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This week HowTheLightGetsIn Hay 2023 brings together the world's leading thinkers in every field - the conversations you'll be part of will shape the intellectual landscape for years to come.
Explore this year's dynamic and expansive lineup, from maverick philosopher Slavoj Žižek to presidential advisor Fiona Hill and insightful string-theorist Brian Greene. View our panel of cutting-edge debates here or explore our full programme of events here.
Appearing in: The End of Good and Evil, The Game of Life
“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 leading celebrity 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. A philosopher not to miss.
“Few thinkers illustrate the contradictions of contemporary capitalism better than the Slovenian philosopher and cultural theorist Slavoj Žižek.” - John Gray
“There is something inexplicably touching about all Žižek's mischievous bombast” - The Guardian
Appearing in: New Powers and Fading Forces
“Russia is America’s Ghost of Christmas Future'
Fiona Hill is one of the most highly distinguished foreign affairs specialists and authors in the world today. Senior advisor to Presidents George W Bush, Barack Obama and briefly Donald Trump, she is a former official at the U.S. National Security Council specializing in Russian and European affairs. She was famously a witness in the November 2019 House hearings regarding the impeachment inquiry during the first impeachment of Donald Trump.
As well as a distinguished statesman, Hill is a best-selling author of numerous books including There is Nothing For You Here, and Mr Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, which argues that Vladimir Putin is in fact a man of numerous and complex identities.
"No one in the West understands Russia's strategic thinking, Vladimir Putin's strategic ambitions, as well as Fiona Hill" - Ezra Klein
Appearing in: The Ultimate Theory of the Universe
“All you are is a bag of particles acting out the laws of physics. That to me is pretty clear.”
Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics, is renowned for his groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory, including the co-discovery of mirror symmetry and of spatial topology change. He is known to the public through his books, The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality, which have collectively spent 65 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. He has also featured on TV a great deal including being on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“The single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today.” - The Washington Post
Appearing in: Guesses, Errors and Economics
“We can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness.”
Award winning author, journalist and U.S. editor at large at the Financial Times, Gillian Tett has been named Columnist of the Year (2014), Journalist of the Year (2009) and Business Journalist of the Year (2008) She is one of the few leading economists who predited the financial crisis in 2006. In her famous 2009 book 'Fool's Gold, she recounts how a tightly bonded team of bankers - the "Morgan Mafia" - triggered the global recession.
Lately, she has argued that economists alone cannot predict the future and her most recent book, 'Anthro-Vision', using insights from anthropology, provides a 'revelatory, new model that explains how we buy, sell, work and live.
'One of the World's Top 50 Thinkers' - Prospect
'Every subject is much easier than the people who wish to make money teaching it would have you know' - Eric Weinstein
Eric Weinstein is an American podcast host and managing director of Thiel Capital. He received his PhD in mathematical physics from Harvard University in 1992 and in 2013, he proposed a unified theory of physics called ‘Geometric Unity’. Additionally, Weinstein was the first to coin the phrase the ‘intellectual dark web’, to describe a collection of heterodox commentators who oppose identity politics, political correctness and cancel culture.
Weinstein has made multiple appearances on the Joe Rogan Experience, the Lex Fridman podcast and Dr Brian Keating’s YouTube channel where he has debated everyone from politicians to particle physicists.
'He's a force of nature' - Bret Weinstein
Appearing in: Imagining the Universe, Based on a True Story
“Trust your reader. Not everything needs to be explained. If you really know something, and breathe life into it, they'll know it too.”
Esther Freud is an award-winning writer, and author of 9 best selling novels. She rose to prominence following her debut novel, Hideously Kinky, which was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys prize and made into a film starring Kate Winslet.
Esther joins us following the release of her most recent novel, I Couldn’t Love You More, which has enjoyed great acclaim. Critics have praised her masterful storytelling instincts alongside her ability to capture the depths of human emotion.
‘(Her) stories should be told, listened to and remembered’ The New York Times
“I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.”
Michael Shermer is the founding publisher of skeptic magazine, host of the Michael Shermer show and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University where he teaches skepticism 101. His bestselling works include Why People Believe Weird Things, The Believing Brain and Why Darwin Matters.
he has spent his career popularising skepticism as a method to search for truth in the media. He regularly contributes opinion editorials, essays and reviews to the Wall St Journal, Science, Nature and Scientific American. His two Ted talks were voted in the top 100 by viewers.
"Michael Shermer is a beacon of reason
in an ocean of irrationality."
—Neil deGrasse Tyson
"We need a leader...who can inspire people to want more for our country and for future generations."
Thangam Debbonaire is a British Labour Party politician, serving as the Shadow Leader of the House of Commons as of May 2021 and the Labour MP for Bristol West since 2015, overturning a Liberal Democrat majority of 11,366. She won the seat again in 2017 and the December 2019 elections, the latter with a vote of 47,028 – the highest of any constituency in the UK.
She has become a regular media contributor, shining a light on MP behaviour and democratic values in Parliament. From problems affecting individuals in Bristol West to changes to national policy, Debbonaire prioritises decent homes for everyone, well-funded schools, the UK-EU relationship, refugee rights, climate issues, and more.
"Thangam has a refreshing, independent outlook" - Elaine Robinson
Appearing in: Imagining the Universe, The Trouble With String Theory
"Quantum mechanics makes absolutely no sense"
Roger Penrose is a world-renowned mathmetician, mathematical physicist, philosopher of science and Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is best known for his work on general relativity and sharing the Wolf Prize for Physics with Stephen Hawking for his work on black holes. Additionally, he is author of The Road to Reality, Cycles of Time and Shadows of the Mind.
Additionally, Penrose is a significant physics and philosophy popoulariser making appearances on the BBC, Closer to Truth and even the Joe Rogan Experience - the largest podcast in the world.
"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
Appearing in: The Centre of the Universe, Down the Wormhole
“When it comes to the world around us, is there any choice but to explore?”
Lisa Randall was included in the list of Time magazine's '100 Most Influential People' of 2007 and was featured in Newsweek's 'Who's Next in 2006' as 'one of the most promising theoretical physicists of her generation.' Randall is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science on the physics faculty of Harvard University.
Randall has spent most her career exploring the nature of the universe and becoming a world leading expert on particle physics and cosmology. She is the author of Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space and Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe.
“A true trailblazer” – The Guardian
Appearing in: The End of Good and Evil
‘Truth makes love possible; love makes truth bearable’
Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, is a highly acclaimed theologian, writer, and pastor. In addition to his ten-year post as Archbishop, Lord Williams has also enjoyed an esteemed academic career, having been a lecturer at Cambridge University and held the Lady Margaret Chair of Divinity at Oxford University.
He is one of the world’s leading thinkers on issues pertaining to theology, spirituality, philosophy and religious aesthetics, and is the author of several best selling books, including ‘Being Human: Bodies, Minds, Persons’ and ‘Candles in the Dark: Faith, Hope and Love in a Time of Pandemic
'Rowan Williams’ most striking characteristics are his humanity and his fine intellect…. he uses both gifts quite brilliantly to illuminate what it means to be human' ― Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
'I'm trying to make a case for those people who don't have a sense of belonging that they should have'
Billy Bragg is a legendary singer-songwriter and political activist. From ‘Talking With The Taxman’ to ‘Mermaid Avenue’, His trailblazing music blends elements of folk and punk rock, and has helped to inspire the younger generations to engage with social and political causes.
