Battle of Ideas 2008 1 & 2 November, London

The Battle of Ideas 2008 will be a two-day festival of high-level, thought-provoking debate organised by the Institute of Ideas and hosted by the Royal College of Art.

2008 Tickets on sale now

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 Battle News

China survey media report

Beijing Olympics set to improve West’s view of China

Who gives a folk? Video now available.

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 Reading for Battle

The Future of Community: Reports of a Death Greatly Exaggerated, Dave Clements (Author, Editor), Alastair Donald (Editor), Martin Earnshaw (Editor), Austin Williams (Editor)

Evolving consensus, Robin Walsh

How right wing the left sounds after its moment of racial truth, Rod Liddle

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 Battles in Print & Battle Talks

Read a Battle in Print: Attitudes to China, Patrick Hayes

18 Doughty Street logo View Battle Talk: Tony Gilland on barriers to science

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 Speakers include
Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience at the universities of Oxford and Warwick; chair of Neuroscience Research Partnership, Singapore
George Brock, international editor, The Times; current president, World Editors Forum.
Frank Field, MP., Labour member of parliament for Birkenhead; author of Neighbours from Hell: the politics of behaviour
Christopher Frayling, rector, Royal College of Art; Professor of Cultural History, RCA; chairman, Arts Council England.
Frank Furedi, professor of sociology, University of Kent; author, Politics of Fear, Where Have All the Intellectuals Gone?, Population and Development, Invitation to Terror and Paranoid Parenting.
Peter Hitchens, journalist, Mail on Sunday; author Abolition of Britain; social commentator
Mick Hume, editor-at-large, spiked; columnist, The Times
Susan Jacoby, writer and historian; frequent newspaper/magazine contributor in American media; author The Age of American Unreason; program director, Centre for Inquiry - New York City; fellow, Centre for Scholars and Writers, New York Public Library.
Bronwen Maddox, chief foreign commentator, The Times; author In Defence of America
Lionel Shriver, novelist, We Need to Talk About Kevin and The Post-Birthday World; commentator for the Guardian, the Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
Raymond Tallis, emeritus professor of geriatric medicine, University of Manchester; poet; author, The Hand: A Philosophical Inquiry into Human Being
Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator, Financial Times
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 Festival Buzz

Dr Rana Mitter - China and The New World Order

View: Dr Rana Mitter - China and The New World Order

"For one weekend in the year, in the centre of London, it's as if ideas matter, it's as if the world really can be made a better place through the free and energetic exercise of reason."
Austen Ivereigh, Catholic commentator

 Partners
The Battle of Ideas is produced by
Institute of Ideas

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