Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared ------ Human beings, we’re taught, are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest. From Hobbes’ theory about the state of nature to Richard Dawkins’ ‘selfish gene’, the roots of this belief are deeply ingrained in Western thought. But historian Rutger Bregman believes we have got human nat ... Show More
Apr 16
Why Did Elite Cambridge Graduates Become Soviet Spies? Revisiting the Cambridge Five, with Antonia Senior
The Cambridge Five - Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, John Cairncross and Keeper of the Queen's Pictures Anthony Blunt - made up one of the most notorious spy rings of the 20th century. Besotted with communist ideology and radicalised while at Cambridge University in the ... Show More
40m 50s
Apr 14
How Will the Climate Crisis Reshape Global Politics? With Former Diplomat and Author, Arthur Snell
Our changing climate is accelerating conflict and migration, with the potential to drive political instability from the Sahel to Saudi Arabia to Siberia. From the water-stressed mountains of the Arabian Peninsula to the wildfires raging through America’s most populated regions, t ... Show More
49m 30s
Apr 12
Is There a Crisis of Overdiagnosis in Modern Medicine? With Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan
More people are being labelled with medical conditions than ever before. Diagnoses of autism, ADHD, allergies, and long COVID have skyrocketed - but are we actually getting less healthy? In this episode, neurologist Dr Suzanne O’Sullivan speaks to Dr Güneş Taylor about an impendi ... Show More
48m 24s
Jul 2021
Rutger Bregman on Human Nature and Hope
Rutger Bregman is one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers. A historian and author, Rutger has published several books on history, philosophy, and economics. His book, History of Progress, was awarded the Belgian Liberales Prize for best nonfiction book of 2013.
In this epis ... Show More
59 m
Jan 2021
Can We Build a More Rational World?
Steven Pinker dares to believe that human beings are better off than ever before in human history. A world-renowned linguist, Pinker has dedicated his career to unveiling the ways by which we express our human nature through our language, behaviors, and beliefs. In an era often p ... Show More
1h 14m
Sep 2020
Our Social Dilemma — Thoughts on Technology, Addiction, and the Illusion of Free Will
Welcome to another edition of Roll On—my bi-monthly deep dive into (semi) current events, topics of audience interest, and of course answers to your questions. Commanding co-host duties is my hype man Adam Skolnick, an activist and veteran journalist perhaps best known as David G ... Show More
2h 25m
Nov 2020
To Be Less Polarized, We Must Humanize (with Esther Perel)
Baratunde ends Season One focused on the state of our relationships, a key pillar of how to citizen, and thus the health of our society after the most contentious election in modern history. In conversation with world-renowned relationship expert, Esther Perel, they discuss how t ... Show More
1h 4m
Dec 2021
DAWN OF EVERYTHING: The True History of Humanity
What if everything we think we know about the history of our species is wrong? That’s the provocative question at the heart of a new book by today’s guest, David Wengrow. Hailed as fascinating, brilliant, and potentially revolutionary, “The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Hu ... Show More
1h 20m