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

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

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

Clare Gerada, GP; past chair, Royal College of General Practitioners

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

Simon Baron-Cohen, director, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge; author, Zero Degrees of Empathy

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

George Szirtes, reader in creative writing, UEA; poet; editor; translator; author, The Burning of the Books and Other Poems

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

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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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“Battle of Ideas could be called Search for Truth. Mundane consensus and conventional wisdom are the enemies of truth. Happily, neither of those are available at the Battle.”
George Pitcher, journalist; Anglican priest, St Bride's Church, Fleet Street

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