Academy of Ideas

Recording of a discussion at the Battle of Ideas festival 2019 (https://www.battleofideas.org.uk/session/resisting-wokeness-andrew-doyle-and-douglas-murray-in-conversation/) As the old saying goes, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’. While social-justice activists are generally decent people, many commentators argue they exhibit all the tendencies of a cult: unshakeable certainty, a desire to convert the fallen while rejecting the idea of redemption, and capable of horrendous acts even though they see themselves as ‘the good guys’. The authors of two recent books on the ‘woke’ phenomenon, Douglas Murray and Andrew Doyle, consider their different approaches to critiquing woke activism. Given that the social justice movement is seemingly impervious to reason, will either of these strategies have any impact? HOSTED BY: ANDREW DOYLE writer and comedian; author, Titania McGrath’s Woke: a guide to social justice GUEST: DOUGLAS MURRAY author, The Madness of Crowds: gender, race and identity; journalist; columnist; associate editor, Spectator

Recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas festival on Sunday 3 November 2019. Debate is growing about the use of a genetic/genomic approach called ‘polygenic scores’ to understand health and assess health risks. These scores are different from traditional genetic tests and can be used in relation to a vastly greater number of diseases and conditions. Advocates claim this new approach could revolutionise healthcare and – in the UK context – help redefine the NHS. Critics retort that polygenic scores are of limited use, and are perilously easy to misconstrue. Do polygenic scores offer vital information for patients and clinicians or could they lead to unnecessary anxiety and pointless medical intervention? DR TOBY ANDREW lecturer in human genetics, principal investigator in genetics, and programme organiser MSc in Human Molecular Genetics, Imperial College London SIR PETER DONNELLY CEO and founder, Genomics plc; professor of statistical science, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford NICKY DRURY principal genetic counsellor, Nottingham Regional Clinical Genetics Service; former member, United Kingdom Human Genetics Commission CHAIR: SANDY STARR deputy director, Progress Educational Trust

Recording of the debate at the Battle of Ideas festival on Sunday 3 November 2019, in partnership with City of London Corporation. Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, is one of the thinkers associated with the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, ‘blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres’. Do we need a new industrial revolution – and what are the barriers to creating one? Many commentators have noted a longstanding lack of investment and sluggish growth in productivity. Will new technologies really transform our society or is the hype around them a distraction from more fundamental issues? Given the moribund state of developed economies in recent decades, are we still capable of becoming a risk-taking, innovative society? Is talk of a new industrial revolution an unnecessary throwback to an older age of manufacturing? LORD ANDREW ADONIS Labour peer; founding chairman, National Infrastructure Commission; author, Saving Britain: how we must change to prosper in Europe GERARD GRECH chief executive, Tech Nation; board member, Barbican KEVIN MCCULLAGH founder, Plan; innovation strategist and writer HILARY SALT actuary; founder, First Actuarial CHAIR: ROB KILLICK CEO, Clerkswell; author, The UK After The Recession

Recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas festival on Sunday 3 November 2019, in partnership with City of London Corporation. On both sides of the Atlantic, the idea of a Green New Deal has become a major policy focus. In the US, the idea has been put forward by left-leaning elements of the Democratic Party, while a cross-party group of MPs has called for a UK version. Proponents suggest that if the kind of money spent on wars, or on bailing out the financial system, were diverted to greening the economy, it would mitigate climate change while raising living standards and providing jobs. For critics, a Green New Deal would be a waste of resources. With the private sector reluctant to invest in such a long-term and high-risk enterprise, is it up to governments to step in and do what is necessary? DANIEL BEN-AMI journalist; author, Ferraris for All: in defence of economic progress ANGELA FRANCIS chief adviser of economics and economic development, WWF; former chief economist, Green Alliance SIR ROGER GIFFORD senior banker, SEB; vice-chairman, Association of Foreign Banks; chairman, Green Finance Institute; former Lord Mayor of London PROFESSOR VICKY PRYCE chief economic adviser and board member, Centre for Economics and Business Research; author, Women vs Capitalism CHAIR: PHIL MULLAN economist and business manager; author, Creative Destruction: how to start an economic renaissance

Listen to this debate from the Battle of Ideas festival 2019. Special thanks to the Federation of Awarding Bodies who partnered with the Academy of Ideas to produce this session. The UK has relatively low rates of youth unemployment. But as critics point out, this statistic hides a multitude of issues. Starting salaries for graduates are amongst the lowest in the EU. Despite many initiatives to promote apprenticeships, many young people end up in low-paid, ‘gig economy’ or zero-hour jobs with few career prospects. For many years, the response has been the same: more ‘transferable’ or employment-related skills in education and encouraging young people to take up apprenticeships. But are employers and the government doing enough to train employees for the jobs of the future? Are apprenticeships the solution or an unimaginative return to old ideas? Speakers include: TOM BEWICK chief executive, Federation of Awarding Bodies; founder, Transatlantic Apprenticeship Exchange Forum HARRIET BISHOP astrophysics student, University of Glasgow DR RUTH MIESCHBUEHLER senior lecturer in education studies, Institute of Education, University of Derby; author, The Minoritisation of Higher Education Students ROB NITSCH chief operating officer, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education; former professional engineer, British Army; fellow, CIPD and IMechE CHAIR: CLAIRE FOX director, Academy of Ideas; Brexit Party MEP; author, I STILL Find That Offensive!