A leading voice within left-wing activism, Billy is a keen advocate of Scottish and Welsh Independence, and has written extensively for broadsheet newspapers on the biggest political issues of our time. Billy joins us following his latest album, ‘The Million Things that Never Happened’, and will discuss his views on contemporary politics and cancel culture.
“The facts of science are real enough... But the belief system that governs conventional scientific thinking is an act of faith.” Rupert Sheldrake
Rupert Sheldrake is a scientist, author, and parapsychology researcher. Best known for his 2012 book The Science Delusion and the contoversial, viral TED talk he gave which was banned by the organisation. He has taken issue with the New Atheism of many and has also challenged the idea that the laws of nature are fixed and unchanging.
"Sheldrake is an excellent scientist; the proper, imaginative kind that in an earlier age discovered continents and mirrored the world in sonnets." New Scientist
Appearing in: Capitalism and the Climate
"Even the most familiar daily objects can open the door to the way the universe ticks"
A pioneer in the physics of the everyday, Helen Czerski is a British physicist, oceanographer, broadcaster and self-proclaimed bubble enthusiast. She is a Research Fellow in the department of mechanical engineering at University College London. Said to have"the coolest job in science" (The Guardian), and is a brilliant science communicator, turning the physics of the everyday into illuminating insights.
In 2018, she won the William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize for her contributions to championing the physics of everyday life to millions through TV programmes, a popular science book, newspaper columns, and public talks. Czerski is a regular contributor to BBC Focus in the column "Everyday Science" and the Wall Street Journal in the column "Everyday Physics".
"Determinedly unpretentious" - The Guardian
“Never underestimate the determination of a kid who is time-rich and cash-poor.”
Cory Doctorow is a renowned science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger — the co-editor of Boing Boing and the author of the YA graphic novel In Real Life, the nonfiction business book Information Doesn’t Want To Be Free, and young adult novels like Homeland, Pirate Cinema, and Little Brother and novels for adults like Rapture Of The Nerds and Makers.
He is a Fellow for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group.
"Cory Doctorow doesn't just write about the future - I think he lives there." Kelly Link
Appearing in: New Powers and Fading Forces
"This presumption of American decline has been a serious mistake of Putin’s."
Malcolm Rifkind is a renowned British politician who served in the cabinets of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major . Most recently he chaired the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, working closely with the CIA and MI6. A minister for eighteen years, he has seen longer uninterrupted service than anyone since the early nineteenth century.
He is currently banned from Russia by President Putin, for the robustness of his response against the Kremlin’s aggression in Ukraine. And he recently wrote on such topics, as well as the West's relationship with China, in a well-recieved article for the IAI.
"Malcolm Rifkind was in the top rank of twentieth-century politicians. Few saw events at closer quarters" - John Major
Appearing in: Based on a True Story
“Animal welfare/rights has been an abiding passion for me for about 20 years. It started when I truly understood just how much we human animals abuse and take for granted every other species on this planet.”
Peter Egan is a television, theatre and film actor who has been appearing on British TV for over 50 years, most recently known for his role as Marquess of Flintshire in Downton Abbey.
Peter began his career at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, before securing early roles in Cold Comfort Farm, Big Breadwinner Hog and The Love School. Since then Peter has gone on to feature in award-winning series including After Life, Unforgotten and Downton Abbey. Peter has also had multiple film roles, most notably in The Wedding Date, Chariots of Fire and Lillie. More recently Peter has turned his hand to directing, and his recent shows include Uncle Vanya for the Renaissance Theatre Company, A Midsummer Night's Dream at Mills College, San Francisco, as well as productions at the Lyric Hammersmith and London's Savoy Theatre.
Peter is an animal rights activist and vegan, whose recent change to veganism has had a profound impact on his life. Peter has since become an active patron for multiple animal rights charities including Change For Animals, Animals Asia Foundation and For Life On Earth.
"I think, for me, one of the greatest moments of making peace with science was to realise that rather than taking away the mystery, it added to the mystery."
Sunetra Gupta is an acclaimed novelist, essayist and scientist. She is currently professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford and an outspoken critic of public health measures to curb covid-19. Her academic interests lie in the infectious disease agents that are responsible for HIV, the flu, malaria and bacterial meningitis.
Sunetra has won many esteemed awards including the Scientific Medal by the Zoological Society of London, and the prestigious Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award for her research. In 2012, she appeared on the popular BBC Radio 4 programme ‘The Life Scientific’ to discuss her epidemiological work, as well as the link between fiction and mathematics.
In recent months, Sunetra made headlines with her outspoken comments against the widespread acceptance of Imperial College’s model of coronavirus deaths.
Appearing in: The Centre of the Universe
"We are analog beings living in a digital world, facing a quantum future."
Neil Turok is a preeminent mathematical physicist and early-universe researcher.His early work developed open inflation theory with Stephen Hawking. He now argues against the big bang, developing a cyclic model of the universe with Paul Steinhardt. Neil is the inaugural Higgs Chair of Theoretical Physics at the University of Edinburgh and director emeritus of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Outside of his astounding achievements in research, Turok founded the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Muizenberg, a postgraduate educational centre supporting the development of mathematics and science across the African continent. For which he has received nunourous awards for his contributions to international leadership in Physics.
"Neil Turok conveys not only the excitement of forefront research, but the gripping human drama of exploring ourselves and the cosmos." - Brian Greene
'"The self is who we truly are, but the persona or mask is the face we turn to the world in order to deal with it."
Famously known as Blondie's bassist, Gary Lachman, also known by Gary Valentine, is an American writer, musician and philosopher. He is one of the most respected writers on esoteric and occult themes to this day. He frequently argues that the scientific worldview of consciousness is both misguided and unfounded. Accordingly, consciousness is not a result of neurons and molecules, but is something more fundamental.
Lachman has philosophised extensively on such issues in his most recent books, Dark Star Rising, Lost Knowledge of the Imagination and A Secret History of Consciousness. Lachman has been praised by publications as far and wide as the Washington Post for his 'grace, forcefulness and clarity'.
“Gary Lachman is a writer with an elegantly readable style, a passionate interest in aspects of the world that history normally neglects, and a profound understanding of psychology." - Philip Pullman
'The question for us is not what Putin’s intentions are, it’s about what we’re prepared to do about it' - Laurie Bristow
Former ambassador to Russia and Afghanistan, Laurie Bristow is one of the UK's most seasoned diplomats and foregin affairs specialists. He was in the front line in the 2018 Skripal poisinings, having 'difficult conversations' with the Russian governement about deterrence.
More recently, as Kabul fled to the Taliban in 2021, Bristow remained at Kabul's airport personally processing visa applications of British and Afghan nationals. A few months ago he recently became President of Hughes Hall Cambridge as a recognition of his distinguished career.
Appearing in: Imagining the Universe
“The only certainty, it seems to me, is that those who believe they are certainly right are certainly wrong.”
