theories and then looks to see whether they are supported by the data. But in public debate there is rarely clarity about the theory and little focus on the data.Should we see science not as an agreed body of knowledge but a method to improve our account of the world? Should science never have been seen as an authority? Or are authorities necessary since we cannot all test all of the theories all of the time?... Sun, 02 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Ellen Clarke https://iai.tv/video/the-ignorance-of-experts https://iai.tv/video/the-accurate-the-perfect-and-the-dangerous We tend to think data is impartial. As a result, there was a time when many thought technology and AI could deliver a world free from human faults and failing. But from misogynistic chatbots, to biased hiring algorithms - we now know tech data mimics human prejudice with potentially serious consequences. One algorithm used in US court systems predicted black defendants much more likely to repeat offenses than they actually were.Do we need to give up the idea that data can ever be impartial, and was Thomas Kuhn right when he said 'the answers you get depends on the questions you ask'? Should we train our technology on ""perfect"" synthetic data in order to create the society we want? Or is impartial data essential to our culture and society and something we must strive at all costs to deliver?... Wed, 29 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Linda Yueh https://iai.tv/video/the-accurate-the-perfect-and-the-dangerous https://iai.tv/video/are-we-facing-a-new-world-order-nigel-inkster Nigel Inskter discusses China's rise to cyberpower, and who he thinks has the upper hand in the geopolitical context going forward.... Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Nigel Inkster https://iai.tv/video/are-we-facing-a-new-world-order-nigel-inkster https://iai.tv/video/how-to-see-the-world-through-kafkas-eyes-steven-berkoff It's over a century since Metamorphosis was published. Yet Kafka’s work still resonates with the realities we face today. Join acclaimed actor and director Steven Berkoff, as he draws on his years of experience with Kafka’s work to provide a unique insight into how Kafka can help us to better understand world, and our place within it.... Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Steven Berkoff https://iai.tv/video/how-to-see-the-world-through-kafkas-eyes-steven-berkoff https://iai.tv/video/the-equality-myth By many objective measures the lives of women have improved hugely in the last fifty years. Yet a number of surveys including one from the US National Bureau of Economic Research have shown that women's happiness has fallen both absolutely and relative to men. And some are starting to wonder whether we're making a mistake in putting measures of political progress above personal fulfilment.Should we refocus feminist goals on developing and enhancing female values rather than mistakenly aiming for delivering male equivalence? Might the very notion of equality itself be a misleading goal when instead we should be looking to enhance and deepen the experience of being female? Or, should falling levels of happiness in fact be seen as positive indications of women's raised expectations as well as their willingness to speak out about dissatisfaction?... Sat, 25 Mar 2023 23:00:00 +0000 Laurie Penny https://iai.tv/video/the-equality-myth https://iai.tv/video/the-democracy-illusion When polling day comes around, many wait with baited breath to find out who will be in power. But despite the heat and the divisiveness, whether it's Trump or Biden, Sarkozy or Macron, Blair or Johnson, radical changes in our lives rarely materialize.Some argue that the complexity of decisions forces compromise. Others that we are living in an episode of Yes Minister, with inexperienced politicians unable to compete with permanent government employees. Democracy, they say, is just a veneer covering up a deep state of unaccountable advisers and experts.Should we recognize that politicians and leaders make little difference to policy? Should we give politicians greater control of the appointment of all civil servants rather than a few at the top? Or is the reality that the management of a modern economy is so complex that decisions are necessarily technical rather than political?... Wed, 22 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Aaron Bastani https://iai.tv/video/the-democracy-illusion https://iai.tv/video/head-to-head-philosophy-vs-science-marika-taylor-julian-baggini From Pythagoras to Planck, history's greatest minds have seen science and philosophy as inseparable. But since the Enlightenment the two have been wrenched apart, with neither finding much use in the other. It's time to change that, and put them head to head. Join prize-winning physicist Marika Taylor and philosopher Julian Baggini as they bring together two fields that should never have been separated.... Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Marika Taylor https://iai.tv/video/head-to-head-philosophy-vs-science-marika-taylor-julian-baggini https://iai.tv/video/deconstructing-the-art-of-storytelling Keeping your audience's attention is the most crucial part of any writing. Join 2022's three-time Olivier award nominated playwright of 2:22 A Ghost Story and UK number 1 podcaster Danny Robins provides the key tips on how to tell a gripping story.... Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Danny Robins https://iai.tv/video/deconstructing-the-art-of-storytelling https://iai.tv/video/the-theory-to-end-all-theories Not so long ago many scientists, and Stephen Hawking central among them, claimed a theory of everything was just round the corner. Far from being round the corner it now looks less and less likely. In 2010 Hawking changed his mind and abandoned the theory altogether, arguing that all scientific theories were models and that we would never be able to arrive at a single account.Was Hawking right, and does the end of the theory of everything point to a bigger shift in our understanding of what science itself can achieve? Should we see science as always being from a particular perspective and not capable of ultimately describing reality at all, let alone being complete? Or is there a possible model that could be so effective that it can be deemed to be true?... Sun, 19 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Hilary Lawson https://iai.tv/video/the-theory-to-end-all-theories https://iai.tv/video/the-key-to-consciousness The relationship between the individual human subject and the world was once the central focus of Western philosophy. Modern neuroscience has instead tended to assume that the world is purely material and physical, and the problem of consciousness a question of how to generate thought from matter. Yet, we are no closer to solving the deep puzzle of consciousness and many argue that the American philosopher Thomas Nagel is right when he maintains that the question of consciousness 'cannot be detached from subject and object'.Is the notion that the world is purely material a fundamental mistake? Would we be more likely to unlock the mysteries of consciousness by once again adopting the framework of the subject and object? Or will slow, piecemeal advances in neuroscience and analytic philosophy eventually yield the answers that we have been searching for?... Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Same Coleman https://iai.tv/video/the-key-to-consciousness https://iai.tv/video/rebellion-and-rebirth A decade after she rose to fame by carrying around a mattress on campus as part of her performance art about rape culture, Emma Sulkowicz's politics have undergone a radical shift. Join her as she revisits the perspectives of the accused and explores healing and reform in a post-Me-Too society.... Tue, 14 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Emma Sulkowicz https://iai.tv/video/rebellion-and-rebirth https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-cosmology-with-roger-penrose Have you ever been curious about the furthest reaches of the night sky, the biggest forces in the universe, and the fundamental equations defining our reality? Join Nobel Prize winning mathematician Roger Penrose and philosopher of science Katie Robertson as they discuss the lives they’ve dedicated to investigating these questions, the mysteries of the universe and their plans of where to look next.... Mon, 13 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Roger Penrose https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-cosmology-with-roger-penrose https://iai.tv/video/after-happily-ever-after From Beethoven's 5th to Batman, Harry Potter to Hamlet, we want and expect satisfying endings that tie up loose ends and provide resolution. But real life doesn't often come tied up so neatly. Relationships and careers often evolve in tangled confusion with transitions that can leave messy legacies. And, as TS Eliot said, often things end "not with a bang but a whimper."                                         Is it that our stories and narratives are in error, or the way we run our lives? Many have sought to create novels or films that have less defined or multiple endings but they have rarely succeeded. Is a successful non-narrative structure possible or even desirable? Then again, are weddings and birthdays, leaving parties and national holidays, a means to impose order on lives that are never ordered? Would we be better to impose more structure or should we accept our lives as fluid and in a sense unknown? ... Wed, 08 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Janne Teller https://iai.tv/video/after-happily-ever-after https://iai.tv/video/gravity-a-new-window-to-the-universe-paul-davies Gravitational waves could hold the key to our understanding of the universe. World-renowned physicist Paul Davies explored this phenomenon in the 1980's - never expecting that gravitational waves would be detected in his lifetime. Join Davies as he demonstrates why gravitational waves might be the answer to the questions plaguing physics.... Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Paul Davies https://iai.tv/video/gravity-a-new-window-to-the-universe-paul-davies https://iai.tv/video/feminism-and-identity-politics The feminist movement has continued to gain ground over the last decade, but is identity politics holding it back? Could feminism be more successful in its fight against the patriarchy if it prevented its all-too-common internal fissures and fallouts? British journalist and author of ‘Ladies Who Punch’, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown explores whether feminism is weakened by identity politics. ... Mon, 06 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Yasmin Alibhai-Brown https://iai.tv/video/feminism-and-identity-politics https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-freedom A famed experiment, by Libet in the 1980s, led many scientists and philosophers to argue that free will was an illusion. Despite the experiment being challenged at the time and in recent studies, its legacy persists. Many materialists still contend that free will has been shown to be illusory, supporting their belief that humans are merely biological machines. We often imagine that experiment settles the matter, but should we instead conclude that our interpretation of experiment is a function of our desire to believe its outcome? Or can empiricism really determine the existence or non-existence of free will?... Sun, 05 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Julian Baggini https://iai.tv/video/the-future-of-freedom https://iai.tv/video/beyond-experiment ‘Experiment is the sole judge of scientific “truth”’ declared the physicist Richard Feynman. Ever since the Enlightenment, science has been based on the idea that its theories are testable. But now many argue our grandest scientific theories, from string theory to multiverse theory, have no experimental evidence and some claim they are even untestable in principle.Should we conclude that these theories are not science at all but mere fictional speculation? Or is it enough for a theory to be beautifully coherent and helpful in simplifying our understanding? Then again, is the very idea of experimental proof itself mistaken, since the results are unavoidably interpreted in the light of the theory they are seeking to verify?... Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Barry C. Smith https://iai.tv/video/beyond-experiment https://iai.tv/video/the-enduring-trauma-of-the-caste-system-ashwini-deshpande The Caste system is one of the defining facts of life for Hindus. But to many in the West it is cloaked in mystery. Is the Caste System an innocuous division of labour that provides its followers with structure and meaning in their lives? Or is it a method of embedding devastating levels of social inequality?  Join award-winning economist Ashwini Deshpande as she explores the darker consequences of the Caste system.... Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Ashwini Deshpande https://iai.tv/video/the-enduring-trauma-of-the-caste-system-ashwini-deshpande https://iai.tv/video/a-tale-of-truth-with-simon-blackburn Truth has had a difficult century. More than ever we are lost as to both 'what truth is' and 'what is true'. Should we instead turn to pragmatism? Join Simon Blackburn to explore why truth and pragmatism may be more aligned than at first it may seem.... Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 Simon Blackburn https://iai.tv/video/a-tale-of-truth-with-simon-blackburn