Listen to this debate from the Battle of Ideas festival 2019: More people now attend university in the UK than ever, but there is much less clarity about what university is for. For many, it is simply a step on the career ladder between school and work. For others, higher learning is about pursuing knowledge for its own sake. Do universities even do a good job at preparing people for jobs, or should we make more use of on-the-job training for that purpose? Do vocational qualifications merit the same prestige as academic degrees? Does everyone deserve the opportunity to spend three years at university – or is it an evasion of the ‘real world’? Speakers include: KIRSTIE DONNELLY MBE group managing director, City & Guilds Group; commissioner, Labour Party Lifelong Learning Commission DENNIS HAYES professor of education, University of Derby; founder and director, Academics For Academic Freedom (AFAF); co-author, The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education JHANELLE WHITE student, King’s College London; founder and chair, Political Sweep PROFESSOR ALISON WOLF author, The XX Factor: how the rise of working women has created a far less equal world; cross-bench peer CHAIR: DAVID BOWDEN associate fellow, Academy of Ideas

A recording of a debate at the Battle of Ideas festival 2019. From the housing crisis to infrastructure projects, construction is more important than ever. Everyone seems to agree that innovation is crucial to the resurgence of the construction sector. And yet, for all the fine words and government initiatives, the construction industry continues to languish in the doldrums with very little innovation. While the UK has been slow to adopt the latest technologies, other countries have embraced new methods, such as modular construction. So why aren’t robots manufacturing housing in giant factories to be transported to site? Why is there so little investment in 3D printed construction? Where are the new materials and processes, and what needs to be done in order to create them? DR THEO DOUNAS senior lecturer, Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and the Built Environment, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen LISA FINLAY group leader and partner, Heatherwick Studio; founder, 7N architecture practice SIMON RAWLINSON head of strategic research and insight, Arcadis; member, Construction Leadership Council; member, UK Government BIM Task Group NEIL THOMPSON director, digital construction, SNC Lavalin Atkins; associate professor, University College London CHAIR: AUSTIN WILLIAMS senior lecturer, Dept of Architecture, Kingston University, London; honorary research fellow, XJTLU, Suzhou, China; author, China’s Urban Revolution

Listen to this debate from the Battle of Ideas festival 2019. Could artificial intelligence (AI) transform education? Schools are already tentatively exploring ‘adaptive learning’ applications, which identify gaps in a student’s knowledge and build personalised quizzes. Sir Anthony Seldon, author of The Fourth Education Revolution, argues that by taking care of the mechanical aspects of education, AI can free up teachers to focus on creativity and problem-solving. What might this mean in practice and what do teachers make of the idea that our schools are churning out ‘robot-like’ workers? What, if anything, is uniquely human about being a teacher and how important are the relationships between teacher, pupil and subject? Speakers include: CARLA AERTS director, Tmrw Institute; former director of futures, Institute of Education, UCL; global digital director, Cambridge University Press Education DONALD CLARK EdTech entrepreneur; CEO, WildFire; board member, Cogbooks and LearningPool JEN PERSSON director, defenddigitalme; campaigner for safe, fair and transparent use of children's data in the classroom GARETH STURDY functional skills teacher, LHAA; education and science writer; former project coordinator, Physics Factory CHAIR: HARLEY RICHARDSON organising committee, AoI Education Forum

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas Festival 2019. From climate change to tax evasion, humanity’s biggest challenges are increasingly global. Many of those frustrated by our lack of progress on these issues argue for some form of world government. If the United Nations, or some similar body, had real power over national governments, global agreements could be made and enforced. But others argue that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for seven billion people to hold a world government to account. Indeed, many find the idea of a world government sinister. Nevertheless, can we really solve our global problems without global political institutions? Speakers include: ANDREAS BUMMEL executive director, Democracy without Borders; co-author, A World Parliament: governance and democracy in the 21ST century IAN CRAWFORD professor of planetary science and astrobiology, Birkbeck College, University of London MARY KALDOR emeritus professor of global governance, LSE; director, Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit, LSE; author, Global Security Cultures, Global Civil Society DR TARA MCCORMACK lecturer, international politics, University of Leicester CHAIR: ROB LYONS science and technology director, Academy of Ideas; convenor, AoI Economy Forum Produced by Ian Crawford and Rob Lyons

Debate recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival on Saturday 2 November 2019. Critics argue that relatively little has been done since the financial crisis to fix the underlying problems that precipitated it. Have we failed to take the old advice to ‘never waste a good crisis’? Extraordinary monetary measures are still mostly in place, but there are heated debates about whether the major developed economies are healthier or weaker than in 2008. Acclaimed Guardian economics editor Larry Elliott explores what can be done to pull the west out of its economic malaise. How can we challenge the ‘new normal’ of low growth, poor productivity and stagnating living standards? PHIL MULLAN economist and business manager; author, Creative Destruction: how to start an economic renaissance IN CONVERSATION WITH: LARRY ELLIOTT economics editor, Guardian; co-author, Europe Isn’t Working and The Gods That Failed: how the financial elite have gambled away our futures