Institute of Art and Ideas
Changing how the world thinks. Home to the big ideas and leading thinkers of our time. Subscribe here: iai.tv/subscribe
Host of HowTheLightGetsIn Festival 💡
- "It seems that motivation plays a significant role in determining whether spirituality can be beneficial or dangerous," writes Australian sociologist Anna Halafoff. | bit.ly/427koFn Tap the link in bio now to read more about spiritual complexity, science and meaning making in polycrisis.
- The liberal international order is unravelling. | bit.ly/4tmnuBj Political theorists Jeremy Moulton and Nicolai Gellwitzki argue that it’s not only the global order that is collapsing, but the political myths that once gave it meaning. #polsky
- Does moral universalism pose dangers to us, or is it essential to our value system? | iai.tv/video/neighbours-be… Click here to watch renowned philosophers Alain de Botton, Tommy Curry, and Seyla Benhabib to debate these critical questions. #philsky
- AI will never be able to think as human beings do, so long as its physical basis is silicon, argues Richard Dawkins' mentor turned critic, Denis Noble, and his brother, Raymond Noble. | bit.ly/4acz8Gj Tap the link to read more about how AI needs to be water-based in order to work.
- Conventional wisdom says we must avoid recessions at all costs. But economist Gunther Schnabl argues this is a fatal mistake. | bit.ly/4tid8SX We must stop putting failing “zombie” companies on life support, and embrace “creative destruction” to overcome our fear of recession. #polsky
- Musician Jordan Stephens argues that the crises facing boys today are symptoms of a messy transitional moment. | bit.ly/4qdLHqR In this interview, he proposes that vulnerability, emotional honesty, and love are the foundations of real masculinity and lasting relationships.
- Philosophers seldom change their mind as much as Wittgenstein did about language. | bit.ly/3M3BzCY The shift from his early masterpiece, the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, to his later work, Philosophical Investigations, is as radical as the move from modern to post-modern philosophy.
- Creativity is demanded of us everywhere: by employers, schools, politicians, and now by platforms and their algorithms. | bit.ly/4keovqU But Oli Mould argues that real creativity is not about constant innovation or productivity, but about imagination, refusal, and collective change.
- The more we study the universe’s origins, the more complicated they seem. | iai.tv/video/the-battle-of… In this talk, Phil Halper explores how cosmology has become a battlefield of rival theories, clashing interpretations, and deep philosophical uncertainty.
- The idea that energy exists in fixed intervals underpins quantum mechanics. But it also governs relationships between musical notes. | bit.ly/46UZNHd “Musicians were quantifying the precise relationships between wave frequencies long before physicists got involved,” writes Bridget Queenan.
- What if accepting our mortality is the key to a more meaningful life? | bit.ly/3ZhWPYD Psychologists Joshua Hicks and Yuhui Du argue that denying death is not the answer. Rather, increased awareness of death often increases meaning in life.
- In recent years, the political right has been in the ascendant across Europe. But the transformation is proving deeply divisive. | iai.tv/video/the-state-of-… Join Jesse Norman and Vernon Bogdanor to discuss the future of the right.
- Can human biology offer a reason for, and a way out of, our modern political and social polarisation? | iai.tv/video/the-biology-o… Join Massimo Pigliucci, John Dupre, and Maria Balaet to explore the biology of conflict.
- India has been criticised by Donald Trump and Western leaders for refusing to fall into line. | bit.ly/49UqfCm But Journalist Narain D. Batra argues that India’s commitment to strategic autonomy is not an anomaly but a blueprint for a world moving beyond rigid blocs.
- We tend to think of ourselves as observers of the world and reality. Yet at the same time as human beings, we are part of that reality. | bit.ly/3KSbV3o Slavoj Žižek, Alenka Zupančič, and Carlo Rovelli debate whether the self is part of the world or outside of it- or can it be both?
- We tend to think of prejudice as just being about sexism, racism, and classism - but is this too narrow a view? | bit.ly/3JzcC0K Paul Dolan argues many of us practice a subtler kind of discrimination—beliefism—where we judge people's entire character on the basis of a single opinion.
