Saree Makdisi (2024) - Tolerance is a Wasteland
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
For some, the image of Israel, as a shining example of liberal democratic ideals has been broken by the Netanyahu Government’s actions in Gaza since 7 October, 2023. Yet, for others, the positive image projected by Israel has always been a convenient myth, allowing dominant powers within the international community to turn a blind eye to decades of Palestinian suffering. Academic Saree Makdisi argues that we are living in a culture of denial. He says much of the West is complicit through the act of self-deception. Makdisi offers a possible...
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David Baddiel (2024) - The God Desire
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Is God a story we’ve just told ourselves to satisfy our own desires? Comedian and author David Baddiel knows God doesn’t exist, but wishes he did. As Baddiel wrestles with his understanding of God and spirituality as a Jewish atheist, his bold thesis uncovers how religion services the deepest needs of humanity. This session is in conversation with Simon Longstaff and is the inaugural John Caldon Provocation, an annual event at FODI to honour the legacy of businessman John Caldon and his special brand of curiosity. David Baddiel is an accomplished comedian,...
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Coleman Hughes & Josh Szeps (2024) - A Colourblind Society
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Are we too focused on race? Have recent anti-racist movements like Black Lives Matter abandoned the ‘colourblind’ spirit of the original civil rights movement? In this live FODI edition of Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps, writer and podcaster Coleman Hughes articulates his vision for a future where individuals are judged by ‘the content of their character’, not the colour of their skin. He argues for a society that embraces a colourblind ethos, aiming to dismantle divisive narratives and foster a more inclusive...
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Jen Gunter (2024) - Lifting the Curse
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Being open about the female body has always been taboo, risky and dangerous. So, by smashing ancient menstrual taboos, and demolishing dangerous pseudoscience, the Internet’s OB-GYN Jen Gunter has long been on a mission to destigmatise the myths and misogyny surrounding women’s health. Gunter urges women to seize control, reminding them that it shouldn’t be an act of feminism to know how their body works. Jen Gunter is an internationally bestselling author, obstetrician, and gynecologist with more than three decades of experience as a vulvar and vaginal diseases expert. Her...
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The Pitchforks are Coming (2024) - Myra Hamilton, Carl Rhodes & Jordan van den Berg
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Ordinary citizens are starting to realise that their dwindling share of our common wealth is no accident, but the inevitable result of the current system. As life becomes more precarious, has the time come when the ‘discontented majority’ will flex their muscles and seize, by whatever means, a fairer share of the economic and social pie? Or will the world’s wealthiest 1% step back from the precipice by realising that inequality is as much of a problem for them as it is for everyone else? Myra Hamilton is an Associate Professor in Work and Organisational Studies at...
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Speaking Bluntly (2024) - Antoinette Lattouf, Andy Mills & Josh Szeps
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Journalists play a vital role in a democracy, holding power to account. The traditional model of journalism sees journalists as disinterested seekers of the truth, striving for ‘objectivity’ and suppressing their own opinions. But as newsrooms and editorial pages previously staffed only by white male journalists have evolved, and as the internet has driven the rise of opinion journalism, we are faced with two important questions: Does it matter who journalists are? And does it matter what they think? At a time when media business models are in crisis, how should we think...
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David Runciman (2024) - Votes for 6 year olds
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
When it comes our most divisive political, economic and social issues there is a fracture between the views of the old and the young. As older generations continue to monopolise wealth and how policy is shaped, younger generations are becoming more and more disenfranchised. The inequality and anger between generations is growing, and it might just be the biggest threat to our democracy. In a world going to be inherited by younger generations, UK academic David Runciman says we hardly ask children about their political views. Perhaps the solution is giving children the right to vote...
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Counterfeit People (2024) - Lizzie O’Shea, Patrick Stokes & Emily van der Nagel
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
The late philosopher and scientist, Daniel Dennett talked about ‘counterfeit people’ as one of the great dangers of AI – but are we now willing to court the same dangers through our adoption of multiple identities across the metaverse. Moving from the confinement of physical reality to the landscape of the metaverse, where looks, preferences, and genders are limitless, we can each acquire many digital selves. Is a ‘virtual you’ a truer reflection of your deepest self – revealing desires and aspects that otherwise remain...
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Ending the 'Tyranny' of Pregnancy (2024) - Luara Ferracioli, Brigitte Gerstl, Mianna Lotz & Kathryn MacKay
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Since the dawn of time, our pro-natalist society has implemented certain systems, norms and lenses in which we view child rearing. These often oppressive and coercive conditions make it difficult for many to think about their reproductive options. But with the emergence of artificial wombs and womb transplants, what impact could this have on reproductive autonomy? And what ethical and political questions will follow? Brigitte Gerstl is the program manager for the uterus transplant program at the Royal Hospital for Women (RHW). Brigitte played a pivotal role in establishing...
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Uncancelled Culture (2024) - David Baddiel, Roxane Gay, Andy Mills, Megan Phelps-Roper & Tim Dean
Festival of Dangerous Ideas
Throughout history we have found ways to regulate human behaviour through the threat of social exclusion. But while the idea of ‘cancellation’ is not new, the online sphere has radically shifted the way we hold people to account and punish perceived wrongdoing. Is redemption possible in the digital age? And can narratives of growth and forgiveness help us shift the power from condemnation to compassion? What does ‘forgiveness’ look like in the digital age? David Baddiel is an accomplished comedian, author, screenwriter and television presenter. His works include...
info_outlineWhat is the purpose of democracy when it’s become more challenging than ever to tell the left and right apart?
Journalist and filmmaker, Tariq Ali says Western democracy has failed and we are now seeing the emergence of an extreme centre, which ensures no challenges to this form of neoliberal politics is permitted.
Tariq Ali is a British-Pakistani political commentator and a prolific writer, journalist and filmmaker. He has been a leading figure of the international left since the 1960s. His books include The Duel: Pakistan on the Flightpath of American Power, The Obama Sydrome and The Extreme Centre: A Warning.