Best Stephen Hobbs Podcasts (2025)

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Does Plato Still Matter Today? with Angie Hobbs 54:14

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29m ago54:14

54:14

Can ancient philosophy make sense of a modern life? In this episode, Sophie Scott-Brown speaks to academic philosopher and author Angie Hobbs about the enduring relevance of Plato and how his ideas continue to resonate in today’s world. Plato’s Republic remains a foundational text to Western thought. Hobbs brings us back to this key text and remind…

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Did the Road to Trump Start in the 90’s? with John Ganz 38:59

9m ago38:59

38:59

How has the past thirty years of American politics impacted our present? In this episode, Atossa Araxia Abrahamian speaks to journalist and author John Ganz about how the 1990s were the perfect storm that created a new America that birthed the Donald Trump Era. Many today look back on the 1990s with a sense of nostalgia. With the fall of the Berlin…

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Was the Nuclear Bomb Inevitable? With Frank Close 1:02:19

4d ago1:02:19

1:02:19

Use code SQUARED at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/squared --- How did the most powerful force in history begin with a faint smudge on a photographic plate? In this episode, Adam McCauley speaks to physicist and award-winning science writer Frank Close about his new history of the development …

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Episode #233 ... A philosophy of self-destruction. (Dostoevsky, Bataille) 33:57

3d ago33:57

33:57

Today we talk about two different theories for why we ritualize self-destructive behavior. We check out a lesser-known work from Dostoevsky called The Gambler. We consider how much we can hold people morally accountable for this kind of stuff. Then we look at the work of Georges Bataille, his book The Accursed Share, and how a hidden underlying eco…

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An African History of Africa, with Zeinab Badawi (Part Two) 35:24

3d ago35:24

35:24

Use code SQUARED at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: https://incogni.com/squared ----- ‘Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone.’ – Zeinab Badawi Too often historians have told the history of Africa through the prism of colonialism. But what picture of the continent emerges when …

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An African History of Africa, with Zeinab Badawi (Part One) 38:27

5d ago38:27

38:27

‘Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone.’ – Zeinab Badawi Too often historians have told the history of Africa through the prism of colonialism. But what picture of the continent emerges when we do away with making the story of Africa so anchored in European colonialism? In July 2025 award-winning broadcaster Ze…

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The Specialist | The Greatest Persian Manuscript: A Story Fit For Kings, with Benedict Carter 13:34

5d ago13:34

13:34

This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today's episode, the legendary Shahnameh – the Persian Book of Kings – an epic poem composed of around 50,000 rhyming c…

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Classic Debate: To Stop Climate Collapse, We Must End Capitalism 1:09:08

6d ago1:09:08

1:09:08

Capitalism is driving us to disaster. Our planet is heading for a terrifying environmental cataclysm – and our economic system is responsible. The defining characteristic of capitalism is perpetual economic growth. And while it has brought us wonderful benefits, including improved health, wealth and opportunities to travel and experience the world,…

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Did Apple’s Rise Fuel China’s Fight for Tech Supremacy? With Patrick McGee 48:16

8d ago48:16

48:16

How did Apple, the world’s most valuable company and creator of the defining product of the 21st century, end up so deeply entangled with China’s authoritarian state? In 1996, Apple was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Fast forward to 2003, and the company made a pivotal move - outsourcing production to China in search of affordable, scalable l…

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How did the fourteenth century shape England? With Helen Carr 41:18

10d ago41:18

41:18

The death of Edward I in 1307 marked the beginning of a period of intense turmoil and change in England. The fourteenth century ushered in the beginning of the bloody Hundred Years’ War with France, an epic conflict with Scotland that would last into the sixteenth century, famine in Northern Europe and the largest human catastrophe in known history…

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How will Taiwan shape Asia’s future? With Chris Horton 58:50

11d ago58:50

58:50

The issue of Taiwan is a constant background hum in today’s news cycle. Perched precariously on the fault-lines of global power, the fate of this vibrant democracy and tech colossus will shape Asia’s future – either containing or facilitating China’s expansionist goals. In today’s episode we’re joined by top foreign correspondent Chris Horton. Hort…

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Where Will the Next Tech Superpower Emerge? With Mehran Gul 51:16

13d ago51:16

51:16

For the past fifty years, Silicon Valley has led the world in developing cutting-edge technologies and spawning high-growth, billion-dollar tech companies. More recently, China has emerged as a formidable force in innovation. But is our focus on the US-China rivalry causing us to overlook the rise of new tech powerhouses elsewhere? In today’s episo…

