The Battles in Print are essays that accompany each session at the Battle of Ideas 2007, available here and in print on the day. The Battles in Print serve as an introduction to a debate and for reflection afterwards, and take a variety of forms, from short provocation essays, to head-to-heads, to longer think-pieces and interviews with leaders in specific fields. To read a Battle in Print, click on its title in the list below.
Themed, full-colour printed collections of selected Battles in Print are now available: Music & Arts, Science & Technology, Best of the BiPs 1 and Best of the BiPs 2. The collections are £3 each, or £10 for a set of four, including postage. Call 020 7269 9220 or buy online.
Battles in Print Index
Arts & Culture
The changing nature of the film documentary - a short history, Alan Miller
"Books should remain the essence of public libraries", Andrew Wheelhouse vs. Kiranjeet Kaur Gill
Sound, city and song (or, iPod, therefore iAm), Sarah Snider
Film stars: from icons to role models, Nathalie Rothschild
Of the one who must be happy: an argument for poetry in relation to pleasure, Ion Martea
The Music Manifesto misses the real power of music, Piers Hellawell
Diversity policies and the arts - what's next?, Sonya Dyer
Each to his iPod, or great music for all?, Anca Dumitrescu
Stop this political prancing and get to the pointe - the best dance is elite dance, Shirley Dent
Should art change the world?, Andrew Brighton
Education
What is education for?, Michael Young interview by Toby Marshall
The debate over examinations is little more than a War of the Poses, Mark Taylor
A culture of relativism and misanthropy is undermining the teaching of geographic knowledge, Alex Standish
No academic freedom or no ideas?, Dennis Hayes
Citizenship education is not working, Kevin Rooney
History and its values, Seán Lang
After the bubble has burst , Toby Marshall
Is ICT transforming learning?, Keri Facer
Beyond technology: rethinking learning in the age of digital culture, David Buckingham
Health & Wellbeing
Complementary medicine, Colin Berry
Fat Fictions, Patrick Basham and John Luik
Psychiatrists and drug companies are thoroughly redefining normal behaviour, Christopher Lane
International Relations & Development
Africa Strand, Ceri Dingle
Africa - exploitation, exploitation, exploitation, Stuart Simpson
What future for Britain's 'ethical' foreign policy?, David Chandler versus Alan Mendoza
The Iraq war: the strip-tease of democracy, Lee Jones
Beyond the war on terror, Alex Gourevitch
The biggest challenge facing China, Sheila Lewis
Liberty & Law
How heretic-hunting breeds totalitarianism, Arthur Versluis interviewed by Amol Rajan
Out of the shadows: why we need an amnesty for immigrants, Austen Ivereigh and Raymond Perrier
Anti-Americanism at home and abroad , Nancy McDermott
Lifestyle & Society
Expression management: Infant feeding and maternal anxiety, Charlotte Faircloth
Are friends electric? The promise and perils of online social networking, Mark Vernon
Out to play, Sue Palmer
Comments on Sue Palmer 'Out to play', Helene Guldberg
Ethical shopping, Kate Soper
Eat, drink and be merry - banned, Jamie Douglass
Revolting Students: The Right to be Offensive, Suzy Dean
Therapeutic competition for losers, Dan Travis
Is Britain a nation of sporting losers?, Richard Beard
Will ethical shopping save the world?, George Hoare
Media
Response to Norman Lewis, Robin Walsh
Spectres haunting journalism: the 'what crisis?' crisis, Andrew Calcutt
Adult insecurities drive the myth of the digital child, Norman Lewis
Politics & Ideology
The resurrection of religion: Moving beyond secularism or losing faith in politics?, François Houtart interviewed by Alex Hochuli
The quest for certainty and the question of autonomy, Stratos Ramoglou
The Public Service Customer: Misdirection, Manipulation or Myth?, Nicki Senior
Post Ideology: the moralising of society and the politics of behaviour, Russell Jacoby interviewed by Maria Grasso
Democracy and its discontents, Peter Mair interviewed by Maria Grasso
Engaging the youth: Am I bovvered?, Charlie Winstanley
Post Ideology: New Labour and the politics of behaviour , Emily Turnbull and Michael Blomfield
Science & Environment
What neuroscience cannot tell us about humanity, David Perks
Longer, healthier, happier? Human needs, human values and science, Raymond Tallis
Particle physics is sexy!, David Perks
Climate science: truth you can wear on your hands, Stuart Blackman and Ben Pile
Recycling: Reducing waste or waste of time?, Martin Earnshaw
Technology & The City
The problem with design, Colin Davies
Moving into the future?, Peter Smith
The New Jerusalem - built on a house of cards?, David Clements