A truly groundbreaking psychiatrist, writer, and former Oxford literary scholar, Iain McGilchrist is a polymath whose 'clarity, lucidity and almost hypnotically compelling styl'e has seen him rise to prominence as a world-wide lecturer and public intellectual. His book 'The Master and his Emissary', of 'unprecedented scope' draws on a vast body of recent brain research and demonstrates the profound differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, casting new light on the origins of music, language, philosophy and meaning in the Western world.
McGilchrist's most recent book of a similar scope 'The Matter with Things' written 'with the soul and subtlety of a poet, the precision of a philosopher, and the no nonsense grounding of a true scientist' calls for us to move beyond the assumption of a materialist world composed of 'things'.
'Iain McGilchrist can rightly be called a renaissance man, both metaphorically and literally' Beshara Magazine
Subrena Smith is a philosopher of biology whose work focuses on the varieties of human behavior and conceptions of human difference. She argues there are methodological problems with evolutionary explanations of human behavior, and the concept of the very concept of an organism. She is a rising critic of the new field of evolutionary psychology.
"Creating a sense of co-existence and community is about forging a shared identity which all members of society can identify with and I think this will necessarily begin with quite a profound reform of education."
Dr Myriam Francois is a trailblazing journalist, filmmaker and writer. A former columnist at the New Statesman, Myriam’s writing is featured widely in the British press, including the Guardian, TIME, Foreign Policy, the Telegraph, CNN online and Middle East Eye, among others. In 2019, Myriam started the We Need to Talk About Whiteness Podcast to pioneer conversations around structural whiteness in the UK. She delivers regular talks to private companies and institutions on the topic and is due to deliver an upcoming Ted-talk (2022). She is currently working on her documentary directorial debut under her production company Mpwr productions. The film was 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.
“Moving towards a basic income as a right to subsistence, a right to a home and a right to work will be part of the renewal of the Enlightenment values of equality, liberty and solidarity. ”
Guy Standing is professor of Development Studies at SOAS and co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network. He is best known as a long-standing and prominent advocate of Universal Basic Income, but he is also responsible for redefining and revitalizing the term ‘precariat’ which describes a new emerging social class suffering from job insecurity as well as identity insecurity and lack of time control.
His recent work has focused on the dangers of globalization and the increasing need for unconditional basic income.
"While his perspective is leftwing, many of the author's ideas for fixing the system are receiving more attention from the mainstream" - Financial Times
Sir David Omand was at the very heart of the UK security services. From informing Margret Thatcher, the Argentine ships were heading to the Falklands, to overseeing British intelligence and defence at GCHQ, he has much to teach us about the essential purpose of spies. He was responsible to the Prime Minister for the professional health of the intelligence community, national counter-terrorism strategy and “homeland security”. He served for seven years on the Joint Intelligence Committee. He was Permanent Secretary of the Home Office from 1997 to 2000, and before that Director of GCHQ. Having left the service, he now trains intelligence analysts and lectures as a Professor of War Studies at King’s College London since 2005.
His most recent book, How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence, has received wide acclaim not only for giving us insight into the secrets of British Spooks but also for a masterclass in how to think.
“Sir David Omand is undoubtedly one of the most able people to have served in British government since the Second World War” ― TLS
“Exploitative, forced and child labour is bigger than any single company"
Baroness Young of Hornsey OBE is a trailblazing independent Crossbench member of the House of Lords, advocating for legislation to eliminate modern slavery and co-chairing the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion.
With a strong commitment to human rights, she also works on the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sport, Modern Slavery and Human Rights, making a lasting impact on important issues facing our society.
“I want to turn the standard view upside down.”
Nick Lane is a British biochemist and outstanding science communicator, asking the difficult question: what is the origin of life? He is a Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London and a bestselling author of five critically-aclaimed books on evolutionary biochemistry, selling over 150,000 copies worldwide and translated into 25 languages. Lane has undoubtably become a household name in the origins of life field. His most recent book Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death (2022) explores the elusive chemical logic of life, from genetic information to consciousness.
Amongst other prizes, he was awarded the 2015 Biochemical Society Award, the 2016 Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture, the UK’s premier award for excellence in communicating science.
"Nick Lane hasn't been afraid to challenge us with some tough science" - Maggie Philbin OBE
“A physical system cannot be conscious. Only a simulation can be conscious. Consciousness is a simulated property of the simulated self.”
Dr. Joscha Bach is an exceptional cognitive scientist who is pushing the limits of what we can achieve with Artificial Intelligence (AI). As an AI researcher for MIT Media Lab and the Harvard Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, he is constantly exploring new frontiers in cognitive architectures, mental representation, emotion, social modelling, and multi-agent systems. Bach's groundbreaking MicroPsi project is creating virtual agents that are revolutionizing our understanding of how emotion, motivation, and cognition interact in situated agents.
With a passionate mission to build a model of the mind that rivals the complexity and capability of the human brain, Bach is at the forefront of the creation of Strong AI. As an avid philosopher of AI, Bach is constantly exploring the potential of AI to unlock new heights of human intelligence and creativity. Bach is an exceptional mind who is changing the world of AI and helping us understand what it truly means to be human.
'Joscha is one of the most fascinating minds in the world.' Lex Fridman
“Don’t accept the world as it is. Dream of what the world could be – and then help make it happen.”
Peter Tatchell is a human rights campaigner best known for his work with LGBT movements, a member of the gay rights group Outrage! and director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, a human rights organization.
Peter began campaigning in London, organizing sit-ins at pubs that refused to serve gay people and protests against the classification of homosexuality as an illness. Peter also identifies as a humanist, believing that reason, science and ethics are the best way to promote human rights and welfare.
“A national hero” - Sunday Times
"It is when we insist most firmly on everyone else being "reasonable" that we become ourselves, unreasonable."
Steven Bonnell, also known by his online name as 'Destiny', is one of the most prolific twitch streamers and internet personalities on the planet. Being one of the first people to stream video games online, full-time, he is now considered a pioneer of the industry. Originally known for his abrasive, confirntationand and 'acerbic style',
Since 2016, Bonnell has made the transition to political commentary, live-streaming political debates and with other internet personalities. He is widely known for his combative, provocative and laceratingly sharp debating style striking fear into the hearts of those who debate him. Recently, he has debated with figures such as Richard Wolff, Michael Tracey and Sam Seder.
"When Bonnell is at his best, he is able to make a superior version of his opponent’s case; this is both his most impressive and, for his adversaries, his most humiliating ability." - WIRED
'We can never compromise on compromise.’
Sophie Scott-Brown is an inspiring intellectual historian with research interests in modern European political thought, Anarchism and the history of education. A director at the Europaeum Institute at the University of Oxford. Sophie is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and of the Royal History Society. Sophie Lectures on intellectual history at the University of Oxford.
She is the author of The Histories of Raphael Samuel: A Portrait of a People’s Historian (2017) and Colin Ward and the Art of Everyday Anarchy (2022).
“It is not about drawing within the lines. It’s about discovery and creativity.”
Recent winner of the New Horizons in Physics Prize and the Schmidt Science Polymaths Award, Suchitra Sebastian is an up and coming condensed matter physicist. She is based at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge where she is a Professor of Physics.