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The Safekeep, with Women’s Prize-winner Yael van der Wouden 46:15

15d ago46:15

46:15

It’s been a remarkable eighteen months for Dutch-Israeli author Yael van der Wouden. Her debut novel, The Safekeep, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and this year it won the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Set in the Netherlands 15 years after the end of World War II, The Safekeep is the story of a reclusive young woman living in her family’s isola…

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The Specialist | The Untold Story of the Shredded Banksy, with Alex Branczik 14:14

16d ago14:14

14:14

This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. The shredding of Banksy’s Girl with Balloon live at auction in 2018 has gone down in art history. Alex Branczik, Chairman …

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The Specialist | The Rediscovery of Rubens’ The Massacre of the Innocents, with George Gordon 14:52

16d ago14:52

14:52

This is an episode of The Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. Rubens’ early masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents was hidden away for nearly 250 years. George Gordon, Deputy Chairm…

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How Can Football Shirts Explain Money, Power and Politics? 36:52

17d ago36:52

36:52

In today’s episode, journalist and author Joey D'Urso joins us to discuss the themes of his new book More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power. D'Urso travelled across the globe from Birmingham to Belgrade and Medellin and Mumbai, to uncover how the colours, crests and sponsors of football teams reflect and goo…

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How Geography Explains Our World, with Tim Marshall 29:38

18d ago29:38

29:38

Tim Marshall is one of the world’s most successful authors on foreign affairs. He’s the writer who put the ‘geo’ into geopolitics with his multi-million selling books Prisoners of Geography and The Power of Geography. Marshall’s principal argument is that without geography we cannot understand the world. Geography explains why Donald Trump wants to…

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How will Trump’s tariff war impact the global economy? With Philip Coggan 47:37

20d ago47:37

47:37

What happens when the world’s biggest economy turns its back on global trade? In today's episode, host Adam McCauley is joined by renowned financial journalist and economist Philip Coggan to examine the far-reaching consequences of Donald Trump’s trade war. Drawing parallels with Churchill’s economic decisions in the early 20th century, Coggan argu…

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The Search for a Jewish Homeland in Texas, with Rachel Cockerell and James McAuley 28:30

22d ago28:30

28:30

On June 7th 1907, a ship packed with Russian Jews sets sail not to Jerusalem or New York, as many on board have dreamt, but to Texas. The man who persuades the passengers to go is David Jochelmann, Rachel Cockerell's great-grandfather. It marks the beginning of the Galveston Movement, a forgotten moment in history when 10,000 Jews fled to Texas in …

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What can Charlottesville teach us about America’s national story? With Deborah Baker 37:46

24d ago37:46

37:46

In August 2017, over a thousand neo-Nazis, fascists, Klan members, and neo-Confederates descended on a small southern city to protest the pending removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. What happened in Charlottesville—and why did so few see it coming? What does it reveal about the myths we tell ourselves about America? In this episode, we speak with…

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Why does nobody understand quantum physics? With Frank Verstraete and Céline Broeckaert 47:47

25d ago47:47

47:47

Why does the universe behave in ways that defy logic - and can anyone truly understand it? In this episode, we’re joined by physicist Frank Verstraete and writer Céline Broeckaert, the husband-and-wife team behind the new book Why Nobody Understands Quantum Physics. Together, they take us on a journey into the strangest - and most essential - corne…

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What if Globalisation Fails? with Ben Chu 38:14

27d ago38:14

38:14

What happens if globalisation fails? Can nations truly stand alone in an interconnected world? Is the new race for national self-sufficiency a path to real security, or a dangerous illusion? In this episode, we’re joined by economics journalist Ben Chu, author of Exile Economics: What Happens if Globalisation Fails, to unpack the shifting tides of …

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Gareth Helm - McDonalds, Innocent, Zoopla and more... 33:17

1M ago33:17

33:17

Gareth Helm has had a stellar career in marketing, including roles at some of the world's biggest brands. Most recently he was Chief Marketing Officer for McDonalds, and then Chief Marketing Officer at Homeserve. His career though has included roles with Innocent Drinks, Zoopla, Nestle and Unilever among others. Wow! Gareth is now a non-executive d…

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Classic Debate: Neville Chamberlain Did The Right Thing 1:03:03

29d ago1:03:03

1:03:03

If ever a politician got a bum rap it’s Neville Chamberlain. He has gone down in history as the British prime minster whose policy of appeasement in the 1930s allowed the Nazis to flourish unopposed. He has never been forgiven for ceding part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in the Munich Agreement of September 1938, and for returning home triumphantly …

