Ideas Books

A revealing glimpse into the inner workings of the military’s PR machine with Steven J Alvarez

A conversation about the right to be forgotten, which raises important questions of free speech, privacy, reputation, and dignity. Should individuals have a right to have data about themselves deleted?

Biologist Sean B Carroll talks to Craig Barfoot about his latest book, The Serengeti Rules. We find out how wolves can change the physical shape of rivers and why on the plains of the Serengeti, 150kg is the number which determines if you will get eaten or not.

What exactly is social class? Do words like lower class or middle class have any meaning anymore? A conversation with social researcher Will Atkinson to explore the idea of class.

An interview about the fascinating array of animal, and perhaps human behaviour that is directly or indirectly influenced by the moon.

Can evolutionary medicine help us understand why people get sick? An interview discussing the human body and medicine in an evolutionary perspective to reveal what has made us susceptible to certain illnesses over time and how we can use that knowledge to help us treat or prevent them.

Julian Assange speaks about US power, the impact of Wikileaks, the current state of the internet and the shaping our world for the future.

An illuminating look at the surprising upside of ambiguity and how, properly harnessed, it can inspire learning, creativity, and even empathy.

The Fashioned Body provides a wide-ranging and original overview of fashion and dress from an historical and sociological perspective. Where once fashion was seen as marginal, it has now entered into core economic discourse focused around ideas about ‘cultural’ and ‘creative’ work as a major driver of developed economies. With a new preface and new material on the evolving fashion industry, this second edition gives a clear summary of the theories surrounding the role and function of fashion...

Nature no longer exists apart from humanity. Henceforth, the world we will inhabit is the one we have made. Geologists have called this new planetary epoch the Anthropocene, the Age of Humans. The geological strata we are now creating record industrial emissions, industrial-scale crop pollens, and the disappearance of species driven to extinction. Climate change is planetary engineering without design. These facts of the Anthropocene are scientific, but its shape and meaning are questions...

A conversation about the US university system, how it functions, why it costs so much money and what is the future for college education?

A conversation about why the electric car disappeared and why it is now coming back in an unstoppable way.

Nobel Prize winner Alvin Roth talks about his work in markets where little or no money is involved like getting a job or finding a partner.

A successful artists shares his thoughts on the creative process and on being an artist

An interview about a book that calls into question fundamental ideas about democracy and China's system of government.

A conversation about dinosaurs, how life on earth got started and the science of fossil hunting.

The United States locks up more prisoners than any other country. But do people in the US really commit more Crime?

Jerry Kaplan unpacks the latest advances in robotics, machine learning as well as discusses the ethical problems we will face.

Studies suggest we spend up to 50% of our time daydreaming. Why do we daydream? Do animals daydream? Is daydreaming normal?

A book about the cutting edge science that is being used - today - to bring extinct animals back to life. What are the risks, benefits and ethical challenges?