Professor Sebastian is known for her discoveries of exotic quantum phenomena that emerge in complex materials. She was named as one of thirty Exceptional Young Scientists by the World Economic Forum in 2013, one of The Next Big Names in Physics by the Financial Times in 2013.
"A world-class physicist" - Quanta Magazine
“Every human being, in a way, is a philosopher. Because that's what it is to be human.” Hilary Lawson
Hilary Lawson is a non-conforming post-realist philosopher known for his theory of Closure and director of the Institute of Art and Ideas which hosts our beloved festival, HowTheLightGetsIn. His book Closure: A Theory of Everything is an attempt to offer a post-modern approach to metaphysics. As a theory of everything it has dramatic consequences for how we understand ourselves, our society, our goals and our ability to achieve them.
Much of the work that is carried out at The Institute of Art and Ideas is a response to Hilary’s opposition to the mainstream approach to philosophy, particularly at universities, which he believes are old fashioned. Through the Institute of Art and Ideas and HowTheLightGetsIn, Hilary aims to put ideas at the centre of discussion and debate, and have people really engage with the things that matter.
“Lawson shows himself to be a latter-day 'metaphysician' on the grand scale ... a quite astonishing achievement.” Alan Montefiore, University of Oxford
“A flower is a weed with an advertising budget.”
From unlikely beginnings as a classics teacher to his current job as Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group, Rory Sutherland has created his own brand of the Cinderella story. He joined Ogilvy & Mather's planning department in 1988, and became a junior copywriter, working on Microsoft's account in its pre-Windows days. An early fan of the Internet, he was among the first in the traditional ad world to see the potential in these relatively unknown technologies.
An immediate understanding of the possibilities of digital technology and the Internet powered Sutherland's meteoric rise. He continues to provide insight into advertising in the age of the Internet and social media through his blog at Campaign's Brand Republic site, his column "The Wiki Man" at The Spectator and his busy Twitter account.
“Rory is a persuasive and charismatic speaker and has a tremendous knack for making ideas come to life in an easily digestible way..” — Gary Leih, Ogilvy Group Chairman
'If you image the brains of the couples who have been together for a long time... You can almost say this couple are addicted to each other'
Bestselling author, broadcaster and neuroscience presenter, Hannah Critchlow was named by the Science Council as one of the ten leading 'communicator scientists' in the UK. She has spent the last decade or so, as she describes, 'demystifying the human brain on Radio, TV and at Festivals'. Her book 'Consciousness: A Ladybird Expert Book', which was Sunday Times Bestseller and was translated into 8 different languages, certainly does this description justice.
Recently, as well as presenting BBC 2's Family Brain Games with Dara O'Brian, Critchlow has been making waves with her new book 'Joined Up Thinking' which explores everything from the power of collective intelligence, to the neuroscience of love and the possibility of inserting nanorobots (neural dust), into our brains '
'Sometimes people just blow your mind with insights that you never ever imagined' - Tatjana Marinko
"Constitutional issues place peculiar demands on politicians: for a good measure of legal, historical and philosophical understanding. These qualities are lacking far too often in politics today"
Jesse Norman is a leading British Conservative Party politician currently serving as the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He has been an MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire since 2010. Before becoming an MP he headed an educational charity in Eastern Europe following the Communist era. He was a director at Barclays before leaving to research and teach at University College London. Norman has been recognised by the political editor of the Spectator as a potential future Leader of the Conservative Party.
Jesse Norman has written extremely well-received biographies of two of his political and economic heroes, Edmund Burke and Adam Smith. He has written other celebrated books on the Big Society and compassionate conservatism.
“Amid the superficiality and hysterics of modern British politics, an admirably thoughtful brain is lurking" (The Times)
Güneş Taylor is a training fellow at the Francis Crick Institute, the London-based biomedical research centre. Her research predominantly focuses on the genetic formation of ovaries and testes. Güneş has debated the implications of genome editing in forums such as Fertility Fest, the Festival of Genomics, and Virtual Futures, as well as on the Guardian's podcast Science Weekly. In 2018, Güneş was awarded the Crick Public Engagement Prize for her efforts in the public communication of science.
“Imagination abandoned by reason produces impossible monsters: united with her, she is the mother of the arts and the source of her wonders.” - Simon Blackburn
Simon Blackburn is an immensely thought-provoking philosopher. With over a dozen books under his belt and numerous appearances on popular radio and TV shows, Blackburn is a master at making complex philosophical issues accessible to a wider audience. His groundbreaking work in meta-ethics, including his highly regarded quasi-realism theory, has challenged traditional views on ethical statements and their place in our understanding of the world.
Blackburn's latest book, On Truth, delves into the fundamental concept of truth and its significance in our lives. By examining various philosophical approaches to truth, Blackburn invites us to question how we think about this concept and why it matters so much. Get ready to be captivated by Blackburn's intellectual prowess and his ability to bring philosophical ideas to life for all to enjoy
"Learned, astute, admirably sensible, and possesses an elegant and clear prose style." The Guardian
George Ellis is an eminent mathematician at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He co-authored 'The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time' with physicist Stephen Hawking, and is considered one of the world's leading theorists in cosmology. From 1989 to 1992 he served as president of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation.
'Yes we can' is meaningless without 'yes I will'
'Jessica Berlin is a foreign policy analyst and commentator. Her career has spanned over 15 years in security, foreign policy, economic development, and tech, including work with government agencies, civil society, and the private sector. She focuses on transatlantic relations, African-European relations, and Germany’s evolving role in the world. Her commentary has been featured by the Washington Post, BBC World Service, CNN, France 24, Tagesspiegel, Bild, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, et al.
Berlin is the founder of the strategy consultancy CoStruct, Vice Chairman at pan-African fintech company :brij, and has received fellowships from the German Marshall Fund of the United States, BMW Foundation, Robert Bosch Foundation, Atlantic Dialogues, GlobSec, Bled Strategic Forum, et al. She is a frequent speaker at policy and business conferences, and her TEDx on the transatlantic democratic crisis has been described as "one of the most powerful and inspiring TED talks.”
"Jessica is sought after for both her sharp analyses, insightful commentary, and engaging, free public speaking style"- Brussels Binder
"The job of the media is not to protect the powerful from embarrassment."
Sir Simon Jenkins is a British Author, newspaper columnist and editor. He was an editor of the Evening Standard from 1976 to 1978 and of the Times from 1990 to 1992. He has also written extensively on British History, Politics and architecture.
In his columns, he has commented on all aspects of British politics and public life, particularly international relations. He has argued in favour of NATO funding, the ineffability of sanctions and that British Overseas Territories are expensive holdovers from our imperial past.
"Jenkins is one of the liveliest commentators at work in Britain, always worth reading and pleasingly contrarian" Jeremy Paxman
"You have to be humble about the limits of your views, even when we're talking about this world we happen to live in"
Mazviita Chirimuuta is an Associate Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh, with interests in neuroscience and philosophy of mind, especially in colour perception. Her 2015 book Outside Color: Perceptual Science and the Puzzle of Color in Philosophy draws on history, philosophy and recent scientific studies to offer a novel and thorough answer to the ancient question of what colour is and how we perceive it. Recently, she has worked on the topic of explanation in neuroscience.
