Speakers
The first glimpse of our speaker lineup already boasts former national leaders, pioneering physicists, Nobel Laureates and the world's most renowned public thinkers - and there's much, much more to come!
First speakers and debates released!
The first glimpse of our speaker lineup already boasts former national leaders, pioneering physicists, Nobel Laureates and the world's most renowned public thinkers - and there's much, much more to come!
"Here, on the edge of what we know, in contact with the ocean of the unknown, shines the mystery and beauty of the world. And it's breathtaking."
Carlo Rovelli, joining us via zoom from America, is an Italian theoretical physicist who works mainly in the field of Quantum Gravity. Carlo studied at the Universities of Bologna, Padova, Rome, Trieste and Yale, and is currently Emeritus Professor at the Centre de Physique Theorique of Marseille in France. His popular science book Seven Briefs Lessons on Physics has been translated into 41 languages and sold over one million copies. He was named one of the 100 most influential thinkers in 2019 by Foreign Policy magazine.
Rovelli's interests extend to philosophy, religion and politics. His experience as an activist also formed his belief that science should be an act of learned rebellion that puts into question received knowledge.
"Rovelli is wonderfully human, gentle and witty ... he is as much philosopher and poet as he is a scientist." — Irish Times
"The world has far too much morality.”
Steven Pinker, joining us from America via Zoom, is a cognitive psychologist, linguist, best-selling author, and one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals. He is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He is well known for his defense of the Enlightenment and moral progress.
Pinker has been named as one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World Today.” He is the author of Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters and Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.
“Pinker is right. Not just a bit right, but completely, utterly, incontrovertibly right.” — The Daily Mail
"Thatcher was the motivation for my entire political career. I hated everything she stood for."
Nicola Sturgeon is the former First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP). She remains a prominent political figure, despite stepping down from her leadership roles in 2023. She has been at the forefront of Scottish politics since 2004 when she first ran to be leader of the SNP.
Sturgeon's tenure as First Minister was marked by her strong advocacy for Scottish independence and her focus on social policies, including healthcare and education reforms. Her leadership saw the SNP achieve significant electoral successes, making inroads into areas previously dominated by the Labour party.
"Nicola Sturgeon has been at the forefront of not just Scottish but UK politics for over two decades. She’s served with dedication and passion." — Keir Starmer
"I could do Shakespeare forever."
Michelle Terry is an Olivier Award-winning actress working extensively in theatre, TV, and radio. She is currently the Artistic Director of Shakespeare's Globe, where she has gained critical acclaim for her modern interpretations of Shakespeare's plays.
Notable productions of Terry's include a 2018 gender-fluid production of Hamlet and a 2024 production of Richard III in which she was cast as the lead. In television, she is known for writing and starring in the Sky One series The Café, as well as for her appearances in Extras, Law & Order: UK, and Reunited.
"I'm not sure it's possible to see Michelle Terry on a stage without falling a little in love with her." — Financial Times
"All this chaos. It's part of who I am."
Jordan Stephens is a British artist, actor, and mental health advocate, best known as one-half of the chart-topping hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks. The group succeeded with hits like “Down with the Trumpets” and performed at major festivals, including Glastonbury.
Beyond music, Stephens is an advocate for men’s mental health, speaking openly about emotional well-being and challenging traditional notions of masculinity. He has also acted in TV series such as Glue, Catastrophe, and Feel Good, and films like Rogue One and Teen Spirit. His latest book, Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak explores the struggles of a young man rising to fame.
"An energetic and unguarded memoir" — The Guardian on Avoidance, Drugs and Heartbreak."
“See you, either in Hell, or in Communism.”
Slavoj Žižek infamously said “Humanity is OK, but 99% of people are boring idiots” — Žižek himself is certainly neither boring nor an idiot. Žižek is arguably the most provocative philosopher of our times. Foreign Policy named Žižek a Top 100 Global Thinker "for giving voice to an era of absurdity”. With never a dull moment, Žižek breathes new life into Marxism, Hegel, psychoanalysis, philosophy, politics, film and culture.
Žižek is the author of more than 50 books, including most recently Against Progress. He is a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana's Department of Philosophy.
“There is something inexplicably touching about all Žižek's mischievous bombast” — The Guardian
"Never be mean to anyone on the way up; you may need them on the way down."
Clive Myrie is a television news journalist, BBC World Affairs Correspondent and Presenter on BBC News. He has reported from more than 80 countries, covering among other stories the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, President Obama's election and Nelson Mandela's funeral.
