Past Events
- The Battle of Ideas
- Venue: Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7
- Date: October 29, 2005 to October 30, 2005
- Tickets:
- Booking:
- THIS EVENT HAS NOW TAKEN PLACE - DATES FOR THE 2006 BATTLE OF IDEAS WILL BE ANNOUNCED HERE SOON.
The Institute of Ideas, alongside a range of partner organisations and sponsors, launched a new initiative in October 2005 to bring together different strands of social, political, scientific, academic and cultural discussion into an annual festival: the Battle of Ideas.
SEE DEDICATED BATTLE OF IDEAS WEBSITE
Headline Partners:
MRC, Medical Research Council, NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, Pfizer UK, RCA, Royal College of Art
Additional Sponsors:
Arts & Business, Arts and Humanities Research Council, GTCE - The General Teaching Council of England, Intelligence Squared, The Liberal magazine – politics, culture and poetry, RCN - The Royal College of Nursing
The Battle of Ideas will create a stimulating interdisciplinary event at which hundreds of people will have the opportunity to get to grips with and discuss the key ideas of our time. As the title Battle of Ideas deliberately suggests, this weekend of discussions will avoid being anodyne in the name of consensus, reflecting instead the IoI’s commitment to open and robust debate. Taking ideas seriously means they must be interrogated, argued for and fought over. The weekend will make virtues of free-thinking and lively exchanges of views. We aim:
to showcase new arguments about the core issues of the day, while avoiding getting bogged down in the minutiae of everyday policy
to initiate open-ended discussions regardless of the demands for immediate practical outcomes, which too frequently act as a brake on innovative thinking
This weekend event will be divided into at themed strands which will run alongside a number of salons, ‘in conversations…’, films and provocation lectures and keynote debates on different aspects of the future:
Innovation in an era of caution
Innovation – ‘the successful exploitation of new ideas incorporating new technologies, design and best practice’ (DTI) – is trumpeted in every sphere of life, from the boardroom to the laboratory and the designer’s studio. Recently we have witnessed scientific breakthroughs such as the human genome project, while technological innovation means millions of people are now use the internet, and we are closer to solving complex medical problems. At the same time, however, the ‘precautionary principle’ – which urges us not to venture into the unknown – is being institutionalised throughout society. The very features of modern society that have contributed to our longevity and quality of life, from childhood immunisation to food additives, increasingly cause anxiety. Even beyond the research and development sector, risk assessment exercises and the health and safety regulations place restrictions on everything from experiments in school science to how doctors treat patients.
With caution and safety established as prime cultural values, how can society make new discoveries? Will ambitious research survive? Has society lost its nerve, leading us to exaggerate dangers because we are afraid ‘to boldly go where no man has gone before’? What does society’s nervous attitude tell us about the contemporary attitude to change and the future?
Creativity – a new ideology? (sponsored by Arts & Business)
Creativity is a modern mantra: creative cities, the creative economy, creative industries, and so on. Britain is rebranded as a creative hub, and the excitement not confined to those who work in culture. The government-backed Creative Partnerships is to get involved in the national curriculum, ‘the sciences as well as the arts’, while the DTI wants business to harness the creative potential of design. It might seem the arts’ time has come. Where once corporate involvement in the arts was confined to philanthropic patronage, the new relationship is more intimate. Corporations use arts practice to tap the creative potential of employees, and hire consultants to teach executives what Shakespeare had to say about leadership. For business, the creativity tag offers a new sexiness in a context of broad cynicism and hostility to corporate culture.
But are there dangers in making ‘creativity’ an orthodoxy? If the official definition of creativity is so plastic as to include everyone, might the arts as distinct disciplines be lost? While the new mood emphasises social utility, can art survive as an end in itself? And is the new ideology of creativity in enterprise a substitute for genuine technical innovation? What does creativity really mean?
Reassessing the Enlightenment for the 21st century
The Enlightenment, commonly understood as the 18th century offensive on behalf of human reason against religious dogma and unquestioned tradition, has long been regarded as more than an historic event. It has become a fiercely contested concept in its own right, and a cipher in contemporary debates about the modern world. The Enlightenment is taken to stand for such contested ideas as reason, progress, universalism, secularism, humanism, modern science, democracy and freedom of speech. It is variously celebrated for placing man centre-stage in history, or charged with having paved the way to Auschwitz in its cold rationalism and disdain for the constraints of tradition.