"Her explanations are thoughtful and articulate, free of the clouds of jargon." - Nautilus
"We are in the middle of a multifaceted ecological crisis – and to stand a chance of navigating our way through it, we need the clearest view of what is really going on that we can possibly get."
Mike Berners-Lee is a pre-eminent expert in carbon footprinting and Professor and Fellow of the Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster University. He is also the director and principal consultant at Small World Consulting and the author of three books, including There Is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years.
His books have garnered him international acclaim as a leading expert in responding to the climate crisis. Professor Berners-Lee's writings have also been published in national outlets such as The Guardian and The Times.
"a leading expert in carbon footprinting" - The Guardian
“The UK has been shamefully feeble in defence of Hong Kong”
Isabel Hilton is the founder and and editor of chinadialogue.net, and is a former editor-in-chief of opendemocracy.net. As CEO, she oversees China Dialogue's efforts to stoke discussion about the environment between Chinese and non-Chinese sources
As well as China, she has reported from South Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East for the BBC, the Sunday Times, the Independent and the Guardian. She has written and presented several programs for BBC radio and television, including The World Tonight and Radio 3's Nightwaves.
"Lively and vastly entertaining...' - Boston Sunday Globe
'"Ultimately, armies are a reflection of their own societies. Armies tend to work the way their founding societies tend to work."
Michael Clarke is one of the foremost British experts on the military situation today of the Russia-Ukraine War. Chief security and defence analyst for Sky News, Clarke's analysis on the military situation in Ukraine has been viewed several million times on Youtube.
As well as educating the British and European public on the nature of 21st century conflict, Clarke has an impressive array of previous appointments including being the former director of the Centre for Defence Studies and the Director of the Royal United States Institute. His upcoming book Great British Commanders: Boudica to Bomber Harris, takes a deep dive into the lives of British leaders and assesses their sense of command.
"Michael Clarke...dissect[s] the complexities of soft power with...clarity and insight" - Lord Hodgson
“Don’t argue about how much salt there is in food — this can save relationships — you live in different taste worlds; you’ve got different taste buds.”
Barry C Smith is a philosophy professor, director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study, and is on the advisory board for the Institute of Art and Ideas. He also co-directs the Centre for the Study of the Senses. In 2010 he wrote and presented a four-part series for the BBC World Service called The Mysteries of the Brain and in 2017.
Barry has a passion for wine, and at past festivals has hosted fantastic wine tasting events, incorporating his work on the multisensory nature of experience into the event. He is a frequent contributor to The World of Fine Wine and wine columnist for Prospect Magazine.
“Well up to the task of situating wine-centered questions within a larger framework of questions about taste and perception, subjectivity and objectivity.” - The TLS
Rana Mitter is Professor of the history and politics of modern China at Oxford University. Rana was educated at King's College. He has been elected for several prestigious positions including president of the Cambridge Union, Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University and Fellow of the British Academy. In 2019 he was appointed an OBE for his services to education.
Rana is a regular writer for publications such as the Financial Times, Guardian and Telegraph and is a frequent presenter on BBC Radio 3's Night Waves. Rana's research focuses on the emergence of nationalism in modern China and he has authored several books on the topic.
"Breathtaking and authoritative" Daily Telegraph
Isabel Millar is one of the country’s leading young thinkers. A philosopher and psychoanalytic theorist, her first book, Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence was published in 2021 and has received widespread critical acclaim. She is also an Associate Researcher at Newcastle University and Research Fellow and Faculty at the Global Centre for Advanced Studies. Her work can be found across a variety of media, including recent appearances on BBC2's Frankie Boyle's New World Order.
Polish-Nigerian Dr Remi Adekoya teaches Politics at the University of York. Remi is focussed on trying to better understand identity in its emotional, psychological and political manifestations. He is particularly interested in the links between identity, history, psychology and politics in white-majority Western societies and in black Africa. Remi has written for Guardian, Spectator, The Times, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Washington Post, Politico, Evening Standard, UnHerd and Standpoint among others. He has commented on issues of identity and politics for BBC TV, Sky News, South Africa Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Radio, Times Radio and Radio France International among others. Remi lived in Nigeria and Poland before moving to Britain.
"Knowing what is possible, helps make things possible" - Matt O'Dowd
Matt O'Dowd researches extragalactic astrophysics (black holes, quasars, gravitational lensing, and more) with joint positions at the City University of New York, Lehman College and the American Museum of Natural History. He is also the host and writer of the weekly YouTube show PBS Space Time, currently the biggest physics and space show on YouTube with ~2 million subscribers. Matt loves talking about what science can tell us about the future of humanity and our place in this astounding universe.
"Whether he's guiding people through the night sky at burining man, chatting with Neil deGrasse Tyson or hosting a PBS radio show, Professor Matthew O'Dowd has found myriad ways ro share his curiosity and awe for the cosmos' CUNY
"Contrary to the scientific ideal of getting progressively closer to the truth, it looks rather like cosmology has become path-dependent: overdetermined by the implications of its past inventions." Bjørn Ekeberg
Bjørn Ekeberg is a philosopher of science and author of Metaphysical Experiments: Physics and the Invention of the Universe in which he explains how our current understanding of the universe, the Big Bang and nearly all of cosmology is based on faith rather than experimental evidence. He is an independent scholar based in Oslo, and his current research focuses on the concept of energy in biophysics.
Bjørn often contributes to Scientific American, with pieces such as 'Cosmology Has Some Big Problems', which has now been read by over 70,000 people.
'The creep of 'unconscious bias training' has gone largely unfought'
Zoe Strimpel is a multi-talented journalist, historian, and author whose work explores the complex and ever-changing landscape of gender and relationships. She is a weekly columnist for The Sunday Telegraph, where she fearlessly delves into topics like dating, feminism, and identity politics.
With a PhD in modern British history from Sussex, she brings a unique perspective to her writing, and has authored several acclaimed books, including Seeking Love in Modern Britain: Gender, Dating and the Rise of the 'Single' and What the Hell Is He Thinking? All The Questions You Ever Had About Men, Answered. Her work is insightful, thought-provoking, and unapologetically bold.
"It’s like watching Love Island in the company of Michel Foucault." Telegraph on Seeking Love in Modern Britain
‘The crux of how a paradigm shift occurs is that the consensus as to what is acceptable changes.’
Linda Yueh is an incredibly prolific economist, writer and broadcaster. An Economics fellow Oxford University, Yueh is also Adjunct Professor of Economics at London Business School. As well as being on the board of a number of FTSE 100 companies and various trusts, Linda advises the UK Board of Trade and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Yueh has written and edited many books. Her latest The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today was one of the The Times's Best Business Books of the Year and one of U.S. Newsweek's Best Books of the Year. As a TV and radio presenter, Yueh was Chief Business Correspondent for BBC News and the presenter of Talking Business with Linda Yueh.
‘One of the world’s leading economic experts.’ - Royal Society of Arts
Appearing in: The End of Good and Evil
"The problem in both human and ape history is that political power is built on physical power - and physical power is ultimately the power of violence or its threat."
