Debates

Debates are the beating heart of HowTheLightGetsIn Hay 2025.

From puzzling over our understanding of language to the mathematical description of reality, Western economical decline to the hard problem of consciousness, this Spring Bank Holiday will see the biggest questions of our time debated by a lineup of world leading thinkers.

Click the images below to explore our newest debates and panels.

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A colorful abstract representation of a person with swirling patterns of vibrant colors emanating from their head, symbolizing creativity and thought.

The Self and The World

Slavoj Žižek, Alenka Zupančič, Carlo Rovelli
A silhouetted figure stands atop a rocky outcrop, gazing at the vibrant Milky Way and a starry night sky filled with colorful cosmic phenomena.

Dreams of the Future

David Starkey, Daniel Markovits, Thangam Debbonaire
A surreal desert landscape featuring tall, reflective mirrors arranged in a circle, reflecting the sky and surrounding sand dunes under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

Freedom and Fate

Robert Sapolsky, Lucy Allais, Paul Bloom
A vibrant abstract background featuring shimmering blue and teal lights, swirling patterns, and sparkles, creating a sense of depth and movement.
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The Collapse of the Wave Function

Roger Penrose, David Albert, Jacob Barandes, Alyssa Ney
A decorative brass scale of justice placed over a detailed world map, symbolizing global law and justice.

The Rules of War

Jeremy Corbyn, Yanis Varoufakis, Bronwen Maddox, Malcolm Rifkind
A colorful illustration of a human profile with a spiraled design emerging from the head, symbolizing thought, consciousness, or creativity against a vibrant background.
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Lost in Thought

Steven Pinker, Hilary Lawson, Barbara Tversky
A stack of gold coins in the foreground with a rising stock market graph in the background, symbolizing financial growth and investment.
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The Holy Grail of Economics

Juliet Samuel, Matthew Lynn, Daniela Gabor, Cahal Moran
A colorful assortment of pills and capsules stacked precariously on a light blue background.
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The Diagnosis Delusion

Karsten Juhl Jørgensen, Gina Rippon, Alastair Santhouse
A computer microprocessor placed atop the flags of China and the United States, symbolizing technology and international relations.
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The Taiwan Tripwire

Shashi Tharoor, Isabel Hilton, Malcolm Rifkind, Bill Hayton
A surreal stone sculpture of a human face by the ocean, with rocks disintegrating from the head, set against a cloudy sky.
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The Unconscious Mind

Edward Harcourt, Josh Cohen, Barbara Tversky
A colorful illustration of a group of graduates in caps and gowns, standing together in celebration, showcasing a vibrant and abstract art style.
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Crisis in the Academy

Yaron Brook, Catherine Liu, Eric Kaufmann
Vibrant artwork depicting raised hands holding colorful placards against a bright, abstract background, symbolizing protest and activism.

Democracy, Gender, and the Future of Politics

Nicola Sturgeon, Catherine Mayer, David Goodhart, John Burn-Murdoch
A vibrant, abstract representation of a cosmic explosion, with bright orange, blue, and yellow colors radiating from a central point, surrounded by swirling energy waves.
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The Worst Prediction in the History of Science

Bjørn Ekeberg, Raphael Bousso, Claudia de Rham
A creative artistic representation of a woman's silhouette with clouds and trees merging into her head, symbolizing nature and thought.
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Imagination and the Real

Karl Friston, Nadine Dijkstra, Maria Balaet
A digital representation of Earth surrounded by floating dollar bills, symbolizing global finance and wealth.
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The US Dollar and the Future of the World

Shashi Tharoor ,David McWilliams, Juliet Samuel, Janne Teller
A close-up view of a molecular structure with interconnected spheres representing atoms, set against a blurred blue and green background.
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The Religion of Our Time

Steve Fuller, Massimo Pigliucci, Sophie Scott-Brown
A close-up of a clock with swirling smoke and glowing particles, creating a surreal and dreamlike atmosphere.
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Time's Great Mystery

Tim Maudlin, Ivette Fuentes, Hilary Lawson
A hand reaching towards a computer screen with distorted, glowing lines, set against a vibrant pink background.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Misinformation

Phil Collins, Aaron Maté, Myriam Francois, Inaya Folarin Iman
An illustration featuring a prominent yellow profile with a brain, surrounded by numerous gray human silhouettes and gear motifs, symbolizing the intersection of human thought and machinery.
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The Rise and Fall of Identity Politics

