Institute of Ideas

As the organising of the third Battle of Ideas festival goes into full swing, we have two provocative public debates this month to get you thinking. This Thursday, in conjunction with Sci-Fi-London, Dolan Cummings is chairing a debate inquiring how science fiction influences our understanding of science. Later this May, Tiffany Jenkins will chair a debate at Tate Britain posing some tough questions about our commemorations of the abolition of slavery. As part of Museums and Galleries Month, the debate will ask whether the focus on man’s inhumanity to man doesn’t obscure the more inspiring lessons of history.

Elsewhere, the IoI’s recent work on science education has been vindicated by an invitation to speak to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. Culture Wars this month provides extensive coverage of the Orange Prize for Fiction and several film festivals. Finally, the Debating Matters Competition has successfully concluded its round of Regional Finals, testing the intellectual mettle of bright young things across the country.

In all our work, we strive to inquire, challenge and debate. The best way to ensure that the IoI can carry on expanding the boundaries of public debate is through your financial support. Join as an IoI Associate and reap the benefits of being amongst illustrious members such as Sir Bernard Crick and award-winning documentary maker Paul Watson.

**EVENT**: FROM STAR WARS TO THE
BATTLE OF IDEAS
Is science fiction good for public debate?
Thursday 3 May, 7.00pm @ SCI-FI LONDON
Does sci-fi skew our understanding of science? Do writers and directors have a responsibility to make their science accurate, or even educational? Or should we stop worrying and just enjoy it?

Details of speakers

For further details, visit Sci-Fi-London

**EVENT**: SLAVES TO THE PAST
Monday 21 May, 6.30pm @ TATE BRITAIN
Is the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade cause for celebration, or should we instead reflect on the evil of slavery itself? Should museums make restitution for collections built on slavery? Or are there problems with the current preoccupation with documenting and commemorating slavery? Does the focus on man's inhumanity to man obscure the more inspiring lessons of history?

Details of speakers

For further details, visit the Museums and Galleries Month website

VIDEO / AUDIO

Visit the IoI Media Archive for audio recordings of forums and events.

Recordings of the Debating Matters Regional Finals are available from the Participants section of the Debating Matters site, as well as from the IoI Media Archive

Claire Fox News will next be on internet TV channel 18 Doughty Street on 14 May at 8pm. Guests Tiffany Jenkins (Institute of Ideas Arts and Society Director) and Michael Daley (artist and critic) will discuss three stories on the arts, including issues pertaining to Museums and Galleries Month and the IoI debate on museums and abolition commemorations. Previous shows were on Race, Immigration and Free Speech (30 April) and Climate Change and the Media and Alternative Medicine (12 April)

Claire Fox will be on Up Front on 18 Doughty Street on 4 and 22 May

Claire Fox will be on Sky News paper review on the evening of 25 May

Dolan Cummings will be on Up Front on 18 Doughty Street on 29 May

Shirley Dent was on Radio Five Live’s Breakfast and BBC TV’s Breakfast on 15 April discussing celebrity culture and politics

‘My BBC’, Claire Fox, Ariel (BBC internal magazine), 17 April

Democracy is going down the tubes, Claire Fox, Municipal Journal, 16 April

The fag end of America, Dolan Cummings, spiked, 2 April

Abortion: better ‘late’ than never, Ellie Lee, spiked, 25 April

Sweet Jesus…, Shirley Dent, spiked, 5 April

Shirley Dent is writing regularly for the Guardian Arts & Entertainment Blog. See her most recent article, Cutting the life out of literary culture, 30 April
Shirley’s Guardian blogs are archived here

The tyranny of technology, Martyn Perks (Battle of Ideas - New Technology strand team), spiked, 24 April

The ‘politics of behaviour’ with a Tory twist, Nathalie Rothschild (Battle of Ideas committee member), spiked, 24 April

This month’s highlights:

Extensive coverage of the Orange Prize for Fiction

Film coverage includes new releases and reviews from the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, the London Australian Film Festival, and the East End Film Festival

REGIONAL FINALS
The Debating Matters Regional Finals 2006/07 are now over. We have eight regional champions who will be joining us for the Debating Matters National Final on 29 June to 1 July 2007. We are delighted to announce that the venues for the National Final have now been confirmed as King's College London and the National Portrait Gallery.

The DM team have been particularly heartened to a see a completely new line up of teams at this year's National Final, with none of the schools having got this far before - many congratulations to them. For a complete list of the Regional Finalists please click here.

At the end of a busy few months the team would like to say a few words of thanks to all the schools who have participated in the Regional Finals and the judges who have taken time out of some very busy schedules to be involved in the competition. Finally, we would like to give a big thanks to all our sponsors who have enabled 124 schools to be involved in the 2006/07 competition: our primary funder, the Wellcome Trust, our headline sponsor Pfizer, our Regional Prize sponsors, Art Fund, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and Skype, and our Regional sponsors, Canterbury Christ Church University, the Medical Research Council, the East of England Stem Cell Network, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, the University of Newcastle and the University of Leicester.

Teacher Keith Abel and student Joe Foster interviewed for news bulletins, Mansfield FM, broadcast throughout the day, 27 April

Helen Birtwistle, Debating Matters Press officer interviewed by Peter Butler, 103 The Eye, Melton Mowbray, 26 April

Whole of Blackburn College debate team and teacher David Jones interviewed by Brett Davison on his afternoon radio show, BBC Lancashire, 17 April

Student Alex Hurden from Sir Frederic Osborn interviewed by Jane Killick on her afternoon slot, BBC Three Counties, 17 April

Debating Matters, The Best of Sheffield, Thursday, 26 April

One of the best – and no argument!, Welwyn & Hatfield Times, 24 April

Debate pfizzing, The Wirral, 24 April

War of the Words, Bedford Today, 16 April