Richard Wrangham is an anthropologist and primatologist. His research and writing have involved ape behavior, human evolution, violence, and cooking. He early career started as a researcher with Jane Goodall observing apes in Gombo, Tanzania. Wrangham has been instrumental in identifying behaviors considered "human-specific" in chimpanzees, including culture and chimpanzee self-medication. He is Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University.
"A fascinating new analysis of human violence, filled with fresh ideas and gripping evidence from our primate cousins, historical forebears, and contemporary neighbors" - Steven Pinker on The Goodness Paradox
“Everything begins only to end. The moment you were born you began to die. That's how it is with everything.”
Janne Teller is a critically-acclaimed writer of novels, essays, and short stories. Teller’s work includes existential themes on a grand scale which often spark controversial debate. Her novels include Odin's Island, a modern Nordic saga of politics, history and religion, Europa, All that you Lack which explores history in war and love, and Come, an existential novel about ethics in art and modern life.
Teller has received many literary awards including the Drassow’s Prize for literary works towards peace and human understanding and her work has been translated into over 25 languages. Before she began writing full-time, Janne studied macroeconomics and worked as a conflict advisor for the EU and UN, mostly in Africa.
“A beautifully poetic writer.” - The Telegraph
“I love philosophy but it shouldn’t be just for the elite. We should all be asking these questions.”
Joanna Kavenna is an award-winning writer. A seasoned traveler, she was born in the UK, but has lived in the US, France, Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. Her travels led to her first book, The Ice Museum, which details her experience traveling in the remote North. In 2013 she was named as one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists.
Her latest book, A Field Guide to Reality, recognizes the importance of philosophy and believes that philosophy should be accessible to everyone. Written as a satire on philosophy and academia, it explores the absurdity of the quest for the meaning of life.
"Wonderful, impossible, dynamic" - Observer
David Healy is a pharmacologist, historian, and professor of psychiatry at Bangor University. He has published influentially on the side effects of antidepressant medicines and the conflict of interest arising from pharmaceutical companies’ funding of medical journalism.
Healy’s groundbreaking work, Pharmageddon, portrays the American medicine industry as dominated by pharmaceutical giants who market diseases and co-opt the authority of academics and journalists for their own gain. He is the founder and CEO of Data Based Medicine Limited, which through its online platform, RxISK.org, publishes direct reports of drug experiences by patients to tackle disinformation.
"David Healy is indeed an enfant terrible―and a very brave man. I doubt he is on Eli Lilly’s or Pfizer’s Christmas card list." - Times Literary Supplement
'Providing solutions – and hope – for a world in crisis. We must change the rules to bring business back into balance with the planet.'
Rebecca Henderson is a prominent economist and influential professor (The John and Natty McArthur University professor at Harvard). She is one of the world’s most articulate, insightful and persuasive scholars focused on driving large-scale change. A leading authority in organizational and strategic change for more than thirty years, today her research, teaching and speaking centres on purpose-driven capitalism and the role that business leaders at every level can play in reimagining our current system.
The idea that it is possible to create a better, more sustainable future, but only if we act with urgency – and in concert with one another is a belief that has driven Henderson’s work for the last ten years and is at the heart of her latest endeavour: “Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire,” a book that spells out how business can become a critical ally in the battle to rethink capitalism.
'She's one of today's most original voices on how businesses can, and can't, and should play a role in our transition to a new, decarbonized, sustainable economy.' Havard Magazine
"Our tendency is to underestimate the creativity of young people, but they have unlimited potential, creativity, and imagination which we should allow to flourish and empower them to use"
Becky Parker is Visiting Professor of Physics at Queen Mary, University of London and a physics teacher based in Kent. Founder of the Institute for Research in Schools, Parker supports school students in doing vanguard research at CERN and in the International Space Station.
Professor Parker is a pioneering educator who is dedicated to empowering school students with the most cutting-edge knowledge and research experience in contemporary physics. Her unconventional and innovative teaching philosophy has earned her an MBE, an Honorary Fellowship of the Institute of Physics, and the Kavli Education Medal from the Royal Society.
"innovative and inspiring" - Institute of Physics
'A pioneering educator'
David Livingstone Smith is an interdisciplinary philosopher and author working on the philosophy of psychology and morality. His work delves deeply into the realms we are too afraid to unpack: histories of genocide, dehumanisation and war. He is concerned with theories of human nature and ideology, as well as the mysterious realm of self-deception. His latest book is Making Monster: The Uncanny Power of Dehumanization. David Smith was the winner of the 2012 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for non-fiction and was a speaker at the 2012 G20 Economic Summit. He is currently a professor of philosophy at the University of New England.
"The art that is made for propaganda perishes with politics."
Samson Kambalu is a trailblazing artist, author and academic. Working across a variety of mediums, his works span sculpture, video, performance and literature, influenced by Sitatuationsim as well as traditions derived from his native Malawi. His award-winning artwork, ‘Antelope’ has been selected as the next to occupy the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square in central London from September 2022 until 2024.
Kambalu is a leading researcher, and associate professor of fine art at Ruskin College. He is also a fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford University. As a critically acclaimed writer, Kambalu’s first novel, The Jive Talker or How to Get A British Passport, was awarded Winner of the National Book Tokens ‘Global Reads’ Prize in 2010.
"Kambalu is asking you to raise up the narratives of Africans, of the colonised..." - Time Out
“There are few deep philosophical issues that don’t hinge in one way or another on which account of meaning we adopt” – Paul Horwich
Paul Horwich is a pioneering philosopher of physics, time and language, a preeminent Wittgensteinian. He is Professor of Philosophy at New York University, where he continues to revolutionise our understanding of time travel, the scientific method and the very meaning of the words we use everyday. His celebrated works include Truth, Probability and Evidence, and Meaning. Plunging us toward the philosophical bedrock which lies at the root of today's biggest questions.
"Subtle, penetrating and ingenious . . . everyone interested in philosophy is in his debt" - Michael Dummett
“When we become spiritually aware—through synchronicity, for example—it’s a sign that despite the uncertainty, we are aligned with the force of life.”
Lisa Miller is the New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child and a professor in the Clinical Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is the Founder and Director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, the first Ivy League graduate program and research institute in spirituality and psychology, and has held over a decade of joint appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical School.
Dr Miller's innovative research has been published in more than one hundred peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, including Cerebral Cortex, The American Journal of Psychiatry, and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
'Dr. Miller’s cutting-edge research heralds a new revolution of health and well-being.' Deepak Chopra
'The risk of nihilism is that it alienates us from anything good or true. Yet believing in nothing has positive potential.'
Nolen Gertz is an Assistant Professor of applied philosophy at the University of Twente and a senior researcher of the 4TU.Centre for Ethics and Technology in Eindhoven, both in the Netherlands. He is the author of a number of books including The Philosophy of War and Exile and Nihilism and Technology.
His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and on the ABC Australia website, as well as in interviews for BBC World, Al Jazeera, Austrian Public Radio, Ireland's National Independent Radio, and France's Philosophie Magazine.
"He always satiates when I seek meaningful bites on the seemingly meaningless political, social, and economic existences so many parts of the world are experiencing today" - 032c Magazine
"Science should not be about whether you are good at it or not, it should only be about whether you're interested"
Dominic Walliman is a science writer, physicist, and YouTube sensation. With a PhD in quantum device physics and experience working on quantum computers, Walliman knows how to explain complex scientific concepts in a way that's both accessible and exciting.
