Let The Battle Of Ideas Commence

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 125 months ago
Let The Battle Of Ideas Commence

battleofideasIdeas fight it out at the Barbican in a full weekend of debates, discussions and punch-ups with words, not fists.

The Battle of Ideas gathers 350 speakers into 80 sessions covering themes like economics and education, culture and politics, science and law. It's a vast event and we can only scratch the surface but how about these for examples:

  • Is nothing private any more? From childrearing to tax bills, not to mention all the personal stuff we litter the internet with, the line between private and public is increasingly fuzzy. David Aaronovitch, Frank Furedi, Andrew Keen, Ursula Martinez and Christine Rosen discuss where the public domain starts and ends and whether transparency has gone too far.
  • Is cheating ruining sport? Was there ever a sporting golden age? Has professionalism made things worse?
  • Where are the great leaps in technology and innovation? Were mass production, space travel and the internet just low hanging fruit? And where the hell is my flying car?
  • Is there too much information / guidance / interference surrounding pregnant women? Are we creating a modern version of 'confinement'?
  • Here's one that appeals to the weary listings editor: are pop-ups over-hyped?

Tickets for the whole weekend cost £100 or £60 for a day pass. Concession rates are available, including £20 / £10 /some free tickets available for schoolchildren and £27.50 weekend passes for students (both under- and postgraduates).

The Battle of Ideas runs 19-20 October at the Barbican, organised by the Institute of Ideas. For more information and to book see the Battle of Ideas website.

Last Updated 10 October 2013