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Special Episode Part 2: Lauren Jacobs and Harmony Goldberg on facing corporate power and authoritarianism and how to build long-term governing power 57:58

30d ago57:58

57:58

This episode is part two of a two-part special episode. You can listen in any order. Unlike our standard episodes where we zoom in on one particular campaign, we’re zooming out around broader strategy themes. To help us zoom out, we invited five insightful thought leaders, who each recently wrote vital resources for campaign organizers, to talk wit…

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Episode #232 ... Byung Chul Han - The Crisis of Narration 32:25

1M ago32:25

32:25

Today we talk about the book The Crisis of Narration by the philosopher Byung Chul Han. We talk about the history of storytelling. Walter Benjamins distinction between a Paris fire and a revolution in Madrid. The effects of social media on memory. Story telling vs story selling. AI as pure Intelligenz lacking Geist. The ability for stories to give …

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Are bureaucrats a force for good? With Michael Lewis and Gillian Tett (Part Two) 36:33

1M ago36:33

36:33

The concept of government is under attack. In the United States, Donald Trump has fired tens of thousands of federal workers; ignored congressional statutes; insulted judges; and allowed Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, access to sensitive government information in a slash-and-burn campaign against the US government. In June 2025 Michael Lewis, …

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Are bureaucrats a force for good? With Michael Lewis and Gillian Tett (Part One) 36:50

1M ago36:50

36:50

The concept of government is under attack. In the United States, Donald Trump has fired tens of thousands of federal workers; ignored congressional statutes; insulted judges; and allowed Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, access to sensitive government information in a slash-and-burn campaign against the US government. In June 2025 Michael Lewis, …

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Ctrl, Alt, Delusion: Resetting Reality in the Manosphere 44:05

1M ago44:05

44:05

Today’s episode is the recording of our recent panel Ctrl, Alt, Delusion: Resetting Reality in the Manosphere, live at SXSW London, in partnership with Sage & Jester. Sage & Jester is an impact-led arts production company that exposes manipulation and misinformation. At Sage & Jester, entertainment sparks critical thinking. Their work blends wisdom…

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The Genius Myth, with Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci (Part Two) 35:36

1M ago35:36

35:36

The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist. The tech disruptor. You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate. Taking us from the Renaissance Florence of Leonardo da Vinci to the Florida rocket launches of Elon Musk’s Spa…

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Special Episode Part 1: James Mumm, Stephanie Luce, and Bill Fletcher on knowing your target, learning from successful failures, and building a united front 53:24

1M ago53:24

53:24

This episode is part one of a two-part special episode. You can listen in any order. Unlike our standard episodes where we zoom in on one particular campaign, we’re zooming out around broader strategy themes. To help us zoom out, we invited five insightful thought leaders, who each recently wrote vital resources for campaign organizers, to talk wit…

1
The Genius Myth, with Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci (Part One) 36:09

1M ago36:09

36:09

The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist. The tech disruptor. You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate. Taking us from the Renaissance Florence of Leonardo da Vinci to the Florida rocket launches of Elon Musk’s Spa…

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Yardsticks For Failure, with Ivo Graham (Part Two) 35:20

1M ago35:20

35:20

After coming last by quite such a distance on Taskmaster Series 15, and seeing his emotional frailties laid bare in a series of memes of him with his head in his hands, Ivo Graham is adapting to an increasingly irreversible reputation as a man better known for his chaos than his comedy. His new book Yardsticks For Failure is a map of the brain behi…

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Episode #231 ... The Late Work of Wittgenstein - Language Games 28:37

1M ago28:37

28:37

Today we talk about the late work of Wittgenstein in Philosophical Investigations. We talk about the meaning of words. Augustine's theory. Forms of life. Rules and practices. Grammar. Geometry. Family resemblance. And the role of a philosopher on the other side of accepting this view of language. Hope you love it. :) Sponsors: ZocDoc: https://www.Z…

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Yardsticks For Failure, with Ivo Graham (Part One) 32:55

1M ago32:55

32:55

After coming last by quite such a distance on Taskmaster Series 15, and seeing his emotional frailties laid bare in a series of memes of him with his head in his hands, Ivo Graham is adapting to an increasingly irreversible reputation as a man better known for his chaos than his comedy. His new book Yardsticks For Failure is a map of the brain behi…

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An Evening with Matt Haig: Embracing Hope, Wonder and the Power of the Imagination (Part Two) 34:49

