Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared

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<p>Intelligence Squared is the home of lively debate and deep-dive discussion. Follow Intelligence Squared wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy four regular episodes per week taking you to the heart of the issues that matter in the company of the world’s great minds. We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who …

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Stalin vs Trotsky: The Assassination That Changed History, with Josh Ireland

On August 20, 1940, in a quiet study in Mexico, one of the 20th century’s most consequential political exiles was assassinated with an ice pick. The killing of Leon Trotsky …

Apr 05, 2026 · 38m

Can Discomfort Be the Key to a Better Life? With Ken Rideout

Dr Radha Modgil is joined by endurance athlete, investor and author Ken Rideout for an inspiring Intelligence Squared conversation on what it really takes to transform your life. Drawing on …

Apr 04, 2026 · 36m

How and Why did Sexual Reproduction Evolve on our Planet? With Dr Lixing Sun

Before sex evolved on our planet, two billion years ago, all reproduction happened asexually. So why and how did sexual reproduction evolve? Dr Lixing Sun is Distinguished Research Professor in …

Apr 02, 2026 · 39m

Hungry for Life! An Evening with Prue Leith (Part Two)

According to Great British Bake Off judge and national treasure Prue Leith the secret to a happy life lies in embracing everyday with joy while accepting our inevitable end. Prue …

Mar 31, 2026 · 33m

Hungry for Life! An Evening with Prue Leith (Part One)

According to Great British Bake Off judge and national treasure Prue Leith the secret to a happy life lies in embracing everyday with joy while accepting our inevitable end. Prue …

Mar 30, 2026 · 34m

How deeply was the British Crown involved in the transatlantic slave trade? With author of The Crown’s Silence, Brooke Newman

How deeply was the British Crown involved in the transatlantic slave trade? New research by historian Brooke Newman argues that, from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, until well into …

Mar 29, 2026 · 47m

The Specialist | The Coin Worth More Than Its Weight in Gold, with Selby Kiffer and David Tripp

This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that …

Mar 28, 2026 · 17m

Why Are Populists Winning? With Liam Byrne and Will Hutton

Populism has been winning big in recent years. It is the wave that has buoyed Donald Trump’s second term in office, Marine Le Pen’s popularity in France, and Reform UK’s …

Mar 27, 2026 · 54m

How To Overcome Trauma, With Psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead (Part One)

Dr Gwen Adshead is one of Britain’s leading forensic psychiatrists. She is the author of The Sunday Times bestseller, The Devil You Know, which inspired her series of BBC Reith …

Mar 23, 2026 · 39m

How Has Living With Animals Shaped Our Brains? With Michael Bond

Humans are animals. 40,000 years ago our ancestors considered themselves inseparable from the landscape and the wild animals that lived alongside them. But over generations, we developed an idea that …

Mar 22, 2026 · 43m

The Specialist | From Canvas to Canon: Joan Mitchell’s King of Spades, with Courtney Kremers

This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that …

Mar 21, 2026 · 15m

Why Are Ancient Myths Resurfacing in Modern Britain? With Zakia Sewell

Are Pagan Traditions Shaping a New British Identity? In this episode, Academic, broadcaster and critic Shahidha Bari speaks to journalist, DJ and author Zakia Sewell about her book Finding Albion: …

Mar 20, 2026 · 42m

Sex, Gender and Christianity: A 3,000 Year History, with Diarmaid MacCulloch and Mary Beard (Part One)

In the twenty-first century, Christianity or historically Christian societies have witnessed one of the most extraordinary revolutions in attitudes to sex and gender in human history, bringing liberation for some …

Mar 16, 2026 · 34m

Is the Russia–Ukraine War a Failure of Strategy? With Lawrence Freedman

In an age of grinding wars, nuclear brinkmanship, and political volatility, what does strategy really mean - and how do leaders make decisions when the world feels chaotic? In this …

Mar 15, 2026 · 50m

What Is Really at Stake at the North Pole? With Neil Shea

What Do Wolves, Caribou, and Global Superpowers Have in Common? In this episode, Professor Helen Czerski speaks to journalist and author Neil Shea about the Arctic’s changing face and the …

Mar 13, 2026 · 48m

Sotheby's Talks | How Do Objects Achieve Iconic Status, with Grayson Perry and Xa Sturgis

On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the question: How do objects achieve iconic status? Taking inspiration from the book Icons: 100 Extraordinary Objects from Sotheby’s …

Mar 11, 2026 · 46m

Fiona Hill: The World in 2026 (Part Two)

Fiona Hill is one of the most authoritative voices on the forces reshaping global politics today. Born in County Durham, from 2017 to 2019 she was a senior adviser on …

Mar 09, 2026 · 34m

Fiona Hill: The World in 2026 (Part One)

Fiona Hill is one of the most authoritative voices on the forces reshaping global politics today. Born in County Durham, from 2017 to 2019 she was a senior adviser on …

Mar 08, 2026 · 36m

How has American hubris shaped Iran? With Scott Anderson

Scott Anderson is a veteran foreign reporter and war correspondent, and a contributing writer for The New York Times. Over his career he has reported from Bosnia, Libya, Palestine and …

Mar 06, 2026 · 33m

What Does It Take to Run Goldman Sachs During a Meltdown? With Former CEO Lloyd Blankfein

What does it take to lead one of the world’s most powerful banks when the global financial system is on the brink of collapse? As CEO for Goldman Sachs from …

Mar 04, 2026 · 44m

CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Trump, Iran and the World in 2026 (Part Two)

As one of the world’s most respected journalists, CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour has witnessed some of the most consequential events of our time. In the Middle East, she …

Mar 02, 2026 · 38m

Fatima Bhutto on Grief, Survival, and the Life-Affirming Love of Canine Companions

Fatima Bhutto was born into the world of high politics in Pakistan. She was just 14 when she witnessed the assasination of her politician father outside of their home, and …

Feb 27, 2026 · 39m

Are Lithium and Cobalt the New Oil? The Elements of Power, with Nicolas Niarchos

Decarbonisation is triggering a new great-power race. As demand for green technologies and sustainable power sources grows, Washington and Beijing are battling for control of cobalt, lithium, copper, and nickel …

Feb 25, 2026 · 36m

The New Yorker’s Jon Lee Anderson on Afghanistan: An American Catastrophe (Part Two)

Jon Lee Anderson is considered one of the great foreign correspondents of our time. Since the late 1980s, his on-the-ground reporting in Afghanistan has provided invaluable insight into decades of …

Feb 23, 2026 · 39m