Debates

Debates are the beating heart of HowTheLightGetsIn and Hay 2024 is no different. Bringing together physicists, philosophers, leading campaigners and more, we seek to challenge the status quos of knowledge and uncover new ways of seeing.

Explore a first taste of our panels and debates below...

  Book Now

Morality and the universe 1

Humanity and the Gods of Nature

Slavoj Zizek, Peter Singer, Nancy Sherman
Journey to other dimensions

Journey to Other Dimensions

Avshalom Ellitzur, Marika Taylor, Roger Penrose
Changing who we are.2 .png

Overcoming Evolution

Daniel Dennett, Simon Baron-Cohen, Subrena Smith
24 02 02.violence vengence virtue.ata
New

Violence, Vengence, and Virtue

Ilan Pappe, Bronwen Maddox, Peter Singer
turtles all the way down.dwk
New

Turtles all the way down

Donald Hoffman, Hilary Lwson, Priya Natarajan
The democracy show.dwk

The Democracy Show

S.Y. Quraishi, Amy Chua, Sophie Scott-Brown
Speed of light debate Howthelightgetsin fesitval hay 2024
New

Faster Than Light

Claudia de Rham, Tim Maudlin, Joao Magueijo
78 The New Overlords HowTheLightGetsIn Festival Hay 2024
New

The New Overlords

Ali Allawi, Claire Provost & Armen Sarkissian
Multipolar WOrld
New

Navigating the New world order

Bronwen Maddox, Armen Sarkissian & Christina Lamb
tales of reality.1.dwk
New

Trouble With Language

Tim Maudlin, Hilary Lawson
the real me.dwk

The Real Me

Steve Taylor, Susan Schneider, Jack Symes, Frank Tallis
tyrrany of the pen.dwk
New

The Tyranny of the Pen

John Ralston Saul, Joanna Kavenna, Ruth Padel
nightmare in suburbia.dwk
New

Nightmare in Suburbia

Sophie Scott-Brown, Des Fitzgerald, Hannah Rich
Something for nothing

Something For Nothing

Paul Bloom, Nancy Sherman & Dan Ariely
24 01 25.darwin.ata
New

Darwin vs Consciousness

Stuart Hameroff, Antonella Tramacere, Denis Noble
Dark Energy Debate Howthelightgetsin festival hay 2024 min
New

Dark Energy and The Universe

Claudia de Rham, Priya Natarajan, Chris Lintott
24 02 02.opportunity wars.ata
New

The Equality Dream

Tommy Curry, Vicky Pryce, John Bercow & Lisa Cameron
ai and creativity.dwk

The Creativity Crisis

Judith Donath, Martha Fiennes & John Ralston Saul
24 01 25.controlling tech titans.ata
New

Controlling the Tech Titans

Susan Schneider, Kenneth Cukier, Joscha Bacg, Shannon Vallor
The begining of the universe debate HowTheLightGetsIn Festival Hay 20204 min
New

The Riddle of the Beginning

Scott Aaronson, Marika Taylor, John Lennox, Joscha Bach
24 02 02.unleashing the self.at
New

Optimising Ourselves

James Riley, Nancy Sherman, Jessica DeFino
24 01 25.land ownership hypocrisy.ata
New

Land, Ownership and Hypocrisy

Dale Turner, Tommy Curry, Peter Singer, Janne Teller
Debate on values HowTheLightGesIn Hay Festival 2024 min
New

A World Without Values

Tommy Curry, Eva Illouz, Robin van den Akker
mystery in the making1

Mystery In The Making

Bjørn Ekeberg, Claudia de Rham, Harry Cliff
Debate on Imagination limitless HowTheLightGetsIn Hay Festival 2024
New

Imagining the Unimaginable

Joanna Kavenna, Martha Fiennes & Simon Barion-Cohen
The indian century

The Indian Century

Meghnad Desai, S.Y. Quraishi, Kate Sullivan de Estrada
24 02 02.biological boundaries.ata
New

The Agents of Life

Johnjoe McFadden, Frances Ashcroft, Denis Noble
Having it all.dwk

Having It All

Vicky Pryce, Aaron Bastani
24 02 02.crazy stupid love.ata
New

Happily Ever After

Simon May, Jenny Kleeman, Myriam François
24 02 02.theories reality world.ata
New

Thinking set free

Subrena E Smith, Paul Bloom, Stuart Hameroff
better left unsaid

Better Left Unsaid

Theodore Dalrymple, Simon Wessely , Vanessa King
24 02 02.the scientists mind.ata
New

The Values and Prejudices of Science

Ben Ware, Tim Palmer, Marika Taylor
24 02 02.the new sacred.ata
New

Belief, Value and Superstition

Paul Bloom, Fellipe do Vale, Catherine Rowett, Winston Marshall
24 02 02.after postmodernism.ata
New

After Postmodernism

Robin Van den Akker, Abby Innes, Hilary Lawson
Lost in stories.dwk

Lost in stories

Matthew Beaumont, Ruth Padel & Thangam Debbonaire
24 02 02.thinking set freeata
New

Truth, Theory, and Ultimate Reality

Abby Innes, Time Maudlin, Bernard Carr, Lisa Randall
Beauty in the eye of the beholder
New

The Politics of Beauty

Janne Teller, Justine Kolata, Simon May, Jessica DeFino
24 02 02.sex gender language.ata
New

Sex, Language, and Gender

Fellipe do Vale, Güneş Taylor, Aline Laurent-Mayard