1M ago34:49

34:49

‘A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination’ Benedict Cumberbatch Matt Haig is one of Britain’s most celebrated authors, best known for his internationally bestselling novel The Midnight Library and the critically acclaimed memoir Reasons to Stay Alive. Matt’s newest novel, The Life Impossible, which became an instant Sunday Ti…

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An Evening with Matt Haig: Embracing Hope, Wonder and the Power of the Imagination (Part One) 35:45

2M ago35:45

35:45

‘A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination’ Benedict Cumberbatch Matt Haig is one of Britain’s most celebrated authors, best known for his internationally bestselling novel The Midnight Library and the critically acclaimed memoir Reasons to Stay Alive. Matt’s newest novel, The Life Impossible, which became an instant Sunday Ti…

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An Evening with Deborah Frances-White and David Tennant (Part Two) 37:44

2M ago37:44

37:44

Deborah Frances-White is the writer and comedian best known for hosting The Guilty Feminist podcast. David Tennant is the multi-award-winning actor who has played iconic roles including Doctor Who, Hamlet, Barty Crouch Jr., Rivals’ Lord Tony Baddingham and more. In April 2025 they came to Intelligence Squared to discuss how we can have better and m…

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An Evening with Deborah Frances-White and David Tennant (Part One) 36:16

2M ago36:16

36:16

Deborah Frances-White is the writer and comedian best known for hosting The Guilty Feminist podcast. David Tennant is the multi-award-winning actor who has played iconic roles including Doctor Who, Hamlet, Barty Crouch Jr., Rivals’ Lord Tony Baddingham and more. In April 2025 they came to Intelligence Squared to discuss how we can have better and m…

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Is Britain in Denial About the Far Right? With Harry Shukman 46:06

2M ago46:06

46:06

What is happening behind closed doors in Britain’s far right movement? On today’s episode, we’re joined by journalist Harry Shukman, the journalist who spent over a year undercover investigating the British far right. Drawing on his new book, Year of the Rat, Shukman sheds light on the secret meetings, pub gatherings, political canvassing, and neo-…

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The Power of Good Conversation, with Jefferson Fisher (Part Two) 33:36

2M ago33:36

33:36

‘Embracing the knowledge in The Next Conversation will vastly improve your life.’ – Andrew Huberman, creator of the Huberman Lab Podcast ‘ The Next Conversation gives you the tools to change your life, one conversation at a time.’ – Mel Robbins, bestselling author and host of the Mel Robbins Podcast In a time when conversations often feel more divi…

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Episode #230 ... Hope as an Existentialism (Ernst Bloch) 29:44

2M ago29:44

29:44

Today we talk about the early work of Ernst Bloch. Hope as anticipatory consciousness. The darkness of the lived moment. Educated hope vs false hope. Music as an experiential metaphysics and gateway to the Not-Yet. Hope you love it. :) Sponsors: Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis Thank you so mu…

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The Power of Good Conversation, with Jefferson Fisher (Part One) 34:19

2M ago34:19

34:19

‘Embracing the knowledge in The Next Conversation will vastly improve your life.’ – Andrew Huberman, creator of the Huberman Lab Podcast ‘ The Next Conversation gives you the tools to change your life, one conversation at a time.’ – Mel Robbins, bestselling author and host of the Mel Robbins Podcast In a time when conversations often feel more divi…

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Sotheby's Talks | Shakespeare: A Man For All Time, with Tracy-Ann Oberman 39:41

2M ago39:41

39:41

On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's, exploring the world of Shakespeare. Sam Leith, author, journalist and literary editor of The Spectator, will be joined by Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford, Tracy-Ann Oberman, who most recently starred as Shylock in her adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, and accla…

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Is Nvidia the most important company in the world? With Stephen Witt 51:06

2M ago51:06

51:06

In June 2024, Nvidia became the most valuable corporation on Earth. In Stephen Witt’s new book ‘The Thinking Machine’ he chronicles the astonishing story of how a designer of videogame equipment conquered the market for AI hardware, and in the process reinvented the computer. He spoke about it with author and Research Director at Demos Carl Miller.…

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An Evening with Adam Buxton and Caitlin Moran (Part Two) 34:04

2M ago34:04

34:04

*** Click here to see the photograph referred to in the podcast introduction: https://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/an-evening-with-adam-buxton *** --- Adam Buxton is a comedian, writer, podcaster — and one of the UK’s most beloved cultural figures. Best known for The Adam Buxton Podcast, The Adam and Joe Show on Channel 4, and the distinctive…