Aaron Bastani, Myriam Francois
A digital representation of a humanoid figure in deep thought, inspired by Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker," surrounded by a cosmic background of stars and interconnected lines.
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The Grandest of Grand Narratives

Jessica Frazier, Avshalom Elitzur, David Starkey
A hand rests on a closed book in front of an American flag, symbolizing an oath or commitment, possibly in a legal or ceremonial context.
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Draining the Swamp

Richard Tice, Sherelle Jacobs, David Goodhart
A vibrant explosion of light and color, resembling cosmic particles and energy bursts, creating a dynamic, abstract background.
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The Age of the Universe

Roger Penrose, Claudia de Rham, Karen Crowther
A digitally rendered magnifying glass over a vibrant, abstract background of glowing pink and blue particles, suggesting themes of analysis and discovery.
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AI and the Mysteries of Reality

Alva Noë, Roman Yampolskiy, Steve Fuller, Suzanne Livingston
A speaker in a suit raises one finger towards a large, energetic crowd, symbolizing a call to action during an outdoor event at sunset.
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The Politics of Populism

Jesse Norman, Lionel Shriver, Aaron Maté
A stylized, abstract butterfly in vibrant geometric colors, set against a kaleidoscopic background of shifting hues and triangular shapes.
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Technology and the Universe

Yanis Varoufakis, Tim Nguyen, Janne Teller
A vibrant abstract depiction of a swirling spiral pattern featuring glowing orange and blue lights, resembling a cosmic or fractal design in a dark backdrop.
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The Key to the Cosmos

Hilary Lawson, Dean Rickles, Sarah B. Hart
A glowing, digital representation of a brain with circuit patterns, set against a dark background filled with glowing blue circuitry elements.
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Consciousness in the Clouds

Massimo Pigliucci, Roman Yampolskiy, Nadine Dijkstra, Anders Sandberg
A close-up of an eye reflecting a vivid galaxy, with swirling stars and cosmic colors in the iris, set against a blurred, blue background.

The Story of the Universe

Alex Rosenberg, John Dupré, Ivette Fuentes
A close-up of the bronze Lady Justice statue, blindfolded and holding scales, in a softly lit courtroom setting.
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The Good, The Bad and the Transgressive

Josh Cohen, Rowan Williams, Catherine Liu
A romantic silhouette of a couple embracing against a vibrant, colorful background depicting a sunset, with swirling textures in reds, blues, and oranges.

Flirting with Disaster and Desire

Paul Dolan, Anders Sandberg, Rachel Thompson
A broken chain releases birds into the sky, symbolizing freedom against a vibrant sunset backdrop with a large sun.

The Chains of Freedom

Yaron Brook, Daniel Markovits, Elizabeth Anderson
An illustration of a crowd of gray figures with one glowing orange figure standing out prominently in the center, symbolizing individuality or uniqueness.
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Us and Them

Frank Furedi, Thangam Debbonaire, Harvey Whitehouse
Colorful, abstract depiction of glowing bubbles and interconnected strands of light, representing a cosmic or ethereal theme with a blurred, dreamy background.
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Dimensions of the Unknown

Dean Rickles, Raphael Bousso, Karen Crowther
A silhouette of a person stands among tall, reflective mirrors, with a vibrant sunset in the background casting orange and pink hues.
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The Mirror

Alva Noë, Joanna Kavenna, Winsome Pinnock
A vibrant cluster of mushrooms with colorful caps emerging from swirling smoke in a dark background, creating a surreal and artistic atmosphere.
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Out of Our Minds

Norman Ohler, Joanna Moncrieff, Maria Balaet
Two pairs of hands holding colorful paper cutouts of people representing family or community, with warm sunlight illuminating the scene.
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Kith and Kin

Sophie Scott-Brown, Harvey Whitehouse, David Goodhart
Silhouettes of people standing on stacks of coins against a textured background of abstract blue and gold hues, symbolizing wealth disparity and social status.
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Riches and Rags

Yaron Brook, Thangam Debbonaire, Ingrid Robeyns
A striking abstract painting featuring two faces, one half shaded dark and the other light, with hands gently touching the face, conveying themes of duality and introspection.

All The World's A Stage

Paul Bloom, Michelle Terry, Winsome Pinnock
A diverse group of abstract human figures surrounds a stylized globe, symbolizing unity and collaboration across cultures and nations.
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Peace, Passion and Adventure

Frank Furedi, Paul Bloom, Alenka Zupancic
The United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C., with an American flag softly blurred in the foreground.
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The End of the West