Ideas like reason and progress are themselves contested, but arguments about the political consequences of their implementation tend to reveal certain recurring rifts. Is there a tension between rationality and humanism, for example? Is ‘Enlightenment universalism’ a cloak for a particularly Western worldview? And is the Enlightenment model of human progress responsible for devastating the environment? Rather than accepting or rejecting a pre-packaged version of 'Enlightenment thought', can we critically engage with it, and reassess its legacy in terms of our own needs and aspirations?
Is Morality Making a Comeback?
For a long time people assumed modernisation meant secularisation, that material progress could cohere society without religion or prescriptive public morality. More recently, it is argued that the very stuff of modern society, like material wealth and human reason, has created a moral vacuum. Commentators saw the wave of grief following the death of Pope John Paul II as an indication that people crave spiritual leadership, and the growth of Islam is seen as a rejection of an empty Western way of life. Militant atheists like Richard Dawkins stand accused of underestimating the popular hunger for meaning. President Bush is said to have won the 2004 US election on issues like gay marriage and stem cell research, while Tony Blair began his third term this year with a call for more respect in British society. The search is on for alternatives to consumerism, whether Richard Layard’s happiness quotas or greenish, ‘ethical living’. Is morality – in various guises – making a comeback?
Is a popular desire for shared values enough to support a new morality as opposed to vague sentiment? Can there be consensus on common 'values'? Does religion have the answers, or is there a secular solution to the moral malaise?
What is it to be Human? (sponsored by the Arts and Humanities Research Council)
Throughout history people have asked what defines our humanity, and different historical periods have generated distinct narratives. Advances in neuroscience now suggest the possibility of a biological account, but the notion that human beings are merely biological is less a product of science than of the cultural attitudes that shape our reception of scientific discoveries. Grander or more heroic notions of humanity are today considered not only wrong but dangerous. The Nazi holocaust serves as an enduring reminder of the dark side of the human potential, and many see environmental problems as further evidence that human hubris must be checked. A more ‘humanised’ understanding of ourselves now prevails, based on our common suffering, and emphasising vulnerability and victimhood rather than our achievements. We see ourselves as ‘at risk’ rather than as risk takers.
All political traditions seem disenchanted with the idea of human agency. The possibility of human beings shaping the world around them, once a central tenet of left-wing thought, seems unpopular. Conservatives seem equally pessimistic, declaring 'the end of history' and the 'end of politics'. Should we accept a more humble vision of ourselves, or is there something to be salvaged from the humanist narrative of history-making?
The Battle of Ideas approach
Emulating the best of academia, the Battle of Ideas will create an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and open-ended exploration of new ideas, innovative research and academic trends.
Additionally we will challenge academics to distil their insights for a public intellectual gathering, creating a truly accessible university.
The IoI seeks to identify a new generation of thinkers, and create a space where they can meet and have their ideas held to account.
Emulating the best of the increasingly popular UK literary festivals, the Battle of Ideas will ask leading authors and writers to join panels and bring their written work to life.
Additionally we will challenge authors to reflect beyond their latest books and apply their insights to broad questions of intellectual importance.
The IoI seeks to create a space where readers and writers alike can mull over the social trends reflected in the latest fiction and non-fiction.
Emulating the best of TV and radio, the Battle of Ideas will bring together broadcasters, journalists and columnists to continue their invaluable role as key inquisitors of current affairs.
Additionally we will challenge panels of pundits to become more than talking heads, and instead interact with the audience and engage with their ideas.
The IoI seeks to gather together those who want to look behind the headlines and who are no longer prepared to be patronised with simplistic sound bites.
Themed strands
There will be six themed strands throughout the weekend, comprising three panel debates in each:
The Battle for Education
Sponsored by General Teaching Council of England in association with the IoI Education Forum
The Battle for Community
In association with the IoI Postgrad Forum
The Battle of the Books
In association with the IoI Book Club
The Battle for Health
Sponsored by the Royal College of Nursing in association with the IoI Health Forum
The Battle for Culture
Sponsored by The Liberal magazine in association with the IoI Culture Wars Forum
The Battle for International Relations
In association with Said
Other highlights include: Intelligence Squared debate: 'The Battle of Ideas - A debate on the three ideas that have most changed the world', Café Conversations, Breakfast Banters and a ‘Thought for the day’ slot including:
Provocation lectures
The battle for respect – the future of authority
Can Utopianism Make a Comeback?
Inspiration lectures
Which Books Inspired Me?
Who Inspired Me?
Networking salons
To get involved as a sponsor, to offer to help or to find out more, contact Geoff Kidder or Claire Fox at the Institute of Ideas on 020 7269 9220 / 9224 / 9223 or email Geoff Kidder or Claire Fox
