How to Have a Healthy and Happy Relationship with your Smartphone
As the world starts to wake up to the negative impact our 24/7 connected culture is having on us, join Laura Willis from Shine Offline, who will share her own journey from digital overload to breakdown and on to recovery. Laura will explore the latest research and help us to understand more clearly the role […]
A Pathway From Polarisation to Integration
This talk by Jonathan Dover will walk through the development of human consciousness over time, using leading edge research from Ken Wilber’s integral theory and spiral dynamics. The growth of our consciousness shows patterns that can be seen personally, in tribes and whole societies as we have evolved. The evening will also seek to bring insight to […]
The London Brexit Debate
London stood out against most of the rest of England by voting strongly for the UK to remain a member of the European Union and the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has repeatedly warned that the consequences of Brexit will be bad for the capital. But is he right? London’s economy is famously resilient and adaptable […]
The Future of Happiness – with Professor Richard Layard
Join us for a special event on the future of world happiness with the influential economist and happiness expert Professor Richard Layard. What really makes us happy? What exciting changes are underway? What are the barriers to progress? And what role can we each play in helping to create a happier world – in our homes, […]
Thinking on Sunday: Undercover – The True Story of Britain’s Secret Police
Investigative journalist Rob Evans discusses the secret group of police spies and the uncovering of forty years of state espionage monitoring British protest groups. They used sex, intimate relationships and drugs to build their credibility. They betrayed friends, deceived lovers, even fathered children. And their operations continue today. This was an undercover operation so secret […]
Research and the Public Good: Ethics, Priorities and Conflicts of Opinion
Scientific research is aimed at generating knowledge of the natural world and of ourselves, and also at developing that knowledge into useful applications, including driving innovation for sustainable productive economic growth, for better public services, health, prosperity and quality of life, and for protecting the environment. Therefore, scientific research is very useful, but it is […]
Marcus Sedgwick and Dr Sam George – The Battle of the Books: Frankenstein v. Dracula
To celebrate the publication of The Monsters We Deserve, a reappraisal of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, prizewinning author Marcus Sedgwick and gothic expert Dr Sam George go head to head in the battle of the books, Frankenstein v. Dracula. The creature of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the most influential tales of horror of all time, […]
1968 and After: Culture and Education
1968 was a year of political upheaval and rebellion but those times were also important in culture and education – and not just in rock music. The worlds of theatre, poetry, journalism, film and TV produced radical new work while on campuses and in schools, thousands of students and teachers called for fundamental changes in the […]
Hearing the Light: Skipping Pylons and the Strange Sound of Silent Motion
Can you hear through your eyes? When the viral ‘jumping pylon’ gif hit the internet recently, many people discovered they could ‘hear’ juddering or thudding sensations evoked by moving images. Neuroscientist Elliot Freeman has had a head start researching this ‘visual-ear’ phenomenon, having experienced it most of his life. He will present his latest findings from […]