Intelligence Squared
Intelligence Squared
Intelligence Squared is the home of lively debate and deep-dive discussion. Follow Intelligence Squared wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy four regular episodes per week taking you to the heart of the issues that matter in the company of the world’s great minds. We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.
Episodes
Mentioned books
5 snips
May 12, 2026 • 33min
London Falling: Patrick Radden Keefe on How Money, Power and Corruption Shape Our City, with Emily Maitlis (Part Two)
Patrick Radden Keefe, award‑winning investigative journalist and author, discusses his probe into a mysterious Thames-side death and a family's hunt for truth. He unpacks police failings, forensic oversights and the murky role of money, corruption and crime in modern London. The conversation also looks at identity, social media-era behaviour and how institutional priorities shape outcomes.
11 snips
May 10, 2026 • 34min
London Falling: Patrick Radden Keefe on How Money, Power and Corruption Shape Our City, with Emily Maitlis (Part One)
Patrick Radden Keefe, an award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author, discusses his book London Falling and the mysterious death of a teenager by the Thames. He explores how money, status and corruption intersect in modern London. The conversation touches on parenthood, social climbing, risky cons and how wealth reshapes identities and opportunities.
32 snips
May 9, 2026 • 38min
What Do We Ask Google, and What Does It Tell Us About Human Nature? With Simon Rogers
Simon Rogers, Google’s Data Editor and author of What We Ask Google, mines billions of searches to map human curiosity. He talks about private health queries, surprising cultural food trends, how searches reveal grief and loneliness, and the idea of nowcasting—using search patterns to anticipate social change. Short, curious, and often unexpected snapshots of what people really want to know.
29 snips
May 7, 2026 • 38min
How Is Predictive AI Shaping Our World? With AI Philosopher Carissa Véliz
Carissa Véliz, associate professor of ethics in AI at Oxford and author of Prophecy, explores prediction, power and the ethics of forecasting. She links ancient oracles to modern algorithms. The conversation covers how predictions shape decisions, why more data is not always better, the persuasive limits of large language models, and ways to reclaim human agency and imagination.
8 snips
May 6, 2026 • 48min
Weimar and Hitler: How did fascism take hold in Germany’s historic town? With Katja Hoyer
Katja Hoyer, German-British historian and author of Weimar: Life on the Edge of Catastrophe, traces ordinary lives in Weimar as culture, politics and violence collide. She recounts diaries and characters, contrasts Bauhaus creativity with nearby Buchenwald, and explores what townspeople knew and chose as democracy unraveled. Lessons about civic engagement and moral choices thread through the conversation.
May 3, 2026 • 48min
An Evening with Kae Tempest (Part Two)
A live conversation explores storytelling, identity and a return to fiction. Reflections range from dogs and time travel to childhood influences like music and Ursula Le Guin. There are readings tracing a character’s descent into addiction, crime and incarceration. The narrative follows routine, small awakenings and a fragile path toward return and atonement.
May 2, 2026 • 45min
An Evening with Kae Tempest (Part One)
Kae Tempest, poet, playwright and recording artist celebrated for award-winning work, discusses their return to fiction with Having Spent Life Seeking. They talk about why the novel needed fictional space. They explain plotting decades of characters, using musical rhythm in prose, and how place shapes the story. They also explore compassion, atonement and a catalytic character named Angel.
19 snips
May 1, 2026 • 32min
What Will Trigger the Next World War? With Peter Apps
Peter Apps, Reuters global defence commentator and author of The Next World War, joins to map today’s fault lines. He discusses Taiwan as the likeliest flashpoint. He explores hybrid warfare, cyber and space as new battlefields. He examines near misses, rising regional conflicts and why 2029–35 could be decisive.
9 snips
Apr 28, 2026 • 44min
Lena Dunham: Famesick, with Dolly Alderton (Part Two)
Lena Dunham, award-winning actor, writer and creator of Girls, talks fame, illness and relationships from her bestselling memoir Famesick. She and Dolly Alderton trade pop-culture confessions, British life anecdotes, behind-the-scenes stories about Girls, and candid reflections on living with Ehlers-Danlos. The conversation mixes humor, nostalgia and sharp cultural observations.
8 snips
Apr 26, 2026 • 48min
Lena Dunham: Famesick, with Dolly Alderton (Part One)
Lena Dunham, award-winning creator of Girls and author of Famesick, reflects on fame, illness and messy relationships. She reads vivid personal stories, from a hotel fire and hospital trips to reconnecting with an ex. Conversations range from teen sleepovers and internet romances to leaving social media and the ethics of memoir writing.