- For millennia, contemplating infinity has sent even the greatest minds into a spin.| iai.tv/video/to-infinity-a… In this talk, Marcus du Sautoy explores how mathematics can help crack the infinity puzzle.
- Don’t miss your chance to join four legendary speakers for our IAI Live Event “Science beyond the physical”, where they’ll explore emergence and the metaphysical on Monday 2nd February. | bit.ly/4sInefH Join now with a Premium Live subscription or pay-per-view ticket.
- Future technologies could change what it means to be human. | bit.ly/4qkjFLD Nayef Al-Rodhan argues that to prevent a new era of inequality, we must prepare for the transhumanist age of longevity and even the possible elimination of death.
- Studies show political debates rarely change minds. So how can we build a healthy political culture? | iai.tv/articles/we-need-to… Sarah Stein Lubrano argues that it is relationships and experiences, not political debate, that can change perspectives.
- Consciousness is a tapestry of predictions and fantasies, stitched together in the brain. | iai.tv/articles/reality-is… In this article, Karl Friston argues that when we see, hear, smell and touch, we’re not receiving reality; we’re creating it.
- We think we communicate and understand most deeply using language. But how can we say what words cannot express? | bit.ly/4pesndP Steven Bindeman draws on Wittgenstein and Heidegger to argue that it is silence – and only silence – that can bridge the gap between the self and the world.
- We are increasingly pressured into being more productive and ambitious, but this is taking its toll on our physical and mental well-being. | bit.ly/3VfvQen Join Catherine Liu, Tim Jackson, and David Goodhart as they debate how to build hope in an unforgiving world.
- Could a new metaphysics help us explore previously uncovered mysteries, or does it merely mark a return to superstition? | bit.ly/4sInefH On February 2nd, we’re bringing together pioneering scientists in a debate that explores the possibility of non-physical worlds.
- We have tended to adopt the Athenian values of intellect and creativity over Sparta’s focus on physical prowess. | bit.ly/3NYob3v But are we witnessing a shift from an age of Athenian intellect towards a new form of Spartan values? Sarah Wilson, Anders Sandberg, and David Pearce debate.
- Should we see the unconscious as a real phenomenon that is a central part of being human, or a dangerous mythological notion?| bit.ly/3Z2igwH Join Josh Cohen, Barbara Tversky, and Edward Harcourt as they debate whether Freud’s theory of unconsciousness was a delusion.
- Has our approach to quantum mechanics become complacent? | bit.ly/4blXeAw 100 years on from the momentous publication of the Schrödinger equation, philosopher of physics Emily Adlam argues that the quantum measurement problem remains in urgent need of a solution.
- We often think of the mind as something that passively perceives an objective world. | bit.ly/49UAMxr In this interview, neuroscientist Karl Friston argues that the brain is not a mirror of reality but a prediction machine, constantly constructing the world it experiences. #philsci
- The primary understanding of life is as a biological organism that takes part in evolution. But this is a mistake. | bit.ly/4rjLqnf Sara Walker argues there are several counter-examples to our idea of what and we can see life in a number of different and radical ways.
- Beneath headlines about Trump’s ambition to take Greenland lies an even more troubling story of brewing superpower conflict in the Arctic. | bit.ly/49Lt1d1 Kenneth Rosen argues years of American failure in the polar north have left it defenceless there against China and Russia. #polsky
- Could abandoning physicalism open new doors for scientific research? | iai.tv/live/science-beyond… In our IAI Live Event on Mondya 2nd February, Christof Koch argues that exploring new metaphysical accounts of reality can support rather than hinder the scientific method.
- The far right often presents immigration as the cause of Western decline. | bit.ly/4bUI5Gs However, ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn argues the real culprit is deindustrialisation and the failure of governments to invest in crucial areas.
- Politicians often insist they are “following the science” as if it reveals impersonal, unquestionable truths. | bit.ly/3M7gBmD Evolutionary psychologist Pascal Boyer warns that this creates a dangerous illusion, with leaders using “the science” to offload responsibility.