Myrie has also been the main presenter for Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind since 2021. He has presented and appeared in a number of documentaries including Obama: His Story (2009), The Crown Jewels (2022) and the First Night of the Proms (2022). In 2023, he became the Pro Chancellor of the University of Bolton and in 2024 he became the Chancellor of the University of the Arts London.
"An unusually humane reporter." — The Guardian
"Creating a sense of co-existence and community is about forging a shared identity which...I think this will necessarily begin with quite a profound reform of education."
Dr Myriam François is a trailblazing journalist, filmmaker and writer. A former columnist at the New Statesman and a familiar face on the BBC, Channel 4, and Al Jazeera, Myriam has since founded mpwr productions, an independent documentary production company which seeks to platform minority voices.
François recently released her documentary directorial debut, ‘Finding Alaa’, to critical acclaim. The film was selected for the BAFTA longlist and shortlisted for the 2021 Whickers Awards and the Cannes MIPDOC 2022. Myriam was nominated as one of only 14 “filmmakers to watch” in 2021 by One World Media.
'"Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else.”
Paul Bloom is a Canadian-American psychologist, bestselling author and celebrated speaker. He is the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of psychology and cognitive science at Yale University and Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto.
Bloom has written widely on human nature, including morality, pleasure, and religion. He won the Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize for his investigations into how children develop a sense of morality. In his widely-read book Against Empathy, he argues for rational thinking rather than empathy for making moral decisions.
"One of the leading figures in the study of how the mind works." — Steven Pinker
“Tories must not forget there is more to life than money.”
Jesse Norman is a distinguished British politician, author, and academic, recognized for his profound contributions to political thought and public service. Serving as the Member of Parliament for Hereford and South Herefordshire since 2010, he has held various ministerial roles, including Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Minister of State for Transport. Currently, he serves as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons.
An esteemed scholar, Norman is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. He has authored influential works such as Edmund Burke: The Visionary Who Invented Modern Politics and Adam Smith: What He Thought, and Why It Matters.
“Mr Norman is David Cameron’s philosopher-in-chief.”
“All for ourselves, and nothing for other people, seems, in every age of the world, to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind.”
Elizabeth Anderson is the Max Mendel Shaye Professor of Public Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Michigan. She specialises in moral, social and political philosophy, as well as feminist theory and the philosophy of economics and the social sciences.
Anderson is also a MacArthur Fellow, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the British Academy. She designed and was the first Director of the Program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Michigan. She is the author of Value in Ethics and Economics, The Imperative of Integration and, most recently, Hijacked: How Neoliberalism Turned the Work Ethic against Workers and How Workers Can Take It Back.
"Anderson may be the philosopher best suited to this awkward moment in American life." — The New Yorker
"Quantum mechanics makes absolutely no sense."
Roger Penrose is a world-renowned mathematician, mathematical physicist, philosopher of science and Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is best known for his work on general relativity and black holes. He also shared the Wolf Prize for Physics with Stephen Hawking for his work on black holes. Additionally, he is the author of The Road to Reality, Cycles of Time and Shadows of the Mind.
Penrose is also a physics and philosophy populariser making appearances on the BBC, Closer to Truth and the Joe Rogan Experience.
"Sir Roger Penrose’s research has had a profound impact on human understanding of the universe and of the fundamental laws of physics that govern the universe." — Stephen Hawking Foundation
'"Journalism is about following the facts…whatever allegation is made, there must be concrete evidence."
Aaron Maté is an independent journalist, author, and commentator known for his analysis of international relations, U.S. foreign policy, and media coverage of geopolitics. He has contributed to various outlets, including The Nation, RealClearPolitics, and Grayzone News, where he serves as a senior writer.
Maté is recognised for his scepticism of mainstream narratives in geopolitics, particularly concerning U.S. military interventions and allegations of foreign interference. He is vocal about the importance of evidence-based journalism and has been a leading critic of the Russiagate narrative. Aaron Maté advocates for journalism that prioritises accountability, challenges state and corporate propaganda, and gives voice to marginalised perspectives.
"Unlike the theological hell, the hell of Physics, Quantum Mechanics, is willing to offer us some precious gifts for those things we abandon."
Avshalom Elitzur is deemed by many to be an intellectual force in Physics and Philosophy. Having left school at 16 to work as a Lab technician he presented an unpublished paper on Quantum Mechanics at Temple University where he was invited to Tel Aviv University to complete a doctoral thesis on the subject.
