Battle of Ideas 2014

The Battle of Ideas 2015 is a weekend of high-level, thought-provoking public debate taking place on 17 & 18 October at the Barbican. You can keep up to date with our latest events and news about the 2015 festival by signing up to our newsletter. We also have satellite events in the UK and across Europe before and after the main festival.

This year's festival featured 80+ sessions, over 400 speakers and nearly 3,000 attendees

Thanks to Tom Fenn, Tamara Hussain and Chris Sharp for the images

Battle of Ideas in the media

The Battle of Ideas 2014 has been widely covered in the press, and speakers and organisers have featured on TV and radio. Read the media coverage of the festival.

Speakers included

Ian Crawford, professor of planetary science and astrobiology, Birkbeck College, University of London

Sarah Harper, international adviser on ageing issues; director, Oxford Institute of Population Ageing

Robin Aitken, co-founder, Oxford Food Bank

David Didau, former teacher; blogger, The Learning Spy; author, The Secret of Literacy

Phil Booth, coordinator, medConfidential

Ricardo Fuentes-Nieva, head of research, Oxfam GB; co-author. Working for the Few: political capture and economic inequality

Steve Rayner, James Martin Professor of Science and Civilization; director, Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, University of Oxford

David Lammy MP, Labour MP for Tottenham; author, Out of the Ashes: Britain after the riots

Lisa Harker, director of strategy, policy and evidence, NSPCC

+ Full list of speakers

Readings

The future of transport, Kevin McCullagh

The Emperor's New Clothes? The dangers of the anti-FGM campaign, Bríd Hehir

Should we feel sorry for Tesco? The human cost of cheap food , Dave Watson

The EU's culture war against The People, Frank Furedi

Community treatment orders are not helping people with mental illness, Sarah Wollaston

Nasa approves 'impossible' space engine design that apparently violates the laws of physics and could revolutionise space travel, James Vincent

The strange death of individualism, Ross Clark

The end of the party: how we could be heading for a post-democratic era, Michael Kenny and Nick Pearce

Big data needs big judgement, Nesta

Chantal Mouffe: The future of democracy, The Anthropo.Scene

The EU’s war on immigration, Rossa Minogue

Evidence based medicine: a movement in crisis?, Trisha Greenhalgh

It’s official: Fairtrade screws over labourers, Rossa Minogue

Stop Worrying About Girls versus Boys, Public Education Sucks for Everyone, Cathy Reisenwitz

Why Philosophy Is Still Relevant - And Has Useful Applications, Alexander Leivesley

+ All Battle Readings

The Battle of Ideas is produced by the

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“Five debates a day sounds a bit daunting beforehand, but I really loved it. The speakers are so knowledgeable and passionate about their chosen topic, and the amount of time dedicated to questions from the audience was great as it really brought in alternative views.”

Exeter University student

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