His popular YouTube channel, Domain of Science, and award-winning Professor Astro Cat science books for kids have captivated audiences around the world. A lifelong science enthusiast, Walliman is passionate about sharing the wonder and excitement of discovery with others.
"Think of Professor Astro Cat as the feline version of Brian Cox" Look Book Report on Dominic's work
Maya Oppenheim is Women's Correspondent - the only such job title at a UK news outlet - at The Independent. She writes news stories, exclusives and features national news, social policy and global stories from a woman's angle - focussing on human rights, sexual violence, domestic abuse, abortion, health, childcare, sex work, poverty, the criminal justice system and more. She also writes a popular weekly free newsletter titled Independent Women.
"Beauty is truth"
'Nick Spencer is Senior Fellow at Theos and renowned author of groundbreaking books and reports that challenge conventional thinking. His latest works, ‘The Political Samaritan: how power hijacked a parable’ and ‘The Evolution of the West,’ are must-reads for anyone interested in the intersection of faith, politics, and culture.
Nick is also the brilliant mind behind the popular podcast Reading Our Times, where he delves into the ideas shaping our world today. When he's not exploring the big questions of our time, Nick is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Faiths and Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London, and a Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion.
"With patience, balance and deep learning, Spencer...dismantles the myths that have accumulated around...scientific figures widely held to have fallen foul of religious dogma" Times Literary Supplement
Caitjan Gainty is not just interested in the systematisation of medicine and healthcare, but she's also delving deep into how our notions of its significance and effectiveness have evolved historically. Caitjan's first book project takes us on an exhilarating journey through the distinctively industrial origins of early 20th-century American medicine.
Caitjan is also the mastermind behind the thrilling pilot Healthy Scepticism project, where she explores the fascinating role of medicine's critics and detractors, its dispossessed and antagonists in the constitution of its contemporary form.
Appearing in: The Centre of the Universe
"The world changes in innumerable ways at every instant"
Martin Cohen is a multitalented British philosopher , author and journalist who has become a household name in popular philosophy. His books include the bestseller ‘101 Philosophy Problems’, now published in a dozen languages. His critically-aclaimed book on thought experiments, "Wittgenstein's Beetle and other Classic Thought Experiments" was selected as one of The Guardian's books of the week and highly rated by The Times Literary Supplement.
Cohen has been a regular contributor to the Guardian, the New Statesman, and the Independent. In addition, he is a recognised environmental activist who wrote papers on environmental concerns for the European Parliament and been invited by the Chinese government to discuss ecological rights.
"Cohen's explanations... are lucid" - The Guardian
''We call to one another in the darkness of the Internet, reuniting with hosts of friends and followers, but the act is all theatre.'
Grafton Tanner is a brilliant writer exploring the intersection of nostalgia, technology, and the rhetoric of neoliberalism. His books, including 'The Circle of the Snake: Nostalgia and Utopia in the Age of Big Tech' and 'Babbling Corpse: Vaporwave and the Commodification of Ghosts', have been widely acclaimed.
Tanner’s work has appeared in NPR, The Nation, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Real Life. In addition to his writing, he hosts the fascinating audio series Delusioneering, which delves into the myths of capitalism. He also writes and performs music with his band Superpuppet, and is currently working on a book about the re-emergence of exorcism in the late twentieth century.
'Tanner’s meditation on looking back may be just what we need to dare look forward again.' – Douglas Rushkoff, author of Present Shock
"I want readers to be able to identify the sources of our current political climate and recognize in the future when a popular but dangerous idea emerges"
Sasha Polakow-Suransky is a dynamo in the world of international affairs. As a deputy editor at Foreign Policy, he brings a wealth of experience from his previous work as an op-ed editor at the New York Times and senior editor at Foreign Affairs. He's a 2015-2016 Open Society Foundations fellow and holds a doctorate in modern history from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
Polakow-Suransky is the author of two groundbreaking books that tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time: The Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret Relationship With Apartheid South Africa and Go Back to Where You Came From: The Backlash Against Immigration and the Fate of Western Democracy. His expertise and insights are second to none, making him a true thought leader in the field.
"Polakow-Suransky...is very good at identifying the networks of ideas and influences that link seemingly disparate movements and thinkers" The Globe and Mail
"The stated purpose of a criminal justice system is to effectively deliver justice, and yet certain aspects law are clearly incompatible with this objective; there can be no stronger argument for reform than this."
Emma Bryson is a passionate advocate for justice reform, with a focus on sexual offenses. She has a wealth of experience campaigning for legal reforms to improve Criminal Justice for victims and survivors of sexual offences.
In 2017 she launched the campaign group Speak Out Survivors calling for legal reform in Scotland, where the centuries-old definition of corroboration of evidence prevents the majority of reported sexual offences from ever being prosecuted. She is also a member of the Scottish Parliament's Cross Party Group on Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse.
“There has to be a way of holding state accountable for letting down women so abjectly."
Harriet is the founder and director of the Centre for Women’s Justice and a solicitor with 25 years of experience who worked for many years with renowned civil liberties firm, Birnberg Peirce Ltd. She is the winner of the Liberty Human Rights Lawyer of the Year award 2014, Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year 2018 for public law and Law Society Gazette personality of the year 2019.
She has acted in many high-profile cases around violence against women including on behalf of women who challenged the police and parole board in the John Worboys case, women deceived in relationships by undercover police officers and on behalf of women appealing murder convictions for killing abusive partners, most recently Sally Challen. She is also a founding member of the campaign group, Justice for Women and trustee of the charity, the Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize.
"She is an absolute trailblazing legend, and her work has completely changed the landscape around women's rights." - Chambers and Partners
"Do emotions really cloud your thinking? Are habits holding you back? Is AI manipulating your mind? Does IQ help you think better?"
Matt Warren boasts an impressive 25 years of experience as a features writer and editor, making him a highly accomplished figure in the field of journalism. He has authored books for esteemed travel guide publisher, Lonely Planet, and served as a features editor for the widely read Daily Mail. Matt's work as a magazine editor has earned him numerous awards and recognition for his outstanding contributions to the industry.
Previously serving as The Conversation's Deputy Editor, Matt's vast knowledge and expertise in journalism has been instrumental in the website's success. He now works on special projects for the site, leveraging his skills to further enhance the platform's quality and impact.
‘An eye-opening and engaging richness of information that gives us a detailed insight into the strengths and weaknesses of human behaviour’ Melissa Hogenboom on Are you Thinking Clearly
"It's certain that we need creativity and invention in order to meet the confluence of crises facing Britain today."
Niki Seth-Smith is an editor, journalist, and fiction writer exploring the power of storytelling to imagine new futures. She's working on a speculative novel and an auto-fiction set in Athens, where she lived from 2014-2018.
Her poetry and fiction have been published in Open Pen, The London Magazine, and Dove Release, while her writing on politics, culture, and gender appears in Vice, Al Jazeera, openDemocracy, and New Humanist.