- Theories that consciousness form the earth’s foundations are gaining ground, but struggle to account for how conscious fragments combine. | bit.ly/3ZmrPa5 S. Siddarth uses Leibniz’s idea of indivisible “conscious simples” to deny that consciousness ever fuses in the first place.
- It’s often said that the key to happiness and wellbeing lies in avoiding extremes, but some critics argue moderation can be damaging. | iai.tv/video/living-withou… On this panel, Anna Lembke, Federico Campagna, and Barry Schwartz debate where the true balance of moderation lies.
- In 2000, Bill Clinton claimed: "we are learning the language in which God created life”, predicting the Genome Project would transform medicine. | bit.ly/4pm0P5p But was this project oversold? Stuart Kauffman, Joanna Moncrieff, and Denis Noble discuss.
- There’s a growing chorus in tech claiming AI systems should be credited as authors. | iai.tv/articles/ai-does-no… In this article, Caterina Moruzzi pushes back, arguing authorship is about agency and expression; qualities today’s machines do not possess.
- What does it mean to tinker with gravity itself, to tweak the force that we all feel? | bit.ly/4jWCEsM Physicist Claudia de Rham explores the enduring mystery of the cosmological constant, Einstein’s “greatest blunder”, and the proclaimed “worst prediction in physics”.
- Reality TV often blurs the line between fiction and reality. | bit.ly/46bniKA Philosopher Karen Simecek argues that when it comes to storytelling, truth is not the most important aspect; fiction allows us to discover what is meaningful to us, whether that thing is based in reality or not.
- We tend to believe that the human race has become increasingly rational, abandoning the superstitions of the past. | iai.tv/articles/humanity-i… But author Rami Gabriel argues that superstitions are alive and well in the modern world.
- Should science remain anchored in physicalism, or explore non-material explanations? | bit.ly/4sInefH Sign up to join Michael Levin, Adam Frank, Lisa Feldman Barrett, and Christof Koch on Monday February 2nd to explore emergence, metaphysics, and the transcendental in our IAI Live event.
- We should stop worrying about what’s right or wrong, or about reaching moral perfection, argues philosopher Alastair Norcross. | bit.ly/46C0Wlz While the ethical demands made of us can feel overwhelming, we must remember that every small step toward better counts.
- With the rise of social media, modern political culture is increasingly driven by “manias”, argues author Lionel Shriver. | bit.ly/4r7ugsF These collective hysterias share a dangerous pattern: rational debate is shut down, dissent is punished, and conformity becomes a survival strategy.
- Einstein was reportedly called "slow" by his teachers; what would have happened if he had given up? | iai.tv/video/the-importanc… And yet, psychoanalyst Adam Phillips argues that refusing to give up can have dark and hidden consequences.
- Is life encoded in our genes, or is the very idea of a biological script a scientific detour and a political danger? bit.ly/41WNG9M While we’ve been promised that the key to our identity lies in our DNA, Omari Edwards argues the dream of a genetic blueprint has failed to deliver.
- In a world obsessed with fairness and impartiality, is it really wrong to favour those closest to us? | bit.ly/45DhtGB In this article, Michael Slote draws on a range of moral philosophers to argue that prioritising neighbours isn’t just natural; it’s a moral obligation.
- We think the reality around us is something we discover; but philosopher Manuel Delaflor argues it is something we have built ourselves. | bit.ly/3ZsMmcR In this article, he dismantles the “myth” of discovery, showing how the categories we rely on are made, not found.
- Our two upcoming IAI events are challenging deeply held assumptions about the world, from the foundations of scientific knowledge to the forces shaping global politics. | bit.ly/4sInefH You can sign up for both events here with a Premium Live subscription or pay-per-view tickets.
- Can the mind be described mathematically and computationally or is this a mistake? | iai.tv/video/cracking-the-… This debate brings together leading physicists Roger Penrose, Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski and Max Tegmark to answer this unresolved question.
- From caffeine and alcohol to cannabis and ecstasy, psychoactive intoxicants are deeply embedded in Western culture, yet their true role remains uncertain. | bit.ly/3YQvgWc Join leading thinkers as they debate what the role of drugs is - and should be - in our everyday lives.
