Battle of Ideas 2013
19 & 20 October |
London
Two days of high-level, thought-provoking, public debate organised by the Academy of Ideas at the Barbican.
80 sessions, 350 speakers, 2000+ attendees
News

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Battle of Ideas at Foyles Charing Cross

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Battle of Ideas 2013 at The Barbican

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Speakers include
Jonathan Fenby, China director and managing partner, Trusted Sources; author, Tiger Head, Snake Tails: China Today

Xin Xin, senior research fellow, China Media Centre, University of Westminster; author, China's Soft Power (forthcoming)

David Aaronovitch, columnist, The Times; author, Voodoo Histories; chair, Index on Censorship

Frank Furedi, sociologist and social commentator; author, What's Happened to the University?, Power of Reading: from Socrates to Twitter, On Tolerance and Authority: a sociological history

Piers Hellawell, composer; professor of composition, Queen's University Belfast

Lesley Riddoch, journalist & broadcaster ; founder and director, Nordic Horizons; author, Blossom: what Scotland needs to flourish

Rebecca Jenkins, cultural historian and novelist; Royal Literary Fund Fellow; former writing partner of Bishop of Durham, David Jenkins

Brendan O'Neill, editor, spiked; columnist, Big Issue; contributor, Spectator; author, A Duty to Offend: Selected Essays

Danny Dorling, The Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography, University of Oxford

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Readings

Sun, sea and working-class hedonism, Neil Davenport

Democracy Has Bad Taste, Grayson Perry

For the Public Benefit: Why Everyone Should Back the Royal Charter on Press Self-Regulation, Brian Cathcart

Chinese Whispers: Why Everything You've Heard About China is Wrong, Ben Chu

As Obama's Asia 'pivot' falters, China steps into the gap, Stuart Grudgings

Dazed and Confucius: Nine common myths about China, Ben Chu

Naturalising Newham - radical plan to boost integration, Catrin Nye

Neuro-backlash? What backlash?, Sally Satel and Scott O. Lilienfeld

Post World's End Architecture: Portugal, Gonzalo Herrero Delicado and Vera Sacchetti

War on Terror or a Search for Meaning?, Dr. Bill Durodié

Architects who improvise and innovate, Edwin Heathcote

Rebels without a cause, Economist Intelligence Unit

Domestic violence is falling. Why aren't people celebrating?, James Heartfield

Why China will not buy the world, Martin Wolf

Threats to peace are lurking in the East China Sea, Kurt Campbell

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“Who would choose to go to a session on free will at 10:30 on a Sunday morning? A few hundred of the most engaged, passionate and discursive participants I have encountered. As a neuroscientist on the panel I felt my science was aired and challenged in exemplary fashion. As a passionate believer in engagement I couldn’t have been more delighted.”
Daniel Glaser, head, special projects, public engagement, Wellcome Trust

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