“Slavery is illegal everywhere.” said the NYT, Yet our new research reveals that almost half of all countries in the world have yet to actually make it a crime to enslave another human being."
As the leader of the Rights Lab's Law and Policy Programme, Dr. Katarina Schwarz is dedicated to advancing our understanding of the legal and policy frameworks that govern anti-slavery efforts worldwide. Her research focuses on global, regional, and domestic law and policy, with a particular emphasis on identifying the key elements of effective anti-slavery governance and analyzing trends, successes, and failures in this area.
In support of evidence-based action in the fight against modern slavery, Schwarz is currently spearheading the development of the world's first comprehensive database of domestic legislation and international obligations related to slavery and related forms of exploitation in all 193 UN Member States. This initiative will provide valuable insights into the legal landscape of anti-slavery governance, empowering policymakers and advocates to make more informed decisions and drive meaningful change.
"Schwartz develops a theory of reparations, observing that the international legal system is not a neutral system based on the rule of law, justice, or equality; the bedrock of the system is centuries of enslavement, colonialism, and imperial expansion." William E. Butler, Jus Gentium
The question ‘what is the meaning of life?’ within contemporary secular culture is a comic one.”
James Tartaglia is a British philosopher, who is author of books like Philosophy in a Meaningless Life and Philosophy in a Technological World: GODS AND TITANS. His main interest is in understanding and enhancing awareness of the nature of philosophical inquiry, which for him centres on the question of the meaning of life. He seeks to reconnect philosophy with issues of natural human interest; and to re-position philosophy within a contemporary culture dominated by scientific understanding.
In addition, James also leads the band Continuum of Selves, which combines jazz music with philosophical ideas in a Jazz-Philosophy fusion.
“Tartaglia… challenges materialism in original and inventive ways." - Tim Cranetes
Pauline Neville Jones is Conservative peer in the House of Lords who has dedicated her life to public service. She was most recently appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron to serve as Minister of State for Security and Counter Terrorism, and served as a diplomat for over 30 years.
Rt Hon Baroness Neville-Jones is one of the most senior security officials in the British government. She is known as the architect of the Conservative party's national security strategy, which included the creation of a UK National Security Council.
"inspirational in her love of learning, awareness and knowledge of the world around us." - Kate Unsworth, Principal of the Christleton International Studio
'A global security leader'
"Today it is becoming increasingly clear that there are problems that physics – at least as we currently know it – isn’t able to solve."
Miriam Frankel is a highly skilled science journalist with an impressive background in science writing. With a wealth of experience contributing to a range of respected publications, including New Scientist, Nature, FQXi, Physics World, and various Nordic newspapers and magazines, she has established herself as a leading voice in the field.
Currently serving as the Science Editor of The Conversation, Miriam's talents and expertise are being utilized to deliver cutting-edge research-based news and analysis articles to a vast global audience of tens of millions. Frankel's ability to produce informative and engaging content has contributed significantly to the website's success, and her work has been widely recognized for its quality and impact.
"An endlessly fascinating tour of the many different factors influencing our decision-making and reasoning" David Robson author of The Intelligence Trap on Are You Thinking Clearly
"Of course Boris Johnson should take an afternoon nap"
Tom Hodgkinson is editor of the renowned publication, The Idler, and also the author of several must-read books including How to be Idle, How to be Free, the Idle Parent and Brave Old World. But wait, it gets even better!
Tom and his partner Victoria Hull have taken their passion for idleness and creativity to the next level by opening The Idler Academy in the vibrant city of West London. This exciting venture offers a unique combination of a coffeehouse and bookshop, making it the perfect place to unwind, indulge in a delicious cup of coffee and get lost in the pages of some of the best books out there.
"Using a wealth of historical knowledge and research, current political and economic thought, as well as personal practice, Hodgkinson discusses ways that we can achieve more by doing less." Porchlight
"The difference in economic growth rates between countries is almost entirely due to policies and policy choices taken in those countries in the past.~
Selected as a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum, Davos, Richard Werner is Professor of economics at the University of Winchester and a member of Linacre College, Oxford. He is also the founder of the Centre for Banking, Finance and Sustainable Development, the first research centre to focus on substantiality issues in the financial sector. He is author of more than 500 academic articles and the bestselling book, Princess of the Yen.
In addition to his field-defining work on the Quantity Theory of Credit, Professor Werner proposed 'Quantitative Easing' as a novel monetary policy, which was partially responsible for the speedy recovery of the US banking sector and economy after the 2008 financial crisis. He is also known for his seminal paper which proves that banks newly create credit and money when they make loans.
"A banking expert" - BBC
"Science's capacity to self-revise is exactly what makes it the closest thing we have to 'reliable.'"
Bahar Gholipour is a leading New York-based journalist and neuroscientist writing about cutting-edge issues in technology and science. Specifically, she covers groundbreaking developments in neuroscience, psychology, genetics, and AI. She is also the founder of Braindecoder, a neuroscience website with news and feature stories written by a team of esteemed science journalists.
Gholipour's writing has appeared in internationally renowned outlets like Scientific American, The Atlantic, The New York Times, Science, Spectrum, WIRED, New York Magazine, the Washington Post, Live Science, NBC News and the Daily Beast. Her Atlantic article on free will was selected by Michio Kaku as one of the best pieces of American science writing in 2020
Katie Robertson is an inventive philosopher of physics based at the University of Birmingham. Robertson is a graduate of both Cambridge and Oxford, where she earned her PhD and BPhil, respectively. She is also a member of the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy.
Dr. Robertson's work focuses on the philosophy of thermal physics, specifically the relationship between thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and the objectivity of thermodynamics. Her groundbreaking research has been featured in outlets including the BBC and Physics Today.
Cindy Yu is one of the foremost commentators on Chinese politics and culture, and is currently China reporter and broadcast editor at the Spectator. She has written extensively about Chinese society- from marriage to education- and politics for the publication, and discusses these issues on their highly acclaimed Chinese Whispers podcast, which Cindy Hosts.
Cindy is also a frequent commentator on China issues for RTE, BBC World Service and World TV.
"To assume that the rest of the world will replicate the Western idea of development and industrialisation as a linear process is a fundamental mistake."
Bhavna Davé is a senior lecturer based at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She studies the geopolitics and political economy of the Eurasian region, with a particular focus on ethnic relations and identity politics in Central Asia.
Davé is an internationally renowned expert in the politics of Central Asia. She has held visiting positions at universities in China, Japan, Singapore, and the United States, as well as led masterclasses at universities across Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. She is also the author of the book Kazakhstan: Ethnicity, Language and Power.
'Capital is at the helm, blindly steering the ship of fools towards ecological disaster.'
Troy Vettese is an environmental historian and a Max Weber fellow at the European University Institute, where he is affiliated with the ECOINT project. He studies the history of environmental economics, energy-systems, and animal life under capitalism. His writing has appeared in Bookforum, New Left Review, the Guardian, n+1 and many other popular and scholarly publications. He is the author of Half-Earth Socialism: A Manifesto to Save the Future, co-authored with Drew Pendergrass.
'Conclusively demonstrates how a liveable future requires a fundamentally different relationship to the Earth.' - Aaron Bastani
A UK First. Back To Big Thinking
The Guardian
Press
