Battles in Print are specially-commissioned essays that explore topics being discussed at the Battle of Ideas, serving as introductions to the debate and encouraging further reflection. Battles in Print take a variety of forms, from short provocation essays to longer think pieces and interviews, and are available both online and in print at the festival itself. They are complemented by themed book reviews on Culture Wars, the Institute of Ideas' online review.
Editor: David Bowden
Select a theme on the left to see related Battles in Print from the archive. You can also narrow your selection by selecting a year below and clicking Go! Or return to the overall index
Take flight!, Timandra Harkness
Solving the energy crisis: is it all about light bulbs and lifestyles? , Professor Jacquie Burgess
A New Nuclear Age – could clean nuclear power help supply our energy needs?, Professor Sandra Chapman
Why is energy a battlefield today?, Duncan McLaren
Shaping social policy: designers and health, Martyn Perks, Maja Kecman, Lynne Maher, Jason Mesut and Alastair Donald
Debating Matters head-to-head on space exploration: man not machine should explore space, Daniel Green and Charlotte Blair
The dubious science of evolutionary psychology, Carl Ratner
What neuroscience cannot tell us about humanity, David Perks
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
Waking Up to Coal, Dave O'Toole
Nature's revenge?, Joe Kaplsinsky
Nature knows best? - the organic food debate, Rob Lyons
Save the planet; don't see the world?, David Soskin
The problem with carbon, Richard Rees
Risk aversion in the 21st century, Tony Gilland
What does sustainability mean for the developing world?, Peter Martin
What do we want from science?, Thomas Deichmann
Human enhancement: creating superhumans or dicing with our destinies?, Stuart Derbyshire
The Age of the Uber-Athlete, Jon Entine
Reaching for the stars - realising the ambitions of the space age, Henry J McCracken
Death in Venice: is tourism killing or saving the city?
"The Battle of Ideas is a weekend like no other. I found the 2011 festival immensely stimulating. It gave me a great deal to think about, and a whole new list of books to read - from Virgil to Vygotsky. On to greater battles in 2012!"
Ken Macleod, award-winning science fiction writer; author, The Restoration Game and Intrusion
follow the Institute of Ideas