Intelligence Squared

Europe’s past is not past. The borders of vanished empires still surface in election results. The European Union and Nato face a world in which Russia is aggressive, America is less dependable and Europe’s own ability to act remains fragmented. Here in Britain, the political argument has begun to move from whether Brexit worked to what a return might demand.

In this episode, Margherita Volpato speaks to historian Timothy Garton Ash. His new book, Europe in 7½ Chapters: The Shortest Introduction to the World’s Oldest and Newest Continent. They question what Europe’s past can teach us about its present and future. Should Britain consider rejoining the European Union? Is it time for Europe to create its own army? What is the future of liberal democracy?

Ash builds on the historical past of Europe to suggest where the continent can and should go next.

Timothy Garton Ash is a historian, political writer, Guardian columnist and Professor of European Studies Emeritus at the University of Oxford.

Margherita Volpato is Senior Producer at Intelligence Squared.
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Katherine Rundell has dazzled millions of readers globally with her writing on fantastical beasts. In her bestselling book The Golden Mole, she profiled some of the world’s most extraordinary endangered animals, including pangolins, wombats, lemurs and seahorses. This critically acclaimed compendium celebrated the earth’s greatest wonders, and offered a rallying call to prevent their extinction.

In October 2026 Rundell joined us live on stage at Conway Hall to discuss a new menagerie of spectacular creatures. Rundell drew on her new book, Napoleon’s Orangutan, to introduce us to twelve vanishing, amazing animals – from Napoleon’s pet orangutan to pigs who can learn the difference between Bach and a brass band.
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Who are we? Why are we here? Are we alone in the universe? How did we become the creatures that we are? How might we further evolve? These are some of the big questions that Brian Cox and Alice Roberts tackled when they came to the Intelligence Squared stage in December 2014.

Brian Cox is the rockstar who became a scientist, and is now a rockstar scientist. He is known to millions as the presenter of the BBC Wonders series in which he unravels the complexities of the universe with calm clarity and an infectious sense of wonder.

Alice Roberts is a no less talented science story-teller. A doctor, anatomist, osteoarchaeologist and writer, she has enthralled television audiences with BBC series such as The Incredible Human Journey.

In this wide-ranging conversation Cox and Roberts discussed the origins of the universe, life and humanity – and you. You’re the product of what seems to be an extremely unlikely chain of events. Our universe was born with just the right laws for galaxies to form, with at least one planet capable of producing and sustaining life. The origin of muliticellular life on this planet was essentially an accident; the mammals were lucky to outlive the dinosaurs; a handful of two-legged apes survived, against the odds, on the plains of Africa… and then there’s the unlikeliness of your mother meeting your father and that particular sperm fusing with that particular egg.

The chance of you being here at all is tiny. How can physics and biology help us to make sense of all that unlikeliness? How did chance and accident combine to create us?
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On the 70th anniversary of the publication of Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin’s seminal novel about sexuality, race and myth in America, Booker Prize-winning writer Ben Okri joined us to reflect on the life, literature and enduring legacy of one of the world’s most loved writers.

Baldwin’s work reshaped the literary and political landscape. Many of our greatest writers today credit his influence on their work. As an author and activist, his writing fearlessly tackled race, sexuality, love, masculinity and belonging with radical intimacy.

Published in 1956, Giovanni’s Room was groundbreaking for its explicit homoeroticism. Its honesty and courage characterised Baldwin’s work as a whole. His poetry, essays, speeches, novels and plays, were pivotal to both the civil rights movement and the gay liberation movement in mid-twentieth century America, and continue to speak urgently to the present moment.

In May 2026 Okri brought his own artistic vision to an exploration of Baldwin’s work live from the Kiln Theatre, the same venue as Anton Philips’ production of Baldwin’s The Amen Corner, the first black-produced and directed play to transfer to the West End of London.
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In this episode, Kamal was joined by Jeremy Hunt, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and Dr. Angela Spatharou, Senior Partner and EMEA Leader for Healthcare & Life Sciences at IBM Consulting. They explore how AI and hyper-automation are transforming the world of work; how future technologies can reduce costs, improve efficiency and ease pressure on essential services such as healthcare, while considering how organisations can embrace rapid technological change without losing sight of the people at its heart, and why the future of work must strike the right balance between being human-centred and AI-enabled.This episode was recorded live in London as part of Intelligence Squared and IBM's The Age to Come series. Next live event date: 18th Nov 2026. Find out more: ⁠https://www.intelligencesquared.com/ibm⁠
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