Battle of Ideas 2011 29 & 30 October, London. Two days of high-level, thought-provoking, public debate organised by the Institute of Ideas, hosted by the Royal College of Art.
75 sessions, 350 speakers, 2250 attendees
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Battles In Print

Should schools be engines of social mobility?, Sally Millard

Remaking citizens for the ‘Big Society’, Kathryn Ecclestone

In drug policy, pragmatism is the only moral approach, Roger Howard & Leo Barasi

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Speakers include
Rebecca Jenkins, cultural historian; author, The First London Olympics, 1908; Royal Literary Fund Fellow

David Aaronovitch, columnist, The Times; author, Voodoo Histories

Melvin Burgess, award winning children's author, novels include Nicholas Dane, Junk and Kill All Enemies

Philippe Legrain, advisor to José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission (speaking in a personal capacity); author, Aftershock: reshaping the world economy after the crisis

KAS Quinn, children’s writer; lecturer and educationalist; author, The Queen Must Die, first part of a time travel trilogy

Frank Furedi, professor of sociology, University of Kent, Canterbury; author, Wasted, Politics of Fear and On Tolerance: in defence of moral independence

Martin Wolf, associate editor and chief economics commentator, Financial Times; author, Fixing Global Finance

Zoe Williams, columnist, Guardian; author, Bring it on, Baby

Raymond Tallis, fellow, Academy of Medical Sciences; author, Aping Mankind: neuromania, Darwinitis and the misrepresentation of humanity

Katharine Birbalsingh, teacher; author, To Miss with Love

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Readings

Creativity and curiosity: Do we make stuff up or find it out?, Professor Colin Lawson

Islamophobia: Why we have to get over our fears, Rania Hafez

The growing epidemic of stats misuse, Hilary Salt

Dreaming spires for all? Only if we face up to some hard truths, Jacob Reynolds

Fat tax: Does obesity really cost society a fortune?, Rob Lyons

Surely by now we’ve outgrown the body?, Sandy Starr

Charities should accept their game is up, Dave Clements

Facebook’s impact on the brain, Rob Clowes

A world of seven billion people like you, Daniel Ben-Ami

Corporate Social Responsibility – more harm than good, Bill Durodie

Electric selves?, Rob Clowes

From the sublime to the ridiculous: can we measure the value of the arts?, Tom Hutchinson

Angels: a very short introduction, David Albert Jones

What if we aren’t alone after all?, Richard Swan

The rise of the machines? Not any time soon, Katherine Richardson

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The Battle of Ideas is produced by the
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"In few places does the free exchange of views take place on so wide a range of issues as at the Battle of Ideas. Whatever the headlines of 2011 prove to be, the Battle of Ideas is where they will be most robustly debated."
Andrew Copson, chief executive, British Humanist Association

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