He is a senior lecturer in the Israeli Institute for Advanced Research working on Physics and Philosophy, where his work on the Elitzur–Vaidman bomb-testing problem in quantum mechanics inspired Roger Penrose in his book Shadows of Mind.
"Justice must always be based on the truth, not on narratives that seek to exploit tragedy for political ends."
Inaya Folarin Iman is a British political commentator, writer, and the founder of the Equiano Project, an initiative promoting free speech, open dialogue, and a more inclusive approach to discussions about race and identity. Recently, she has focused on challenging the dominance of identity politics in public discourse and advocating for policies rooted in shared humanity rather than divisive rhetoric.
Her work at the Equiano Project emphasizes the need for critical reflection on how society addresses complex issues like racial inequality and multiculturalism. She argues for open debate on topics often constrained by political correctness, such as integration and cultural identity. She was a regular presenter on GB news and is also a regular writer for Spiked Online, The Telegraph, and Daily Mail.
“If we only stick to our own echo chambers, wherever they are on the political spectrum, we change nothing and increase polarisation and mistrust.”
Thangam Debbonaire was Labour Member of Parliament for Bristol West 2015 – 2024 and a member of Keir’s Shadow Cabinet, serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons. She was previously Shadow Brexit Minister and Labour whip.
A former professional cellist, she is now a happy amateur in a string quartet. Thangam’s current strategic advisory work includes arts and cultural diplomacy, tech and AI and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She likes to take on controversial topics such as corporate donations, cultural reparations, migration, identity, and the future of democracy.
"Thangam has a refreshing, independent outlook." — Elaine Robinson
''Merit is a sham."
Daniel Markovits is the Guido Calabresi Professor of Law at Yale Law School and the Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Private Law. His writings have appeared in Science, The American Economic Review, The Yale Law Journal, PNAS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, and The Atlantic. In 2021, Prospect Magazine named him to its list of the world’s top 50 thinkers.
His best-selling book, "The Meritocracy Trap: How America's Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite", has sparked a significant discussion about the problems inherent in meritocratic societies.
"This book flips your world upside down" — The Times, Book of the Year
"It is a good principle to assume that everyone you meet knows something important that you don't."
David Goodhart is a journalist, author, and policy analyst renowned for his incisive explorations of politics and society. He founded Prospect magazine in 1995, serving as its editor until 2010, and later directed the think tank Demos.
His notable works include The Road to Somewhere, which examines societal divisions, and Head, Hand, Heart, analysing the valuation of different forms of work. Goodhart's insights have significantly influenced contemporary debates on immigration, identity, and social cohesion.
"Goodhart offers the best and most complete explanation I've seen for why things seem to be coming apart in so many countries at the same time." — Jonathan Haidt
'“Every woman lives with the constant tinnitus hum of low-level sexism.”
Catherine Mayer is a writer, activist and the co-founder and President of the Women's Equality Party. She started her career in journalism at The Economist. She then went on to be FOCUS's London-based correspondent. She later joined TIME as a senior editor, becoming the London Bureau Chief, the Europe Editor and, finally, Editor at Large.
She was the founding Executive Director of the think tank Datum Future and has also co-founded the Primadonna Festival, which debuted in 2019. She is the author of Attack of the 50ft Women, Amortality: The Pleasures and Perils of Living Agelessly and Charles: The Heart of A King, a political biography of the King Charles that made headlines across the world in 2015. Her upcoming works include TIME/LIFE, her first novel, and Send Them Victorious: Royal women, their battles and why we should care.
"Smart, upbeat and brimming with fortitude." — The Observer
'"I care about good people who live virtuous lives, who engage in the world — who are rational."
Yaron Brook is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, writer, activist, and political scientist. He is currently chairman of the board of the Ayn Rand Institute where he can be heard weekly on The Yaron Brook Show, which airs live on the BlogTalkRadio podcast. He is also a frequent guest on national radio and television programs including C-SPAN and CNBC.
Brook is coauthor, with Don Watkins, of the national best-seller Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand's Ideas Can End Big Government and Equal Is Unfair: America's Misguided Fight Against Income Inequality.
"At LAST the voice of reason breaks through the prejudices and presumptions and outright misrepresentations." — Mark Pellegrino
A UK First. Back To Big Thinking
The Guardian
Press